Tag Archives: Martin Conway

Fine Gael spokesman on Justice in Seanad Éireann, Senator Martin Conway, has said the new Garda Commissioner should be appointed from outside the ranks of An Garda Síochána. Senator Conway said, “Following the retirement of former Commissioner Noirin O’Sullivan, I believe that it is in the best interest of An Garda Síochána that the Policing Authority begin a process of headhunting an individual with a proven track record of implementing radical reform. “This process can run in tandem with an open competition- the clear objective being to find the right candidate to drive radical reform and restore public confidence in the senior management of the force. “It is not uncommon in private industry that a headhunting process is used to find the right person for a senior position such as this as there are many who may not express an interest through an open competition. “This has been a particularly difficult time for the ordinary men and women of An …

Fine Gael’s Martin Conway will be Clare’s sole representative in the Seanad. The Ennistymon man successfully retained his seat on the Administrative Panel of Seanad Éirean. He was first elected to this panel in 2011 and was the Seanad spokesperson on Justice, Disability and Equality. He is the first visually impaired member of the Oireachtas. Conway’s first foray into politics was in 2004 when he won a seat on Clare County Council, representing North Clare. He was re-elected to the council in 2009, topping the poll. However, outgoing senator Tony Mulcahy from Shannon surrendered his seat. He was one of 23 candidates seeking the 11 seats on the Labour panel. He was eliminated in the sixth count. Following his unsuccessful bid Senator Mulcahy said that one of the first things he has to do is get a handle on his finances. He said that despite perceptions of politics being ultra-lucrative, most of those who have lost their Seanad seats face …

Fine Gael Senator Martin Conway has criticised what he has described as a “disastrous” Fine Gael election campaign nationally, however, he said he is hopeful of a positive Clare result. He said he felt sympathy for Clare County Councillor Mary Howard who he said was “put on the back foot” by Fine Gael by putting her forward as a General Election candidate too late. Senator Conway said he believes he could have performed well and attracted a significant vote if he had been chosen and the North Clare and West Clare areas were left “wide open” for Dr Michael Harty and other candidates by deciding not to select him. He said he believes Fine Gael made a “big mistake” by not selecting him but he is relatively confident Fine Gael can claim two seats. “Nationally at the moment it has been a disastrous election for Fine Gael. Our message clearly hasn’t resonated with the people. You could be forgiven for …

A date has been set for the Fine Gael convention to select candidates to run for the General Election in Clare. The convention will take place on September 11 in Ennis, with the county’s two sitting TDs, Deputies Pat Breen and Joe Carey, likely to receive the nod. Senators Tony Mulcahy and Martin Conway have both said they will seek the party’s nomination. Clare County Councillor Mary Howard may also seek to have her name put forward. Senator Mulcahy was on the ticket in the 2011 General Election but was not elected, while Senator Conway had expressed his desire to run for Fine Gael on that occasion but was not selected as a candidate. “In 2009, I topped polls in local elections with a significant surplus. I wasn’t running in the subsequent General Election, even though a senior cabinet minister living seven miles away from me had said he would not be running, so it left a vacuum. Fine Gael …

CLARE’S five Government Oireachtas members are divided over the possible implications of the decision to press ahead with the €1.4 billion sale of Aer Lingus to International Airlines Group (IAG). Furthermore, Fianna Fáil’s Timmy Dooley has added a twist to the debate in claiming the Irish Government might have no option but to sue IAG if the Aer Lingus Heathrow slots are sold. Fianna Fáil said it will table a Private Notice Question in the Dáil on Thursday, in a bid to suspend the proposed vote to sell off the national stake in Aer Lingus. The move follows the emergence of a report prepared by aviation consultants Nyras for Aer Lingus, in which the company sets out a range of cost reductions across the airline, including a proposal to outsource part of aircraft maintenance to Eastern Europe. The Government is recommending the sale of the State’s 25.1% stake, worth €335million, in Aer Lingus to IAG and put a motion to …

The Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald, has announced  she intends to proceed with the enactment of legislation to promote mediation as a viable, effective and efficient adjunct to court proceedings. “Following my Private Members’ motion on mediation in the Seanad today, which was supported by the majority of senators; I am delighted that the Minister for Justice has now committed to the enactment of the Mediation Bill in early course,” commented Senator Martin Conway. He continiued, “Mediation is voluntary process of conflict prevention and resolution that allows the parties an opportunity to address their issues in a confidential, private and safe environment. It improves communication, narrows outstanding issues, defuses emotions and defines area of agreement. Statistics from the Mediators’ Institute of Ireland show a success rate for mediation averaging 80%. “I am confident that dealing with disputes in this way will provide the parties in dispute with the best possible opportunity to resolve their issues in a fast …

CLARE Senator Martin Conway is calling for the criminalisation of domestic violence. Senator Conway, who is a member of the Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, was speaking following the launch of the committee’s report on domestic and sexual violence. “The committee heard that violence, in a domestic context, is often treated differently to public assault, where public assault is treated more seriously. This is completely unacceptable and the State needs to ensure that, to the greatest possible extent, this crime should be treated as being as serious, if not more serious than, many other forms of criminal and common law assault,” he said. The committee’s report calls for a wider definition of domestic violence and seeks to have domestic abuse introduced into Irish law. The proposal envisages the use of specially trained and experienced judges in a ‘one family, one judge’ model, which would be complemented by the provision of specially trained support services aimed at assisting the …

Clare senator, Martin Conway, has urged the Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald and the Acting Garda Commissioner, Noirin O’Sullivan, to consider the establishment of a website to keep victims informed about the status of their case. “Last year in the UK, Avon and Somerset police forces set up a website called TrackMyCrime, allowing people to follow the progress of their cases,” said the Fine Seanad Spokesperson on Justice, Disability and Equality. “TrackMyCrime allows victims of crime to access the progress of the investigation of their crime as well as contact the officer leading the investigation. The service is offered to victims of crime alongside all of our other methods of communication with notifications via email and/or text, alerting them to a message which they can securely access at a time and in a way that suits them.,” he explained. Senator Conway said the system automatically updates as police enter information on their computers, with emergency 999 call handlers …