Results 5,901-5,914 of 5,914 for speaker:Gerard Craughwell

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Jul 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: I am aware of the time.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Jul 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: Some great stories have been told in the past few days about the capture of the MV Matthew and the drugs haul in 2023. What a fantastic story it is. If anybody has not read it, please go to The Journal and read Niall O’Connor’s description of the capture of that ship. We pulled together the agencies of the State, namely, the Garda, the Revenue Commissioners and the Defence...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Jul 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: Today is the first opportunity I have had to stand in solidarity with the Bosnia-Herzegovina Association of Ireland to commemorate the genocide at Srebrenica, the 30th anniversary of which passed on 29 June. In making that statement, I want to recognise what has become for me the normalisation of the war in Ukraine. Ukraine has slipped down the agenda and is not seen as the genocide that...

Seanad: Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (9 Jul 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome the Minister to the House. This is the first time I have addressed him since his elevation. I congratulate him on his new post and I think he is doing a fine job where he is. I rise today to speak on behalf of ISME. My lovely speech has been ruined because several people have already adverted to ISME's critique of the Bill. Nonetheless, I feel obliged to put the association's...

Seanad: Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (9 Jul 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: -----which benefits from maintaining Ireland's astronomical levels of defamation litigation. Even as claims fell to 289 cases in 2024, this remains higher than the 250 cases in England, as already pointed out. There is no judicial justification for this disparity. The Courts Service's annual report only scratches the surface. Defamation actions generate an estimated €30 million to...

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (3 Jul 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome the witnesses. I will start off by stating once again that the triple lock is a red herring and that we should be spending our time on other things to do with the Defence Forces. I will give the witnesses a definition of sovereignty. Sovereignty refers to the supreme authority and power of a state or governing body to rule itself without interference from outside sources. In...

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (3 Jul 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: In fairness, I think the Irish people are not that silly. It is very clear that once United Nations Security Council clearance is given for an operation, we can deploy troops if we so wish. Without that we cannot, and it is as simple as that.

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (3 Jul 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: We have already provided military aid to Ukraine.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Second Stage (9 Jul 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: Am I not next according to the list?

Seanad: Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Second Stage (9 Jul 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: The list I have says the Independents are first.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Second Stage (9 Jul 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: I am sorry. Senator Rabbitte should proceed.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Second Stage (9 Jul 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome the Minister to the House. This is the first time I have addressed him in his current role. I congratulate him on his position. Before I get into reading my notes, one of the questions that crosses my mind when I come across a case like John O'Meara's is why the State forces a family to go the whole way to a Supreme Court judgment in order to fix something that was morally...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Second Stage (9 Jul 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: That will give me plenty of time to think while the Minister is gone.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Second Stage (9 Jul 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: To get back to where I was, there are anomalies in the system. Much of what I wanted to say has already been delivered by the Minister in his own speech, so I will not go into the historical background of John's case. However, there are anomalies in the system. We are very privileged in this country to have the civil servants we have working in Departments. I firmly believe there is no...