Results 161-180 of 221 for speaker:Aubrey McCarthy

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Peter McVerry Trust: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: Mr. O'Leary mentioned that, in July 2023, AHBRA started a formal investigation of the trust. What prompted that investigation? Was there a whistleblower or what brought it on?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Peter McVerry Trust: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: Is Ms Tobin confident that happened?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Peter McVerry Trust: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: The regulator's report highlighted conflicts of interest, governance failures, etc. Has anybody been held to account for that or are we simply moving forward without consequences and hoping everything works well going forward?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Peter McVerry Trust: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: Is Mr. O'Leary happy that is happening?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Peter McVerry Trust: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: Have we confidence in the trust going forward? That question is for everyone.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Peter McVerry Trust: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: The confidence is not there yet but we are getting there.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: Yes, after the Chair.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I thank everybody for being here today. I could not agree more with the Leas-Chathaoirleach about the pressures on small businesses in Ireland. I have a small business and realise the SME test does not come into play in quite a lot of legislation. I am a fairly new Senator but I have spoken about the SME test at various levels, including in the defamation area at the moment. I note from...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: Is it fixable?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: Why do we not fix it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: As the Leas-Chathaoirleach said, when running an SME in Ireland, pride may be one of the reasons you keep open. Your family may have done it for generations. I run a restaurant in Naas. We are full every day so everybody thinks we are coining it. Staff wages are going up, and we have amazing staff and want to appreciate them. VAT, wages, rent, insurance and other costs of running a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: My business applied for LEO funding recently and was accepted. When we went to draw down the grant, the money was not there. We qualified and got the ticket, but there was nothing behind it. They said maybe it would be in next year's budget. It is very difficult for an SME doing everything possible to keep everything going but it is not working on the ground. Mention was made of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: Is that based on research?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Peter McVerry Trust: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: In late 2023, €15 million was given by the Department to keep the services going. With the same management, system and structure, what accountability measures were put in place to make sure that money was properly managed?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Peter McVerry Trust: Discussion (30 Sep 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: One of the key things mentioned today was that the accounts for 2023 had not been filed yet, even after all this debacle. I am involved in various AHBs and if they do not have their accounts in situ, then the funding model is stalled. I am surprised this continued without the accounts being submitted. As Deputy Ó Broin said, alarm bells should have rung when somebody tendered for a...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Oct 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I am out of breath, a Chathaoirligh. I rise to highlight an innovative child-centred proposal that deserves attention. It is called a peer-to-peer well-being digital licence. It builds on the success of the It Takes A Village project in Greystones and Delgany and offers a way for kids to have digital literacy and online safety in schools. It empowers secondary students to mentor young...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Oct 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I was looking at the Seanad on TV and wondered if I would make this. Online safety is not just a technical issue for young people, it is also a well-being one. Young people are already dealing with cyberbullying, misinformation and data privacy issues. They must be part of the solution. This peer education initiative respects their lived experience and aligns with the UN Convention on...

Seanad: Budget 2026 (Enterprise, Tourism and Employment): Statements (14 Oct 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I thank the Minister, Deputy Burke. I reiterate what Senator Nelson Murray said to welcome him to the House. I thank him for engaging with us on budget 2026. The budget arrives at a very important time for Ireland. I am a member of the enterprise committee so I know what is happening out in the real world with the small firms, the family businesses, the cafes, the florists and the...

Seanad: Support for Ukraine: Motion (14 Oct 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I thank the Minister of State for being here. I rise to support the motion. As Senators O'Loughlin and Daly mentioned, there is a lot going on in the world at the moment, and often Ukraine is not mentioned and is forgotten about because the war has been going on for so long. We are rising to support the motion, however, affirming Ireland’s unwavering solidarity with the people of...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó – Order of Business (15 Oct 2025)

Aubrey McCarthy: I rise to speak about the Defamation Bill currently before the House. I think it is our final opportunity to deliver a defamation Act that protects the right of ordinary citizens and small business owners across Ireland. For too long, our defamation laws have enabled a culture of vexatious litigation whereby retailers, forecourt operators and restaurateurs are targeted not for wrongdoing...