Results 2,101-2,120 of 5,749 for speaker:Gerard Craughwell

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Gerard Craughwell: When the Government was formed a number of people said to me they thanked God the Greens were there because they would make sure things are done right. This is not doing things right at all. This is rushing through legislation. Everybody in the room received 4,000 emails and not just me. The 4,000 people who have contacted us, and the several hundred others on the other side who have...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Gerard Craughwell: I do not know where the impression that everything will be lost if we delay this legislation has come from. Nothing will be lost. All we are asking for is a little more time, an extra 28 days, to get the legislation right first time. Nobody is talking about dumping the work that has been done and forgetting that it ever happened. We are saying that we want to get it right. The 4,000...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Gerard Craughwell: Senator Bacik has said practically everything I wanted to say. It smacks of laziness, of inappropriateness and of precisely what is going on here today, namely, the rushing of legislation through the House. Somebody somewhere notices something that needs to be done, and we stick it into one of the most contentious Bills that has come to this House in my six years here. It is completely...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Gerard Craughwell: I thank the Minister for his patience today as we ran the Bill through the House, or perhaps I should say as we rammed the Bill through the House.In fairness to the Minister, he has listened and agreed to bring forward amendments to the Dáil. He has also extended the period for tabling amendments for the Dáil. I thank him for that, but this House has not crowned itself with glory...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Gerard Craughwell: That has to be said.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Gerard Craughwell: It cannot be said often enough. It must not happen again.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Second Stage (14 Oct 2020)

Gerard Craughwell: There has been much talk today about the rights of a child to know about his or her parentage and historical background, and I support all of that. I am coming to this debate as somebody who grew up in Galway in the 1960s and the 1970s. No young girl got pregnant in my time in Galway. Many young girls went away on holidays and came back nine months later without a child, however. I had...

Seanad: Budget 2021: Statements (14 Oct 2020)

Gerard Craughwell: First and foremost, I wish to thank the Minister for the calm, cool way he has dealt with the coronavirus to date and the reassurance people get when they see him on TV. He has had, however, too many people compliment him today so I might as well join the Opposition. I refer to the Moorhead report. The Minister's councillors and foot soldiers had been expecting something in this budget. I...

Seanad: Budget 2021: Statements (14 Oct 2020)

Gerard Craughwell: The Minister is welcome to the House. It is my first opportunity to welcome him here since he was elected. I thank him for his availability when we were looking for him. That is appreciated. By and large, the budget has been a good one for the situation we find ourselves in. He is to be congratulated, with his colleague, for putting the budget together. Many people have been watching...

Seanad: Shannon Group: Motion (14 Oct 2020)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan. It is my first time to meet him in the House since his elevation and I congratulate him. It could not happen to a better guy. I have always been a fan of his. He is a pretty decent guy.The speech that Senator Dooley just made gives me great heart for Shannon. He put much good stuff in there. My first visit to Shannon was in 1963, when I...

Seanad: Leaving Certificate 2020: Statements (8 Oct 2020)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome the Minister to the House. I am sorry to say the previous time she was here I was forced to leave immediately after my presentation and the same will happen today as I have a committee to attend. Before I speak on education in this public forum, it is important to recognise the professionalism of Dr. Tony Holohan. After the way he has been maligned over the past few days it is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Election of Vice Chairman (8 Oct 2020)

Gerard Craughwell: I am on the Committee of Selection in the Seanad and we have written to the Ceann Comhairle and the Cathaoirleach of the Seanad. The Seanad Committee on Procedure and Privileges also dealt with this issue yesterday. I am very much of the view, and I made this point yesterday at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, that the chairmanship will always go to a Member...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Election of Vice Chairman (8 Oct 2020)

Gerard Craughwell: It is rare to find a Senator. In fairness, and for parity of esteem for both Houses, and I hope Deputy Lawless understands my position today, I believe a Senator should be considered for the position of Vice Chairman.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Election of Vice Chairman (8 Oct 2020)

Gerard Craughwell: I fully appreciate that.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Oct 2020)

Gerard Craughwell: Last week I spoke about the Public Service Management Act 1997 and, specifically, about the positions of advisers to Ministers. Advisers are the only people who are not accountable in any way to the public. I am asking the Leader to organise a debate in this House where we can explore how this might change and make the appointees more accountable, perhaps to Oireachtas committees. I am not...

Seanad: HSE Winter Plan: Statements (7 Oct 2020)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and congratulate her on her elevation. My colleagues have already addressed the issue of critical care bed capacity so I will focus on some of the other risks that exist within the HSE. I will add that hearing the Minister on the radio the other day talking about building bed capacity over the next two years did not really inspire confidence in...

Seanad: Statutory Right to Sick Leave Pay: Motion (7 Oct 2020)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and congratulate him on retaining a ministerial post. I will talk about the occupational health services, particularly in the teaching profession. Some of the letters I have seen with respect to teachers with underlying health conditions are frightening, where the occupational health service says a person is in a high-risk capacity but not a very...

Seanad: Aviation Industry: Statements (1 Oct 2020)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. It is a great honour to have a fellow Galwegian here. I am sure Galway is very proud of Deputy Naughton's elevation to a ministerial post. We are very lucky to have someone of her talent taking on the job. Covid-19 has devastated the international air transport industry, but it has also highlighted some of the grave errors in transport policy...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Sep 2020)

Gerard Craughwell: There has been much talk in the media in recent days about the resignation of the former Senator and Minister of State, Michael D'Arcy. There is probably a problem because he spoke on finance legislation in the House last week. Leaving that aside, there seems to be no talk at all about the Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform sitting on the board of the FAI,...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Sep 2020)

Gerard Craughwell: They should have the courage to put somebody forward. There is no seat here belonging to anybody.