Results 121-140 of 560 for at speaker:Robbie Gallagher

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Oct 2022)

Robbie Gallagher: I thank all Senators who contributed. We started with Senator Doherty, who spoke about her Bill. I welcome the Smith family to the House this afternoon and thank them for their work in this area. I commend Senator Doherty on the work she has done on this very worthwhile Bill and thank Senator Mary Seery Kearney for her input. I am sure the entire House, as many Members have already...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Oct 2022)

Robbie Gallagher: I welcome that the search for the disappeared victim, Columba McVeigh, has resumed on Bragan Mountain, County Monaghan. The family of Columba McVeigh, the young teenager who was murdered and secretly buried by the IRA, have spoken of their new hope of finding the remains of their beloved Columba. To date, five searches have been conducted on Bragan Mountain since 1999 but, unfortunately,...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022: Second Stage (5 Oct 2022)

Robbie Gallagher: I welcome the Minister to the House. Fianna Fáil welcomes the Bill, which is an important step forward in the reform of the judicial appointments process. Having said that, it is important to acknowledge the process to date has served us well. When enacted, the Bill will lead to the most significant reform in the way judges are chosen for appointment in more than a quarter of a...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Defective Building Materials (4 Oct 2022)

Robbie Gallagher: I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response and for accepting my request that his Department officials meet with the relevant stakeholders to address this issue. We have a window of approximately two to three weeks before the finance Bill is finalised. That is an opportunity for all to sit down and have a comprehensive discussion on this. I am here today because I have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Enforcement of Road Traffic Offences: Discussion (4 Oct 2022)

Robbie Gallagher: The Chairman can rest assured that I will be brief. At the outset I thank all of the stakeholders for coming here this afternoon and participating in this very worthwhile discussion. It has been a very interesting meeting. As a culchie and someone who comes from the country, I would take cognisance of what my learned friends from the city have to say on these issues but I was in Amsterdam...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Enforcement of Road Traffic Offences: Discussion (4 Oct 2022)

Robbie Gallagher: If we are to get to a point where there is zero tolerance towards offences here, most people would accept that it is impossible for the Garda to be at the scene of every offence as it occurs. Therefore, we will need to embrace technology in order to bring detection rates much higher than what that they are currently. Would that be a fair comment?

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Transport Costs (27 Sep 2022)

Robbie Gallagher: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I very much welcome the 50% public-transport fare reduction for young people aged between 19 and 23. It is a positive development. It makes public transport more accessible for younger people who are attending colleges and universities or doing apprenticeships and training courses. It makes public transport more of an option for those people,...

Seanad: School Transport: Motion (21 Sep 2022)

Robbie Gallagher: At 10.30 a.m. tomorrow.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Closed-Circuit Television Systems (20 Sep 2022)

Robbie Gallagher: ...an invaluable tool in deterring people from engaging in offences and public disorder. It is also a valuable tool when a crime is committed or when public disorder occurs. It enhances and enables the investigative process and can assist in the identification of perpetrators. In fact, a 2013 study by the UK College of Policing found that an estimated 16 out of every 100 crimes were...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Closed-Circuit Television Systems (20 Sep 2022)

Robbie Gallagher: I thank the Minister of State for his response. At the outset, I wish to state that I appreciate and understand that responsibility for the particular area of CCTV falls under the remit of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee. With that in mind, there is one line of the response from the Minister of State that, unfortunately, stands out like a sore thumb, namely, "I understand that the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Transport (14 Sep 2022)

Robbie Gallagher: ..., Deputy Foley. Like other speakers, I look forward to the day when all schoolchildren will be collected and we will not be having questions about concessionary tickets. I welcome the initiative that the Minister introduced here as a first step along that journey. Unfortunately, the unprecedented take-up on this scheme has resulted in children who have school transport tickets every...

Seanad: Energy: Motion (14 Sep 2022)

Robbie Gallagher: At 10.30 a.m. tomorrow.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Home Help Service (13 Jul 2022)

Robbie Gallagher: I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for taking the time to be here. It has been widely accepted for some time that older people are happier, and live longer, in their own homes. Home care packages are essential in supporting older people to continue to live within their communities. As we know, however, the home care sector is beset by a staffing crisis. Close to 5,000 people...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Jul 2022)

Robbie Gallagher: I also extend a very warm welcome to our visitors. I hope they enjoy their day. It gives me great pleasure to extend a very special birthday wish to a very special individual, namely, Councillor Ian McGarvey from Ramelton in County Donegal who turns 92 tomorrow. He truly is a remarkable man indeed. He was first elected to Donegal County Council aged 73 years. He went on to serve as mayor...

Seanad: Remediation of Dwellings Damaged By the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Second Stage (11 Jul 2022)

Robbie Gallagher: At the outset, I wish to welcome the Minister to the House and to thank him for his presence here. I thank the Minister and his officials for the huge amount of effort that they have made to try to come up with a satisfactory resolution to the nightmare for the people affected by mica in County Donegal and other counties. I would like to pay tribute to those families who have been living...

Seanad: Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998: Motion (29 Jun 2022)

Robbie Gallagher: The Minister of State is very welcome back to the House. I, on behalf of the Fianna Fáil Senators, support these motions that provide for the continuance of certain provisions under the Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and also the continuance in operation of section 8 of the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009. I thank the Minister of State for outlining in great...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 Jun 2022)

Robbie Gallagher: I concur with the comments made by the Leas-Chathaoirleach and the previous speaker. Today marks the first world newborn screening day. To mark the occasion I wish to draw attention to the delay in adding spinal muscular atrophy to the newborn heel-prick test. Each year in this country six babies are born with the condition, which is known as SMA. The degenerative condition means that...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Jun 2022)

Robbie Gallagher: I raise the issue of the crisis in the home care sector. I would welcome if it would be possible for the Leader to arrange a debate on this subject. It is widely accepted that older people live longer and happier lives when they are in their own homes and communities. Home care packages are essential to facilitate this. I understand that more than 5,000 people are waiting on a carer to...

Seanad: Proposal for a Directive on Combatting Violence against Women and Domestic Violence: Motion (22 Jun 2022)

Robbie Gallagher: I welcome the Minister back to the House and congratulate her on her recent personal news. I wish her and her family good health and happiness for the future. On behalf of the Fianna Fáil group, I support this motion. As the Minister said, it is good to see that we are not being led by the EU on this. We are doing it ourselves and leading the way with legislation in this important...