Results 2,681-2,700 of 4,178 for speaker:Paul Gavan

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Apr 2022)

Paul Gavan: The Cathaoirleach will be glad to know that I will be very brief. I warmly congratulate Senator Clonan. What a wonderful first speech he has made this morning. It is great to have him among us. I look forward to working with him. We are taking Report and Final Stages of the Safe Access to Termination of Pregnancy Services Bill 2021 on Thursday. I appeal to Senators of all parties to...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Apr 2022)

Paul Gavan: Well said.

Seanad: Covid-19: Statements (6 Apr 2022)

Paul Gavan: I welcome the Minister. It is always good to see him. We know that the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus is more contagious. It is still spreading very fast. As the Minister has indicated, thankfully it appears to be less severe. ICU numbers remain fairly low, although each person in ICU is one too many. In the context of cases, the numbers are small. It is important to note that...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Apr 2022)

Paul Gavan: I support Senator Kyne's call for a debate on cost-of-living issues. We may not agree on some issues but there is one on which we may share common ground. While we may not agree on what should happen with the carbon tax rise - I do not believe it should go ahead in the next month or two - in the budget before last I raised the issue that the fuel allowance goes to too few people. I will...

Seanad: Safe Access to Termination of Pregnancy Services Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (7 Apr 2022)

Paul Gavan: With the Chair's indulgence, I want to welcome the people in the Chamber who have come from all across Ireland today in the hope and expectation that this Bill will complete its passage through the Seanad. I will be very brief as well because, like Senator O’Reilly, I am concerned there will be a major attempt to filibuster today. I simply want to say that the amendment proposed by...

Seanad: Safe Access to Termination of Pregnancy Services Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (7 Apr 2022)

Paul Gavan: Well said.

Seanad: Safe Access to Termination of Pregnancy Services Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (7 Apr 2022)

Paul Gavan: I will make two brief points. The first relates to counselling. The key point about counselling is that professional and therapeutic counselling is entered into by the distressed person. That person makes a choice. One cannot have counsellors walking the street looking for sad people and saying "Hey, do you want some help with that?" That is not how counselling works. I am conscious of...

Seanad: Safe Access to Termination of Pregnancy Services Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (7 Apr 2022)

Paul Gavan: Now.

Seanad: Safe Access to Termination of Pregnancy Services Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (7 Apr 2022)

Paul Gavan: I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Anne Rabbitte, for her courtesy and her flexibility today in order to facilitate the passing of this Bill. I pay tribute to our activists in the Together for Safety campaign right across the State who have campaigned tirelessly and brilliantly to get us this far. Of course, we are only halfway through the journey but it is a tremendously good day for...

Seanad: Safe Access to Termination of Pregnancy Services Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (7 Apr 2022)

Paul Gavan: Well said.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 May 2022)

Paul Gavan: I welcome the Cathaoirleach's remembering the tragic victims in Cork 100 years ago. I remind colleagues that today also represents the 41st anniversary of the death of Bobby Sands, a great man. It is important to remember him today, particularly as our brothers and sisters in the North go to vote in a crucial election. The Limerick Shannon metropolitan area strategy plan was published last...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 May 2022)

Paul Gavan: Go on.

Seanad: Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022: Second Stage (10 May 2022)

Paul Gavan: The Minister is very welcome. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this legislation, which I hope deals with the last item of Covid legislation we will need as we emerge from the pandemic. It is important that we remain on our guard in respect of this, because we know the virus is still in our community and we cannot accurately predict the mutation of the virus in the time ahead, but we...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 May 2022)

Paul Gavan: Hear, hear.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 May 2022)

Paul Gavan: I want to highlight the horrific murder of Shireen Abu Akleh last night in the West Bank. She was an Al Jazeera journalist aged 51 years. She was shot down by Israeli forces. I know there are many people who feel passionately about Palestine in this Chamber. We need to figure out what else we can do as a country about this. I will have the privilege of chairing a session with Amnesty...

Seanad: Northern Ireland: Motion (11 May 2022)

Paul Gavan: Well said.

Seanad: Northern Ireland: Motion (11 May 2022)

Paul Gavan: I wish to share time with my colleague, Senator Warfield.

Seanad: Northern Ireland: Motion (11 May 2022)

Paul Gavan: I welcome our guests and express my appreciation to the Minister for taking the time in this important week to listen to the debate on this motion. It is heartening to see the Seanad united on this issue. I will reflect on the broader impact of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 before dealing with the Border issue. The Act does five things: it allows, as others have said, asylum seekers...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 May 2022)

Paul Gavan: I begin by agreeing with others on the death and the horrific circumstances around the funeral of Shireen Abu Akleh in Palestine, which I also raised last Thursday. The key ask is that we recognise and understand that we should not be treating Israel as a normal state. We should recognise and state what the whole world knows to be true, namely, that Israel is an apartheid state. We need to...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 May 2022)

Paul Gavan: Well said.