Mattie McGrath criticises migration pact handling, calls for debates
Mattie McGrath spoke in the Dáil to object to the order of business and to associate his group with calls for debate on the Natasha O'Brien situation. He criticised what he called a flippant handling of the migration pact and urged fuller scrutiny and debate.
Order of business objection
He objected to the current order of business because of what he described as a flippant and lousy approach to handling the migration pact. He said the matter should have been debated in multiple segments and given more scrutiny, rather than the back-and-forth approach taken this week.
Calls for debate on Natasha O'Brien
He said his group wanted to be associated with remarks calling for a debate on the Natasha O'Brien situation and described the case as horrific. He conveyed support for raising the issue for fuller consideration in the chamber.
Migration pact criticism and timing
He criticised the handling of the migration pact, noting it should have been debated in seven different segments as in the European Parliament. He reiterated the commitment that every member of the Dáil who wished to speak would be allowed to do so, that there would be no guillotine, and that the matter was expected to be brought to a vote the following day, likely in the afternoon to accommodate members' schedules.
Gender-based violence and sentencing reform
He thanked a colleague for raising gender-based violence and said he understands that women are exhausted, fed up, angry and frustrated. He welcomed the suggestion to consider suspended sentencing, noting the Judicial Council may have a role in sentencing guidelines and offering to engage with the minister and others to explore options.
Legal process comment and other scheduling matters
He clarified that his earlier point about legal processes related to a statutory section on the role and time period for the DPP, not to any individual judge's retirement. He also supported scheduling a debate on the Primetime Investigates programme about horses and noted the recent passing of Ken Corlow, and that several members including himself may attend the funeral, so a later afternoon vote would be preferable.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
On behalf of the Royal Independent Group, we want to be associated with remarks and hope calling for debate about the situation regarding Natasha O'Brien, it's horrific, but today we are objecting to the order of business because of the flippant and lousy affair where you have handled the migration pact and back and forth, back and forth, it should have been debated in seven different segments as it was at European Parliament and indeed we should have had more scrutiny and discussion and debate and question and answer here in this chamber, which we didn't have, a very flippant way you handled it, we are totally opposed to that. I often feel the business commission seems to be one of the most important things around here, so thanks very much to members who have raised a number of issues, Deputy Batchik, thank you for raising the very serious issue in relation to gender-based violence, and I do fully understand and comprehend that women are exhausted, fed up, angry and frustrated, I think your suggestion in relation to The issue of suspended sentencing has real merit, I think trying to find a vehicle to consider how best to explore that is likely to be the role of the Judicial Council in sentencing guidelines, but perhaps myself and the Minister could reflect and engage with you in relation to that as well. Deputy Murphy, I was horrified by the Primetime Investigates Programme in relation to horses and I have no difficulty with a debate being scheduled, I don't think it was flagged at the business committee this week, but we are happy to try and arrange that. Deputy Smith, I do need to be very careful here because the point I was making in relation to legal processes was not in relation to any individual judge, it was in relation to a section I quoted from the legislation which talks about the role of the DPP and the time period that elapses, and that is certainly not a constraint that is in any way, shape or form linked to a judge's retirement or otherwise. Deputy McGrath, on the migration pact, I am not sure you will ever be satisfied with how we decide to take this forward, but we did take a decision last week to give more time again to it this week. We gave a commitment as a government that every member of the Dáil who wished to speak on the migration pact would of course be provided with that, that there would not be a guillotine in that regard. We provided additional time for that to happen, I think that is today, and then we hope to bring that matter to a vote in the Dáil tomorrow. Deputy McLaughlin, thank you for raising that logical and fair question. We are hoping to have that vote tomorrow, we will work out the time with you, but probably after lunch. I should say Ken Corlow, a former colleague of many people in this House, Deputy Bernard Allen, a person who served with great distinction for 30 years, served my party with distinction, served the people of Cork with distinction and the people of Ireland passed away. And obviously there will be a number of people, including myself, who wish to attend that funeral tomorrow, but I hope we could have that vote later in the afternoon. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
