Results 1-20 of 23 for cork speaker:Cathal Berry

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

Cathal Berry: ...xc9; 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 procurement is important. If we want to be assured of 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: ...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 in Cork – he may have gone to Collins Barracks as well - did he hear any positive stories? I get a lot of phone calls, as he can well appreciate, from people who are very happy in the Defence...

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: ...people external to the Defence Forces and these rules were imposed on the Defence Forces. It is funny that it was mentioned that people did not know who the witnesses were when they showed up in Cork. I was that soldier around 2002 or 2003 when the Dr. Eileen Doyle commission came in to see us. As a result of this commission, these new complaints processes were brought in. I will not...

Tribunal of Inquiry into certain matters relating to the Complaints Processes in the Defence Forces: Motion (24 Jan 2024)

Cathal Berry: ...Defence Forces culture and I want to address what the true Defence Forces culture is. The true Defence Forces culture was very evident in the take-down of the MV Matthewonly a few months back off the Cork coast, when we had operatives sliding down the fast rope, overpowering those on the vessel and basically executing the largest drugs bust ever in the history of the State. True Defence...

Financial Resolutions 2023 - Budget Statement 2024 (10 Oct 2023)

Cathal Berry: ...monitoring our airspace - no primary radar. People can fly anything they want into our airspace with the transponder off and we cannot even detect it. During the assault on the MV Matthewoff the Cork coast a couple weeks ago, the Defence Forces had one helicopter available and only one ship. Unfortunately, unless drastic action is taken, I suspect we will not be able to conduct a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Current Issues Facing Members of the Defence Forces: Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (3 Oct 2023)

Cathal Berry: ...they can certainly comment on health and safety. I am no pilot but from what happened last week, when only one helicopter was available in the entire country to do a take down of a vessel off the Cork coast, does not sound right to me. It could be argued that only half a helicopter was available as it was tasked with a specific purpose in Athlone and had to be re-rolled, repurposed,...

Future of Regional Pre-Hospital Emergency Care: Motion [Private Members] (1 Mar 2023)

Cathal Berry: ...Fire Brigade, DFB, and all paramedic capability needs to be expanded, then, by extension, training pathways need to be improved. DFB works through the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland while the NAS works through University College Cork, UCC. However, the NAS worked through University College Dublin, UCD, up to three years ago. A large dedicated paramedical school in UCD is not only...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Feb 2023)

Cathal Berry: ...sector can do it for the students on campus, why can the military sector not do it? It is the international norm. If I could make one small suggestion, the next time the Tánaiste is driving home to Cork, he should take junction 12 on the motorway and have a quick drive around the Curragh Camp, which is a kilometre off the motorway. He could see for himself the potential these...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (12 Jul 2022)

Cathal Berry: ...needs to be done, but also the patrol duty allowance. Because it is in his constituency, the Taoiseach would be aware that there is a major problem with the Naval Service at the moment. We get many calls from Cork, which I am very happy to take of course. Strictly speaking, they may not be my constituents, but they certainly are my people. Does the Taoiseach accept that there are...

Annual Transition Statement: Statements (15 Jun 2022)

Cathal Berry: ...developments in respect of MARA being established, the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 having been enacted last December and planning permission having been granted for the interconnector between Cork and Brittany. Those are all good things, but they are all just plans. People need to see action. As things stand, there are only seven wind turbines off our coasts. Most people are in...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (4 May 2022)

Cathal Berry: I am not sure if the Taoiseach will recall exactly where he was on this day three years ago. He was actually on the Grand Parade in Cork when he quite kindly attended the military veteran's respect and loyalty parade on 4 May. That movement was established, as the Taoiseach is aware, to highlight the very poor terms, conditions and pay for members of the Defence Forces, a phenomenon that...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Policy (7 Apr 2022)

Cathal Berry: ...a strategic oil reserve here in this country. He mentioned the National Oil Reserves Agency, NORA, in response to me. Could he outline if we have 90 days of supply? Where is it located? Is it all in Cork, or are some of the reserves in different European countries? Will we have access to that in extremes?

Fisheries and Coastal Communities: Statements (17 Jun 2021)

Cathal Berry: ...this country. It has been dramatically depleted in the past five years in particular. We should have nine naval ships at sea, but we only have seven. The reason two are at anchor in the port in Cork is that we do not have the sailors to man them. It is an extraordinary situation to be in that we have the ships, but we do not have the crew. We have the hard part, but we do not have the...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Estimates for the Public Services 2021
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Revised)
Vote 36 - Defence (Revised) (20 May 2021)

Cathal Berry: ...days. As Deputy Brady quite rightly pointed out, there is a big reduction. There is a mitigating factor in that it is stated that 197 days were spent in support of the HSE in three dockyards - in Cork, Galway and Dublin - in respect of the pandemic but even that does not account for the drop-off. My concern is that a reduction in the number of Naval Service patrol days increases the...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (6 May 2021)

Cathal Berry: ...295 maritime patrol aircraft in 2023. What I would say is that they are to be for maritime patrol and should be used exclusively for that purpose, especially given the fact we have two ghost ships in Cork because the Naval Service cannot put them to sea because of a crewing problem. We still very much need a utility transport aircraft for this purpose, particularly because the pandemic...

Ireland's participation in MARSUR III: Motion (22 Apr 2021)

Cathal Berry: ...I am in favour of it for three reasons, primarily. First of all, it is very simple. From Ireland's perspective, it consists of just a single computer and a single telephone in the naval base in Cork, which will allow our navy to communicate securely with both voice and data to like-minded navies across the European Union. It really is that simple. It is modelled on the same carbon copy...

Air Navigation and Transport Bill 2020: Second Stage (Resumed) (4 Feb 2021)

Cathal Berry: ...If one were to ask anyone in the country what the most important industry here was, he or she would probably point to the large technology firms around Dublin or the large pharmaceutical companies in Cork, but not many people recognise how important and large the aviation sector is on our island home. As the Minister of State pointed out, Ireland is a major hub for aircraft leasing across...

Pre-European Council: Statements (2 Dec 2020)

Cathal Berry: ...the increased capacity for shipping from the island of Ireland to continental Europe which was announced a few days ago. The two additional routes, which will run from Rosslare to Dunkirk and from Cork to Zeebrugge, will make a big difference. Using these routes will increase the transit time for Irish hauliers travelling from Ireland to continental Europe but will allow the UK land...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (21 Oct 2020)

Cathal Berry: ...discovery perspective? Second, we have an extensive pharmaceutical industry in this country. Is it playing its part in this global effort? Are we leveraging the expertise we have in Cork or in Newbridge where the Pfizer plant is located? Third, is there anything else we can do from a State or governmental perspective? Are we leveraging organisations such as Enterprise Ireland...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (23 Jul 2020)

Cathal Berry: ...matters with the Tánaiste. There is almost universal acceptance that there is a severe and worsening staff retention issue in the Defence Forces. All we have to do is look at the naval base in Cork where two naval ships are tied up. These vessels are unable to put to sea because there are not enough sailors to crew them. I have also been reliably informed that a further two ships...