Results 101-120 of 671 for speaker:Tom Clonan

Seanad: Impact of Cost of Living Issues on Young People in Ireland: Motion (28 Sep 2022)

Tom Clonan: I commend the young people for coming into this House but I can tell them as a newcomer to this House, I have not met one person in the Seanad or Dáil who is not working in the utmost good faith to improve the situation and to make this country the best place not just to live and have an economy but the best place to live as a citizen in a society.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Public Inquiries (29 Sep 2022)

Tom Clonan: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Chamber. This is the first Commencement matter I have raised and I will endeavour to deal with it as effectively as I can. I ask the Minister of State to make a statement on the provisions of the Local Government Act 2001 that have not been commenced since the enactment of the legislation and to explain why each of the sections in question...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Public Inquiries (29 Sep 2022)

Tom Clonan: It is not my intention to name names. These matters have been dealt with on the public record in the media and are well rehearsed in the public space.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Public Inquiries (29 Sep 2022)

Tom Clonan: The only person I will name in connection with this issue is Fiona McLoughlin Healy. It is her intention not to seek re-election. I was very disappointed to learn of that decision and I was disappointed throughout her experience-----

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Public Inquiries (29 Sep 2022)

Tom Clonan: Yes. As someone who has personally experienced whistleblower reprisal, I was very disappointed by what she experienced. I was particularly disappointed by those who engaged in it and those who stood by and did nothing to support her. That is why I have raised this Commencement matter. If ask the Minister of State to address the issue of whether there was specific legal advice on the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Public Inquiries (29 Sep 2022)

Tom Clonan: I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response. I appreciate his commitment to come back on the question of whether there was specific legal advice. Personally, I found the experience of Councillor Fiona McLoughlin Healy very disappointing and disturbing. Without going into any of the details, which are on the public record, there was a pattern of behaviour designed to...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Public Inquiries (29 Sep 2022)

Tom Clonan: I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach but I have been very careful not to name people or the particular areas in which they work.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Public Inquiries (29 Sep 2022)

Tom Clonan: I will finally just ask what a jurisdiction in which there is no trust in politics looks like. It looks like Capitol Hill last year. We need to be very careful.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism: Joint Meeting with Joint Committee on Disability Matters
Accessibility in the Built Environment, Information and Communication: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Tom Clonan: I thank our guests for attending and for all of the contributions thus far. My question comes from personal lived experience. I went on a personal journey as a parent and a carer. Due to the fact that my son had an unusual medical condition, we, as a family, did not belong to any grouping, as it were, for example, Down's syndrome or cerebral palsy. I only have knowledge of our own journey...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Joint Meeting with Joint Committee on Autism
Accessibility in the Built Environment, Information and Communication: Discussion (29 Sep 2022)

Tom Clonan: I thank our guests for attending and for all of the contributions thus far. My question comes from personal lived experience. I went on a personal journey as a parent and a carer. Due to the fact that my son had an unusual medical condition, we, as a family, did not belong to any grouping, as it were, for example, Down's syndrome or cerebral palsy. I only have knowledge of our own journey...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Young Voices on the Constitutional Future of the Island of Ireland: Discussion (30 Sep 2022)

Tom Clonan: First of all, I want to apologise. My son was in here this morning. He is 20 and a wheelchair user. He had to go through a health and safety briefing of the building. I watched the witnesses' contributions on the monitor, however. I am delighted that they are here. They made a very important point about young people. Believe it or not, I was once a young person. I did my leaving...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Young Voices on the Constitutional Future of the Island of Ireland: Discussion (30 Sep 2022)

Tom Clonan: I forged a bond with her father and finally he said to me, "You're my favourite wee Fenian", which was fine except for the word "wee". I took exception to that. We forged all of those friendships. I am still friends with some of the people I met 30 years ago. We did that against the backdrop of RUC land rovers, armed RUC patrols and checkpoints, the Ulster Defence Regiment going around in...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Young Voices on the Constitutional Future of the Island of Ireland: Discussion (30 Sep 2022)

Tom Clonan: I have a special shampoo but I will tell members about that later. We trust in the young people and they are absolutely vital to what happens next on this island. If we get it right, it will be a considerable success. Of course parts of it will be messy, whatever happens next, but we can celebrate in that mess together. It is for all of us on this island, in whatever form or model it...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Voices of All Communities on the Constitutional Future of the Island of Ireland: Discussion (30 Sep 2022)

Tom Clonan: I apologise if I repeat what has been said by other speakers. My questions are informed by my experience as a student at Trinity College Dublin. I went to Belfast and I had colleagues in Stranmillis University College and St. Mary's University College on the Falls Road. From 1984 to 1989, I spent a great deal of time in Belfast. Through the friendships I made with people from all...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Voices of All Communities on the Constitutional Future of the Island of Ireland: Discussion (30 Sep 2022)

Tom Clonan: I thank everybody. I really like the idea of a university-led examination of people's views. That infrastructure is already there across the island. Who better than our research leaders in the human and political sciences to do good phenomenological and qualitative research at PhD or post-doctoral level? We would get results quickly, within three or four years, and would bring all those...

Seanad: Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Statements (4 Oct 2022)

Tom Clonan: I thank the Minister for coming in. I want to emphasise at the outset that the Commission on the Defence Forces and the high level action plan report reflect the Minister's authenticity and sincerity as Minister for Defence. I refer to the gender issue in particular and I know the Minister is personally invested in trying to encourage the recruitment of women into Óglaigh na...

Seanad: Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Statements (4 Oct 2022)

Tom Clonan: No, but there is an arrangement. The fact of the matter is that the RAF does enter our controlled airspace to follow, intercept and escort Russian aircraft out of the area. It is not a criticism; it is just an observation of the facts. We must do a little bit better to vindicate our sovereignty. The head of transformation and the head of strategic HR are going to report to the Chief of...

Seanad: Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Statements (4 Oct 2022)

Tom Clonan: Could you just wait a moment, Acting Chairperson, so that I can clarify a matter because the Minister did interrupt me?

Seanad: Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Statements (4 Oct 2022)

Tom Clonan: The Annapolis US Naval Academy is a fully accredited independent university. The Colorado Springs Air Force Academy where the air force is trained is a fully accredited independent university. It is the same with West Point. It is also the same with the French and the Germans. We need to have that intellectual tradition established in order that we can formulate proper defence planning...

Seanad: Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces: Statements (4 Oct 2022)

Tom Clonan: I think that flows from much of the toxic culture I have alluded to. Most importantly, we need to pay our soldiers, sailors and the Air Corps in order to maintain them.