Results 781-800 of 991 for speaker:Aidan Davitt

Seanad: National Lottery (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (24 Feb 2022)

Aidan Davitt: Senator Ward made some good points and I agree with much of what he said. Something that struck me, and it was in the newspapers quite recently, is that €90 million of unclaimed lottery moneys was reinvested in advertising over the past six years. This is a frightening figure. All this money could be going back into sports facilities and everything else. You are knocked down with...

Seanad: National Lottery (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (24 Feb 2022)

Aidan Davitt: Yes but all the talk is about all the money being invested in the clubs and so on, but there is nothing about the €90 million being spent on advertising. That is the reality of it. It is not a matter of this money going into Irish sports clubs. A wall of money is being spent on advertising and promoting the lottery. That is the point I would like to make. It is a monopoly, so it...

Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022: Second Stage (23 Mar 2022)

Aidan Davitt: I am certainly not going to delay the progress of the Bill on Second Stage. I welcome the Minister of State to the House and congratulate her on all the great work she is doing in her Department. She has certainly shaken things up. She has a fresh approach to working in the Department. This is proof of it. There has been talk for quite a long time about trying to consolidate all the...

Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022: Second Stage (23 Mar 2022)

Aidan Davitt: I am not being dismissive, but how relevant is this?

Seanad: Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Building Control (Amendment) Bill 2022: Second Stage (30 Mar 2022)

Aidan Davitt: I am delighted to welcome my constituency colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, to the House today. We all know he is no stranger to the House and is here on a regular basis. It can be hard to get anybody else from the Department here and he might look for a bit of a dig out. It would be remiss of me not to mention Dr. Dermot Fitzpatrick today. Senator Mary Fitzpatrick has...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (4 May 2022)

Aidan Davitt: I ask the Deputy Leader to liaise with the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and see if, with the Cathaoirleach's help, he will come to the House for a debate on e-scooters. I know legislation is being proposed and in draft but it has to be addressed sooner rather than later. As we all know, it can take a long time for legislation to get through this House. They could be dealt...

Seanad: Quality in Public Procurement (Contract Preparation and Award Criteria) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (18 May 2022)

Aidan Davitt: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. He seems to be spending quite a lot of time working in here. We are delighted to see him again today. This is certainly a very proactive Bill. The general gist, the thinking and the logic behind it seem to be very logical. We are happy to progress with it. I know the Minister of State will speak to it now. I am curious. We discussed it...

Seanad: Quality in Public Procurement (Contract Preparation and Award Criteria) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (18 May 2022)

Aidan Davitt: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Special Educational Needs (31 May 2022)

Aidan Davitt: I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this matter and welcome the Minister of State to the House. I am sure she is well aware of the matter as she is working hard in this area. I have seen some of the great work that has been done over the last number of years, particularly in St. Finian's College in Mullingar. Special education units have been very useful and well resourced under this...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Special Educational Needs (31 May 2022)

Aidan Davitt: The Minister of State seems to be aware of the timeline. The school applied to the Department in April. Is it long since the Department sought the additional information back? My understanding is that the school is very gung ho and keen to move on with the project. If the request from the Department was made recently, it may be that we could liaise a bit more strongly with the school or...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (2 Jun 2022)

Aidan Davitt: I call for a debate in the House on Ireland's corporate tax rate. There is a need for a proper debate and discussion with the Minister for Finance on the future of the minimum global rate which, as we all know, has been quite a hot topic. For context, I am watching developments in both the US and Poland. In the US, the Republican Party in the House is holding up the agreement to accept the...

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

Aidan Davitt: I raise the issue of maternity leave for county councillors. As the Deputy Leader knows, this matter is coming before the Cabinet this week. It is a matter I have discussed over several years here and I am delighted to have fed input into the proposed policy coming before the Cabinet. On reflection, this type of leave scheme is one that could be expanded. Recently, one of our own...

Seanad: Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (23 Jun 2022)

Aidan Davitt: I support Senator Boyhan's request on this issue. It is a very practical measure and I hope the Minister will see fit to include it in the legislation.

Seanad: Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (23 Jun 2022)

Aidan Davitt: Next Tuesday.

Seanad: Defence Forces (Evidence) Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jun 2022)

Aidan Davitt: Now.

Seanad: Defence Forces (Evidence) Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jun 2022)

Aidan Davitt: Now.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Jul 2022)

Aidan Davitt: I will speak about Georgia's accession to the EU. This has come more to the fore with what we have seen of Russia's destructive acts in Ukraine. As we are aware, Georgia has already felt the brunt of Russia's forces in recent years. I strongly believe Georgia's accession should be dealt with in tandem with Ukraine's at present. Georgia has done quite a lot of work in this area. In 1996,...

Seanad: National Lottery (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (12 Jul 2022)

Aidan Davitt: I thank the Minister of State and welcome him and his judgement. This Bill has been before the House previously and we discussed it at length. The Minister of State took on a lot of the practical complications that were involved in the Bill. Senator Ward put a lot of work into it and I commend him on what he is trying to do with the Bill. I have serious concerns with part of it as I have...

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

Aidan Davitt: I am delighted to welcome the Minister of State. As I discussed with the Cathaoirleach, I shared my time earlier with Senator O'Loughlin. I commend this very balanced budget. Several things have been pointed out by Senators. The funding towards childcare is a very prudent and forward step and is something I have talked about on numerous occasions in the House. To follow on from that,...

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

Aidan Davitt: Tomorrow morning at 10.30 a.m.