Results 3,241-3,260 of 5,749 for speaker:Gerard Craughwell

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Nov 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Ms Deirdre Hargey, Lord Mayor of Belfast (8 Nov 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome the Lord Mayor on this historic occasion. She is the first Lord Mayor of Belfast, and the first female Sinn Féin Lord Mayor, to address this House. Belfast is one of my favourite cities in the world. It offers so much. I agree with most of what the Lord Mayor said earlier. I would recommend anyone from any part of the world to visit the Titanic centre. It is an amazing...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Ms Deirdre Hargey, Lord Mayor of Belfast (8 Nov 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: -----is something to behold. I wish we could have a little of that down here. I am looking at the Lord Mayor's manifesto and I am particularly struck by her interest in women's needs and the desire to ensure the health of women in a just society and encouraging trust of women. I am particularly concerned about the mental health of women from the distant past on all sides of the traditions...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: Perhaps I might offer a little assistance. If everybody spoke every now and then, we would know that he or she was still alive and could continue on.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: On the issue of confidentiality, I hate to find myself totally in agreement with Senator McDowell. However, those putting themselves forward for senior judicial posts will generally come from the Bar Council and will generally be what we now refer to as sole traders. One negative word can have a detrimental effect on a person's income for the remainder of his or her life. That is something...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: To get back to the point I was trying to make-----

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I applaud the Minister for his patience because if ever a Bill has had a difficult passage, it is this one. To return to the issue of confidentiality, I am not satisfied that confidentiality is covered under the current wording. I am not sure there is anything in it that would deter an individual from the engaging in the old "dúirt bean liom go ndúirt bean léi" type of thing....

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I would like to pick up on what Senator McDowell has just said. I have made the point that a negative comment about a distinguished barrister from a consultant involved in the selection of a judge or a member of the committee could cause the loss of that barrister's career. It could destroy his or her career. It had not crossed my mind until just now that something negative could arise...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: It has been extremely long and arduous to try to get this Bill through the House so I appreciate the Minister's willingness to listen and reflect on matters. The one thing I am adamant about is the position of the Attorney General. An amendment must be introduced to release the Attorney General from any legal sanction where he or she is advising the Government on the appointment.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: The Attorney General is appointed under the Constitution and his or her job is to advise the Government. He or she cannot be restricted by legislation. That is what makes this legislation unique and different from anything else the Minister is considering holding forth as peer legislation. The Attorney General must be free to carry out the function that he or she is appointed to do under...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: On the issue of consultants, given that most of the consultancy firms in Dublin are now internationally based, what is to stop the firms that are consulting on the appointment of judges bringing in people from outside the jurisdiction to assist them in the short-listing? What control would we have over those persons once they leave the jurisdiction with respect to making statements about the...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Nov 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Nov 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I join with Senator Norris. We need a debate now that the campaign is over. I congratulate President Higgins on his re-election. It is right and proper that he was re-elected by the people, not by the people in this House alone. Tony O'Brien was reported to have made some horrendous statements about the Minister for Health over the weekend. If he had something to say about the Minister...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Nov 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: The Leader never misses an opportunity.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Nov 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: We are not recruiting people to join the Government.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Nov 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I will knock another Order of Business out of this issue.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Nov 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: It is a cheap shot by the Government.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Nov 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I want to interject briefly. My colleague, Senator McDowell, is acutely aware of human nature and the way in which people interact with one another. He has made his professional career out of that awareness. While I understand the Minister's point that he does not believe we would finish up with an adversarial position in which the Attorney General is totally at odds with the remainder of...

Seanad: Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Statements (6 Nov 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: I ask that people speak through the Chair. We are out of time at any rate.

Seanad: Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Statements (6 Nov 2018)

Gerard Craughwell: The Senator is out of time. I call Senator Paul Coghlan.