Results 1-20 of 5,022 for speaker:Gerard Craughwell

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by An Taoiseach (28 Sep 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: How long do I have?

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by An Taoiseach (28 Sep 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: I thank the Taoiseach for being here and I will not take a lot of his time. There are two issues close to my heart and the first is the Defence Forces. We saw the wonderful operation off the south-west coast in recent days. We have to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to remunerating members of the Defence Forces. We have to rebuild the organisation, particularly...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Implementation of the Recommendations of the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Discussion (26 Sep 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: My first questions are for Lieutenant General Clancy. I welcome his support for the issue of the seagoing allowance for the Naval Service, which is important. On the issue of the working time directive, it appears to many of us that the talks have stalled. Will he comment on that and advise as to whether the Defence Forces are now recording the hours worked by their members in order that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Implementation of the Recommendations of the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Discussion (26 Sep 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: Do the witnesses see benefit in a system similar to that the British have in which one-size-fits-all national pay rounds take place but then the defence people have a look at specific qualifications or skill sets and may recommend an additional premium for those who hold those skill sets, allowing them to move outside the national pay round? If the pay round is 5%, another 1% might be given...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Implementation of the Recommendations of the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Discussion (26 Sep 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: Does Ms McCrum see a conflict of interest there?

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: I would like to be associated with the various good wishes to Mr. Martin Groves and his team, who frequently work late into the night after we go away to have stuff ready for the following morning or day. It is truly appreciated. They also keep an eye on those of us who might stray into areas we should not every now and then.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: I welcome the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence's tribunal of inquiry. One of the things it might do is clear up what should never have gotten into the public domain from the independent review group. The independent review group's report could have been one sentence: "We found prima facieevidence, which requires a sworn inquiry." Instead of that, we had a report, which was extremely...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: Most committee members will have received an email in recent days about the public service performance report for 2022. It was published on 11 July 2023 and it claims to be a key milestone in the parliamentary budgetary cycle, providing a valuable opportunity for sectoral committees to engage constructively in a more structured calendar with parliamentary oversight of the budget process. It...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Decarbonisation Strategy for Aviation and Shipping Sectors: Minister of State at the Department of Transport (12 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: Sorry, a Leas-Chathaoirligh, do I get a chance to ask any questions?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Decarbonisation Strategy for Aviation and Shipping Sectors: Minister of State at the Department of Transport (12 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: I appreciate that. I had a couple of things I had to deal with.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Decarbonisation Strategy for Aviation and Shipping Sectors: Minister of State at the Department of Transport (12 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: Thank you very much, a Leas-Chathaoirligh. The Minister of State is welcome to the committee. He is new in the job, so I am not aiming any of my comments in particular directly at him. When we talk about aviation, sustainability and all of these things, as far as I am concerned, that includes everything from the moment I leave my house until I am in the air. I am really disturbed by...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Decarbonisation Strategy for Aviation and Shipping Sectors: Minister of State at the Department of Transport (12 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: I think the Leas-Chathaoirleach will find that SAR is both aviation and maritime.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Decarbonisation Strategy for Aviation and Shipping Sectors: Minister of State at the Department of Transport (12 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: I do not intend to discuss the court case. I did say to the Minister of State that I expect him to respond to me outside the meeting. We are entitled to a response. The SAR issue is before the courts, as my colleague has pointed out. The issue is that for two and a half years, we tried to get officials from the Minister of State's Department to come before the committee and answer...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Decarbonisation Strategy for Aviation and Shipping Sectors: Minister of State at the Department of Transport (12 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: Maybe the decarbonisation might come in the SAR area from the new contract for AW189 helicopters, which we were told a year ago were not suitable for the Irish situation. I am going to leave it at that because it is not fair on the Minister of State, who is only new in the job. I ask him to come back to me with answers. I do not expect them to be given here, in a public forum.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Decarbonisation Strategy for Aviation and Shipping Sectors: Minister of State at the Department of Transport (12 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: The Department has been very forward-thinking in some areas, such as with the introduction of electric buses. Then somebody drops the ball and we find there are no charging points. There are 100 buses that cannot be used at the moment. I do not know who is responsible for these things, but they point to a failure on our part, as members of the committees, to exercise oversight. The reason...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: Hear, hear.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: I am calling for a full investigation into the Irish Prison Service, particularly in the area of bullying and harassment. Some weeks back, I mentioned the case of Sean O'Brien, who was involved in an IRA prison escape in Portlaoise. That man has spent 20 years of his life trying to get information on what happened on that day. He is severely traumatised and the Prison Service is totally...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Engagement with the Reserve Defence Force Representative Association (11 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming in and delivering what must be one of the most depressing presentations we had in this room for quite some time. I will start on a positive note. I was in Islandbridge at the weekend for the remembrance ceremony. The RDF provided the tents, food service, etc. I met five of the most enthusiastic young people I have ever encountered in my life. Two...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Engagement with the Reserve Defence Force Representative Association (11 Jul 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: I would like to provide some statistical background to the destruction of the Reserve Defence Force. I would like to see statistics for the distribution throughout the country and membership numbers of the Reserve Defence Force prior to 2013, for example, in 2012, and to look at it in 2022, ten years later, to see whether we can put a face to the destruction of the force. Mr. Gargan quite...