Results 2,581-2,600 of 5,760 for speaker:Gerard Craughwell

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I fully support Senator Humphrey's remarks. A similar issue arose with the Clerys group during the previous Government, and the Government acted quickly in that case. I acknowledge my two colleagues from the Labour Party, who were quick on the ball that time. As Senator Humphreys said, tomorrow morning those teachers need to see somebody from the Department who will be present and will...

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I support the amendment. From my time being involved in the Teachers Union of Ireland, I know it was an issue that caused significant distress to teachers who were employed in professional posts for four or five hours a week. Since they only taught a specific subject they could be kept on that for years. It always amazed me that employers, particularly education and training boards, would...

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: The Minister mentioned the working time directive. The State is one of the worst culprits in that regard. The Defence Forces have 35 cases before the High Court and the most recent case cost the State €200,000 in legal fees and a five-figure sum to settle the case, which was the seventh. There are 35 more cases in train and there will be further multiples of 35 coming after them....

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I appreciate what the Minister is trying to do but if she takes a worker who is on 26 hours, the question arises as to whether he or she is in band E or band F. It reminds me of when I did some computer programming, I was quite amused to find that there are two values of zero. There is a minus zero and a plus zero from the point of view of computer programming. An employer could reasonably...

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: Ryanair is probably one of the best examples of people being allegedly self-employed, even thought they are on very good salaries. It denies revenue to the State and so on. It works its way down through the system. One computer manufacturer in this country had about 6,000 employees, with not one working for the company. Most recently I have heard of builders' labourers being told after...

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: And cabin crew.

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I am happy to say that I am unlikely to meet anyone in the hair business who is bogus self-employed.

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Dec 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: We are reluctant to talk about politicians' pay, PRSI, etc.

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Dec 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I am not afraid to do so. When I was on the education committee, I initiated a report into class K PRSI and I initiated a High Court action against the State on county councillors' class K PRSI. The State capitulated and gave county councillors class S, while giving those who had joined me in the legal action a tidy sum for their trouble, without them having to go to court. However, the...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Dec 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I am sick to my back teeth of my PRSI record, which is broken because I moved from class A to class K. A man of advancing years like myself does not get an opportunity to maintain his PRSI record and were I to try to do that, it would cost me €5,000 per year, having taken €8,000 of a pay cut to sit in this seat. I am not afraid to talk about it because I am one of the few...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Dec 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Dec 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Dec 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: Well said.

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Dec 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: Senator Noone has given an honest view on the crazy times they put these programmes on television.

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Dec 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: One would not want to.

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Dec 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I have no doubt the negativity will come anyway and I do not particularly care about it.

Seanad: Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (5 Dec 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: One of the things that disappointed and upset me following the previous debate we had was an email I received suggesting that I am anti-Semitic. Nothing could be further from the truth. I do not see this Bill as being about Israel and Palestine but about people profiting from what they steal. Quite frankly, we simply cannot allow one country to infringe the border of another, as has...

Seanad: Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (5 Dec 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: Hear, hear.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: General Affairs Council: Discussion (5 Dec 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: The Minister of State will forgive me for flinging a few questions at her before running out the door. I have a name for throwing the grenade and running anyway, but on this occasion I have other meetings arranged, so I apologise. I will start by congratulating the Minister of State and, more importantly, those officials who work on behalf of Ireland all over Europe - the ambassadors and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Business of Joint Committee
Role and Remuneration of Elected Local Authority Members: Discussion (5 Dec 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I am not a member of the committee but I make no apology for being here.