Results 1-20 of 714 for speaker:Garret Ahearn

Seanad: An Bille um an Aonú Leasú is Daichead ar an mBunreacht (An Comhaontú maidir le Cúirt Aontaithe um Paitinní), 2024: An Dara Céim - Forty-first Amendment of the Constitution (Agreement on a Unified Patent Court) Bill 2024: Second Stage (21 Mar 2024)

Garret Ahearn: I will not need five minutes. I only need a minute or so. In fact, my voice is nearly gone so I will only need a second or two. I welcome the Minister of State and his departmental staff to the Seanad. He outlined the Bill very well. It will have the support of the Minister of State's party in the Seanad. He also outlined the benefits it would bring and what it would mean for companies...

Seanad: Court Proceedings (Delays) Bill 2023: Second Stage (20 Mar 2024)

Garret Ahearn: The Minister and his officials are very welcome to the Chamber. The Bill will be supported by Fine Gael Members. I am here on behalf of Senator Ward, who cannot be present. I will not speak for too long because my voice is almost gone as well. I welcome the Bill. As Senator Gallagher said, it is important legislation that is coming through to speed up, in a timely manner, court...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Mar 2024)

Garret Ahearn: Tipperary County Council has put forward two important projects for the town of Clonmel. It is awaiting a response and a decision by two Departments. The library in Clonmel has made an application for library capital funding through the Department of Rural and Community Development. This is a really ambitious project to redevelop the main library in Mick Delahunty Square, Clonmel. It is a...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Mar 2024)

Garret Ahearn: If that was the case, then you would have to clarify-----

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Mar 2024)

Garret Ahearn: But-----

Seanad: Private Rental Sector: Motion (6 Mar 2024)

Garret Ahearn: You would know that there was a poll at the weekend. Every time Sinn Féin slides, the only thing it seems to think it can talk about is housing. Yet, every time they talk about housing after a polling collapse, they make another blunder of some kind. What I hear most now in Tipperary is people saying how Sinn Féin does not have a clue what it is talking about. It does it week...

Seanad: Private Rental Sector: Motion (6 Mar 2024)

Garret Ahearn: Through the Chair, I actually welcome the interruption. The Senator said it would be because it would increase the price of housing. I do not agree with her but let us say she is right. Let us take an example of a house in Clonmel that costs €300,000 where someone wants to buy that house at the moment. Let us go with Senator Boylan’s argument. They are struggling, they...

Seanad: Private Rental Sector: Motion (6 Mar 2024)

Garret Ahearn: No, listen.

Seanad: Private Rental Sector: Motion (6 Mar 2024)

Garret Ahearn: If the Senators listened they might actually understand why the public has now lost faith in them. Essentially, that person has to pay €300,000 and supposedly cannot afford to save. Let us say they cannot afford to save for a deposit. Under this Fine Gael Government, they do not need to because they have the help-to-buy scheme. They will be able to get €30,000 to buy that...

Seanad: Private Rental Sector: Motion (6 Mar 2024)

Garret Ahearn: This is what we are dealing with.

Seanad: Private Rental Sector: Motion (6 Mar 2024)

Garret Ahearn: They actually make no sense.

Seanad: Private Rental Sector: Motion (6 Mar 2024)

Garret Ahearn: It is embarrassing for people to listen to. That is even without them talking about how they will build a house for €300,000 in Dublin. There is not a person in the country, apart from the spokesperson for housing in Sinn Féin and the leader of Sinn Féin, who seems to believe that. I hardly think the rest of the party actually believes that it is possible to build a house...

Seanad: Private Rental Sector: Motion (6 Mar 2024)

Garret Ahearn: Sinn Féin speaks of targets-----

Seanad: Private Rental Sector: Motion (6 Mar 2024)

Garret Ahearn: -----and we can talk about that all we want. We have built 100,000 houses in the last four years in this Government.

Seanad: Private Rental Sector: Motion (6 Mar 2024)

Garret Ahearn: Thirty-two thousand. What are your targets on social housing?

Seanad: Private Rental Sector: Motion (6 Mar 2024)

Garret Ahearn: There is the desperation of interruption, the desperation of talking about housing and the collapse of support for Sinn Féin. They do not what to do. They do not know what to talk about. They think they know something about housing, but every time they talk about it, they now lose more support. We go on and on. People are looking at Sinn Féin now and are saying there is no...

Seanad: Private Rental Sector: Motion (6 Mar 2024)

Garret Ahearn: Everyone on the minimum wage.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Mar 2024)

Garret Ahearn: I second the amendment by my colleague, Senator McGahon. I too want to raise University Hospital Limerick. I concur with comments made by Senator Dooley about management of the hospital. At some point last year, Fine Gael had Private Members' business here with my other colleagues from the region, Senators Maria Byrne and Conway. Since then, nothing has got better. The Minister has put...

Seanad: EU Talent Pool: Motion (5 Mar 2024)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Acting Chair. I am covering for Senator Ward today. The Minister of State and his officials are very welcome to the Chamber. I agree with the previous Senator in that we should have a debate on this topic. Even though this matter needs to be dealt with by tomorrow, it is important that we have a debate on it. From the Fine Gael perspective, we support what the Minister of...