Results 1,901-1,920 of 5,749 for speaker:Gerard Craughwell

Seanad: Report of Independent Review Group Jadotville: Statements (15 Jul 2021)

Gerard Craughwell: Okay. The process of investigating recommendations for the awarding, or declining of the award, of military medals falls exclusively within the statutory responsibility of the Defence Forces' leadership. It is notable that the independent review group was not mandated or formed within the remit of the said Defence Forces regulations on the award of military medals. It was a process that...

Seanad: Report of Independent Review Group Jadotville: Statements (15 Jul 2021)

Gerard Craughwell: I am sorry.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Belarus: Discussion with Ms Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (15 Jul 2021)

Gerard Craughwell: I will not take too long. I congratulate Ms Tsikhanouskaya on coming here and on bearing witness before the committee. I noticed a clampdown on journalists is underway in Belarus now. Is that shutting down the popular press? In other words, is that clampdown allowing the regime to control all media? Is that what is happening in Belarus? If it happens to a significant level, will it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Pre-Budget Submission: Dóchas (14 Jul 2021)

Gerard Craughwell: I heard most of the presentations on the way in but, sadly, Mr. MacSorley filtered out shortly after he started. I am sorry I did not hear all of his presentation. The case the organisations make is very strong. I will support it 100%, although I am a tiny cog in this very large wheel of Leinster House. Particularly as we emerge from Covid-19, more aid must be put into the areas in which...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Pre-Budget Submission: Dóchas (14 Jul 2021)

Gerard Craughwell: The Chairman refers to the multi-annual funding raised by Deputy Leddin. We should look for a roadmap to bring us to the 0.7% that we are talking about, which could be reviewed on an annual basis to see how close we are getting to the desired figure.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Jul 2021)

Gerard Craughwell: I am blue in the face speaking about the search and rescue contract over the past 12 or 18 months. That contract is likely to go to tender over the summer so this is probably my last attempt to say anything on it. We were told in 2010 by the then Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, that Ireland had signed a contract for a fleet of new Sikorsky S-92s. In 2014, the then Minister for...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Jul 2021)

Gerard Craughwell: Finally, I thank the Cathaoirleach, the Leader and staff of the Seanad as we head into the summer recess. Senator Doherty has been a very good Leader and responsive to anything I have asked of her and I wish her well for the summer. I also wish Cathaoirleach and his staff and Martin Groves and his staff well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Emigrant Support Services: Discussion (13 Jul 2021)

Gerard Craughwell: I thank the witnesses for being here today. I was listening to the piece on the J1 visa. My children had such a wonderful time in the United States with the J1 visa programme. After they graduated from college, my son worked in the United States for one of the hotel companies. He was brought back after he qualified and he played golf on all of the top courses in the United States. He...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Jul 2021)

Gerard Craughwell: At the outset, I wish to put on record my gratitude to members of the Royal British Legion in Ballymoney and Coolrain for their support of the Organisation of National Ex-Servicemen on this island when they raised more than £1,000 in a walk across the Giant's Causeway. Speaking of Defence Forces matters, I am aware that post-1994 contractees are still not aware of their future fate,...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Diplomatic Representation (29 Jun 2021)

Gerard Craughwell: I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this important topic. I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Ireland has always played a part in international peace and stability missions. The Department of Foreign Affairs currently has 11 Irish mission members seconded to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe as part of the special monitoring mission to Ukraine. They...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Diplomatic Representation (29 Jun 2021)

Gerard Craughwell: The Minister of State will be aware of the impact of the lack of payment of PRSI contributions and how that will impact people. He and I have often discussed PRSI and I know that he is committed on this issue. I ask that he has the decision expedited as quickly as possible. I understand that people know what they are getting into when they sign up for these jobs, but they sometimes do not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Recruitment and Retention in the Defence Forces: RACO (29 Jun 2021)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome the witnesses from the Defence Forces and RACO. As a former serving member, the presentations that we have received from both RACO and PDFORRA in recent times are utterly depressing. I cannot understand how we have allowed such a proud organisation to be so utterly devastated in recent years. One of my great concerns is the significant intake of young officers into the cadets....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Recruitment and Retention in the Defence Forces: RACO (29 Jun 2021)

Gerard Craughwell: I will not delay too long. As a former serving member, it is absolutely heartbreaking to see for the second time a representative body before the committee with such a bleak outlook. The RAF is protecting our sky and EU ships are protecting our seas and it is only a matter of time before G4S or some other security organisation is minding our Army barracks. I have massive respect but...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 Jun 2021)

Gerard Craughwell: I have spoken on search and rescue many times in this Chamber. It is coming to the end of a time when I will be able to speak on it. In 2010, the future helicopter study group, FHSG, started to look at what Ireland needed for search and rescue. There was a number of recommendations. One was the implementation of night vision on helicopters. Another was the ability to carry underslung...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Issues facing the Aviation Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (23 Jun 2021)

Gerard Craughwell: I will not take four minutes because I know there are people from the constituency who want to get back in a second time. It is great to see Ms Fitzgerald Kane from the Woodlands Hotel in Adare here. It is the most beautiful village in Ireland. I have great memories of her hotel and am delighted to see her here. I support everything the witnesses are trying to do. I would sound a note of...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Jun 2021)

Gerard Craughwell: I have always tried to be non-partisan when it comes to politics so I take the opportunity to congratulate the Leader of the Seanad on her sterling performance, particularly last weekend on Newstalk. Her calm confident way of dealing with the emergence from Covid-19, and particularly antigen testing, is a credit to her and all of us in the Seanad, and I thank her for presenting such a...

Committee on Public Petitions: Safety and Welfare of Children in Direct Provision Report: Discussion (22 Jun 2021)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome Dr. Muldoon and Ms Ward before the committee. In 2018, I travelled to Sicily to see the migration system for myself at the invitation of the Italian Government. While I was there, I met a number of what were wrongfully termed refugees, people who were, in fact, migrants. I have nothing against migrants travelling to better economic circumstances. The Irish have done it more than...

Committee on Public Petitions: Safety and Welfare of Children in Direct Provision Report: Discussion (22 Jun 2021)

Gerard Craughwell: I remember going to Italy at the time. The general answer in this country was that everybody who comes here is properly vetted and we had nothing to worry about. Then I saw the process up close where people arrived without documentation. Whether they destroyed it or it was taken from them is irrelevant. They had no documentation so they were put through a process. The process was...

Committee on Public Petitions: Safety and Welfare of Children in Direct Provision Report: Discussion (22 Jun 2021)

Gerard Craughwell: I thank Dr. Muldoon and his colleague, Ms Ward. The information they constantly give to the public is vital. If they see something that needs to be highlighted, I beg them to come back to the committee and to get it into the public domain. The public needs to know. I will outline an experience I had at the weekend. I have a relative whose legs have been amputated. A three-year-old...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: First Annual Report of the Oversight Group on Women, Peace and Security: Discussion (22 Jun 2021)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome the witnesses, particularly Ms Owen who has been a trailblazer and who broke through the glass ceiling long before many women in Ireland. She comes from a family of very strong women. I am delighted as a brother of eight sisters. All my sisters were strong, independent women in their own right. I never really understood anything but inequality until I left home. It is a...