Results 721-740 of 5,754 for speaker:Gerard Craughwell

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 will cut in for one second. I attended an intelligence and security forum in London that involved people from the American side - Senators and Congressmen - and politicians from all over Europe. The word used about the Irish Defence Forces was "horrified". They were horrified at the weakened state of our eastern flank, as the Americans put it and as the Europeans put it, our western...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by An Taoiseach (28 Sep 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: How long do I have?

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by An Taoiseach (28 Sep 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: I thank the Taoiseach for being here and I will not take a lot of his time. There are two issues close to my heart and the first is the Defence Forces. We saw the wonderful operation off the south-west coast in recent days. We have to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to remunerating members of the Defence Forces. We have to rebuild the organisation, particularly...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Implementation of the Recommendations of the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Discussion (26 Sep 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: My first questions are for Lieutenant General Clancy. I welcome his support for the issue of the seagoing allowance for the Naval Service, which is important. On the issue of the working time directive, it appears to many of us that the talks have stalled. Will he comment on that and advise as to whether the Defence Forces are now recording the hours worked by their members in order that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Implementation of the Recommendations of the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Discussion (26 Sep 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: Do the witnesses see benefit in a system similar to that the British have in which one-size-fits-all national pay rounds take place but then the defence people have a look at specific qualifications or skill sets and may recommend an additional premium for those who hold those skill sets, allowing them to move outside the national pay round? If the pay round is 5%, another 1% might be given...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Implementation of the Recommendations of the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Discussion (26 Sep 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: Does Ms McCrum see a conflict of interest there?

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: I would like to be associated with the various good wishes to Mr. Martin Groves and his team, who frequently work late into the night after we go away to have stuff ready for the following morning or day. It is truly appreciated. They also keep an eye on those of us who might stray into areas we should not every now and then.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence's tribunal of inquiry. One of the things it might do is clear up what should never have gotten into the public domain from the independent review group. The independent review group's report could have been one sentence: "We found prima facieevidence, which requires a sworn inquiry." Instead of that, we had a report, which was extremely...

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: I thank the witnesses for coming here today. We spoke before they came down. It is a pretty daunting prospect to come into this place and face the music. Their presentations were fantastic and I thank them both for that. I am going to go through a few things here. Whichever of the witnesses thinks themselves best suited to pick up on each might do so. The first matter impacts Ms...

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: Ms Cronin has made her point really well. When we are talking about day care centres, particularly for elderly people, nowadays you very frequently find couples who are 40 or 50 years married when one becomes frail and needs respite. The person looking after him or her also needs some time to themselves and this is where day care centres come into their own. I am sure we will hear about...

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: Unfortunately, the public watching this cannot see the Visitors Gallery is full. These are people who travelled hundreds of miles to be here today to hear the petition being heard. The story Ms Curtis tells about Cork is typical of the other two that are here today. We have public representatives here at local authority level. Nobody engages with them anymore. Decisions are taken...

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: I appreciate that.

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: You did a good job the last time you had them in, Chair.

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: I wonder whether there age discrimination going on here. Leaving aside Ms Curtis's issue, we are talking about respite care and day centres in particular. It is old people generally who use them and it is young people who are making decisions about the future of these organisations. The whole thing is ageist.

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: Is Ms Mullins going to make a presentation?

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: No, I am finished with Ms Curtis at this stage.

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: Those who are viewing probably cannot see the document. There are great big lumps of black on the pages. The only word I can see on one page is "post". That is very helpful. It is the most insulting document that has ever been published by anybody. A public representative in the Gallery gave me this document today. To send it out shows a total level of arrogance beyond belief. Ms...

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: A Chathaoirligh, I rest my case at this stage. It makes me so angry to hear about Loughrea, Ms. Curtis's place in Cork and to talk about St. Brigid's again. Somebody said to me some time ago that the St. Brigid's thing was politically motivated. I do not believe that for a second. The signatures Ms Mullins and the campaign have cannot all be people from one party.

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: I am going to give the floor to the people who are closest to it. Deputy Mattie McGrath is here and Deputy Cahill is here.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: Most committee members will have received an email in recent days about the public service performance report for 2022. It was published on 11 July 2023 and it claims to be a key milestone in the parliamentary budgetary cycle, providing a valuable opportunity for sectoral committees to engage constructively in a more structured calendar with parliamentary oversight of the budget process. It...