Results 61-80 of 24,382 for speaker:Seán Barrett

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Reserve Defence Forces: Discussion (7 Feb 2019)

Seán Barrett: A recruitment campaign was launched on 23 April 2018 and a total of 1,364 applications were received, which is an astonishing number. It shows the interest out there among people who are available. Some 129 of the 1,364 were inducted to the Army Reserve and the Naval Service Reserve. What happened to the other 1,100? Were they just dismissed? To be honest, I was amazed at the number of...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Ratification of EU and NATO Status of Forces Agreements: Discussion (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Barrett: I am a former Minister. What is really happening here is we do not know what we want to do. Are we going to engage in peacekeeping or are we going to extend from peacekeeping into other areas, which is not traditional for the Defence Forces? Peacekeeping is something that Ireland is proud of. Ireland is probably the best in the world at peacekeeping but now we are being dragged in to all...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Ratification of EU and NATO Status of Forces Agreements: Discussion (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Barrett: Sorry, could I interrupt the Minister of State? We engage in and decide on different missions. We should decide on the missions that are involved in peacekeeping, not peacekeeping and other matters. That is my point.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Ratification of EU and NATO Status of Forces Agreements: Discussion (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Barrett: It is why we should stick to peacekeeping. We are very good at it. Do not get involved with crisis management.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Ratification of EU and NATO Status of Forces Agreements: Discussion (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Barrett: Not at all. It has not totally changed.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Ratification of EU and NATO Status of Forces Agreements: Discussion (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Barrett: Perhaps I did not put across my point very well.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Ratification of EU and NATO Status of Forces Agreements: Discussion (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Barrett: I will repeat it. Since Adam was a boy, the skills of peacekeeping have been the same. It is about communicating, infiltrating in the local communities-----

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Ratification of EU and NATO Status of Forces Agreements: Discussion (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Barrett: -----and gaining confidence. Will arriving with lorries full of guns and equipment improve peacekeeping? Leave that to others. We are a small country with expertise in peacekeeping. We have a small Permanent Defence Force and it is very good at what it is trained to do. It is a tradition for Irish people to participate in peacekeeping. It is about building connections with the local...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Ratification of EU and NATO Status of Forces Agreements: Discussion (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Barrett: I accept that fully.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Ratification of EU and NATO Status of Forces Agreements: Discussion (24 Jan 2019)

Seán Barrett: That is the point the Minister of State is making. It is the missions we decide to involve ourselves in. That is the point I am making. The Defence Forces are small and my point is that our expertise is in genuine peacekeeping. We do not need to get in with the big boys and all this heavy equipment where it is peacekeeping plus. Peacekeeping is peace-keeping. There are plenty of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Commencement of Legislation (15 Jan 2019)

Seán Barrett: 695. To ask the Minister for Health when all aspects of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 concerning the legal recognition of parentage for same sex couples that are not covered under the Act will be introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1057/19]

Written Answers — Department of Health: General Practitioner Services (15 Jan 2019)

Seán Barrett: 773. To ask the Minister for Health when free general practitioner care will be extended to under 12s which was to be introduced in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1520/19]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Parental Leave (15 Jan 2019)

Seán Barrett: 1110. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when she expects the Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2017 to be presented in Dáil Éireann following its passing through Seanad Éireann; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1506/19]

Death of former Members: Expressions of Sympathy (12 Dec 2018)

Seán Barrett: I would like to pay tribute to Paddy Harte, with whom I had the pleasure of serving here. The main purpose of my few words, however, is to speak about my ex-colleague from Dún Laoghaire, Monica Barnes. Monica was just unique in that there was no tradition in how she went about doing things. We stood together in 1981 and twice in 1982 - three elections in 18 months. She was eventually...

Death of former Members: Expressions of Sympathy (12 Dec 2018)

Seán Barrett: We had to split the vote, yes.

Death of former Members: Expressions of Sympathy (12 Dec 2018)

Seán Barrett: She got the female vote and I got the male vote. In any event, I called over to her, even though she had retired at that stage, and asked her if she would be interested in standing again. She said "Okay, I will." We set about it and she went off on her merry rounds. I never knew where she was and did not care where she was going because that is the type of candidate she was. We did not...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse Sport Ireland (4 Dec 2018)

Seán Barrett: 528. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans for separate funding to be made available specifically for the sport horse industry in view of recent successes by those competing in the sport horse industry and the prospects for greater development and success in this sector, with Ireland having qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 (details supplied); and if he...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2018)

Seán Barrett: I have a general question. Should we be holding on to Army personnel for longer rather than giving people attractive pensions at a relatively early age? I am throwing out the question, not necessarily making a suggestion. The question has to be answered, however. Can we afford to have a situation where people can retire on these terms? It is part of their right under the existing scheme,...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2018)

Seán Barrett: So we wait for the White Paper.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2018)

Seán Barrett: It strikes me that in this day and age when people are healthy, living longer and are active and fit, especially Army personnel, it is a great loss, not only in terms of having to recruit people to replace them but of experience. That cannot be bought. Twenty years is a very short time. If somebody goes in at the age of 18 they are gone at 38. The best part of their working life is still...