Results 4,601-4,620 of 5,750 for speaker:Gerard Craughwell

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Public Sector Pensions (20 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I thank the Minister of State for the reply. The truth is that I could bring in a list of people who have retired from the public service in education, health, the Garda, the Army and various other places, many of whom are back working in the public service through agencies and are suffering no abatement whatsoever. Then there is a small number who came directly into a public service job...

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (15 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome the Minister of State. Unusually, I find myself somewhat in agreement with Senator Coffey.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (15 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I have always supported the idea that water must be paid for, but I have never supported Irish Water. Much of what Senator Coffey said is true. In fact, I am quite baffled at the fact that water meters are still being installed throughout the country while we are going through this farce of suspending the charges until a commission ultimately reports back that water must be paid for. That...

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (15 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: The previous Government introduced property taxes and got away with it. Then it introduced the incremental charges, one of which was water charges. I am from Galway city and most of my family is involved in the tourism industry there. When cryptosporidium arrived in Galway, it devastated them. They had to buy gallons of bottled water every day. There is no getting away from the fact that...

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (15 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I hold the Minister in the highest esteem, but this sham of a Bill is exactly what Senator Coffey described. It is a hodgepodge that was put together to secure an agreement to form a Government. The charges are suspended for nine months. In nine months' time, now that over 45% of people who were paying their bills have stopped paying, is anybody seriously telling me that they will start...

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (15 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: It is a disaster.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (15 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: The problem is that I am not sure how a minority Government will get what is required to get water charges up and running. I do not believe it will happen. I believe this will probably ultimately lead to an election, in which all sides will again promise a utopian State where nobody will pay for anything, we will all have a great time and everybody will be happy. Afterwards, somebody will...

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (15 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: Why?

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (15 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: They are still doing it here.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (15 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: We should suspend everything.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (15 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I think they were more annoyed about the cost.

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (15 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: There could be a referendum.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I propose an amendment to the Order of Business to have the Minister for Defence, An Taoiseach, brought before the House. This is not because I like to pull a stunt. There is a very serious situation about a lieutenant-colonel in the Defence Forces who had applied for promotion to the rank of colonel and was unsuccessful in the competition. Subsequently it was found that the marks awarded...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I very much respect the efforts of the Leader to keep the business of the House going and I acknowledge the fact that the Taoiseach cannot be dragged in here at the drop of a hat but this is not about the individual case, it is about the Department's disregard for the ombudsman's role.The Taoiseach chose the Department of Defence to be his Ministry and that is part of the problem. He is so...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I will not press the debate now.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I assume the Labour Party will be raising the matter again next week.

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I second the Bill.

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I defer to the leader of our group, Senator Marie-Louise O'Donnell.

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: I will not use the eight minutes but there are some issues I would like to place on the record. As the first Senator in the country to be elected in a by-election as an Independent and given that the Seanad has been established for so long, it is a scandal that it took until 2014 for that to happen. I am very grateful to the Fine Gael Party for that seat.

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (13 Jul 2016)

Gerard Craughwell: The truth of the matter is that the Seanad has become further removed from the citizens of this country.