Results 2,301-2,320 of 5,754 for speaker:Gerard Craughwell

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: He did not say that.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: With all due respect, we cannot let this Bill go through Committee Stage at this time.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: In the light of what Senator Bacik just read out, I ask we adjourn the House. We cannot proceed with this legislation, given there is a report that is damning of the legislation. Unless the Minister is right, and when we get our hands on the report, I will be sorely disappointed, in which case I will come in here and prostrate myself on the floor in front of the Minister and apologise.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: Right now, the Minister is asking us to pass legislation, and the Cathaoirleach was right when he said this is going to come up at every amendment.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: Without the full knowledge-----

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jul 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: The Leader will know I have some interest in the position of the President. I understand the Government is going to hold referenda later this year to tidy up the Constitution. One of the places that it might consider tidying up is the nominations for President. It is held among the political parties. This makes it very difficult for any citizen of the State to successfully seek a...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jul 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: Be quiet over there in Fianna Fáil. You are a gutless shower who pulled out of it last week.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jul 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: Do not give me any of that.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jul 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: May I continue? The Senator will not be on the Council of State if he is not quiet.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jul 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I will confine my-----

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jul 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: What I am talking about is extending the nomination process in order that there is an alternative route outside of the political system. It is something that we might have a debate on with the relevant Minister after the summer break. I am sure whoever is sitting in my seat will not mind taking up the issue on my behalf. Last night we had what can only be regarded as a disgusting shambles....

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jul 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: What happened last night was outrageous. It is even more outrageous that we are going to try to drive on. I said it was the Minister's Bill, but it is the Leader's Government that will face the wrath of history for what it is trying to do here. It really needs to step back and look at what is going on around it. No support is worth that price, that it would sell its soul.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jul 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: At last.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jul 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I thought you were backing me.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union: Discussion (4 Jul 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I am terribly sorry that I was not here for the ambassador's presentation. Unfortunately, the madness of Parliament as we come towards the holidays, with votes being and so on, played a part. I am sure the ambassador is well aware of what goes on.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union: Discussion (4 Jul 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I appreciate him coming here and I wish Austria well with the Presidency as it takes on the onerous task of managing European affairs for the next six months. I note in the ambassador's presentation that he raised migration, which is an issue that interests me and to which I try to refer every time I get an opportunity. I regard migration as more important and pressing than Brexit because...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union: Discussion (4 Jul 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: It is vitally important that parliamentarians attend the conference on subsidiarity. As I indicated to Mr. Timmermans at a conference some months ago, we must also extend the hand of the European Union to the regions or local authorities because there is a tendency to deal with national parliaments only. The problem is that the Union has difficulty in connecting with citizens. The closest...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Jul 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I thank Senator McFadden who lives in the heartland of the Defence Forces and who works with them on a constant basis. The Minister constantly tells us that the White Paper is the pathway forward for the Defence Forces. If one reads it, however, there is not one word in the White Paper about retention. We have no plan for keeping the expertise that we have spent millions training. They...

Seanad: Business of Seanad (9 Jul 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: Before we move on to the business of the day, the Cathaoirleach will note that I have tabled a motion under Standing Order 190 seeking a debate on the GRECO report. The Minister advised the House when we was last here that he had not read it. That information came on 3 July. The report was finally agreed for publication on 27 June. We have a copy of it. This means that either the...