Results 1-20 of 352 for long speaker:Gerard Craughwell

Committee on Public Petitions: Public Petition on Kiltimagh Water Scheme: Discussion (25 Apr 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: ...manager, who is the project manager and what is the timeline for this? What reassurance can we give the people of Kiltimagh today that they are going to have water in the foreseeable future because six years is too long to wait for a project?

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (21 Mar 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: ...the public that once it passes the 270 days, the Bill falls. I believe that the Bill passed 322 days, with effect from yesterday. However, it remains on the Order Paper in the Seanad, and as long as it is on the Order Paper, it can be debated. The only way it could fall is the way the judicial appointments Bill fell. It exceeded the 300 days but it remained on the Order Paper and was...

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

Gerard Craughwell: ...commander took the parade and the second in command was on parade, as were the sergeant major and the company commanders. Each platoon had a lieutenant, sergeants and corporals. Not so terribly long ago, I had to raise an issue whereby an entire battalion was being managed by a captain and three lieutenants. We constantly see 600 or 700 non-commissioned officer vacancies. Soldiering is...

Seanad: Second Anniversary of Russian Invasion of Ukraine: Statements (22 Feb 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: ...to come out with such a statement? If Ireland's neutrality is to be changed it has to be brought to the Houses of Parliament and discussed. People cannot just unilaterally decide we are no longer a neutral state. When it comes to neutrality, the 1907 Hague Convention IV states that we cannot, under any circumstances, support either belligerent in the case of a war. Our Government has...

Committee on Public Petitions: Petition on Justice and Marine Safety: Discussion (22 Feb 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: I just want to return to Mr. Gaffney for a minute. How long after he purchased the ship, did he notice there were stability problems?

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Feb 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: .... Level of Ambition 2 is about two years old and we still see no development in that area. We still see the numbers falling and now we are beginning to see the number of Garda falling. I asked not so long ago for a debate with the Department of public expenditure and reform on the pension scheme. The post-2013 pension scheme is killing the uniformed services – Garda, Defence...

Seanad: Death of Former Taoiseach: Expressions of Sympathy (7 Feb 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: First, I would like to extend my sympathies to the Bruton family, Finola and our colleague, Richard. Whenever death comes, it comes suddenly, even if there is a long lead into it. We are never prepared for it. It is no secret that I grew up in a staunch Fine Gael family. My father was a blueshirt to his marrow. He was a sadly misguided man who drove me into the Fine Gael Party as a young...

Seanad: Defence Forces Tribunal of Inquiry: Motion (30 Jan 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: ...never be given the prominence the IRG report was given. We have here today veterans who suffered at the hands of these thugs - for thugs is what they were. They discredited the uniform they wore, the units they belonged to, their colleagues and their country. They hid behind their rank in some cases and in other cases found locations where there were no seeing eyes to carry out the...

Seanad: An Bille um an Naoú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (An Teaghlach), 2023: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha - Thirty-ninth Amendment of the Constitution (The Family) Bill 2023: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Jan 2024)

Gerard Craughwell: ...courage to stick with the case decided on yesterday in the Supreme Court, and get to the Supreme Court. I am really concerned. The debate today is the most instructive debate I have heard for a long time in this House. What we needed was time to tease out all of these issues and to take on board the amendments being brought forward in good faith. They are good amendments. There are...

Seanad: Local Government Matters and City and County Councillors: Motion [Private Members] (6 Dec 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: ...authority members. By disempowering them, first and foremost, we now find - I believe this is the case in the political parties, and while I cannot be sure I am told anecdotally - that people no longer want to run for or be involved in local authorities because they see no benefit to it. I remember in 2014 when I first came into this House and I took on the issue of councillors' pay, a...

Seanad: Local Government Matters and City and County Councillors: Motion [Private Members] (6 Dec 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: ...and empowered. I want to see us take steps to ensure that county councillors are not regarded as cannon fodder to be used at elections and nothing else. I have known the Minister of State for a long time. I am of the view that he will agree with me at the end of the day. I know he is sponsoring some very strong people in the upcoming local elections, some very good friends of mine, who...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Transport Authority: Chairperson Designate (6 Dec 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: .... I thank Mr. Strachan for taking the time to come in to set out his stall. I will raise two issues that come across my table quite a lot. I am from the city of Galway. There has been a long campaign to get very light rail into Galway. There have been promises and all sorts of things, but I would dearly love Mr. Strachan to give some sort of commitment that he will at least have his...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Nov 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: Long living in the UK.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: ...for us to look at marine piloting in Ireland with respect to the legislation and the regulation that is required. I now lay before the House my intention over the coming weeks and months, for as long as we are here, to raise issues with respect to the pilots and to seek that we put them on a footing equal to the best in Europe. We should be the best in Europe. We are an island nation...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council and Departmental Matters: Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and for Defence (17 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: How long were the Army-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Foreign Affairs Council and Departmental Matters: Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and for Defence (17 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: .... Cultural change might start with politics and politicians in general and we might then release the coercive control that exists over the Defence Forces, because they have been hamstrung all along. I am very proud of members of the Defence Forces who have served overseas. I know some who served many more terms than 17 in their lives. Would the Tánaiste not accept that our...

Seanad: Disability Allowance: Motion (11 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: ...with lived experience in disability. On the other side of the House, Senator McGreehan has a major interest in disability issues and has often discussed her concerns with me. There is a Green Paper on long-term disability on the table. There are difficulties with it and they need to be examined. We need to establish, first and foremost, the Green Paper itself. Is it a consultation...

Seanad: Children's University Hospital Temple Street: Motion (4 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: .... If we were running a company, we would fire the chief executive and restart from the beginning, having everybody responsible for one thing and able to oversee it. There is no oversight, and as long as there is none people like the Minister will continue to come into this House to try to answer questions that they themselves have not been able to get answers to and try to appease the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Oct 2023)

Gerard Craughwell: -----and the fact that barristers deserve it. He said politicians had their pay restored, but we have not. There are still long-term increments outstanding.