Results 1-20 of 288 for at speaker:Cathal Berry

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (16 May 2024)

Cathal Berry: I thank the Tánaiste for that response. I acknowledge and welcome the progress that has occurred over the past four years from a pay point of view in the lifetime of this Dáil, particularly from a basic pay perspective and also from the offshore allowances for the Naval Service perspective. On the EU battle group, when I compare the positive trends in previous years for...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Defence Forces (16 May 2024)

Cathal Berry: When the Tánaiste doubled the offshore allowances on 1 January last, it had a very positive effect on the Naval Service. I am encouraged that there is a claim before the conciliation council relating to the EU battle group. If the Tánaiste could take a personal interest in that claim, it would be very much appreciated. There is one other anomaly I want to highlighted, which he...

Europe Day: Statements (8 May 2024)

Cathal Berry: I bid the Minister good evening. I am very grateful for the opportunity to make some brief comments to mark Europe Day on behalf of the Regional Group. While Ireland only joined 51 years ago, it is very fair to say that Europe has had a transformative effect on the country from a economic, environmental and societal perspectives. As the previous speaker mentioned, it is very important to...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2024)

Cathal Berry: I thank the Minister for the response. I agree that postponing the audits and inspections, even just for a few weeks, takes a lot of pressure off a lot of farmers. Something which has been mentioned to me and Deputy Canney and, I am sure, the Minister is the burden of administration on farmers. Professional farmers are doing what they love and we want them out in the fields doing what they...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Apr 2024)

Cathal Berry: ..., we have had a pretty brutal winter and there has been almost incessant rain for the past six to seven months. A lot of supports are required to help our farming community through this difficult patch because it has really disrupted the normal farm routine. For instance, we still have animals in sheds and slatted units full of slurry. We have fertiliser that has not been spread and...

Support for Carers: Motion [Private Members] (24 Apr 2024)

Cathal Berry: I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this important debate. From the outset I acknowledge the role of Deputy Verona Murphy, who had the initiative to come up with this concept in the first place. Deputy Denis Naughten and our group administrator, Cáit Nic Amhlaoibh, put the meat on the bones of this motion. Family Carers Ireland advised us throughout the entire process. I can...

National Cancer Strategy: Motion [Private Members] (16 Apr 2024)

Cathal Berry: I join Deputy Canney in wishing the Minister of State, Deputy Colm Burke, the very best luck for the remaining term of the Dáil in his new role. I thank Sinn Féin for tabling this very important motion. I very much welcome the opportunity to make some brief comments on it on behalf of the Regional Group. I commend and pay tribute to our healthcare workers working in this...

Anniversary of the Introduction of the Smoking Ban: Statements (11 Apr 2024)

Cathal Berry: I wish the Minister of State a good afternoon. I join others in wishing him the very best in his role. It is appropriate the Minister of State with responsibility for public health is in the Chamber this afternoon because that is precisely what we are talking about. I welcome the opportunity to make some brief comments on behalf of the Regional Group on this historic occasion. I remember...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (11 Apr 2024)

Cathal Berry: I welcome the appointment of Jennifer Carroll MacNeill as Minister of State at the Department of Defence on Tuesday. I look forward to working with her. I am just mindful that her predecessor, Peter Burke, and indeed his predecessor, Jack Chambers, had no defence powers delegated to them at all during their tenure. Does the Tánaiste intend delegating any formal defence powers to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Defence Forces (21 Mar 2024)

Cathal Berry: I am conscious of the clock. The defence budget is a matter very close to my heart. I am looking for details. I understand about €2.25 billion of the national development fund has not been allocated yet. The budget in the Defence Forces is so small, I wonder if the Minister could consider giving it a boost with the national development plan funds. There may be researchers...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Naval Service (21 Mar 2024)

Cathal Berry: I very much welcome this additional proposed hardware. We should always remember that is not a ship that makes the crew, it is the crew that makes the ship and crewing the ship is so important. As the Tánaiste knows, I always acknowledge progress. The doubling of the patrol duty allowance at the start of year is a help. The increase in the recruitment and retirement age is also a big...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Naval Service (21 Mar 2024)

Cathal Berry: I very much welcome this proposed project for sure. The LÉ Eithne needs to be replaced. That is an absolute certainty. Perhaps touching on what Deputy Ó Snodaigh said earlier on this morning, the LÉ Eithne was built in the Tánaiste's home county of Cork. It is a pity we cannot build more equipment here in this country because, as Deputy Ó Snodaigh said, ethical...

Pre-European Council Meeting: Statements (20 Mar 2024)

Cathal Berry: I agree with the agenda of the European Council meeting tomorrow and on Friday. It is appropriate that Ukraine is very prominent on the agenda, for obvious reasons. I welcome the Taoiseach's comments and his condemnation of the death of Alexei Navalny. It was completely unacceptable, particularly in advance of the Russian elections. It is very obvious what happened. I welcome the fact...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Mar 2024)

Cathal Berry: Ba mhaith liom labhairt freisin faoi cad atá ar siúl i nGaza faoi láthair. I would also like to speak about the situation in Gaza. I want to focus on the international humanitarian operation that is air-dropping food supplies by parachute directly onto the strip. I am doubling down on the previous speaker's remarks and I would absolutely be in favour of, and it is far...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 Feb 2024)

Cathal Berry: ...a good afternoon. Yesterday, the RTÉ news website aired some very revealing footage of a parachute airdrop of food supplies into the Gaza Strip, which took place yesterday. The humanitarian operation was carried out by aircraft from France, Jordan, the UAE and Qatar. It seems to me that this is precisely the type of humanitarian operation that Ireland should be involved in. It...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Feb 2024)

Cathal Berry: I thank Professor MacCraith and his team. It is great to have them here and to have such broad and deep expertise from academia, industry and the trade union movement, so we will lean on that over the next while. I thank Professor MacCraith also for his role in the vaccination process and for his personal assistance at times, which was hugely appreciated. On his visit to the naval base...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Feb 2024)

Cathal Berry: I am really glad Ms King mentioned that, that it is primary legislation. There is a perception that the complaints process was conjured up by the Defence Forces to keep complaints within the organisation. However, as Ms King has quite rightly pointed out, a lot of these processes were conjured up by politicians and people external to the Defence Forces and these rules were imposed on the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Feb 2024)

Cathal Berry: I find this very positive and useful. I thank the witnesses for their input, which is great to get. We have had external oversight of the Defence Forces before. There was an independent monitoring group that was inexplicably and unilaterally wound down about five years ago. It is a pity that happened. We probably would not be where we are now were that still in situ. Both...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Feb 2024)

Cathal Berry: It is good to hear it. Having worked in the healthcare profession, I know that the Defence Forces gender balance is infinitely better than the nursing profession or midwifery, for instance. So while it is an issue, we should not be army bashing and exclaiming that the stats are so low. We have to bear in mind that other armed forces across the world are not as army-heavy. Our Air Corps...

Second Anniversary of War in Ukraine: Statements (20 Feb 2024)

Cathal Berry: I wish to Minister of State a good evening and I welcome H.E. Larysa Gerasko, the Ukrainian ambassador. I very much welcome the opportunity before I head back to a committee meeting to make some brief comments to mark this grim and grisly second anniversary. I remember well - I think we all do - when Russian armour started to roll into Ukraine on 24 February 2022. It is amazing that two...