Results 3,281-3,300 of 4,178 for speaker:Paul Gavan
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Socioeconomic Context: Dr. Caitriona Henchion and Mr. Niall Behan, Irish Family Planning Association (15 Nov 2017)
Paul Gavan: I thank the witnesses for their presentations. I am sorry that they have had to put up with some of the nonsense today. I wish to clarify a point before I begin. The Chairman will know, as indeed will Senator Buttimer, that I always find it really hard to agree with the Fine Gael Party on pretty much most things.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Socioeconomic Context: Dr. Caitriona Henchion and Mr. Niall Behan, Irish Family Planning Association (15 Nov 2017)
Paul Gavan: Deputy O'Brien is correct, pretty much everything, but I have full faith in Senator Catherine Noone as Chairman. I see her each week trying to do her best in very difficult circumstances. While we are on opposite sides politically, I could not in any way criticise how she has chaired these meetings each week. It is important that is noted because of these constant attempts by a small...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Socioeconomic Context: Dr. Caitriona Henchion and Mr. Niall Behan, Irish Family Planning Association (15 Nov 2017)
Paul Gavan: Will Dr. Henchion expand on that please?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Socioeconomic Context: Dr. Caitriona Henchion and Mr. Niall Behan, Irish Family Planning Association (15 Nov 2017)
Paul Gavan: My final question, which I know has been dealt with to a degree, will be brief. I am struck by the references to abortion pills and how access to these pills is increasingly widespread. It strikes me as being completely bizarre that collectively we can ignore that. Is that not bizarre?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Health Care Issues - Crisis Pregnancy Management: Ms Janice Donlon, HSE (15 Nov 2017)
Paul Gavan: I thank the Chairman. I thank Ms Donlon for coming to the committee today and for her presentation. My first question relates to the HSE crisis pregnancy website. It states that it has three mandates, one of which is "A reduction in the number of women with crisis pregnancies who opt for abortion by offering services and support which make other options more attractive". I am a little...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Health Care Issues - Crisis Pregnancy Management: Ms Janice Donlon, HSE (15 Nov 2017)
Paul Gavan: I thank Ms Donlon for that answer. I accept what she has said but I do see a contradiction in what the witness has said and what is on the website. I wish to flag this. The website certainly suggests directive counselling to some degree. I am conscious of time and I shall move on. There is lots of really good information in the presentation and I thank Ms Donlon for that. Considering...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Health Care Issues - Crisis Pregnancy Management: Ms Janice Donlon, HSE (15 Nov 2017)
Paul Gavan: Has the crisis pregnancy programme received any complaints regarding the advice given to women, and if so will Ms Donlon give the committee some details on what sorts of complaints have been made?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Health Care Issues - Crisis Pregnancy Management: Ms Janice Donlon, HSE (15 Nov 2017)
Paul Gavan: On that last point, I know it is implied but I wish to make it clear, those rogue agencies referred to by Ms Donlon are the agencies that try to persuade women not to have a termination.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Health Care Issues - Crisis Pregnancy Management: Ms Janice Donlon, HSE (15 Nov 2017)
Paul Gavan: I thank the witness very much.
- Seanad: Commencement Matters: Naval Service Vessels (15 Nov 2017)
Paul Gavan: Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Chathaoirligh. The Minister of State is very welcome. I want to raise the issue of defence spending this morning. We learned in recent weeks of plans by the Naval Service to purchase a new multi-role vessel, MRV. In recent years, the Naval Service has purchased three new ships, with a fourth ship on order, for a total of over €250 million. This...
- Seanad: Commencement Matters: Naval Service Vessels (15 Nov 2017)
Paul Gavan: Not for the first time, the Minister of State has been put in a difficult position. In fairness to the Minister of State, the response from the civil servants does not answer the questions I have put. I asked how the Government can justify the expenditure of hundreds of millions of euro on new boats when we could have refurbished our existing fleet and put the surplus money towards the...
- Seanad: Order of Business (15 Nov 2017)
Paul Gavan: I, too, wish to raise the issue of housing. With reference to my own city of Limerick, this Friday we will see a new budget struck by the Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael coalition. Yes, I am afraid that we have a local coalition comprised of both of the parties as well as a national coalition. Sinn Féin's council team reviewed the figures last Monday. We learned that there will be nothing...
- Seanad: JobPath: Motion (15 Nov 2017)
Paul Gavan: It is worth taking a moment to reflect on the history here. When we think of JobPath and we think of the originators of JobPath, and it is a shame that none of them is here this evening, it proves the point that the Labour Party in government gave Fine Gael the cover it needed to introduce some of the most right wing, draconian policies ever seen in this country. Let us be absolutely clear....
- Seanad: JobPath: Motion (15 Nov 2017)
Paul Gavan: Senator Colm Burke.
- Seanad: JobPath: Motion (15 Nov 2017)
Paul Gavan: He is right behind Senator Butler.
- Seanad: JobPath: Motion (15 Nov 2017)
Paul Gavan: I can introduce Senator Butler later. There is no problem.
- Seanad: JobPath: Motion (15 Nov 2017)
Paul Gavan: Here is the point. Fine Gael has always been a sister party of the Tories in Britain. Privatising job services was straight out of the Tory play book. I spoke to an old lady in Castleconnell, my own home village, who happens to be a CE supervisor and she explained to me the frustration she felt because it is so difficult to secure funding for increased places. As my colleague, Senator Mac...
- Seanad: JobPath: Motion (15 Nov 2017)
Paul Gavan: Is that the best Senator Butler can come up with?
- Seanad: JobPath: Motion (15 Nov 2017)
Paul Gavan: Senator Butler does not like the facts-----
- Seanad: JobPath: Motion (15 Nov 2017)
Paul Gavan: -----so he tries to play the man rather than the ball.