Results 4,821-4,840 of 5,765 for speaker:Gerard Craughwell

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Dec 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I am not sure if Senators are aware that our colleague in County Kildare, Councillor Willie Crowley, was the victim of a hit and run accident last night. His condition is critical and I am sure all Senators will join me in sending our good wishes to him. This morning, representatives of the Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel and the Irish United Nations Veterans Association...

Seanad: Harbours Bill 2015: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I wish to support Senator Barrett. I am a little confused about why we are bringing local authorities in to run ports. The ports are a specialised area. I would rather see an integrated transport policy, whereby the big ports in use would incorporate some form of rail transfer of assets, etc. I am a little concerned that we are asking too much of local authorities.We have stripped them of...

Seanad: Harbours Bill 2015: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I take the Minister's word that there was a significant period of consultation but everything about this Bill seems to remove the opportunity for locally-elected people to have a serious input into the ports' boards. The boards would have oversight of what goes on. We seem to be empowering chief executives and disempowering elected people, a theme which appears to run right through...

Seanad: Harbours Bill 2015: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: Can the amendments be resubmitted for Report Stage?

Seanad: Harbours Bill 2015: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: Senator Barrett is correct. For the life of me, I cannot believe we would want a harbour that would be managed by a load of "landlubbers", as Senator Barrett has called them. Surely the harbour master - the person who understands the harbour - is the one person we should want to be present at all board meetings. A number of harbours around the country are extremely peculiar in their design...

Seanad: Harbours Bill 2015: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I accept what the Minister has said. The magic word in what he had to say was "employee" because it suggests to me that it is envisaged, as suggested by Senator Barrett, that the harbour master will be standing outside the door with his cap in his hand waiting to see whether his masters inside want to hear his wisdom. These men have developed wisdom over many years. By right, they should...

Seanad: Harbours Bill 2015: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: We will be back on Report Stage.

Seanad: Harbours Bill 2015: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: Amendments Nos. 14 and 15, which were tabled by Sinn Féin, seek to remove the authority of the chief executive officer and to vest that authority in elected council members. I appreciate that the Bill gives the council some powers of oversight. It is most regrettable that we are not in a position to consider amendments Nos. 14 and 15.

Seanad: Harbours Bill 2015: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I thank the Minister for his patience. I agree with Senator Barrett on this. Where power is invested in a local individual, those autocratic people are suddenly given the power to put a number of puppets in place who will behave as desired. I would have no problem with the local authority chief executive making a recommendation while the final decision rested with the Minister of the day....

Seanad: Harbours Bill 2015: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: Section 22(7)(b)(vi) provides that in considering whether to appoint a person to be a director of a transferred company, the local authority chief executive concerned shall have regard to the desirability of experience of local government. However, we have ensured that those with the greatest experience of local government are excluded. We will be talking about that a little later in the...

Seanad: Harbours Bill 2015: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: Okay.

Seanad: Harbours Bill 2015: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: We are meeting different guys then.

Seanad: Harbours Bill 2015: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: In fairness, if the harbour was not under the control of the local authority, an elected member of a local authority would have no difficulty being on the board whatsoever.

Seanad: Harbours Bill 2015: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: With respect, I have never suggested that the power of oversight should be invested in any small group that would be appointed to a harbour board. I welcome most of the Bill and what the Minister is doing here in the oversight area. I am a little sorry Sinn Féin is not here to move some of its amendments, but I welcome what the Minister is doing. At the end of the day, there is a...

Seanad: Harbours Bill 2015: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I support the Minister fully on this one.

Seanad: Harbours Bill 2015: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I move amendment No. 39:In page 38, to delete line 22. I know we could joust on this for the evening but we will not do that. When this Bill was first published I contacted all the local authority representatives, sent them a copy of the Bill and asked for their comments. The feedback, particularly from those in coastal areas, was that local authority members wanted to be allowed to serve...

Seanad: Harbours Bill 2015: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: Amendment No. 40 not moved.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Welfare of Ex-Service Personnel: Discussion (16 Dec 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: As a card-carrying member of ONE myself, I am delighted to see the witnesses from ONE and the UN vets here today. When I left the Army back in 1980, soldiers were forgotten once they had walked out the gate. Many soldiers fell on very hard times and I have met many who fell on hard times that were beyond belief. ONE and the UN vets have provided a focus for former members to remain engaged...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I wish to associate myself with Senator Zappone's comments this morning. Cúchulainn was born in County Galway and, for Senator Jim D'Arcy's information, moved to Dundalk later. At the weekend, the newspapers carried a further report on the "Prime Time" programme. I have had a number of calls from county councillors who feel they have been totally undermined and that their honesty and...

Seanad: Seanad Electoral Reform Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Dec 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Coffey, to the House. I too support Senator Crown. In fact, Senator Quinn's statement that Senator Crown feels he will not be able to stand for election again if he does not see meaningful reform has saddened me somewhat. Senators Quinn, Crown and Zappone have all been pushing for reform. Many would argue that the referendum was based on the belief...