Results 1,521-1,540 of 5,754 for speaker:Gerard Craughwell

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (10 Mar 2022)

Gerard Craughwell: I want to raise two things this morning. The first one is my long-suffering search and rescue tender process that is under way. The pre-qualification questionnaire, PQQ, has been issued and the PQQ date has passed. However, I believe an entirely new PQQ has to be issued because the Irish Aviation Authority, IAA, issued an instruction to CHC, the current incumbent, to change its shift cycle...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (10 Mar 2022)

Gerard Craughwell: Hear, hear. Well said.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Update on the Crisis in Ukraine: Engagement with Minister for Foreign Affairs (10 Mar 2022)

Gerard Craughwell: I congratulate the Minister and his Department and, as Deputy Brady said, all of the Departments. It is amazing how quickly this country can react to a crisis. The Minister is to be commended on his leadership in this matter on the international stage. Credit where credit is due. Our position on neutrality was stated in a White Paper by the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1995. Is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Update on the Crisis in Ukraine: Engagement with Minister for Foreign Affairs (10 Mar 2022)

Gerard Craughwell: That is fair enough. My last point concerns the representations I have had from people in Georgia and Moldova. Both of those countries are really concerned about the likelihood that Russia will make a move on their borders. Are there any plans to being them into the EU family?

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Mar 2022)

Gerard Craughwell: In recent days, I have written to all Members of the House considering the issue of neutrality and the discussion on neutrality that has raged in this House for as long as I have been a Member. I have never accepted that Ireland is a neutral country and, although there is never a good time to have this discussion, we must have it now. For the moment, we decided to provide assistance to one...

Seanad: Gnó an tSeanaid - Business of Seanad (3 Mar 2022)

Gerard Craughwell: The Cathaoirleach's mastery of language never ceases to amaze.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Mar 2022)

Gerard Craughwell: The ambassador is welcome to the House today. It is amazing that it took a war in Ukraine to bring us all so close together. I hope that closeness continues. I express my thanks to the Irish Air Corps for going the extra mile and flying to Romania yesterday to bring home parents and their surrogate children. People have said things about the Air Corps in this place, about it not being...

Seanad: Situation in Ukraine: Statements (1 Mar 2022)

Gerard Craughwell: Ireland and its Governments have basked in the mistaken belief that as a small island nation no one would ever want to hurt us, with the mantra of how we box above our weight and our marvellous reputation as peacekeepers from a neutral state allowing us to take the high moral ground on the international stage. Countless Ministers over the years have spoken of our neutrality. Indeed, some...

Seanad: Situation in Ukraine: Statements (1 Mar 2022)

Gerard Craughwell: Hear, hear. Well said.

Seanad: Citizens' Assemblies: Motion (23 Feb 2022)

Gerard Craughwell: I support everything Senator Boyhan said in respect of local authorities.I was sitting in my office listening to Senator Ruane. Many people have spoken about her community today. Senator Ruane's community is my community. A person I loved dearly died because of addiction. It is the most horrible death. It is not something you will only find in the poorer areas of society. You will find...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Feb 2022)

Gerard Craughwell: I first want to remark on the fact that representatives of the Uyghur community were in Leinster House today. It is a testament to the Seanad that we are not afraid to recognise and bring into the House people from any community anywhere in the world who are being subjected to horrendous treatment. I also welcome the Lord Mayor of Cork. It is always a pleasure to see him in the House. I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Israel's Apartheid against Palestinians: Amnesty International (22 Feb 2022)

Gerard Craughwell: Deputy Berry is tied up in the Dáil this afternoon and asked me to convey his apologies.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Feb 2022)

Gerard Craughwell: On Sunday last, an Chéad Chathlán Coisithe i nDún Uí Mhaolíosa i nGaillimh held its commemoration of 100 years. I want to pay some respect to my colleagues: Senator Kyne, who is here; Senator Crowe; and Deputies Ó Cuív and Grealish. Their attendance at that parade was greatly appreciated by all. Soldiers in Galway know they have support in this House and...

Seanad: Life Saving Equipment Bill 2017: Committee Stage (17 Feb 2022)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome the first responders. Few of the Members who have spoken here this afternoon know what it is like to wake up at 5 a.m. with a pain in your chest as if you had just been hit by a bus. I have had that experience. I spent two years from 1999 to 2001 carefully assessing everywhere I went outside Dublin to see if there was a hospital close by. I cannot begin to tell Members the fear...

Committee on Public Petitions: Annual Reports of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman: Press Ombudsman (17 Feb 2022)

Gerard Craughwell: Mr. Feeney is very welcome. I admire his openness and willingness to listen and answer questions. If I may, I will focus on social media, although I know he has been fairly well quizzed on it. In a recent radio programme, I listened to a lady who was the owner of a bed and breakfast down the country. In seeking to put up an image on her website, she googled a particular part of her local...

Committee on Public Petitions: Annual Reports of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman: Press Ombudsman (17 Feb 2022)

Gerard Craughwell: In its search engine tools, Google provides people with a facility to check the copyright of photographs. There are many sites that you can buy the images from. I was rather shocked to find that my own image is copyrighted, not by me, but by the person who took the photograph. I fully understand that. I wish to raise another sensitive issue concerning the media in general. The august...

Committee on Public Petitions: Annual Reports of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman: Press Ombudsman (17 Feb 2022)

Gerard Craughwell: Indeed. Many of my party colleagues right now would probably say that my Independent Group gets more publicity than any of them, which may or may not be true. I want to talk to Mr. Feeney very briefly about the area of litigation in Ireland. The printed press, particularly, and, indeed, both TV stations and all radio stations operating in the Republic, are extremely sensitive to the...

Committee on Public Petitions: Annual Reports of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman: Press Ombudsman (17 Feb 2022)

Gerard Craughwell: If we look at a defamation case where the ordinary working guy, Joe Bloggs, is minding his own business and gets mentioned in a newspaper, nobody would be afraid to mention his name. The worst-case scenario is that if the newspaper has defamed him in some way, it will cost a couple of thousand euro whereas if it affects a person with a high profile, as Mr. Feeney rightly pointed out, it...

Committee on Public Petitions: Annual Reports of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman: Press Ombudsman (17 Feb 2022)

Gerard Craughwell: Mr. Feeney raised another issue with me.

Committee on Public Petitions: Annual Reports of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman: Press Ombudsman (17 Feb 2022)

Gerard Craughwell: I will submit this quickly. A Scottish newspaper sued a person, either on the person's website or Facebook, I am not sure which, for republishing its article by putting up a link to it. I guess there is a role for Mr. Feeney's office there. I would hope that the Press Ombudsman's office would be used as a precursor to any litigation for defamation and that that in some way would mitigate...