Results 5,681-5,700 of 5,765 for speaker:Gerard Craughwell

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Dec 2014)

Gerard Craughwell: I wish to raise three issues. We had a wonderful debate yesterday evening on homelessness. As a result of my former colleagues, the teachers of this country, being forced to take to the streets on a one-day strike, the Government has saved €5 million in salary payments. My colleagues feel well justified in their strike action but they would be happy to see the money saved diverted...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Dec 2014)

Gerard Craughwell: I appreciate that.

Seanad: Homelessness: Statements (3 Dec 2014)

Gerard Craughwell: I apologise for interrupting the Minister of State. I ask him to comment on whether it would be possible for a cap or a freeze to be imposed on rents right now. Is that being considered?

Seanad: Homelessness: Statements (3 Dec 2014)

Gerard Craughwell: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Homelessness: Statements (3 Dec 2014)

Gerard Craughwell: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Homelessness: Statements (3 Dec 2014)

Gerard Craughwell: I have a written speech with some lovely statistics in it on homelessness. However, it really does not mean a whole lot. Homelessness is about life chances. As people speak here tonight, I think back on my life and I think back to a time in 1983 when our business went bust. Lady Luck is either with you or against you. I was on the brink of handing up my house, which would have rendered...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Online Learning at University: Discussion (3 Dec 2014)

Gerard Craughwell: I would not have thought, I am just thinking ahead.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Online Learning at University: Discussion (3 Dec 2014)

Gerard Craughwell: It does extend the working week if one is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to one's students. I have seen people become so engrossed in it that it has almost led to divorce or the breakdown of relationships - "Go away, dear, I've got to actually engage with my students here."

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Online Learning at University: Discussion (3 Dec 2014)

Gerard Craughwell: Professor Brown spoke about common guidelines rather than standards. Does he see this as something the academic world should work on or which the Government should lay down? He also mentioned the infrastructure around the country. During my time with the London School of Economics, we delivered programmes in places such as Cavan and north Mayo by holding weekend top ups. Recently, a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Online Learning at University: Discussion (3 Dec 2014)

Gerard Craughwell: I also thank our guests for attending. I am the product of a distance learning programme but, unfortunately, we did not have access to ICT when I was pursuing my studies. I engaged with WebCT in 1998 and moved on to Moodle in more recent years. There are two issues in which I am interested. Reference was made to blended learning. I am of the view that e-learning and online learning are...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Dec 2014)

Gerard Craughwell: As someone who many would say has a big heart, I also have a tricky heart and as I have had to use the ambulance service on a number of occasions I know that lying in bed waiting for an ambulance is not something I relish. As stated yesterday in this House were I living in rural Ireland I would probably not be alive today. I would welcome a debate on ambulance services. I am particularly...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Dec 2014)

Gerard Craughwell: I have previously raised the issue of rent control in the House. The importance of rent control is now more obvious in the context of the issue of homelessness now in the public domain. I mentioned some days ago that I was conducting a survey across county councils. To date, more than 70% of the respondents have asked that rent controls be implemented. There is something fundamentally...

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Dec 2014)

Gerard Craughwell: On the teachers' strike, I support Senator O'Donnell's call for the Minister to come to the House. Nobody withdraws labour for the fun of it.

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Dec 2014)

Gerard Craughwell: I thought she had.

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Dec 2014)

Gerard Craughwell: I do not expect the Minister to come to the House to negotiate with the unions but we have to try to move the issues forward. Several thousand students are out of their classrooms today and that should not happen. There is no such thing as a low stakes exam. However, I would like to move on to the issue of John Corrie. May he rest in peace. He was born 43 years ago. I am sure a mother,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Insurance Schemes: Discussion (27 Nov 2014)

Gerard Craughwell: I am just wondering about the land banks that were built up by developers - those that are still solvent. Is that in some way influencing the supply side of the market where they are now trying to recoup their costs from that time, so we are getting an inflated price for the houses they are going to build in the immediate future?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Insurance Schemes: Discussion (27 Nov 2014)

Gerard Craughwell: One of the things that has come back in the survey is that we should regulate rent. This would give young couples the time to build capacity. There is a lot of talk at the moment about putting in an additional subvention through the Department of Social Protection in rent allowances and the like. Dr. Lyons made the point that a 5% increase in rent allowance will probably cause rents to go...

Seanad: Situation in Middle East and Ukraine: Statements (27 Nov 2014)

Gerard Craughwell: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. This is the first time I have had the pleasure of addressing the Minister in this House. I thank him for the presentation he made today, which was measured, as one would expect from him. I am aware of the fact there are representatives from both Israel and Palestine here, so I want to say I have no idea what it is like to live in a place where, at any...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Insurance Schemes: Discussion (27 Nov 2014)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome the witnesses. I have been thinking about average Joe Garda married to, or in some sort of relationship with, average Jo nurse who buy a house. At the mid-point on the scale their maximum borrowing capacity is €300,000, working on the basis of a 20% deposit requirement, which I support. It is a way of cooling the market. I am running a survey around the country of all...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Insurance Schemes: Discussion (27 Nov 2014)

Gerard Craughwell: -----makes perfect sense. Mr. Deeter mentioned that the Central Bank is moving to protect the banks. Surely it is moving to protect the consumers from themselves.