Results 1,121-1,140 of 5,754 for speaker:Gerard Craughwell

Seanad: Social Protection: Statements (12 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: Please, Senator. We are right up on time.

Seanad: Social Protection: Statements (12 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: That concludes the statements on social protection and we will move straight away to statements on public procurement. I thank the Minister.

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I second the Bill.

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I defer to the leader of our group, Senator Marie-Louise O'Donnell.

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I will not use the eight minutes but there are some issues I would like to place on the record. As the first Senator in the country to be elected in a by-election as an Independent and given that the Seanad has been established for so long, it is a scandal that it took until 2014 for that to happen. I am very grateful to the Fine Gael Party for that seat.

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: The truth of the matter is that the Seanad has become further removed from the citizens of this country.

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: We come into this House on a daily basis and listen to Senator after Senator on the Order of Business speak about the constituencies in which they live and issues that are more pertinent to a county council or to the Dáil. This is the Upper House of Parliament. This House of Parliament is here to keep a check on Government, not to resolve issues that can be resolved by county councils...

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: We will have to determine what this House should be doing and examine how that should be done. Senator O'Donnell referred to the fact that those in the media take no interest in this House. Why would they? For the most part, and let us be honest with one another, the Seanad is seen as either a crèche for those hoping to get into the Dáil or a nursing home for those who have given...

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I will come back to the six illustrious people on the university panels. I refer specifically to the vocational panels. We need to get back to the vocational qualifications that were required, and to legitimise those qualifications when somebody goes forward for election. To return to the university panels, I have great sympathy for my colleague, Senator Norris. I would want to see the...

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: -----but we must walk before we can run. The first thing is to get the process changed and move on from there to reform the House properly and make it the people's Seanad. The Minister of State's contribution did not fill me with hope. He said we can get over all the problems but the more of them he outlined, the more difficult and higher the hill got.

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I appreciate he has to-----

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I fully understand where the Minister of State is coming from but if we are to go about processing this Bill through the House, we need to look for solutions, not problems.

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I appreciate that, and I appreciate what the Minister of State was trying to do in that regard. Those are some of the points I want to put on the record. I support Senator McDowell. I will take the axe to some of the sections in the Bill to try to amend them to reflect where I believe we should be going but this is the first step. It is important that all of us get behind the legislation...

Seanad: Housing for People with Disabilities: Motion (13 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I thank Senator John Dolan and Senator Grace O'Sullivan for bringing this important motion before the House. I congratulate the Minister on his current portfolio which he has taken on with great enthusiasm. I sincerely hope that people's expectations will not be overly complicated. I believe the Minister will do everything he can to deal with the housing crisis, but he is not God and can...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I propose an amendment to the Order of Business to have the Minister for Defence, An Taoiseach, brought before the House. This is not because I like to pull a stunt. There is a very serious situation about a lieutenant-colonel in the Defence Forces who had applied for promotion to the rank of colonel and was unsuccessful in the competition. Subsequently it was found that the marks awarded...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I very much respect the efforts of the Leader to keep the business of the House going and I acknowledge the fact that the Taoiseach cannot be dragged in here at the drop of a hat but this is not about the individual case, it is about the Department's disregard for the ombudsman's role.The Taoiseach chose the Department of Defence to be his Ministry and that is part of the problem. He is so...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I will not press the debate now.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I assume the Labour Party will be raising the matter again next week.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (15 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome the Minister of State. Unusually, I find myself somewhat in agreement with Senator Coffey.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (15 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I have always supported the idea that water must be paid for, but I have never supported Irish Water. Much of what Senator Coffey said is true. In fact, I am quite baffled at the fact that water meters are still being installed throughout the country while we are going through this farce of suspending the charges until a commission ultimately reports back that water must be paid for. That...