Results 5,141-5,160 of 5,763 for speaker:Gerard Craughwell

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Appointments to Certain Offices) Bill 2014: Second Stage (15 Jul 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I will not delay him long other than to say that, as a member of a trade union and a trade unionist who has spent the past 20 years of my life trying to rid this country of the scourge of fixed-term contracts, zero-hours contracts and all sorts of other contracts where people, unfortunately teachers, found themselves working in schools more hours...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Appointments to Certain Offices) Bill 2014: Second Stage (15 Jul 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: Well said.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: With Senator Leyden in mind.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I hope.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: Did it move?

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: That is why there is no one here today. They are lost.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I refer to No. 80, motion No. 18 on the Order Paper, an all-party motion with respect to city and county councils. I am aware of the many telephone calls and letters originating from this House, promising support and action on the issue relating to the motion, that were sent to distinguished members of city and county councils.In light of what Senator O'Donovan has just said, I would hate to...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: In fairness, the Labour Party Whip does not see that.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: We are getting ourselves into a bit of a mess in this House. We now have a policy to drive lone parents into poverty and the Whip of the smaller party in the coalition Government is opposed to that policy, yet we cannot get the Minister to attend the House-----

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: ----- to support that. In view of this I second Senator David Norris's proposal.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I will third it to make sure it gets over the line. I am sure Members are aware that yesterday the Irish Congress of Trade Unions decided to oppose the imposition of additional water charges. We are trying to ram legislation through this House which started last night. I ask members to reflect on that. It is opposed by 600,000 members of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. I appreciate...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I support what is being said, although in approximately 20 years in the staffroom, nobody ever asked me if I was married. Maybe they thought I was not worth hitting on at the time.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I worked with a colleague who was in a same-sex relationship and she frequently spoke in the staffroom about the weekend they had and what they did and did not do. Sometimes, we can be afraid of things that are not there. However, I take the point that is being made, and maybe we need to make sure. Teachers do not care one way or another, and students could not care less.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: No, she should not.

Seanad: Report of Working Group on Seanad Reform 2015: Statements (8 Jul 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: It is great to be able to read the minds of millions of people.

Seanad: Report of Working Group on Seanad Reform 2015: Statements (8 Jul 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: The Senator can e-mail them tonight.

Seanad: Report of Working Group on Seanad Reform 2015: Statements (8 Jul 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I thank the Leader for setting aside the amount of time he has set aside today to discuss this. In thanking him, I cannot but express some disappointment over the number of people who have turned up in the Chamber today to add their voices to the debate. Many people in this House will be running around the country over the next few months trying to secure their seat for the next term, but...

Seanad: Report of Working Group on Seanad Reform 2015: Statements (8 Jul 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: A person might get the nomination, get out and meet whoever, but he or she will not get elected. It is that simple. I see the role of this House as assessing legislation and not representing local constituency issues. I do not see how there can be a constituency. There is no funding for a constituency and no suggestion that one is in any way representing any constituency at a local level....

Seanad: Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (8 Jul 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: I will not go back over the same ground that most of my colleagues have covered. The Government had the essence of a good Bill and then somebody somewhere took the smart move to throw Irish Water and everything about it into the middle of it. As such, I do not believe anybody on this side of the House will support it, although I have no doubt that if we produce 100 amendments, it will be...

Seanad: Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (8 Jul 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: Where in the world would one get it? I have written to the European Commission about the issue being transferred to Irish Water through the Department of Social Protection. It is a transfer of capital to a private utility company and is wrong in every sense of the word. I agree with what Senator Hayden had to say. I see nothing but problems when we try to deal with the issue of tenants....