Results 421-440 of 951 for speaker:Garret Ahearn

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Personal Public Service Numbers (31 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House today. First, it is important to acknowledge the work done by the Department of Social Protection in issuing PPS numbers, in particular in the last year when 300,000 were issued. The Department has done so speedily, particularly for Ukrainian citizens coming to Ireland. This Commencement matter has a lot to do with retail and...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Personal Public Service Numbers (31 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Minister of State for that offer. I might take him up on that. I have a number of cases in Clonmel, in particular, that I need to get through as quickly as possible. I understand the turnaround time is 1.3 weeks. Is it possible to get a breakdown of what it is per county for Tipperary? It is definitely not what I am experiencing. Another question, which is important, is...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (31 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I also compliment Senator Carrigy on the work he has done in trying to get this to become the first autism-friendly Parliament. I too took the course. It is very informative and I encourage everyone to do that. I also acknowledge Senator Lombard on the blue flag awarded to Garretstown beach. I use the beach regularly over the summer months. It is a wonderful beach. There is a lovely...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I also welcome the news that credit unions will be allowed to offer mortgages. This is a significant development. It is very important for communities right across the country, including my community in Tipperary. Our own credit union in Clonmel will be celebrating 60 years in existence on 1 June. The Minister of State, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, will be coming down for the occasion. She...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Strategy and Impact on Disabled Persons in the Workplace: Discussion (Resumed) (17 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I am Senator Garret Ahearn. I am a 42-year-old white male. I am wearing a dark suit, white shirt and dark tie. I have black hair that is rapidly going grey, in many ways like the Chair's.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Strategy and Impact on Disabled Persons in the Workplace: Discussion (Resumed) (17 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: Yes. I thank the witnesses for their enlightening presentations. Some of the challenges that people have include understanding the sector and what needs to be done, being nervous about asking the right questions and feeling they cannot have a bit of fun about it as well. A colleague in our party, Senator Conway, makes fun about it all the time and is very easygoing. I was with him two...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Strategy and Impact on Disabled Persons in the Workplace: Discussion (Resumed) (17 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: The claim about not having time is not acceptable.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Strategy and Impact on Disabled Persons in the Workplace: Discussion (Resumed) (17 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: My next question is for both of the organisations present. There was always a challenge in getting people with disabilities into the workforce. We are by far the lowest in Europe. We are at approximately 30% in respect of visually impaired people, but we are low in every category compared with the European average, which is 50% or so. From speaking to people in the sector, I know that when...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Strategy and Impact on Disabled Persons in the Workplace: Discussion (Resumed) (17 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: That is a very good point. We did some training in autism last week. It was a very interesting one and half hours, discussing autism and learning about it from AsIAm, to become a parliament that is autism aware. We should be doing that if we are developing policy. On long-term employment, an initiative that has been quite successful in Scotland is to reserve contracts for companies that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Strategy and Impact on Disabled Persons in the Workplace: Discussion (Resumed) (17 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I do not know what the committee will do, but the Department or the Minister needs to write to them telling them they have an obligation. It is not down to whether they feel like they have enough time to do it. That is unacceptable. Ms McGriele mentioned that the NCBI now had two people working as national workplace integration officers. Will she outline their role in building up...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Strategy and Impact on Disabled Persons in the Workplace: Discussion (Resumed) (17 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: It is not so much quotas, it is more about public sector procurement could be reserved for companies that have, for example, 30% of employees with disabilities. It works really well in Scotland.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I have lost count of how many times I have raised this subject in this House, at home and in local media. It relates to Clonmel Garda station. I look forward to the Minister's response. We are finally at a point where we have a solution and this project can progress. I have raised it so often because of the number of delays to the Garda station project and, most important, to support the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Minister for that confirmation. The Minister said he hopes this is good news for the Garda in Clonmel and I can tell him straight that it is hugely good news. I was speaking to the superintendent there and he has confirmed his team in Clonmel of this and they are overwhelmed and thrilled that this is happening. It has been a long time coming but we have got there in the end....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Covid-19 Pandemic (11 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Minister of State for being here to take this important Commencement matter. As a father of young kids, he will understand the concerns I have for young parents and mothers going through maternity services. Most of my contribution is about maternity services throughout the country but, in particular, in Tipperary University Hospital, Clonmel. The first thing to acknowledge is...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Covid-19 Pandemic (11 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I recognise that, and Wexford General Hospital is a good example of a hospital where measures had to be brought in because of circumstances that arose. That is not the point I am making, however. The HSE states that restrictions have no longer applied since Covid but that is not the case in some hospitals. They have not gone back to pre-Covid visiting measures. There is a feeling among...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I request that we have a meeting with the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, on food prices. I welcome the forum that he held with the retail sector yesterday, but now we need action.There is an opportunity for the Minister to come to the House to outline the type of action we need to see over the next number of weeks and months. Everyone is seeing an increase in their weekly spending....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Engagement with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (10 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: It is difficult to have the Minister before the committee to address the first quarterly figures without acknowledging the success in terms of the employment and unemployment figures. The figure was almost 2.6 million in 2011. As I said when the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, was before the committee a number of weeks ago, I remember during the election in 2011 - Senator Lombard will...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Engagement with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (10 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: Supporting those companies will not deter the companies that have not changed already from changing.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I agree with many of the comments Senator Dooley made. The Cathaoirleach will agree with me in wishing more people had seen the game, as they would have seen that Tipperary should have won it and not thrown it away in the last five minutes. I ask for a debate with the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs on companies selling into Russia, particularly Jameson's owner, Pernod...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Business Supports (4 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Minister of State for being here. The reason I tabled this Commencement matter is that there are an awful lot of businesses in County Tipperary that, over the past year, have tried to look at ways to change their business expenditure and reduce costs. Obviously energy costs have been a significant challenge for businesses over the past year. It is worth noting, and I know the...