Results 401-420 of 1,132 for speaker:Garret Ahearn

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Jul 2022)

Garret Ahearn: Hear, hear.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Sep 2022)

Garret Ahearn: I also express my condolences to the British people, the ambassador, H.E. Paul Johnston and everyone who is grieving the Queen’s loss. I ask that we have a debate on school transport and the challenges we have had in respect children who have not been able to get school buses over the past number of weeks. I have been inundated in County Tipperary with calls from parents whose...

Seanad: Energy: Motion (14 Sep 2022)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Minister of State for attending for this important discussion. This issue affects every house and business in the country. Much of the debate has been focused on households and their costs. One of the major issues businesses have is uncertainty as they have no idea what is coming in the budget. They have no idea how to manage in the next few weeks or what they will do in the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services (15 Sep 2022)

Garret Ahearn: I also welcome our friends from Denmark. They are very welcome to Ireland even though they keep beating us in soccer and Christian Eriksen scores brilliant goals against us. We wanted to go to that World Cup but the Danish team beat us. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, for taking this important debate. I cannot think of anything more distressing or upsetting, other than a...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services (15 Sep 2022)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Minister of State for her response, but it is frustrating. She stated: "At this juncture, the design and scope of this aspect of the model of care have not been finalised". For what are we waiting? The Minister for Health was incredibly vocal on this issue while in opposition. He made a commitment. People cannot wait too long. Sometimes, this is spoken about as if it is some...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Sep 2022)

Garret Ahearn: I have just come from a briefing in the audiovisual room given by local journalists speaking about journalism in general. They have started a campaign to end the payment of VAT on print and digital newspapers, which I support. We all know they are going through a very difficult time at the moment and need as much support as possible. They are looking for a zero VAT rate to support the good...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Sep 2022)

Garret Ahearn: I ask that we have a debate with the Minister for Health in the context of private nursing homes. They are at a crisis stage at this point in terms recruiting staff but even more so in terms of retaining staff. Many members of their staff go to work for the HSE and have left them in the past number of years. They have struggled to replace them and this is for a variety of reasons, cost...

Seanad: School Transport: Motion (21 Sep 2022)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Minister for coming to the House and being here for the full debate. I acknowledge this. The area the Minister is from is quite similar to mine. Kerry is quite similar to Tipperary in many political and rural ways. This has been by far the biggest issue for the past month or month and a half. For the parents of the 6,000 or 7,000 children throughout the country who have no...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Sep 2022)

Garret Ahearn: The recent increases in the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance have been welcomed. It has been a difficult time for parents with the cost of living and the cost of sending kids back to school. However, it is very restrictive in regard to who is able to claim the back-to-school allowance. A great many people in County Tipperary have come to me to talk about their experiences of...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Sep 2022)

Garret Ahearn: Before I talk about a budgetary measure that was brought in today, I want to pick up on Senator Flynn's comments on refugees and remind Members of the question of comparing like with like. It is important to say that the 50,000 Ukrainian people coming into this country are not refugees. They are here under an EU temporary protection directive. Their position is nothing similar to being...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Sep 2022)

Garret Ahearn: It is long overdue. This House has played a key role in advancing it, with a large number of Members having spoken here on the issue.The Cathaoirleach has given me three opportunities to table a Commencement matter on this issue over the two years that I have been a Senator and an awful lot of people of people have pushed the issue. Whatever we talk about in terms of the budget supporting...

Seanad: Budget 2023 (Finance): Statements (27 Sep 2022)

Garret Ahearn: I am sharing with Senator Dolan, if she arrives, and Senator Burke in her place if she does not.

Seanad: Budget 2023 (Finance): Statements (27 Sep 2022)

Garret Ahearn: I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. I also welcome the budget announced today by the Ministers, Deputies Donohoe and Michael McGrath. It has to be put into context. Every party comes up with its proposals on what it wants to do in the budget and what money should be spent on. The most important thing to recognise is that the position we are in enables us to do what we are...

Seanad: Budget 2023 (Public Expenditure and Reform): Statements (27 Sep 2022)

Garret Ahearn: There are three measures I want to mention out of the many there are to talk about and welcome. Householders throughout the country know the budget that has been delivered puts money back in people's pockets. It is as simple as that. The three areas I will focus on relate to carers, pensioners and childcare. Carers will very much welcome the announcement of a direct payment to them of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Fire Safety (4 Oct 2022)

Garret Ahearn: I also welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, to the Chamber. It is my first opportunity to congratulate him on his new role and position. I thank him for taking this Commencement matter. I acknowledge the good work he and his Department did last week in regard to the budget and supporting business over what is going to be an uncertain time during the winter months. I had a...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Fire Safety (4 Oct 2022)

Garret Ahearn: There is an understandable fear when reviews are put in place that changes could be made when we recognise that Irish safety standards are more robust than those that apply in other EU states. What we want to do is maintain that. It is true that there have been changes in consumer expectations and furniture manufacturing practices. That has to be recognised and changes have to be made but...

Seanad: Passport Office: Motion (5 Oct 2022)

Garret Ahearn: I feel like it is almost obligatory now to say we need a passport office in Tipperary.

Seanad: Passport Office: Motion (5 Oct 2022)

Garret Ahearn: We are all one county - at the moment anyway. There are 167,000 people in Tipperary. There is a vacant office two doors down from my office in Clonmel, so it would be very easy to have a passport office right beside where I am located. Queries about passports are among the queries we get that are actually solvable for people. On a serious note, however, I thank Sinn Féin for tabling...

Seanad: Passport Office: Motion (5 Oct 2022)

Garret Ahearn: It was only 600,000-odd last year, so the turnaround has been incredible. The number of passports that have been delivered this year has been incredible. Senator Wilson said we need to get the awareness out that people should renew their passports at off-peak times, and I agree with him. He mentioned we will be in the same predicament next summer. We will not really because last summer...

Seanad: Passport Office: Motion (5 Oct 2022)

Garret Ahearn: "Do not send them" is definitely the advice to give. However, on first-time applications there is an estimated date, and people come to us worried about whether they will get the passport in time. There could be an estimated date, say, in the middle of October or the middle of November, and someone could be applying a week after the estimated date. We politicians cannot do anything about...