Results 121-140 of 18,613 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Committee on Scrutiny of Draft EU-related Statutory Instruments: Consideration of Draft EU-related Statutory Instruments (18 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: -----being shown to us? Are we to understand that? I am not trying to embarrass the Minister in any way but we have run into a stone wall on this. It is interesting to identify - I do not want to use a pejorative term - where the problem is.

Committee on Scrutiny of Draft EU-related Statutory Instruments: Consideration of Draft EU-related Statutory Instruments (18 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: The Minister referred to resourcing difficulties in terms of drafting. One of the things, going back to my own time as a Minister, that could be mentioned in this context is that it was very easy, prior to Brexit, for staff in an Irish Department which was looking at a European directive to lift the phone and call their opposite number in London and ask, "What are you doing on this? Show us...

Committee on Scrutiny of Draft EU-related Statutory Instruments: Consideration of Draft EU-related Statutory Instruments (18 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: Now, unfortunately, post Brexit we have to do all this work by ourselves.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Legal Services Regulatory Authority: Discussion (18 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: I welcome Dr. Doherty and Ms McIntyre. I declare an interest on this occasion since I am a practising barrister. In general terms, I want to compliment the regulatory authority because I have heard no adverse complaints about it since it assumed full control of its functions. It has worked smoothly. One hears on the grapevine of frivolous and vexatious cases brought by people who did not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Legal Services Regulatory Authority: Discussion (18 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: That is interesting to know. On the LLPs, there is one point I wanted to ask about. Is the authority happy about the availability of professional indemnity to solicitors, in particular? I do not think there is a problem for barristers in my experience of obtaining mandatory insurance coverage. I think there are, or there were in the past at any rate, jaw dropping premiums extracted by...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Legal Services Regulatory Authority: Discussion (18 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: I know times have changed but when I started as a barrister, it was quite possible for a young solicitor to have the ambition of establishing a single member firm, renting an office, paying a secretary, paying the Law Society annual subscription and paying all the overheads associated with a small practice. Now, you would find people being asked for €30,000 or €40,000 a year in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Legal Services Regulatory Authority: Discussion (18 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: I have a supplementary question. What about people who exercise EU rights to appear in litigation or to act in litigation matters in the Republic? Does the authority have any function in relation to them or is that a lacuna?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Legal Services Regulatory Authority: Discussion (18 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: If a French avocat presented himself or herself here and wished to exercise rights in this regard, would he or she have to go to the professional body first and then become amenable to our regulatory authority's jurisdiction? If, for instance, they act at an inquest or a tribunal, do they escape the authority's jurisdiction?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Legal Services Regulatory Authority: Discussion (18 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: So it is a registered lawyer.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Legal Services Regulatory Authority: Discussion (18 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: I have one last question. With regard to issues the Bar Council's professional practices committee deals with, for example, behaviour towards other barristers and the like, is the committee's independent function satisfactorily operating or is there a clash or a friction point with the regulatory authority's jurisdiction?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Legal Services Regulatory Authority: Discussion (18 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Legal Services Regulatory Authority: Discussion (18 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: They do have a professional practices committee-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Legal Services Regulatory Authority: Discussion (18 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: -----that imposes the Law Library or Bar rules.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Legal Services Regulatory Authority: Discussion (18 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: I am glad to hear that.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: I want to be associated with the opposition to the Government's intention to guillotine the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill in the House this session. This is important legislation. Members of this House have not been given adequate time to consider it. I do not believe it was adequately considered or debated in Dáil Éireann either. This Government has always claimed...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: I am not accusing anybody, if we are not being lied to about the intention not to have a general election before next year. If, on the other hand, this is yet another instance of the Government saying one thing and deceiving the Irish people about its intentions, and ramming through this and the Planning and Development Bill in order to renege on its commitment, made publicly by the...

Seanad: Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022: Second Stage (13 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: Party spokespersons were given 12 minutes. The Minister should be given at least the same speaking time.

Seanad: Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022: Second Stage (13 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: I have a peculiar relationship with this legislation. At one stage the Attorney General was kind enough to instruct me in the case of MR and DR v. An t-Ard-Chláraitheoir in the Supreme Court, where my function was to uphold that the mother of a child to be registered on a birth certificate was the person who actually bore the child. At that time, the Supreme Court was informed and was...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 May 2024)

Michael McDowell: I propose an amendment to the Order of Business that No. 10 on the Order of Paper be taken before No. 1. No. 10 involves seeking leave to introduce the Health (Scoliosis Treatment Services) Bill 2024. It is seven years since the then Minister of Health and current Taoiseach, Deputy Simon Harris, promised that all scoliosis treatments would be afforded within a period of four months. He...