Results 2,401-2,420 of 4,178 for speaker:Paul Gavan

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (25 Nov 2021)

Paul Gavan: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (25 Nov 2021)

Paul Gavan: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (25 Nov 2021)

Paul Gavan: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Bille na dTeangacha Oifigiúla (Leasú), 2019: Céim an Choiste - Official Languages (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (24 Nov 2021)

Paul Gavan: Gabhaim mo leithscéal. I am afraid I have to speak in English. I want to speak in support of the point made by Senator Higgins. I am extremely concerned about the Government's rush to privatise our job services. I have been contacted by people in Galway, Limerick and throughout the west, in particular. The Senator makes a valid point. Why not take advantage of this Bill in a...

Seanad: Bille na dTeangacha Oifigiúla (Leasú), 2019: Céim an Choiste - Official Languages (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee Stage (24 Nov 2021)

Paul Gavan: It is a sign.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Nov 2021)

Paul Gavan: Well said.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Nov 2021)

Paul Gavan: I will begin by quoting one of my favourite singers, who passed away in Kilkenny a few years ago. His name is John Martyn, a great Scottish folk singer. Approximately 50 years ago, he famously wrote: Some of us live like princes Some of us live like queens Most of us live just like me And we don’t know what it means To take our place in one world His words come to mind...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Nov 2021)

Paul Gavan: Well said.

Seanad: National Development Plan 2021-2030: Statements (30 Nov 2021)

Paul Gavan: I say "Goodbye" to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, and welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth. While I welcome many aspects of this plan, I am deeply disappointed, as we see major rail and light rail projects being kicked further down the road. I will talk about Dublin initially. The MetroLink and Luas connections to Lucan, Bray and...

Seanad: Covid-19 and the New Measures (Health): Statements (1 Dec 2021)

Paul Gavan: It is nice to see the Minister. He is welcome, as always. I begin by completely condemning the thugs who stood outside his house. I offer my solidarity to him on that point. We are short on time and I want to be constructive. I will raise a few key issues. The first is probably the most important. We know that the World Trade Organization TRIPS council is meeting this week. To date,...

Seanad: Covid-19 and the New Measures (Health): Statements (1 Dec 2021)

Paul Gavan: I will move on to some of the key points. I agree with some of the points made by Senator Malcolm Byrne. Let us be clear. Everyone should be scheduled for a booster jab at six months post the second job. I do not know why we are delaying. We know the need is there and we know it is safe. We know how to do it. We should just do it. I will use my time to make a clear call again to...

Seanad: Covid-19 and the New Measures (Health): Statements (1 Dec 2021)

Paul Gavan: Will the Minister refer to the TRIPS waiver?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Electrical Contracting Sector) 2021: Discussion (1 Dec 2021)

Paul Gavan: I thank the Minister of State. I welcome the fact that we have an SEO for the sector and I am delighted that the Minister of State has accepted the recommendation made by the Labour Court. That is very important and welcome. The Labour Court has produced an interesting report on the SEO because there was quite a battle. I commend Connect Trade Union on successfully convincing the Labour...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Electrical Contracting Sector) 2021: Discussion (1 Dec 2021)

Paul Gavan: I have a concern related to the introduction of this SEO, which I very much welcome and I glad the Minister of State is recommending it for acceptance. If we are to police it properly, do we not need to give the WRC more powers? Currently, if I am a worker on one of these construction sites, I have to make a reference or complaint to the WRC. What would normally happen in those...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Electrical Contracting Sector) 2021: Discussion (1 Dec 2021)

Paul Gavan: There are two reasons. First, if the Minister of State listened to what trade unions have said, he would know they have consistently said there are not enough inspectors. Second, as someone who worked as a trade union official for many years, I can tell him, hand on heart, that what happens every day when workers try to stand up for their rights, unless they have a union behind them, and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Electrical Contracting Sector) 2021: Discussion (1 Dec 2021)

Paul Gavan: Unfortunately, it is a fact of life that without union protection, workers often suffer. I remind the Minister of State, and let us be clear on this, there is no statutory right to collective bargaining in this State. I ask him to acknowledge that unless he is suddenly going to pull a rabbit out of a hat and, if he is, I would be very happy to endorse it. There is no statutory right to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Electrical Contracting Sector) 2021: Discussion (1 Dec 2021)

Paul Gavan: I will finish up. We need to bring the Minister of State down to a few construction sites to speak at first hand with workers. He needs an education on this issue.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Electrical Contracting Sector) 2021: Discussion (1 Dec 2021)

Paul Gavan: The Minister of State might give us clarity on the number of additional inspectors being hired right now.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Electrical Contracting Sector) 2021: Discussion (1 Dec 2021)

Paul Gavan: I do not expect the Minister of State to be precise. Around 60 sounds about right, which clearly is not enough. We can discuss the fact that the figure was 90 before the recession and we have had a number of years of growth since that recession. Ninety inspectors were required in 2008. The Minister of State surely is not going to tell me that 60 is enough right now, is he?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Sectoral Employment Order (Electrical Contracting Sector) 2021: Discussion (1 Dec 2021)

Paul Gavan: I will make a final point. I understand that the Minister of State has to leave. We had a presentation from fishers a few weeks ago and discovered that despite a report from this committee five years ago urging the WRC to maintain inspections, less than half the number of the inspectors were carrying out inspections this year compared to four or five years ago. Unfortunately, that is the...