Results 181-200 of 237 for speaker:Tom Brabazon

Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Policing Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2025)

Tom Brabazon: Mr. Slevin spoke about low morale. I put this question to the Garda Commissioner last week. From meeting rank-and-file gardaí right up to inspectors and superintendents in my constituency, I know morale is in fact quite low. To be frank, I was not happy with the Commissioner’s response. Mr. Slevin mentioned denial, low morale and continuing associated issues. Arising from...

Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Policing Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2025)

Tom Brabazon: To follow up on Deputy Ward's question regarding the joint policing committees and the vacuum, I know the north-central area joint policing committee continues to sit despite the legislation not having been implemented. I have a few questions, and the first concerns the length of time members of An Garda Síochána are suspended for while going through a disciplinary process. It...

Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Policing Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2025)

Tom Brabazon: This is especially the case in a context where we need bodies on the ground.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (19 Jun 2025)

Tom Brabazon: 203. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the total amount of money which the State has provided to the UNFPA from 2024 to date. [33452/25]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (19 Jun 2025)

Tom Brabazon: 250. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the grades of former civil servants that are having their pension deductions assessed for possible anomalies and if these former civil servants have or will receive official notification that their pension deductions are subject to such assessment. [33463/25]

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (24 Jun 2025)

Tom Brabazon: The programme for Government contains a commitment to reduce class sizes to 19. Two schools in my constituency, Belgrove Infant Girls' School in Clontarf and Scoil Mhuire in Howth, have classes amalgamating due to falling numbers. This will result in pupil-teacher ratios of 35:1 in both classes. Can the Taoiseach expedite the programme to introduce the 19:1 ratio in these schools as soon...

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (25 Jun 2025)

Tom Brabazon: The Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 was introduced in the aftermath of the Omagh bombing. That terrible and cruel atrocity by the Real IRA took the lives of 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, and injured more than 300 others. The review group tasked with examining the Offences against the State Acts stated: [W]hile the threat from republican paramilitary...

Committee on Defence and National Security: Recent Air Corps Developments: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Tom Brabazon: I welcome all of the witnesses. My first question is about the 2013 pension scheme that was introduced. I am on the justice committee, and we have had the Garda Commissioner before us. We have had the GRA in and it suggested that recruitment and retention in particular are a big problem, and this pension set-up is a big part of it. Gardaí are probably paid a little better than the...

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025 : Discussion (Resumed) (26 Jun 2025)

Tom Brabazon: I thank the witnesses for coming in and giving up their time. I have a number of short questions. First, to Mr. Noonan, if somehow we could cobble together some kind of constitutional wording to enshrine our neutrality and that amendment was passed by the people, would he be as concerned as he is now regarding the triple lock?

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025 : Discussion (Resumed) (26 Jun 2025)

Tom Brabazon: Based on Mr. Noonan's logic, we cannot become aligned with a military alliance.

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025 : Discussion (Resumed) (26 Jun 2025)

Tom Brabazon: We cannot join as a member either.

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025 : Discussion (Resumed) (26 Jun 2025)

Tom Brabazon: We had a previous witness before the committee who painted a vista, albeit a stateable case, that in the light of the representations made by the then Government at the time of the Lisbon treaty, she could foresee the Lisbon treaty potentially unravelling before the European courts. What would Professor Tonra say to that?

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025 : Discussion (Resumed) (26 Jun 2025)

Tom Brabazon: When the Lisbon treaty was being put before the Irish people, certain representations were made by the then Government about our neutrality. Based on that, the witness felt that if we changed the triple lock, that would undermine those representations and therefore undermine the validity of the decision made by the Irish people and could in theory, or at least on a stateable basis, be...

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025 : Discussion (Resumed) (26 Jun 2025)

Tom Brabazon: I thank Professor Tonra for that. This is a question on practicality. Professor Tonra mentioned that one of things that could be done or suggested is that a formal legal review be undertaken as part of each proposed overseas deployment. I was thinking about that from a practical point of view. Let us say the Minister for Defence gets a phone call at 2 o'clock in the morning and the...

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025 : Discussion (Resumed) (26 Jun 2025)

Tom Brabazon: Let us say there are Irish citizens on a runway in Kabul and the Army Ranger Wing is anxious to be deployed to rescue them but it cannot deploy because there is no legal review.

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025 : Discussion (Resumed) (26 Jun 2025)

Tom Brabazon: Under this legislation?

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025 : Discussion (Resumed) (26 Jun 2025)

Tom Brabazon: What would happen if you wanted to send 51 troops?

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Further Revised) (24 Jun 2025)

Tom Brabazon: I thank the Minister for his very detailed presentation, which underscores the Government's strong support for An Garda Síochána and the great work it is doing. The GRA came before the committee last week and spoke about the post-2013 pension scheme, which was introduced for newly recruited gardaí at that stage, as being a difficulty for recruitment and retention. It is not...

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 44 - Data Protection Commission (Revised)
Vote 24 - Justice (Further Revised) (24 Jun 2025)

Tom Brabazon: A number of gardaí are suspended, and the period of suspension ranges from three years to seven years. Is there anything we can do to speed up the disciplinary process so that whoever is going through the disciplinary process is either back to work as a member of An Garda Síochána or the alternative option is taken under the process?