Results 701-720 of 5,754 for speaker:Gerard Craughwell

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council and Departmental Matters: Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and for Defence (17 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: That is fine, Chairman, but I need to do so now because the IRG report was based on untested evidence. It was based on submissions made to people for God knows what reason. Certainly, there are serious allegations that need to be examined and anybody in uniform will agree there were issues, especially relating to sexual harassment, rape and bullying, but we do not yet know the level. We...

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

Gerard Craughwell: I thank the Cathaoirleach: two minutes and one subject. Yesterday's budget announced for the defence sector €176 million for capital funding, with €12 million for the recruitment of 400 additional members of the Defence Forces. I am really confused about this. They talk about a net increase of 400 members. Is this a net increase from the number that exists today? Is it a...

Seanad: Disability Allowance: Motion (11 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: During the pandemic, the Minister’s Department showed how quickly it can respond with compassion and move the country forward at a time of crisis. Senator Clonan came here with lived experience in disability. On the other side of the House, Senator McGreehan has a major interest in disability issues and has often discussed her concerns with me. There is a Green Paper on long-term...

Seanad: Budget 2024 (Finance): Statements (10 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: I do not stand up here to throw water over the budget.

Seanad: Budget 2024 (Finance): Statements (10 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: Three and a half minutes. I will mention a few things that jumped out at me today. The mortgage interest tax relief is to be welcomed but I am concerned that the upper limit is €500,000. Where we live - the Minister of State knows it, it is not far from her constituency - two-bedroom houses are currently being sold for €555,000. I know the relief is aimed at those on tracker...

Seanad: Budget 2024 (Finance): Statements (10 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: There is no sign of any incentive for retention, of any effort to try to reach level of ambition 2 from the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, of duty allowance or of help for the navy. There is nothing in the budget. There is talk of increasing the military by 400 people. To do so, we must first find the 1,000 who are already lost which make it 1,400 that we need and not 400....

Seanad: Budget 2024 (Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform): Statements (10 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: I congratulate the Government. It has at last sent out a signal to foreign direct investment in this country that we do not get defence and security and have no interest whatsoever in it. The miserable additional €55 million increase in defence spending will just about allow the Defence Forces to tread water. There is nothing in it for them. The Government simply does not get it...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: I have spent the best part of two and a half years trying to get people to listen to the shambles that was the previous search and rescue contract and the future search and rescue contract. As we know, it has gone sour, with legal action between the incumbents and the incoming contractor. Imagine my anger this morning when I read an article in the newspaper concerning the directors of...

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: I am in my office in Leinster House. I am very happy to let the Deputies directly impacted by these decisions, particularly those from Galway and Tipperary, go ahead of me. I am referring to Deputies Canney, Mattie McGrath and one or two others.

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: I think we were told it had not flooded in 200 years.

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: The issue is that the hospital was open until Covid. There was no question about safety, at least that we have heard about, prior to the arrival of Covid. It was then closed and, judging by what Mr. Ryan said, the staff from St. Brigid's were redeployed into the community, if I picked him up correctly. That, to me, just suggests bad HR policies in that the HSE was not able to find staff to...

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: I fully appreciate that during Covid, the HSE did a powerful job. It did a tremendous job and I could not give the agency enough credit. I fully appreciate also that it had to divert and relocate staff into functions such as vaccination and community work, but Covid is over and those staff should have been returned to that hospital, St. Brigid's. Mr. Ryan is taking the flak here today but,...

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: The witnesses get a hard time from us when they come in here but I have to say, when we were talking about Loughrea, Mr. Ryan and Mr. Fitzmaurice gave me hope. Clearly, Deputy Canney has been leading on this with Councillor Geraldine Donohue for quite some time. He has offered tremendous leadership. It really gives great hope that the HSE is now looking at this through a fresh lens and...

Seanad: Children's University Hospital Temple Street: Motion (4 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: The Minister is welcome. What is wrong today is that he is sitting in the chair opposite. The system in this country is totally and utterly wrong. The Minister is answerable to the House here but the people who caused this problem have swanned off or are hidden in the system. Admittedly, one was referred to as having withdrawn from surgery. I believe he is now suspended. At the end of...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: The Cathaoirleach will forgive me if I also congratulate Germany on its journey.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: There has been much talk about the capture of the drugs vessel off the coast of Cork. We rightly commend the Defence Forces, the Garda, the Revenue and everyone else who was involved on their work. There was fantastic co-operation across the board. However, have we thought about what would have gone wrong if there had been weapons on board that ship and the helicopter involved in the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: Senator Dooley mentioned pay restoration-----

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: -----and the fact that barristers deserve it. He said politicians had their pay restored, but we have not. There are still long-term increments outstanding.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: Ours is the only profession with those outstanding. I am not afraid to say it in public. I do not care.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Current Issues Facing Members of the Defence Forces: Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (3 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: I thank the Cathaoirleach. If nothing else, we should have learned by now that we are the only country, apart from Malta, that does not have a full-time Minister for Defence. You cannot run a Department one day a week or one day a month. It just cannot happen. I would say to Lieutenant Colonel King that this sounds like Groundhog Day, but Groundhog Day was the same every day whereas the...