Results 1-8 of 8 for garda reserve speaker:Gerard Craughwell

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

Gerard Craughwell: ...21 billion now. Some €1 billion has been paid out for search and rescue, with nothing to show for it. We will not have so much as a nut or bolt at the end of the contract. The Defence Forces are in collapse. The Reserve Defence Forces have been waiting for a reply to a letter from the Department for two months. The number of members of the Garda Reserve has fallen from 1,000 to...

Seanad: Defence (Restriction on Use of Certain Titles) Bill 2021: Second Stage (6 Apr 2022)

Gerard Craughwell: ...been done a long time ago to enshrine the name "Óglaigh na hÉireann" and to make it available to only one organisation in this country. My colleagues mentioned PDFORRA and RACO. We should also have put the Reserve Defence Force Representative Association, RDFRA, into the mix because during the time when I was in the Defence Forces the Reserve Defence Force was available to this...

Seanad: Search and Rescue Policy: Motion (2 Feb 2022)

Gerard Craughwell: ...We need to remember that this is a notional commercial operator without any ties to or facilities in this country. The optimal configuration for SAR in Ireland is four operational bases with five helicopters, including one in reserve. Given this requirement, why did the business case require the Air Corps to provide three helicopters to support its single base at Baldonnel? This would...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (1 Mar 2021)

Gerard Craughwell: The Minister is welcome. Like my colleague, Senator McDowell, I have serious reservations about legislation coming to this House and going through all Stages in two hours. This demonstrates a complete lack of respect for the democratic process and the function and role of this House. It is an emergency and, bearing that in mind, I am prepared to go for it. I cannot understand why we have...

Seanad: An Bille um Bearta Éigeandála ar mhaithe le Leas an Phobail (Covid-19) 2020: An Dara Céim - Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Second Stage (27 Mar 2020)

Gerard Craughwell: ...who is not making mortgage payments for three months and who must pay those payments at the end of the crisis should not have them added on to the end of the mortgage instead. I congratulate the Garda Commissioner for the speed at which he acted to get members of the Garda out of Templemore and onto the streets. When we see what has gone on with people spitting in the faces of elderly...

Seanad: Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill 2018: Second Stage (19 Jun 2019)

Gerard Craughwell: ...like to see it go through. The Minister of State will know that in an industrial dispute, we came very close to what was termed a "blue flu". It would be a sad day for Ireland if members of the Garda Síochána pulled their services over any industrial relations issue. It is good that we are now putting a mechanism in place whereby, like any other workers, its members have...

Seanad: Defence Forces (Veterans Lapel Badge) Bill 2017: Second Stage (22 Nov 2017)

Gerard Craughwell: ...debate my Defence Forces (Veterans Lapel Badge) Bill 2017. The Bill provides for the establishment of a veterans lapel badge to be conferred upon members of the Army, Air Corps, Naval Service and Reserve Defence Force by the Minister for Defence. The purpose of the veterans lapel badge is to raise the profile of our Defence Forces veterans, who have served their country with bravery and...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Pension Provisions (9 Dec 2015)

Gerard Craughwell: ...unresolved I believe it is necessary to ask for a review of the issue again. When speaking last summer, the Minister, Deputy Howlin, was quoted as saying: "Under our Constitution pensions are preserved property rights. I can no more take somebody's pension than I can arbitrarily decide to take their house". That comment was published in The Irish Timesin June 2015. While this may be...