Results 221-240 of 1,416 for speaker:Robbie Gallagher

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2017)

Robbie Gallagher: Good man, Senator Leyden.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2017)

Robbie Gallagher: I wish to raise the issue of the North-South interconnector and the total disregard for the majority of Members in both Houses of the Oireachtas by the Government and, by extension, EirGrid.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2017)

Robbie Gallagher: Back in February of this year a Fianna Fáil motion, which was supported in the Dáil and the Seanad, called on the Government to ensure that no further work on the North-South interconnector takes place until a full analysis of the true cost of undergrounding and a full community consultation are complete. This independent expert group study on undergrounding commenced in August and...

Seanad: Well-being in Schools: Statements (4 Oct 2017)

Robbie Gallagher: I welcome the Minister and thank him for his presence. There is no doubt in my mind that this is one of the most important issues we have ever discussed in the House and I contend it is one of the most important issues Deputy Bruton will ever deal with as Minister for Education and Skills. The good health and well-being of our children in school is critical to their success, not just at...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Oct 2017)

Robbie Gallagher: I wish to raise the disappointing manner in which the more than 8,000 special needs assistants, SNAs, in our primary schools are being treated by the Department of Education and Skills. Their frustration is borne out by the 97% vote in favour of industrial action over the delay in the publication of SNA allocations for the 2018 academic school year, which is very disappointing. The problem...

Seanad: Flood Prevention Measures: Statements (18 Oct 2017)

Robbie Gallagher: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, to the House. I join him in praising all our first responders on the manner in which they conducted themselves in regard to Hurricane Ophelia. It was a massive undertaking. I compliment Met Éireann on the manner in which it was able to assess and progress the path of the storm and on the manner in which it kept the nation informed of the...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Oct 2017)

Robbie Gallagher: I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, that No. 10 be taken before No. 1. I concur with my colleagues' comments on the banks and the manner in which they have treated their customers. It is difficult to comprehend that they would do such a thing. The ordinary person on the street is legitimately asking who is in charge of the banks. It is time that the Minister attended the...

Seanad: Landlord and Tenant (Ground Rents) (Amendment) Bill 2017: First Stage (19 Oct 2017)

Robbie Gallagher: I move:That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Landlord and Tenant (Ground Rents) (No. 2) Act 1978 so as to better enable a lessee to acquire fee simple; and to provide for related matters. This Bill seeks to amend the Landlord and Tenant (Ground Rents) (No. 2) Act 1978 to make it easier for lessees to acquire fee simple in commercial property.

Seanad: Landlord and Tenant (Ground Rents) (Amendment) Bill 2017: First Stage (19 Oct 2017)

Robbie Gallagher: Next Tuesday.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Ambulance Service Response Times (24 Oct 2017)

Robbie Gallagher: I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for his visit to the Holy Family school in Cootehill yesterday, which went down very well. Everyone enjoyed the occasion and we look forward to a new facility there sooner rather than later. I raise the issue of ambulance delays, particularly in rural Ireland. One might ask what chance ambulance crews have if they do not know where they are...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Ambulance Service Response Times (24 Oct 2017)

Robbie Gallagher: Unfortunately, the experience of the family I described does not match the statement made by the Minister of State, but I hope the future will look much brighter for others. The family contacted the Minister for Health at the time through my office and sought a meeting with him. Unfortunately, he was not available but directed us to the National Ambulance Service with a view to arranging...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Oct 2017)

Robbie Gallagher: As a result of the inequality in the present system of teachers' pay, young people who have qualified as teachers since 2011 are losing €6,000 per annum by comparison with those who qualified before that year and they have lost €30,000 to date. We learned yesterday that the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland, ASTI, has joined the Irish National Teachers Organisation...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Tackling Obesity and the Promotion of Healthy Eating in Schools: Discussion (24 Oct 2017)

Robbie Gallagher: I welcome the delegates and thank them for their informative presentations. As colleagues noted, when it comes to healthy living habits, problems often begin before children arrive in school. As well as educating children, we also must educate their parents. That is a particular challenge we face in this area. Children are only at school for X number of hours a day and it may be too late...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Tackling Obesity and the Promotion of Healthy Eating in Schools: Discussion (24 Oct 2017)

Robbie Gallagher: The one thing that comes through this afternoon is all the great work that is being done by a broad section of people, both the present witnesses and the previous speakers as well. It is great to see that level of awareness. As groups, do the witnesses meet collectively to pull their ideas and thoughts together? On a lighter note, there is the famous €5 million that was allocated...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2017)

Robbie Gallagher: I wish to raise the issue of Garda numbers, particularly in Border counties. I refer, in particular, to comments made by two members of the Garda Representative Association, one from the Donegal division and the other from the Cavan-Monaghan division, in which they highlighted their concerns about Brexit and what might happen in the event that there was a hard border. They were putting the...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Nov 2017)

Robbie Gallagher: Many Members have raised the decline of rural Ireland. I do the same in light of a report presented to the members of the Monaghan County Council this week by a group called the Irish Central Border Area Network, ICBAN. Its research estimates that at the very best it will be the end of 2025 before County Monaghan has full broadband connectivity and the end of 2023 for County Cavan. The...

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2017)

Robbie Gallagher: I, too, welcome the Minister to the House. I commend him on his efforts in terms of what he is trying to achieve by way of the introduction of this Bill. Based on all of the contributions to date, nobody here has an issue with what he is trying to achieve, which is to reduce the consumption of alcohol where possible. In a previous existence I worked in an area where I saw first-hand the...

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2017)

Robbie Gallagher: In regard to the consumption of alcohol, consumption among young people causes me great concern. Previous speakers mentioned pre-drinking. What scares me is that drinks, mostly spirits, are brought to a location and consumed and no measures used. Young people do not know what the word "measure" means because they have not been educated in that regard. Some people say that all alcohol...

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2017)

Robbie Gallagher: I will sum up on this point.The key issue here is that we are all, I hope, after the one goal, which is to lower the consumption of alcohol among the population. If a person wants to get a drink, the reality is that he or she will borrow, beg or steal to get it. Here we are looking for a bit of common sense which will get us to where we all want to go and I hope that we will end up with...

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2017)

Robbie Gallagher: It is a long time since Senator Devine agreed with Senator McDowell.