Results 281-300 of 798 for speaker:Cathal Berry

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Feb 2022)

Cathal Berry: My question concerns the organisational capacity review of the Department of Defence. It has been ongoing for 12 months now. I would be grateful if the Taoiseach could update the House regarding where the review stands now. Is it complete? Is it going to be published? If so, is there an indicative date regarding when it will be published?

Dignity and Equality Issues in the Defence Forces: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (8 Feb 2022)

Cathal Berry: I very much welcome the opportunity to contribute to this very important debate. I thank Deputy Clarke and her party for bringing it forward. It is very important matter to be discussing here this evening. I thank the Women of Honour group and the other groups that came forward to tell their harrowing stories over recent weeks and months. I have three points to make in the time allowed to...

Dignity and Equality Issues in the Defence Forces: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (8 Feb 2022)

Cathal Berry: I have already spoken.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Feb 2022)

Cathal Berry: I wish the Tánaiste good afternoon. My questions will be focused on the situation in Ukraine and more specifically how it relates to the situation in Ireland. I think every Deputy will recall the dying days of the Celtic tiger, when our financial regulators were utterly clueless about the risks emerging on the horizon and provided absolutely no early warning whatsoever. Even as the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Feb 2022)

Cathal Berry: I thank the Tánaiste for his reply. It is semi-reassuring to know contingency planning has at least commenced. We have a tradition in this House, and perhaps in this country and beyond, of retrospective analysis. We always look back at an event and say we should have done more of this or less of that. Perhaps this is one time we can get ahead of the event and do some proper planning....

Mobility and Transport Supports for People with Disabilities: Motion [Private Members] (16 Feb 2022)

Cathal Berry: I thank the Minister of State for her detailed opening statement. I am again grateful for the opportunity to speak on the topic of disability in the Chamber. People from that group are physically under-represented in Leinster House. It is important that they are not under-represented from an advocacy point of view. That is why I am delighted to be here with my Regional Group colleagues to...

Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Statements (16 Feb 2022)

Cathal Berry: I thank the Minister and the Minister of State for their detailed opening statements. I am very grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this debate and I very much welcome the publication of the report. I join with other Deputies in commending the 16 commissioners for their hard work over the past 13 or 14 months. They delivered the report pretty much on time, despite the Covid...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Security Situation in Ukraine: Engagement with Ukrainian Ambassador (15 Feb 2022)

Cathal Berry: The ambassador and her team are most welcome. I have two brief questions. The first is in relation to the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, of 1994. It is a straightforward memorandum and is only one-and-a-half pages long. It is freely available on the Internet. The memorandum was brought in when Ukraine got its independence and when it agreed to hand over all its nuclear...

Citizens' Assemblies: Motion (22 Feb 2022)

Cathal Berry: I thank the Minister of State for his opening statement, which was very useful. I listened to it in great detail. I am delighted to be in the Chamber to make a contribution to this very important debate on establishing two citizens' assemblies, one on a directly elected mayor for Dublin and the other on the biodiversity crisis. As a Deputy representing rural and regional Ireland, I will...

Security Situation in Europe: Statements (23 Feb 2022)

Cathal Berry: I thank the Minister, Deputy Coveney, for his opening statement. I welcome the Ukrainian ambassador, Larysa Gerasko, and her wonderful team to the Chamber. I hope they feel welcome because they certainly are. My views on the Ukrainian-Russian conflict and crisis are well-known at this stage from previous contributions on Leaders' Questions prior to and since Christmas and at the Oireachtas...

Support for the Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity of Ukraine: Motion (1 Mar 2022)

Cathal Berry: I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I wholeheartedly approve of and endorse the motion. As the House will be aware, I have been raising concerns about the Ukraine situation in recent months. Unfortunately, those concerns were well founded and now we are in a very dodgy place whereby Europe is once again at war, for the first time in the 21st century from the...

Support for the Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity of Ukraine: Motion (1 Mar 2022)

Cathal Berry: Second, we have a no-fly zone for Russian aircraft over the country at present. As for whether we can enforce it or not, we all know the answer to that. We should explore extending that to shipping as well to ban Russian ships from our ports and from our territorial waters. The Minister, through the European Union, should also have an additional range of sanctions available for...

Situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including the recent Amnesty International Report: Statements (2 Mar 2022)

Cathal Berry: I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the debate. I will not speak for long, given my views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are well known at this stage. I very much welcome the report from Amnesty International. It may not be universally accepted, but it is certainly consistent with many similar reports in recent years and it chimes with my experience in the region over...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Mar 2022)

Cathal Berry: In light of the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine and the fact that President Zelenskiy is addressing a number of parliaments around Europe and, indeed, the world, the Regional Group is of the view that he should be invited to address the joint Houses of the Oireachtas by video link at his convenience. I would be grateful if the Business Committee could hold an urgent meeting...

Proposal for a Council Decision on Hate Speech and Hate Crime: Motion (9 Mar 2022)

Cathal Berry: I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate which is timely and appropriate. I am happy to support the addition of hate speech and hate crimes to the EU list of crimes that are indictable. As Deputies we all appreciate the importance of freedom of speech. While we should be allowed freedom of expression inside this Chamber and beyond, the majority of us appreciate also that...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (9 Mar 2022)

Cathal Berry: 114. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the position regarding the promotion competition for enlisted personnel which was due to commence in 2021; when the competition is expected to commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13461/22]

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (9 Mar 2022)

Cathal Berry: 115. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of promotions pending throughout the Defence Forces by branch and rank in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13462/22]

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (9 Mar 2022)

Cathal Berry: 116. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the position regarding his Departments implementation of recommendations within the Public Service Pay Commission 2019 on recruitment and retention in the Defence Forces, particularly in relation to options to tackle barriers to extended participation in the Permanent Defence Force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13463/22]

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí (Atógáil) - Leaders' Questions (Resumed) (10 Mar 2022)

Cathal Berry: I will focus my questions on the situation in Ukraine, starting with the refugee component. Everyone in the House is aware that almost 2,500 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in this jurisdiction in the last number of weeks. In fairness to the Irish public, their response has been extraordinary. They have opened up their hearts and homes to people fleeing war from the opposite side of the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí (Atógáil) - Leaders' Questions (Resumed) (10 Mar 2022)

Cathal Berry: I thank the Minister for outlining the Government's position. I am glad Deputy Gannon mentioned the appalling atrocity in Mariupol yesterday, namely, the bombing of the maternity and children's hospital. I was recently contacted by the HSE, which pointed out that there is some small spare capacity in our neonatal ICUs in Ireland. There is a national neonatal transport programme available...