Results 1-20 of 53 for long speaker:Aidan Davitt

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Pension Provisions (28 Feb 2024)

Aidan Davitt: ...of days where he explained very well the angst that is being experienced by farmers. He has a great understanding of it. However, this is extremely unfair. In my time, and I have been here as long as the Acting Chairperson, Senator Victor Boyhan, I have rarely seen so many Ministers coming to the Chamber to field so many different topics. This is absolutely no reflection on the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Nov 2023)

Aidan Davitt: ..., Senator Crowe, who is from the same constituency, has already spoken; he will hardly get an opportunity to welcome them so I will do so on his behalf. The reintroduced tenant purchase scheme is long overdue, but I have encountered a problem. Perhaps some of the clerical officers dealing with it are not fully aware of the implications or of the relevant legislation, or perhaps I have it...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Oct 2023)

Aidan Davitt: ...Facebook page or my Facebook page. It is linked on several popular forums and I can pass the details on to anybody who needs them. I am anything but an advocate of war and needless killing. This long-running feud has to be ironed out. We must get people around the table to look at the bigger picture and iron out the problems. It previously looked like a two-state solution would be the...

Seanad: Situation in Israel and occupied Palestinian territory: Statements (12 Jul 2023)

Aidan Davitt: .... As he outlined, no one can condone the incursions that have happened recently in the Palestinian area. From our experience here in Ireland over our 30-odd years of conflict in the North - or longer as some people could tell us - I think we have been quite successful and we do not praise ourselves enough for how far we have come in 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement. Anybody who...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Jun 2023)

Aidan Davitt: ...and halved recently, it had been on some run for quite an extended time. Tara Mines made quite a lot of money over the past number of years. You cannot just take the good with the bad; you have to have a long-term plan. The management is not being fully honest in the way it is looking at its figures and running its operation. Senator Gavan also has made a couple of similar points in...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 May 2023)

Aidan Davitt: Antisocial behaviour on public transport has long been a scourge. It inhibits getting more people onto public transport. According to one of the transport unions, it is also driving good, hardworking people away from working in public transport. I have written to the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, proposing that all members of An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Mar 2023)

Aidan Davitt: ...talked about transgender education in primary schools. I come from a generation, as do quite a number of others here, where we hardly got any sex education in secondary school, so we have come quite a long way. I think that the Seanad would be a good forum for the Minister for Education to come and discuss her plans. It would be a nice open forum for people to see what she is proposing....

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Oct 2022)

Aidan Davitt: ...a problem takes a year at the best of times. I am curious about what guarantees are available and what back-up we are going to give to landlords. Fianna Fáil previously proposed a tax break for long-term leases. I do not where that proposal has gone but it made a lot of sense. I have spoken to my party colleagues about it. I mentioned more than a year ago the tsunami of sales...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Jun 2022)

Aidan Davitt: ...reflection, this type of leave scheme is one that could be expanded. Recently, one of our own exceptionally hard-working councillors in Westmeath, Liam McDaniel, fell ill. He was ill for quite a long time.In such circumstances, where a person has had the misfortune to have a protracted illness, that they could look to nominate a replacement for six months or for a given timeframe is...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Special Educational Needs (31 May 2022)

Aidan Davitt: The Minister of State seems to be aware of the timeline. The school applied to the Department in April. Is it long since the Department sought the additional information back? My understanding is that the school is very gung ho and keen to move on with the project. If the request from the Department was made recently, it may be that we could liaise a bit more strongly with the school or...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (4 May 2022)

Aidan Davitt: ...'s help, he will come to the House for a debate on e-scooters. I know legislation is being proposed and in draft but it has to be addressed sooner rather than later. As we all know, it can take a long time for legislation to get through this House. They could be dealt with under existing guidelines, at least some of the parts affecting everyday life at present. Anyone who goes anywhere...

Seanad: Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Building Control (Amendment) Bill 2022: Second Stage (30 Mar 2022)

Aidan Davitt: ...has a different aspect, in that it probably seeks to have building companies and whatever else registered, but I want to tease this out. There may be a building company that has been trading for a long time and it may be reputable but nobody working there might have certified qualifications. In the auctioneering sector, there was a "grandfathering" element, meaning people who...

Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022: Second Stage (23 Mar 2022)

Aidan Davitt: ...the great work she is doing in her Department. She has certainly shaken things up. She has a fresh approach to working in the Department. This is proof of it. There has been talk for quite a long time about trying to consolidate all the disability stuff. Indeed I had a very long conversation with my good friend, Senator Conway, about this some six months ago or so. I am delighted to...

Seanad: National Lottery (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (24 Feb 2022)

Aidan Davitt: ...over is the fact that but for bookmakers and their support, we would possibly not have dog racing or horse racing industries in Ireland. That is the reality. Looking at any of the major or weekend-long events, but for the sponsorship that the events receive from the industry, they would not be there. It is one of the biggest industries that we have in Ireland. That must be taken into...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Jan 2022)

Aidan Davitt: I agree with Senator Mullen on his final point about wastewater. I concur with his statement on the infrastructure being provided by the Government to upgrade the water system. Long may it continue. I raise the issue of training centres and apprentices schemes through training centres. I believe there is a backlog in quite a number of these schemes due to the non-availability or a...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Nov 2021)

Aidan Davitt: I want to raise an issue you broached in this Chamber, a Chathaoirligh, on many occasions. I know it is close to the heart of the Acting Leader as well. It is six months since we enacted the long-promised legislation on councillors' pay that had been bandied about for some time. Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party dealt with it head-on, and we implemented the recommendations on...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Mar 2021)

Aidan Davitt: ...catch-all legislation regarding the renewal of any business or profession that requires a State licence or certificate. During the Covid pandemic, many businesses have been closed and for a long time. The State still requires closed businesses to comply with regulations and standards. If a business has met required such standards in 2019, the least we can do in 2021 is to introduce a...

Seanad: Councillors' Pay: Motion (22 Feb 2021)

Aidan Davitt: .... As we know, 30 hours would be a better figure to work from or possibly even 40. Councillors are not employees; they are officeholders. Any talk of incremental pay increases would be disastrous as this is long overdue. There has been enough about councillors' pay in the media recently, particularly in some of the red tops, which is not helpful. It would not, therefore, be helpful to...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Dec 2020)

Aidan Davitt: ...yesterday. As he said, it is a good day for democracy. I congratulate him and welcome that, as the Cathaoirleach has. The Cathaoirleach has been a great advocate for democracy in this House and long may that continue. I would like the Minister with responsibility for planning to address the House. There are a lot of development plans going through and the regulator has dealt with some...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Financial Services Union: Discussion. (8 Dec 2020)

Aidan Davitt: ...the Royal Bank of Scotland, RBS, and stayed outside that particular scheme. The total arrogance of the Central Bank beggars belief. Ulster Bank appointed a new chief executive officer not that long ago and such a change brings reviews to explore where the business might be going or what might be best for it. I was not that shocked when I saw what was going on at first but the longer it...