On prevailing side: this member voted with the winning side in 25 of 177 decisive votes (0 abstentions excluded). Read it as a government-or-opposition indicator rather than a measure of influence — the figure is near 100% for members supporting the government of the day and near 0% for those opposing it.
This is the point of the site: contributions keep the party held on the day, not the one held now.
| Party | Recorded as | Contributions | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| IND | Independent | 1,687 | 2020-01-21 – 2026-09-23 |
Membership spells on record: IND 2007-07-23–2011-04-25 · IND 2011-05-25–2016-04-24 · IND 2016-03-10–2020-03-29 · IND 2020-03-30–2025-01-29 · IND 2025-01-29–present
I start by asking to share time with my friend and colleague, Senator Keogan, with the permission of the House.
I welcome the Minister to the House and apologise for the fact that I will be unable to remain for the duration of the debate. I will obviously scrutinise it very carefully later on. I am attending an event involving the Human Dignity Award presentation. Senator Keogan will be there as well, so we will not be in a position to oppose this Bill on Second Stage. I assure the Minister that this Bill deserves to be opposed. It will be opposed and extensively scrutinised on Committee Stage, and extensive amendments will …
I agree with some of what my colleague, Senator Dooley, has said, but I disagree to an extent. The worst thing to happen in our country for a long time happened last Thursday morning with the stabbing of innocent people, including three young children and their carer. Our thoughts and prayers must remain, in particular, with the five-year-old child who remains in a critical condition and with her family. That was, by a mile, the worst thing that happened last Thursday, far worse than the violence, disorder and vand…
We heard yesterday about the proposed scrapping of outdated censorship laws. There can be no argument that where laws fall into destitution, they should be disposed of. However, I hope people realise that there are still ways in which literature, and not only literature, can harm people, whether it is called evil literature or not. I only have to think of the concern among many parents about the highly inappropriate material available to children as young as 12 in some of our libraries. I do not think the Governmen…
I extend my congratulations to all involved with Project Search. I would like the Minister for Education to come into this House to explain what is going on at the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, and the very strange approach it is taking to its draft curriculum for the social, personal and health education, SPHE, cycle in secondary schools. Many are concerned that questionable ideology and assumptions about reality that are not evidence based are to be found in this draft curriculum. There se…
And amendment No. 23.
I second the amendment.
I move amendment No. 20: In page 14, line 26, to delete “member of the Garda Síochána not below the rank of superintendent” and substitute “judge of the District Court”.
I second the amendment.
I move amendment No. 22: In page 15, to delete lines 8 and 9 and substitute the following: “(b) the name of the District Court judge and the date of approval,”.
I move amendment No. 23: In page 15, line 13, to delete “member of the Garda Síochána” and substitute “District Court judge”.
I second the amendment.
I move amendment No. 25.
I intend to move amendment No. 25, God willing. For now I will speak to amendments Nos. 25 and 26. Amendment No. 25 is similar to that of Senator Ruane. The issue here is that we all want to support the Garda in the pursuit of its duties but in a democracy one always has to have regard to checks and balances and the need to ensure the work we entrust to the Garda is always done in a way that is mindful of people's individual rights and freedoms. That is the delicate but important balance that one always seeks to ac…
I move amendment No. 25: In page 15, between lines 17 and 18, to insert the following: “(6) The total duration of an approval granted under this section, howsoever extended or varied, shall not exceed the duration of three months.”.
I move amendment No. 26: In page 15, between lines 30 and 31, to insert the following: “(2) In making an application under subsection (1) , the member shall have regard to the necessity and proportionality of the measure pursuant to an order under this section, taking into account the impact of such on the fundamental rights of individuals.”.
I second the amendment.
I move amendment No. 28: In page 16, line 34, to delete “sergeant” and substitute “superintendent”.
No.
I move amendment No. 29: In page 17, line 2, after “data”)” to insert “following applications under section 17 and/or section 18 of this Act.”.