Results 1,241-1,260 of 1,416 for speaker:Robbie Gallagher

Seanad: European Arrest Warrant (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (28 Feb 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: Now.

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

Robbie Gallagher: In 2022, 901 animals were attacked by dogs: 755 sheep and 77 cattle were attacked. Unfortunately, that figure is on the rise. The scene of a sheep attack by dogs is truly horrific, apart from the financial burden it inflicts upon the farmer and his family. For example, losing ten pregnant ewes could cost as much as €2,000 to replace. Apart from the financial hardship, there is also...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Financial Services (7 Mar 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: I welcome the Minister of State. The Central Bank has recently confirmed that large numbers of mortgage holders whose loans were sold to vulture funds are unable to use the ombudsman service to make complaints if they are in dispute over the handling of their loans. It is estimated that up to 100,000 borrowers have had mortgages sold to vulture funds, with credit servicing firms acting on...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Financial Services (7 Mar 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: I thank the Minister of State for his response to this very important issue. As he outlined, all we are seeking is that if these individuals who have had their loans sold to vulture funds, in many cases without their knowledge and consent, feel they have a legitimate complaint to make, there will be someone who will be able to listen to them. Currently, they do not have that avenue or...

Seanad: EU Talent Pool: Motion (5 Mar 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: I move:That Seanad Éireann approves the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to take part in the adoption and application of the following proposed...

Seanad: EU Talent Pool: Motion (5 Mar 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: The Minister of State is very welcome back to the House this afternoon. Fianna Fáil very much welcomes this motion on the opt-in to the proposal for a regulation establishing an EU talent pool. We are no different from other EU states in that we have many vacancies across many different occupations. I sometimes think the Government does not get enough credit for the prudent management...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Mar 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: I second the amendment proposed by Senator McGreehan that No. 11 be taken before No. 1. The Irish Cancer Society's national Daffodil Day takes place this Friday, 22 March. A total of 99% of the funds it raises every year is through voluntary contributions. I thank the Irish people for their continued generosity in that regard. Some of the statistics relating to cancer are quite...

Seanad: Court Proceedings (Delays) Bill 2023: Second Stage (20 Mar 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: The Minister of State is very welcome to the House today to debate the Court Proceedings (Delays) Bill 2023. I thank him for outlining the general draft of the Bill. It is imperative in any society that citizens have access to the courts in a prompt timeframe and that courts will be properly resourced. Having an efficient court system that provides timely access to justice is of central...

Seanad: Court Proceedings (Delays) Bill 2023: Second Stage (20 Mar 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: The Minister of State is welcome back to the House. The Bill brings us in line with international best practice and it is only right we progress it. In addition to the two previous points I made, there is also an issue with costs. There is a more expeditious way of dealing with costs. Overall, I am fully supportive of the Bill. From a Fianna Fáil perspective, we would be delighted...

Seanad: Court Proceedings (Delays) Bill 2023: Second Stage (20 Mar 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: Next Tuesday.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Fuel Prices (21 Mar 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: The Minister of State is very welcome to the House this morning. There are 390 filling stations located along the Border in counties Monaghan, Cavan, Leitrim, Louth and Donegal. All of them will suffer financially as the Government restores the full rate of excise duty on fuel on this side of the Border while the UK Government has decided to postpone its increase due to cost-of-living...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Fuel Prices (21 Mar 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: I thank the Minister of State for the response. It is vital the Government gets the impact this would have on Border filling stations, many of which are located in my own county of Cavan as well as in Donegal, Leitrim and Louth. This will have a devastating effect. While I am disappointed the Government is proceeding with the increase on 1 April, I take some solace from the fact the August...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Agriculture Industry (16 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: I thank the Minister for being here. His schedule is a very busy one and I appreciate him taking the time to respond on this Commencement matter. Everyone can agree the phrase "April showers" has taken on a whole new aspect this year, with torrential rain saturating the ground across the entire country. When people's livelihood and the welfare of their animals or crops are so seriously...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Agriculture Industry (16 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: I thank the Minister for his comprehensive response. Like myself, he was born and raised on a farm so I know he gets this and knows exactly what we are talking about. As he alluded to, farming can be a lonely occupation where people work on their own and have a lot of time to think. At this time, farmers and their families are under severe mental health pressure. It is incumbent on us to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Bill 2024: Discussion (16 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: Yes, work away.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Bill 2024: Discussion (16 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: I thank welcome the witnesses here this afternoon and thank them for their contributions. A few speakers have mentioned that the world is a changed place from when this legislation came in in 1996. I note that more than €200 million has been returned to the State's coffers which is a testament to the bureau's work and I compliment them on it. We have got to a point now whereby the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Bill 2024: Discussion (16 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: I was wondering whether there was a trend due to the legislation lagging from where the real world was at, and whether that was reflected in the return year on year to the Exchequer. It does not appear that is the case.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Bill 2024: Discussion (16 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: From the point of view of CAB negotiating, perhaps "negotiating" is the wrong word to use, with a criminal to try to get a net result, taking into consideration time lapses, going to court and all the manpower involved in it, how often does CAB reach a settlement, if I can use that term, with an individual?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Pre-legislative Scrutiny of the Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Bill 2024: Discussion (16 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: They smell the coffee.