Results 5,681-5,700 of 5,770 for speaker:Gerard Craughwell

Seanad: Vacancy in Membership of Seanad Éireann: Motion (2 Oct 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: I move: That the Clerk of Seanad Éireann do send to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage notice of a vacancy in the membership of Seanad Éireann occasioned by the election to the European Parliament of Senator Lynn Boylan, a member elected from the Oireachtas Sub-Panel of the Agricultural Panel at the General Election for Seanad Éireann, April, 2020.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Oct 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: Over the past week or two I watched a video from the Leader’s home town made by a family that was quite disgruntled. We are in the middle of an electoral cycle now and I have to say, for social media to publish such videos to attempt to damage politicians in their home towns is outrageous. It is something that the regulator or whoever needs to act on. It is grossly unfair to follow...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2024: Second Stage (22 Oct 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: The Minister is welcome to the House. My first encounter with the Minister was watching her on the "Six One News" being hammered in this House over the by-election that saw me elected to the House. She behaved herself with dignity on that occasion. She took everything that was thrown at her in style. I have always admired her way of handling these things.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2024: Second Stage (22 Oct 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: I am disappointed we are running all Stages of the Bill through the House. I would like to see amendments. There are things in the Bill about which I would like to talk. The Minister has delivered a great deal for a lot of people not just in this budget but in the five budgets she delivered in my time here. It is not good enough to start throwing things at the Minister just for the hell...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Oct 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: Yesterday, I had the honour of addressing the space industry in Ireland. I was shocked to learn there are 109 companies operating in that industry, some of which have products in space as part of various scientific projects. That is wonderful. Every now and then, I get an opportunity to congratulate the Government on something. It is great that we have Skillnet, which provides training in...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Oct 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: The Leader would have to do that.

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Mr. Kazumi Matsui, Mayor of Hiroshima (23 Oct 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: The mayor has travelled a long way to bring a message of peace and is very welcome. It was a pleasure to hear him address the Seanad today. I too have links with Japan. My niece is married to a man called Taco Takizawa. I recall my mother meeting her grandchildren, turning to us and saying it was marvellous they had learned to speak Japanese so young. It would be wrong of me today...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Mr. Kazumi Matsui, Mayor of Hiroshima (23 Oct 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: I apologise. Have I come to the end of my time?

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Mr. Kazumi Matsui, Mayor of Hiroshima (23 Oct 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: I tend to go over time.

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Mr. Kazumi Matsui, Mayor of Hiroshima (23 Oct 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: At the end of the day, we need people like Mr. Matsui speaking out for peace. We need to hear his voice loud. I thank him for being here.

Seanad: Amendment to Seanad Standing Orders: Motion (23 Oct 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: I second the motion. I will speak shortly.

Seanad: Amendment to Seanad Standing Orders: Motion (23 Oct 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: This House is notoriously known for cronyism. I know because I was elected in 2014 and I believe I was one of the first people to break the pattern of cronyism in this House. Members might recall that my election hit all the headlines at the time. The Government wanted to put in one of its favoured sons and at the end of the day it failed to do that. What is wrong with democracy? Many...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (24 Oct 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: The Leas-Chathaoirleach and Deputy Leader will be aware that I have spoken frequently on the issue of search and rescue, the search and rescue contract and the negotiation of that contract, which has taken place over the past number of years. Last night, I was contacted with respect to the new contract, which includes a fixed-wing element that eliminated the Irish Air Corps from having any...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Nov 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: On the issue of weapons passing through our sky, until such a time as we have an airforce that can intercept and interdict we can do sweet damn all about it. Talking about it is of little value, action is what is needed. The Leader will know that I have spent quite a lot of the period of this Seanad working in the area of cybersecurity. I brought a number of delegations to Talinn in...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2024: Second Stage (6 Nov 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome the Minister. This is the first time I have addressed him since he became Minister for Finance and I offer my congratulations. I am not here to give the Bill a hammering but there are a couple of points I would like to make. First and foremost, I want to raise the issue of the USC, on which Senator Boyhan made a speech this morning. It came in as a short-term tax to help with...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2024: Second Stage (6 Nov 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: I will leave it at that and thank the Minister for his time.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Nov 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: I, too, join all my colleagues in thanking Martin Groves and his staff for their professionalism and their support at times when we need it. I think we all echo that. We are entering into an electoral cycle. I wish all my colleagues well as they go forward for election. Many of our colleagues have been hounded out of office by disinformation and misinformation and by the venom that is...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2024 [Certified Money Bill]: Second and Subsequent Stages (7 Nov 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome the Minister to the House. We are in an electoral cycle now. One of the things I regard as very poor form from this House is the information provided to candidates on the implications that may affect them on election to the Parliament, whether it is to the Dáil or the Seanad. In my case, when I got elected to this House I took a salary hit of €10,000 annually....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Service Performance Report 2023: Department of Transport (6 Nov 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: The Minister is welcome to the committee. We did not always have a great relationship over the last Dáil period but I have to put something on the record today. There was a discussion at the weekend among some friends of mine regarding an assessment of Ministers' performance in the previous Government or the current Government and the Minister came out on top as the person who achieved...