Results 141-160 of 456 for in 'Dáil debates' speaker:Cathal Berry

Statement by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (24 Jan 2023)

Cathal Berry: Is this all the information?

Statement by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (24 Jan 2023)

Cathal Berry: I thank the Minister. I have a couple more questions. All the Deputies in the Chamber are aware that there is a ceiling for expenditure for every candidate in a general election, depending on whether they are in a three-seater, four-seater or five-seater constituency. Had the donation of services been properly accounted for, would that have pushed the Minister's expenditure above the limit?

Statement by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (24 Jan 2023)

Cathal Berry: This is my last question. This matter was flagged to the Minister in 2017. Is there anything he can say to the House and to the public as to why it was not acted on and why he did not recognise the severity and the seriousness of this complaint at the time and take action at the time?

Statement by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (24 Jan 2023)

Cathal Berry: I will yield to Deputy Tóibín.

Public Dental Services: Motion [Private Members] (19 Jan 2023)

Cathal Berry: I thank the Minister for his opening statement. I am very grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I thank Deputy Naughten and Ms Cáit Nic Amhlaoibh, our group administrator, who have done most of the legwork in preparing this motion. I would also like to acknowledge two dental colleagues in the Public Gallery, who are very welcome to this debate. I very much like...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (19 Jan 2023)

Cathal Berry: I thank the Minister for that detailed response. There are a lot of figures there. I will try to get my head around it. I tabled the question arising from an article by Ken Foxe, published in the Irish Independenton 1 January, in which he outlined correspondence between Jacqui McCrum, Secretary General of the Department of Defence, and presumably the Secretary General of the Department of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (19 Jan 2023)

Cathal Berry: For clarity, I wish to emphasise in my final wrap-up that Ireland spends approximately one third of the EU norm on defence. This funding is desperately needed. The Minister referred to the modernisation and reform programme announced only six months ago that has to be funded. The war in Ukraine is likely to intensify significantly in March, with spring offensives. We have no idea where...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (19 Jan 2023)

Cathal Berry: 107. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the amount that was returned unspent by the Department of Defence from 2022; if any of this money was from pay savings due to the significantly under strength Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2528/23]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (19 Jan 2023)

Cathal Berry: I thank the Minister for that point of clarification. My question relates to the defence budget. Specifically, I would like to know if any unspent money was returned to the Exchequer by the Department of Defence at the end of last year. If so, where did that money come from? Was it from so-called pay savings, whereby the underspend in defence was as a result of the Defence Forces being...

Statement by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (18 Jan 2023)

Cathal Berry: I thank the Minister for his opening statement. We all appreciate that standards in public office are hugely important in order to maintain public trust and public confidence in our democratic system and, indeed, in democracy itself. It has been generally acknowledged that standards have been improving in recent years and it is very important that we keep that trend going, that we do not...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Dec 2022)

Cathal Berry: I wish to raise a matter from the Minister's constituency that has national significance. I refer to the crisis in the Naval Service, which I accept the Minister is fully briefed on because he is relatively local down there. I thank the Minister for the constructive engagement over the past two and a half years while he was in the role. Has there been major progress? I would say "No"....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Dec 2022)

Cathal Berry: I thank the Minister for that useful response. It is good to know that the business case is with the Department. I again emphasise this is a unique group of workers. They are the only workers who have no access to the Labour Court and the WRC and they cannot go on strike so they do need political and ministerial intervention to ensure a level playing field. In the grand scheme of things...

Nationalisation of Energy System: Motion [Private Members] (14 Dec 2022)

Cathal Berry: I thank People Before Profit for bringing this important motion before the House this morning, which gives us the opportunity to focus attention on the lack of affordability and availability of energy. I agree with the central thrust of this motion. It is about driving down the cost of energy and every person inside this Chamber, all 160 of us, would be in favour of that taking place. I...

Pre-European Council Meeting: Statements (7 Dec 2022)

Cathal Berry: I am grateful for the opportunity to comment in advance of the European Council meeting in Brussels next week. It will be the final European Council meeting the Taoiseach will attend as Taoiseach and I wish him the best of luck in that regard. I welcome a number of recent events. President von der Leyen's address to a joint sitting of the Houses of the Oireachtas last week was very good in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (24 Nov 2022)

Cathal Berry: I thank the Minister for his reply on housing. If he has not visited the small campus of six houses, perhaps next time he flies out of Baldonnel, he might ask to see it and eyeball it himself. It is an excellent model that could be expanded upon. I agree that a policy decision on housing in the Defence Forces was taken a couple of decades ago, but that was prior to the housing crisis....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (24 Nov 2022)

Cathal Berry: 9. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of Defence Forces personnel inducted and discharged by rank to date in 2022. [58474/22]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (24 Nov 2022)

Cathal Berry: 33. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of vacancies that exist in the Defence Forces by rank. [58475/22]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (24 Nov 2022)

Cathal Berry: I thank the Minister for those figures. I accept he is equally concerned at the shortfall of 283. Most parts of the public service are expanding apart from the Defence Forces. I agree that retention is a massive issue. The Minister may not be aware that there are six married quarters in Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, which members of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (24 Nov 2022)

Cathal Berry: I hope I can shed some light on the issue Deputy Clarke raised with the Minister. I completely accept that the Minister can only use the information he is given. Having been a medical officer, I probably have slightly more accurate information that may be able to shed some light on proceedings. First, there should be approximately 32 medical officers in the Defence Forces. I am not sure...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (24 Nov 2022)

Cathal Berry: I want to double up on Deputy Clarke's comments by fully accepting the Minister's bona fides with regard to the figures. He mentioned that there are two pathways into the Medical Corps, direct entry and the military medicine training scheme. There is a third lesser known pathway. It is the one through which I joined the Medical Corps and one of the current medical officers is in a similar...