Results 41-60 of 65 for garda speaker:Catherine Ardagh

Seanad: Order of Business (31 Jan 2018)

Catherine Ardagh: ...small bit of political apathy setting in, many people are switching from "Prime Time" to another programme on RTÉ called "First Dates". However, not all first dates end well. I welcome today the Garda backing a nationwide roll-out of an Ask for Angela campaign for those who feel unsafe on their dates. This campaign encourages those who feel uncomfortable in a situation, whether it...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jan 2018)

Catherine Ardagh: To start with I will mention the Kerry babies case and the gross miscarriage of justice against Joanna Hayes and her family. Yesterday the Garda apologised to her family but we must call on the Government and the State to apologise to her and her family for what was a gross and unbelievable miscarriage of justice. I was two at the time. I learned yesterday from various journalists who...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Dec 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: .... Anecdotally, we hear that many elderly people are targeted by thieves. This instils horror in us all and is not something we like to see. I, therefore, ask people to be vigilant and ask the Garda to keep a presence to ensure people will feel safe when walking the streets.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: I am shocked at the news that a garda and another man were injured during a shooting incident in Ballymun this morning. Thankfully their injuries are not life-threatening, however the incident shows the importance of resourcing gardaí, especially when they undertake serious missions in respect of drug crime. We need to know that our gardaí are highly trained and have the very best...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: I was alarmed to learn today that the Assistant Garda commissioner, Mr. Pat Leahy, has issued a direction to the Dublin metropolitan area that all overtime cease on the basis that the budget has been exhausted. We learn this through the Garda Representative Association, GRA, whose members were told last night to go home from their stations. This essentially gives the green light to...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: ..., as the Department of Justice and Equality is one of the central pillars of our justice system and democracy. The Taoiseach also indicated that he will examine the relationship between the Department and An Garda Síochána. He also outlined that replies to parliamentary questions in respect of this matter will be reviewed to ensure that answers are complete. Ultimately, it is...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: ...of them and why she failed to act on them or even more why she failed to question the contents of these emails. Why did she continue, ever after May 2016, to express her full confidence in the then Garda Commissioner? Surely her confidence failed back in 2015. There are many more questions arising from her presence in this Chamber and by yesterday's revelations. We need to see the...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: I rise today to raise the Taoiseach's misleading of the Dáil last week on two occasions, albeit not deliberately, in regard to the Tánaiste's knowledge of the Garda Commissioner's legal strategy at the O'Higgins inquiry.The utterances by the Taoiseach were at the very least contradictory. I call on the Tánaiste to explain to the House why she misled the Taoiseach and to...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: My apologies. However, I would like the Tánaiste to come to this House and explain why she continually expressed her confidence in the Garda Commissioner since 2015 in the knowledge that the Commissioner had instructed her legal team to discredit Sergeant Maurice McCabe at the O'Higgins commission. It is incumbent on her to come to the Seanad, to show us the same respect she showed...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Oct 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: ...lives yesterday in Hurricane Ophelia. I congratulate those who worked tirelessly yesterday on the front line from the ESB, Dublin and other fire brigade services around the country, the Army and the Garda Síochána. Their work ensured that we could go to work today on safe roads as they took it on themselves to go out and clear the fallen trees from the roads. We should be very...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: ...for Justice and Equality to attend the House to explain how he will act on the recommendations made in the report. Serious concerns about the Department of Justice and Equality's oversight of An Garda Síochána were raised. The Department has presided over serious financial and governance irregularities in the force in recent years. The report is also sceptical about the...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Jun 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: Today, I wish to raise two short issues. First, it is with great regret that I rise again today to raise the issue of the Garda Commissioner. We have learned that the irregularities in Templemore are much more severe than we originally thought. We learned yesterday that the Garda Commissioner has confirmed there is reasonable cause to suspect fraud has been committed regarding Garda bank...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jun 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: ..., did not raise serious questions at the Cabinet meeting last Tuesday. Perhaps if the Minister had paid as much attention to Máire Whelan's appointment by Fine Gael as he did to securing the re-opening of the Stepaside Garda station he might have been able to prevent such a flawed appointment. He passed on this opportunity last Tuesday to ask tough questions about this appointment...

Seanad: Order of Business (30 May 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: ...Ombudsman for Children.Today, I highlight the report by Government rapporteur for child protection, Dr. Geoffrey Shannon, who commented that there was a much greater co-operation needed between An Garda Síochána and Tusla to protect our most vulnerable children. There are reports of cases where children were taken from their homes under the powers of section 12 by gardaí...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 May 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: ...to call on the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to attend this House and explain what she knows about the current saga of the alleged misappropriation of millions of euro at the Garda training college in Templemore. There appears to be a huge disparity between the evidence given by a senior civil servant within the force, Mr. John Barrett, and that of the Garda...

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Mar 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: ...implication for these companies and may put these routes in jeopardy. Having this type of impact on children's education, flowing from the Minister's inaction, is unacceptable. With regard to the ongoing Garda controversy, we learned this morning that the Commissioner has apologised to the Policing Authority for failing to mention the breath testing audit, despite having met the Policing...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Mar 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: I wish to raise two issues, the first of which is the recent Garda scandal and the second is the protection of cyclists on our roads. How the Government has dealt with the recent Garda scandal is incredible. Most notably, the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality has failed to appear in the Dáil today and has, for all intents and purposes, gone to ground. Some 937,000...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Feb 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: I welcome the motion to be taken this evening and the opportunity to debate the terms of reference of the tribunal of inquiry into the Garda. This is one of the biggest matters that has been before the House. It is important that the inquiry commences and that its terms of reference cover all the allegations. The information needs to come out into the public domain. It is important that...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jan 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: ...100 or more people per year have been getting into the country as part of this scam. This alleged exploitation is of great concern to me.It is clear that the authorities in Dublin Airport and the Garda need to examine carefully the alleged failures in security that allowed such exploitation and abuse to slip through the system. Of further concern is the apparent simplicity of the scam, in...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2016)

Catherine Ardagh: .... The industrial relations situation in Ireland is an absolute shambles and it does not seem to be improving. We have a failed Workplace Relations Act, continuous transport strikes, threatened Garda stoppages and still no sign of the promised public service pay commission that was agreed in the confidence and supply agreement. A recent survey of industrial relations practitioners...