Results 861-880 of 951 for speaker:Garret Ahearn

Seanad: Education (Leaving Certificate Examinations) (Accredited Grades) Bill 2021: Second Stage (7 May 2021)

Garret Ahearn: I welcome the Minister and thank her for the excellent work she and her Department have done throughout the year, especially in the past number of months. No matter who one talks to in any sector of society, people seek clarity. The fact that students this year have got that clarity - and that they got it quite early - is greatly appreciated. When I have spoken to any student or teacher in...

Seanad: Business and Covid-19: Statements (30 Apr 2021)

Garret Ahearn: One could almost use the two hours for this debate to talk individually on this subject, it is so vital. I welcome the Tánaiste to the House and thank him and his officials in the Department for the work they have done over the past year during Covid-19. I also thank all the local enterprise offices, LEOs, across the country for the role they played, in particular in Tipperary where it...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Apr 2021)

Garret Ahearn: Hyperemesis is a condition that one in ten women suffer from during pregnancy. It is a condition that became quite commonly known from Kate Middleton's pregnancy. It is a condition that women suffer from involving severe nausea and vomiting to the extreme levels that one cannot work or have any sort of normal pregnancy. There are three drugs for the condition, two of which are not...

Seanad: Post Office Network: Motion (26 Apr 2021)

Garret Ahearn: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, to the Chamber. I am trying to remember whether I have spoken in the House when she was here before. We have had a crazy year and it has been hard to get speaking slots. I am not sure whether I congratulated her on her appointment and wished her well. I would like to put that on the record today. I thank her for being here for this...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Heritage Sites (23 Apr 2021)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Minister of State for being here to take this matter. My question relates to heritage and the portfolio of the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan. I am particularly delighted that the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, is here because he totally understands the building about which I wish to speak, given his family connections with the O'Briens in Ardfinnan. I would be shocked if...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Heritage Sites (23 Apr 2021)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Minister of State for his response and the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, for keeping in contact with Tipperary County Council. I am not sure how long we have left to preserve Knocklofty House. The building is in dire condition. Lead and metal are being robbed from the place and assessments and reports will show that not much time is left. The State has an obligation to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: General Scheme of Employment Permits (Consolidation and Amendment) Bill 2019: Discussion (Resumed) (13 Apr 2021)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the witnesses. I come from the town of Cahir in Tipperary, with which Mr. Healy will be familiar. It is a town with a high percentage of non-nationals who are predominantly working in the meat factory just outside Cahir. It has challenges, like every workplace, including a number of those that have been brought up today. However, it is important to highlight some of the good work...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Mar 2021)

Garret Ahearn: There were two important announcements earlier, one of which related to a walking and cycling fund of €70 million, which is greatly welcomed. In Tipperary, we will receive €4.6 million, which is an awful lot of money to support walking and cycling tracks throughout the county. We are very lucky at the moment. While it is not as well known as the greenway in Waterford, there...

Seanad: Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (29 Mar 2021)

Garret Ahearn: I have many matters to talk about but on behalf of the Fine Gael Party, I will back up Senator Chambers's comments. I am sure we all agree that Senator Keogan's comments are an absolute disgrace. They are personalised comments about a Minister who, as most Senators would agree, is one of the most accountable Ministers in coming to this Chamber on a weekly basis. There is no one more...

Seanad: Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (29 Mar 2021)

Garret Ahearn: Absolutely everything the Senator said was wrong. She criticised his performance even though hospital numbers have dropped from more than 2,000 in January to 331 today. It is a disgrace that the Senator can be critical of the Minister when the figures have dropped by that much due to the decisions he made and on the back of the work and commitment of the people. I agree with everything...

Seanad: Matters Arising from the Withdrawal of the UK from the EU: Statements (29 Mar 2021)

Garret Ahearn: I welcome the Minister to the Chamber and thank him for the work he has done not only in recent months but also in recent years. It has been a really difficult time over recent years for anyone in business with the uncertainty of Brexit and what that brings. Anyone who thought that uncertainty would end when Brexit was agreed was incorrect, and uncertainty continues. In my constituency, in...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Garda Stations (26 Mar 2021)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Acting Chairman, Senator Boyhan, and acknowledge that he has connections to the wonderful county of Tipperary. I welcome the Minister to the House and thank her for taking this Commencement matter. I am aware that she attaches importance not only to this matter but to all Garda stations. Built in 1870, Clonmel Garda station has been operating for 150 years. It is located in...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Garda Stations (26 Mar 2021)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Minister for her response and her commitment to the Garda station, in particular that it will be part of the capital plan next year. That is really important. Like every project we as a Government put forward, it is not until people see the diggers and something happening on the ground that they fully believe it will go ahead. There is excitement among the staff. The work they...

Seanad: National Development Plan: Statements (22 Mar 2021)

Garret Ahearn: I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. This is the first opportunity I have had to speak with him here and I wish him well in his role. I listened to his statement at the start of the debate. I welcome the review and his comments regarding the need to review costs. This year, we have spent more money than we have ever spent in any calendar year. When putting together a plan for going...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Mar 2021)

Garret Ahearn: I welcome the announcement by the Government yesterday allowing visits to nursing homes from 22 March. This has been an incredibly difficult time for everyone in the country, but it has been most difficult for residents in nursing homes and their families, not being able to have the weekly visits and the comfort they would receive from family members. I welcome the fact visits will now go...

Seanad: Family Leave Bill 2021: Second Stage (12 Mar 2021)

Garret Ahearn: I welcome the Minister to the Chamber today and thank him for the work he has been doing on this matter over the past number of weeks. I also want to thank him for facilitating Zoom meetings and briefings he gave beforehand. They were very helpful and more Ministers should be encouraged to do this. I welcome this Bill to increase a parent's leave from two weeks to five weeks over a...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Mar 2021)

Garret Ahearn: I wish everyone a happy International Women's Day. I have said previously in the Chamber that I am very proud to be a son of a former Deputy, but I am even more proud that it was my mother, because of the obstacles and challenges she had. She was once told that because she had four young boys, she could not possibly be a Deputy. In 1989, however, she became a Deputy, and the first thing we...

Seanad: Private Rental Sector: Motion (8 Mar 2021)

Garret Ahearn: It is always lovely to follow Senator Garvey with the passion and commitment she has in her contributions. I echo everything she said, particularly on the motivations behind motions such as this. I always get the sense from contributions from the other side, particularly from Sinn Féin, that it is almost about trying to create a division between renters and home owners or renters and...

Seanad: Private Rental Sector: Motion (8 Mar 2021)

Garret Ahearn: Almost everything that has succeeded in solving the problem was rejected by Sinn Féin. Every time Sinn Féin rejects something, it means it is working.

Seanad: Private Rental Sector: Motion (8 Mar 2021)

Garret Ahearn: Sinn Féin cannot take ownership of this. You are trying to do what you do in every sector of society, which is create division.