Results 61-80 of 329 for at speaker:Garret Ahearn

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Statement of Strategy: Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (12 Jul 2023)

Garret Ahearn: ...on the solar PV panels scheme. Seeing as Mr. Hughes brought it up, the scheme was introduced last week by the Ministers, Deputies Coveney and Eamon Ryan. It was welcome. They spoke about it at a committee meeting a few months ago. The funding for it is through the temporary business energy support scheme, TBESS. Mr. Hughes will be aware that many businesses installed solar panels in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Statement of Strategy: Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (12 Jul 2023)

Garret Ahearn: At the start of the meeting, Deputy O'Reilly raised the level of employment for people with disabilities, which is lower than we want it to be. It is approximately 32% or 33% nationally. The EU average is roughly 55%. A strategy plan is in place. My question relates to reserved contracts for companies more than 30% of whose staff are people with disabilities. It is done quite a bit in...

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (21 Jun 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Cathaoirleach. It is hard to follow on from the really good contributions of colleagues, especially Senator Doherty's outline of Mary's contribution as a Senator and as a woman in politics. Most speakers have touched on that. There are many people in County Tipperary, especially in the Cappawhite area, who mourned Mary's passing last year. I am sure they are listening to the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Ireland's Trade Relationship with Canada: Discussion (20 Jun 2023)

Garret Ahearn: ...has been nice. I should declare something. Deputy Stanton named Canadian companies in Ireland and named one my wife works for, Brookfield asset management, a renewable energy company in Cork that was recently sold. She has been with them for five years or more and loves it, and the relationship between the Ireland and Canadian bases has been very successful. I had my honeymoon in...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Personal Public Service Numbers (31 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House today. First, it is important to acknowledge the work done by the Department of Social Protection in issuing PPS numbers, in particular in the last year when 300,000 were issued. The Department has done so speedily, particularly for Ukrainian citizens coming to Ireland. This Commencement matter has a lot to do with retail and...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (31 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I also compliment Senator Carrigy on the work he has done in trying to get this to become the first autism-friendly Parliament. I too took the course. It is very informative and I encourage everyone to do that. I also acknowledge Senator Lombard on the blue flag awarded to Garretstown beach. I use the beach regularly over the summer months. It is a wonderful beach. There is a lovely...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Strategy and Impact on Disabled Persons in the Workplace: Discussion (Resumed) (17 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: Yes. I thank the witnesses for their enlightening presentations. Some of the challenges that people have include understanding the sector and what needs to be done, being nervous about asking the right questions and feeling they cannot have a bit of fun about it as well. A colleague in our party, Senator Conway, makes fun about it all the time and is very easygoing. I was with him two...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Strategy and Impact on Disabled Persons in the Workplace: Discussion (Resumed) (17 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: My next question is for both of the organisations present. There was always a challenge in getting people with disabilities into the workforce. We are by far the lowest in Europe. We are at approximately 30% in respect of visually impaired people, but we are low in every category compared with the European average, which is 50% or so. From speaking to people in the sector, I know that when...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: An Garda Síochána (16 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I have lost count of how many times I have raised this subject in this House, at home and in local media. It relates to Clonmel Garda station. I look forward to the Minister's response. We are finally at a point where we have a solution and this project can progress. I have raised it so often because of the number of delays to the Garda station project and, most important, to support the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Covid-19 Pandemic (11 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Minister of State for being here to take this important Commencement matter. As a father of young kids, he will understand the concerns I have for young parents and mothers going through maternity services. Most of my contribution is about maternity services throughout the country but, in particular, in Tipperary University Hospital, Clonmel. The first thing to acknowledge is...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Covid-19 Pandemic (11 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I recognise that, and Wexford General Hospital is a good example of a hospital where measures had to be brought in because of circumstances that arose. That is not the point I am making, however. The HSE states that restrictions have no longer applied since Covid but that is not the case in some hospitals. They have not gone back to pre-Covid visiting measures. There is a feeling among...

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

Garret Ahearn: I request that we have a meeting with the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, on food prices. I welcome the forum that he held with the retail sector yesterday, but now we need action.There is an opportunity for the Minister to come to the House to outline the type of action we need to see over the next number of weeks and months. Everyone is seeing an increase in their weekly spending....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Engagement with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (10 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: ...the first quarterly figures without acknowledging the success in terms of the employment and unemployment figures. The figure was almost 2.6 million in 2011. As I said when the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, was before the committee a number of weeks ago, I remember during the election in 2011 - Senator Lombard will also remember this - canvassing for the Minister, Deputy Coveney in...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I agree with many of the comments Senator Dooley made. The Cathaoirleach will agree with me in wishing more people had seen the game, as they would have seen that Tipperary should have won it and not thrown it away in the last five minutes. I ask for a debate with the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs on companies selling into Russia, particularly Jameson's owner, Pernod...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Business Supports (4 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Minister of State for being here. The reason I tabled this Commencement matter is that there are an awful lot of businesses in County Tipperary that, over the past year, have tried to look at ways to change their business expenditure and reduce costs. Obviously energy costs have been a significant challenge for businesses over the past year. It is worth noting, and I know the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Business Supports (4 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Minister of State and the Department for the response. I welcome the fact that the Department is developing a small-scale generation scheme for generators above 50 kW to support the deployment of rooftop and ground-mounted solar PV. That is really significant. The Minister of State indicated that the scheme is expected to be launched this year. I hope that will be done as...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (4 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I ask that we have a debate with the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Coveney, on businesses that are still trading with Russia. We had news last week that Pernod Ricard restarted selling Jameson whiskey in Russia since last September. Sean Pollock from the Sunday Independent had a very revealing story. Since September, Jameson has sold almost €16 million of...

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

Garret Ahearn: I also wish to congratulate the Leader on her wedding. I congratulate Jarlath and Louis as well and both families. I compliment Senator Keogan on hosting an event in the audiovisual room today with a young girl who is from my parish, Cara Darmody. She is fighting for services for her two younger brothers, Neil and John, who both have severe autism. They are calling for three things in...

Seanad: National Minimum Wage (Inclusion of Apprentices) Bill 2023: Second Stage (3 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I second the Government amendment. I thank the Labour Party for tabling the Private Members' Bill. In particular I acknowledge the work done by Senator Sherlock in this area. I know from being on the committee with her that she has a real passion for this issue and has put an awful lot of work into it. She spoke about it yesterday at the committee. It is important to discuss fair pay for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IBEC and Science Foundation Ireland: Discussion (3 May 2023)

Garret Ahearn: I have a range of questions so I might come in twice. Professor Nolan mentioned removing barriers to participation by always considering the needs of the population at large during his contribution. Gender is a very important part of that. Dr. Freeman spoke about disabilities and trying to get more people with disabilities to play a role. Ireland has one of the lowest rates of...