Results 1-20 of 6,660 for speaker:Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

International Protection Processing and Enforcement: Statements (5 Nov 2025)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: The approach of this Government and the previous one to migration, and international protection in particular, has been a failure. It has failed to ensure a fair system that works. It has failed communities, which have felt ignored and not properly engaged with. While there are some good people in the system, there are nowhere near enough and the system as a whole is set up badly in terms...

Men's Health: Statements (22 Oct 2025)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Fáiltím go bhfuil na ráitis seo ar siúl inniu. Is ábhar dár gcóras sláinte nach bhfuair go leor airde thar na blianta is ar cóir go bhfaigheadh sé. Is léir go bhfuil difríocht mhór ann ó thaobh na ngalar a tholgann fir agus cé chomh tinn a éiríonn siad, go mór mór ó thaobh na...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Oct 2025)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Tá an ghéarchéim daoine gan dídean imithe thar fóir go hiomlán. The Taoiseach might have seen the launch of Cork Simon's annual report. He insists to us that the Government's housing strategy is working, whether it is Homes for All or Rebuilding Ireland, yet everything keeps going up in terms of homelessness. Cork Simon is operating since the early 1970s. In...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Oct 2025)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: That is not the case at all.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Oct 2025)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: That is not what happened.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Revenue Commissioners (22 Oct 2025)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: The Minister of State will be aware that, in October 2023, the MV Matthew was intercepted and seized. There was €157 million worth of cocaine on board. It was an extraordinary Garda operation and great credit is due to all the gardaí and others involved. However, the people of Passage West have had to put up with the very large vessel ever since. It is about 200 m in length...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Revenue Commissioners (22 Oct 2025)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: People will be frustrated by that response. People have been patient enough already about this. As I read it, we have a preferred bidder who remains interested and who is continuing to engage with the Revenue Commissioners. The issue with flagging has been resolved. Significant progress has been made in that regard. The Minister of State said certain regulatory and port state control...

Committee on Defence and National Security: Defence Developments at EU Level and Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Oct 2025)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I welcome the witnesses. I have a number of questions. I might not get to them all. There might be a second round. Where co-operation with other European countries is in Ireland's interest and does not conflict with our neutrality then we should co-operate but, obviously, it has to be through both of those lenses. We have had a lot of discussion about neutrality. I am not sure that it is...

Committee on Defence and National Security: Defence Developments at EU Level and Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Oct 2025)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Could Mr. O'Meara come back to me in writing with a bit more detail? It sounds like if it is, it is and if it is not, it is not. I am not clear about the approach. When a proposal from the Commission lands on the Department's desk, deciding what the criteria are and what they are being measured against is complex. Different programmes and proposals have different cases. It is not defined...

Committee on Defence and National Security: Defence Developments at EU Level and Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Oct 2025)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I have a couple of questions. I will try to be as concise as possible, and I hope the witnesses might be in a position to be as well. On the EU funding side of things, we regularly see resolutions in the European Parliament. Obviously, they do not have any legal effect, but it is a regular aspect of the discussion about the need for member states to increase defence spending to a...

Committee on Defence and National Security: Defence Developments at EU Level and Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Oct 2025)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: That is fine. On co-operation, there has been a fair bit about different programmes we opt in and we opt out of. A significant part of defence co-operation is intelligence sharing and so on. Could the witnesses just say a brief word about what level of co-operation happens between Ireland and other EU countries in terms of intelligence and information sharing? What mechanisms are we a...

Committee on Defence and National Security: Defence Developments at EU Level and Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Oct 2025)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: That is fine. Mr. O'Meara mentioned PESCO and that if there were anything beyond the current training exercises, a subsequent decision would have to be made. Is that a ministerial decision or a Government decision? Would it involve a vote of the Dáil and the Seanad? What is the mechanism should there be a proposal for further participation in PESCO beyond the current training...

Committee on Defence and National Security: Defence Developments at EU Level and Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Oct 2025)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I am talking about the battle groups.

Committee on Defence and National Security: Defence Developments at EU Level and Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Oct 2025)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: This is covered by what was said earlier about the communiqués and so on. There has been some discussion about co-operation in relation to drones. That is a very significant challenge that European countries face at this time as well as a lot of provocative actions by the Russian Federation in eastern Europe. That is something we need to be conscious of ourselves here. As I...

Committee on Defence and National Security: Defence Developments at EU Level and Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (22 Oct 2025)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I do not need a particular response to the following. The witnesses may respond if they wish, but I will just make two statements. First, in terms of SAFE and talking about the potential for Irish business to become involved, it is important that, at a governmental and departmental level, consideration is given to whether there will be an industry of whatever kind, and it might be more on...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Ukraine War (21 Oct 2025)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 90. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for an update on his Department’s recent engagements with the Government of Ukraine in relation to the ongoing conflict, and efforts made to reach a ceasefire. [57185/25]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Ukraine War (21 Oct 2025)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: We had a beneficial engagement with the Ukrainian ambassador, H.E. Ms Larysa Gerasko, last week. She provided an update on the considerable challenges facing the Ukrainian people in their fight with the Russian Federation. The war of aggression has been going on for a number of years. There are a number of upsetting elements to it, in particular the abducted children. Will the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Ukraine War (21 Oct 2025)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Exploration of such matters is important and a lot of what Ireland is in a position to do is at a European level. As a lot of actions are being blocked by particular member states, such as Hungary and perhaps others in other circumstances, it is important that we continue to examine what actions Ireland can take by itself. The Tánaiste has had communication and some work has been...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Ukraine War (21 Oct 2025)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: We have discussed Ireland and the EU. If anything can be assessed from the past few years, it is that the United States still carries a huge amount of influence. Who deserves credit for various ceasefires can be debated. A peace deal in Gaza is welcome, but it is clear that where the US wishes to exert influence and pressure, it achieves results in many instances. What is the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Legislative Measures (21 Oct 2025)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: That does not necessarily make it any clearer as to what exactly will be in this Bill. Ireland is not a major country in the grand scheme of these things. It is about using what levers are at our disposal. There have been a number of levers and recognition was important. This is important. Had we not had this debate over the past number of years about this, it would not have ended up...