Results 1-20 of 3,369 for speaker:Shane Cassells

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: The Future of Local Democracy: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Apr 2024)

Shane Cassells: It is my pleasure as rapporteur of the committee to welcome everyone. I and my fellow members of the Seanad Public Consultation Committee team have had an extensive journey in the process we have gone through, listening to the voices of councillor representative groups, councillors themselves and other statutory bodies over several months. However, it is only fitting, as we come towards the...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: The Future of Local Democracy: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Apr 2024)

Shane Cassells: I thank everyone for their contributions and service. We have to remember that everyone here today is a public representative. In respect of the points made by Dr. Clark and others with regard to full-time expectations, in the previous session we held with all of the former Ministers who had held the brief of local government over the past three decades, Noel Dempsey, who, in many ways,...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: The Future of Local Democracy: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Apr 2024)

Shane Cassells: I welcome my Meath colleague Councillor Francis Deane to the Public Gallery. I served with him on both Navan town and county councils. I welcome also his wife, Fiona, and sister-in-law, Martina. It is great to see former councillor Sean O'Grady with us. I was part of a European initiative against drugs 22 years ago and there I first met Sean. I was mayor of Navan and slightly younger...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: The Future of Local Democracy: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Apr 2024)

Shane Cassells: I would like to thank everybody. As I said in my remarks, the variety of the contributions today will be hugely insightful to our work. I again thank everyone.

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: The Future of Local Democracy: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Apr 2024)

Shane Cassells: He told me he wants to run for Fianna Fáil so it is okay.

Seanad: Smartphone and Social Media Use: Motion [Private Members] (24 Apr 2024)

Shane Cassells: I very much welcome the debate and the opportunity to discuss this very important issue. I thank my colleagues for tabling the motion. It is very poignant. I welcome the intervention by the Tánaiste, who used his platform to discuss this and described it as a public health issue. That is exactly what it is. I particularly acknowledge the work of the Minister in dealing with this...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Culture and Governance Issues at RTÉ: Discussion (24 Apr 2024)

Shane Cassells: I welcome all the witnesses. My first question is for Ms O'Kelly. She made reference to job losses. In November, the bailout deal of €56 million for RTÉ was announced, with the money to be paid in two tranches of €16 million last year and another €14 million this year after the publication of the governance reports. The day after the announcement of that deal,...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Culture and Governance Issues at RTÉ: Discussion (24 Apr 2024)

Shane Cassells: Ms O'Kelly used the words "seems to be". She is alluding to a deal. I would prefer if we were all straight on this. Is she saying that RTÉ had a gun put to its head by the Government and was told that unless it agreed to cut a fifth of its workforce, it would not get the bailout of €56 million?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Culture and Governance Issues at RTÉ: Discussion (24 Apr 2024)

Shane Cassells: The union representatives have said the job losses will have an impact on quality of production. Have either Mr. Dooley or Ms O'Kelly put it to RTÉ that the Government sought job losses in return for a bailout of nearly €60 million?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Culture and Governance Issues at RTÉ: Discussion (24 Apr 2024)

Shane Cassells: Does Mr. Dooley feel that Kevin Bakhurst was forced into this position of cuts and, in respect of where those cuts are being made, the impact that is having on RTÉ?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Culture and Governance Issues at RTÉ: Discussion (24 Apr 2024)

Shane Cassells: Parking the question of whether someone holds a full-time employee contract, RTÉ has committed to increasing independent production. It would say it is safeguarding the entity that is RTÉ and that from the point of view of the viewers, who do not know whether someone is on a full-time contract or is part of independent production, the future of RTÉ will be safeguarded. Does...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Culture and Governance Issues at RTÉ: Discussion (24 Apr 2024)

Shane Cassells: The point was made that the need for commercialisation infiltrates the modus operandi of RTÉ, which is how a position like the current one is arrived at, and that a purely publicly funded model would alleviate this. However, if we look to the BBC, which has had many of the same types of governance issues, it still has a scenario of overpaid presenters, with Gary Lineker being paid...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Culture and Governance Issues at RTÉ: Discussion (24 Apr 2024)

Shane Cassells: Does Mr. Dooley not buy the threat by RTÉ's big presenters that they could go elsewhere?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Culture and Governance Issues at RTÉ: Discussion (24 Apr 2024)

Shane Cassells: Ms Hannick referred in her report to the impact of the job losses. From a technical point of view, there seems to be a choice this summer between sport and drama. Instead of Carrigstown, it will be Paris and Berlin. Does she think this is the thin end of the wedge and that there will be further impacts on other departments?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Culture and Governance Issues at RTÉ: Discussion (24 Apr 2024)

Shane Cassells: In her opening statement, Ms O'Kelly refers to the fact that the voice of the staff had been missing from the discussions. One of the voices that has been missing from these discussions is the former director-general, Dee Forbes. Does Ms O'Kelly feel that there will ever be a resolution to the work that is being done here on overall governance if that voice is not heard in these discussions...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Culture and Governance Issues at RTÉ: Discussion (24 Apr 2024)

Shane Cassells: I acknowledge, in the Gallery, the presence of one of the voices of many of our youths, Brian Carthy, who was the voice of many championship summers and a real asset to broadcasting in this country. The manner in which he was treated by the State broadcaster was also disgraceful. He has done the profession of journalism a great service.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Apr 2024)

Shane Cassells: I want to give a cautious welcome to the news overnight that Tara Mines in Navan is to reopen on a gradual basis. This mine, the largest sink mine in Europe, has been closed for nine long months, with more than 600 employees left on minimal support. It has been nine long months when there has been very little goodwill from the company towards this workforce in Navan. It is my sense there...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Apr 2024)

Shane Cassells: I welcome Senator O'Hara. On Tuesday night, a very momentous occasion took place with the hosting of the women's international match between Ireland and England in the Aviva Stadium, which attracted a record crowd of 33,000 people. At a pre-match reception, FAI president Paul Cooke asked the people in the room to lobby their politicians and make sure to tell them they wanted increased...