Results 381-400 of 798 for speaker:Cathal Berry

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (12 Jul 2022)

Cathal Berry: 97. To ask the Minister for Health the number of members of the Defence Forces who are entitled to claim the pandemic bonus payment; the number of members of the Defence Forces who have been paid to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33759/22]

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Reports on Service by the Defence Forces with the UN and Permanent Structured Cooperation Projects: Motions (30 Jun 2022)

Cathal Berry: I am conscious of the clock so I will be as quick as I can. I acknowledge the presence of the Defence Force veterans and their spouses in the Public Gallery. Many of the contributors pointed quite rightly to the excellent reputation of Irish peacekeepers overseas. That is because of the people sitting behind me, so well done to them. They are most welcome here any time at all. I have...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Reports on Service by the Defence Forces with the UN and Permanent Structured Cooperation Projects: Motions (30 Jun 2022)

Cathal Berry: I wish to make a small point on that, and I am glad the Minister raised it. I know the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association, ISME, and IBEC are important, but the biggest and most important employer in this link is the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. If we could get agreement in the public service first and demonstrate to ISME and IBEC that this is quite doable, then...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) Projects: Motion (30 Jun 2022)

Cathal Berry: I very much welcome these proposals, primarily for two reasons. First, the military is very much in favour of them because the skill set will empower them but also personally. In the last 20 years I have benefited enormously from international training in my former line of work. I did multiple courses with the UK Armed Forces.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) Projects: Motion (30 Jun 2022)

Cathal Berry: I appreciate both sides of the argument here. I would say the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces will go to the Government on Tuesday week, supposedly. After that, there will be a full Dáil debate on it. There also is to be a full Dáil debate on these four PESCO projects as well.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) Projects: Motion (30 Jun 2022)

Cathal Berry: I do appreciate what Deputy Clarke has said. A lot of groundwork and preparatory work has been done but the real debate happens in the Dáil anyway. It will be subsequent to today and to the Cabinet’s decision. I will make one final-----

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) Projects: Motion (30 Jun 2022)

Cathal Berry: I will make my last point, and everyone here might not agree with me on this, but the farm boy inside me is speaking. PESCO to the military is really what Europol is to An Garda Síochána. An Garda Síochána interacts with Europol. It gets excellent information and it gets excellent training. It ploughs that back and makes Ireland a safer place. I see the four...

Irish Bank Resolution Corporation Commission of Investigation Report: Statements (14 Sep 2022)

Cathal Berry: I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute on this debate on the Siteserv scandal. Once again, we have a detailed and comprehensive report that outlines dubious and poor practices and conduct in the performance by certain elements of corporate Ireland ten years ago during the banking crisis. As Deputy Bríd Smith pointed out, the legacy of that crisis is unfortunately still with...

Security of Electricity Supply: Motion [Private Members] (15 Sep 2022)

Cathal Berry: I thank the Minister for his closing remarks. One of the advantages of being in the EU is that we get to benchmark ourselves against the other countries on the Continent. Sometimes we are ahead, sometimes we are behind. One glaring anomaly that stands out is that this country of all the 27 has no strategic gas reserve storage facility and no strategic gas reserve. It is a major red flag...

Screening of Third Country Transactions Bill 2022: Second Stage (21 Sep 2022)

Cathal Berry: I am the last man standing. I congratulate the Minister of State on his recent appointment. I very much look forward to working closely and constructively with him over the next couple of years. I also wish to compliment the Minister of State's staff. The format of his opening statement is excellent. It is the first time I have seen formatting like that. Whoever is involved, I hope we...

Screening of Third Country Transactions Bill 2022: Second Stage (21 Sep 2022)

Cathal Berry: Absolutely. I am happy to do so.

Screening of Third Country Transactions Bill 2022: Second Stage (21 Sep 2022)

Cathal Berry: Not yet, anyway.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Sep 2022)

Cathal Berry: I raise with the Tánaiste today the matter of the deliberate and outrageous ramming of a Garda car in Cherry Orchard on Monday evening, which I utterly condemn. Is it a disadvantaged area? Yes, for sure. Is that an excuse? No. There are plenty of disadvantaged areas across all our constituencies where that type of behaviour would not be accepted or tolerated. Of particular concern...

Financial Resolutions 2022 - Budget Statement 2023 (27 Sep 2022)

Cathal Berry: On balance, in the circumstances, this is an okay budget. It is okay for just one reason; namely, all the hard work by people and businesses across this country that has provided this significant surplus for the Exchequer. We have not has such a surplus for approximately 15 years. Now we are able to redistribute that as fairly as possible. There are a few measures I would like to...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (29 Sep 2022)

Cathal Berry: Ireland is the only country in the EU without a national security strategy. Development of such a strategy was commenced a number of years ago but there has been radio silence ever since. In light of events in Ukraine and in certain embassies in Dublin and in particular over the past 72 hours in the Baltic Sea will the Tánaiste update the House as to where we are on the development on...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (6 Oct 2022)

Cathal Berry: I too welcome the restart of negotiations between the EU and UK negotiating teams on the Northern Ireland protocol. It is a good thing. I also welcome the change in tone, in particular, the apology by Steve Baker during the week. It is quite a rare event in international relations these days that someone would apologise. That is also a good thing and he should be commended on it. My...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (6 Oct 2022)

Cathal Berry: I thank the Minister for his response. I appreciate he has to be much more circumspect than me when speaking in Parliament; I can comment much more freely. My point is that our two islands have solved vastly more complex problems than the protocol. If the will is there, we can certainly do it again. There is a proposal floating around that we could treat goods travelling from Great...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Discussion (4 Oct 2022)

Cathal Berry: I welcome the Minister's statement that it will be around €1.8 billion or €1.9 billion by 2028. That is still only half the EU average but it is half a step forward from our point of view. Is there a table available, particularly for the next two budgets, which are the remaining budgets of the Thirty-third Dáil? Does the Minister have any idea where he would like to be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Discussion (4 Oct 2022)

Cathal Berry: On the subject of the one just across the line, the €67 million in the budget is quite a small figure in light of what is needed. The Minister said that does not include the Building Momentum pay deal that is currently being balloted on. We obviously do not want to prejudge what the trade unions are going to say or do. Perhaps the Minister might use this opportunity to state clearly...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Discussion (4 Oct 2022)

Cathal Berry: I wish to make a suggestion if that is possible. What would the Minister think about the Department of Defence paying this, recognising that the Department of Health is supposed to do so? Could the Department of Defence actually front-load the payment and ask the Department of Health to reimburse it? The Department of Defence would take ownership of this to pay its own people and then get...