Results 61-80 of 5,917 for speaker:Gerard Craughwell

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Jul 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: Because my time is limited I want to ask Dr. Berry about the other parts of the Bill because we will not get a chance to hear from him again. Dr. Berry adverted to suspensions and courts martial in his report. Will he expand on that a little?

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Jul 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: I want to raise three short, sharp issues. I need three things cleared up. The first is directed to Major General O’Brien. On the issue of defence attachés, which covers the expansion of roles, it was suggested by the Department of Defence that a defence attaché could be a civilian. Is she aware of any civilian anywhere who is acting as a defence attaché?

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Jul 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: Major General Brennan, in his submission, referred to Defence Forces regulations and Defence Forces legislation. Is it the case that the Defence Forces are ultimately subordinate to the Department of Defence? Regarding things like suspensions, we had a very high-profile case of a soldier who had to be put on gardening leave, or whatever you want to call it. The commander on the ground had...

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Jul 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: I am aware of the time.

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025 : Discussion (Resumed) (26 Jun 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: I thank the witnesses. I put on the record that my view of the function of this committee is to listen with an open mind and draw conclusions. We are not here to protect either neutrality or the triple lock. It was accepted by Ray Murphy that we do not qualify under customary international law as a neutral country. Professor Tonra has said that neutrality is Irish neutrality, whatever...

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025 : Discussion (Resumed) (26 Jun 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: Would granting the yea or nay with respect to the deployment of troops by Ireland to a third party be repugnant to sovereignty?

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025 : Discussion (Resumed) (26 Jun 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: We find ourselves in a situation where Mr. Noonan said that all power comes from the people under the Constitution. As the people voted to join the European Union, how does that in any way diminish our sovereignty? It was the people who made that decision. Add to that, the question has been raised by one or two of my colleagues with respect to putting neutrality into our Constitution. If...

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025 : Discussion (Resumed) (26 Jun 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: Mr. Noonan adverted to the constitutional position with respect to Ireland declaring war. I am quite agnostic on the triple lock because we do not have enough troops to send anywhere so, to my mind, it is a red herring. However, if we wanted to re-establish our sovereignty and re-establish the Oireachtas and the office of the President as the de facto authority to deploy troops, what would...

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025 : Discussion (Resumed) (26 Jun 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: I have to cut Mr. Noonan off because time is against me. I do not feel I am entrusted. I was elected to my seat in Seanad Éireann and that brought trust with it, as far as I am concerned.

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025 : Discussion (Resumed) (26 Jun 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: With respect, Mr. Noonan adverted to us getting closer to NATO. I visited CCDCOE in Tallin and am damned glad that we are close to CCDCOE because cyber recognises no borders. Does Mr. Noonan have a difficulty with us co-operating at that level?

Committee on Defence and National Security: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025 : Discussion (Resumed) (26 Jun 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: I might ask our other two guests to comment on co-operating with CCDCOE and the like.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Jun 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: Last night, we held an unscheduled meeting of the Joint Committee on Defence and National Security to explore the crisis in the Air Corps. When that crisis first emerged, the Taoiseach was asked about what was happening and he said it was a matter for military management and its to solve. Military management is not the Accounting Officer for the defence situation in Ireland. Leading up...

Seanad: Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Report Stage (25 Jun 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: The Minister is welcome to the House. I support my colleague, Senator Boyhan, in the withdrawal of our amendment No. 1. I went to the UK as a very young man. Many of us left in the late 1960s and it is only by the grace of God that we have not finished up in a one-bed flat or bedsit with nothing to look forward to and very little to look back on. As Senator Boyhan said, some people were...

Seanad: Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Report Stage (25 Jun 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Report Stage (25 Jun 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: My colleagues previously spoke about education and the withdrawal of the service after three years. Having an advocacy group like Sage means that the door is open. It is a one-stop-shop where the victims of institutional abuse can go to get the information they need and perhaps engage in education and many other things. Some time ago, I brought a delegation from the Organisation of...

Committee on Defence and National Security: Recent Air Corps Developments: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh. The Secretary General, the Chief of Staff, the GOC and other staff are welcome here. I ask the Secretary General that we start by being honest with one another. The policies that have been followed have been a disaster for the aviation services in our Defence Forces. We have lost search and rescue, we have a private operator providing a jet at Dublin...

Committee on Defence and National Security: Recent Air Corps Developments: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: It is there.

Committee on Defence and National Security: Recent Air Corps Developments: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: The question is there now. It needs to be answered.

Committee on Defence and National Security: Recent Air Corps Developments: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: I am sorry, I do not want to interrupt the Secretary General unnecessarily but I want to know if the Minister was informed as far back as 2022.

Committee on Defence and National Security: Recent Air Corps Developments: Discussion (24 Jun 2025)

Gerard Craughwell: Does the Secretary General want me to read her own letter?