Results 1-20 of 1,289 for speaker:Robbie Gallagher

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (2 May 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: The old adage that prevention is better than cure springs to mind when one considers the gap we have in screening newborn children in this country. Unfortunately, we are very much a negative outlier in Europe on this. We are in the bottom half of the table, which is very disappointing. There had been developments quite recently in this regard in that a newborn screening advisory committee...

Seanad: Gnó an tSeanaid - Business of Seanad: Road Network (1 May 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan. The subject matter that I wish to discuss with him is one that we discussed here some time ago. I have also discussed it with many of his colleagues in recent times. I refer to the absolute necessity for the provision of emergency funding to address the serious deteriorating condition of local and regional roads across the country. The...

Seanad: Gnó an tSeanaid - Business of Seanad: Road Network (1 May 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: I thank the Minister of State. There is no doubt that the adverse weather conditions have had a detrimental effect on our local and regional roads and the Minister of State accepts this. I understand and accept that €650 million has been allocated towards the road network but it is simply not good enough. I appreciate that the Minister of State has been handed his statement by the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: I thank the witnesses for their attendance. In the limited time available to us for this procedure, we are trying to get a handle on what this is all about and it is extremely difficult. As there are 13,000 pages of legislation relating to this, we are limited in what we can do and ultimately, unfortunately we are limited in how we can influence those who make these decisions. Mr. O'Neill...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: Does Ms Hurley have an idea as to how we compare with other EU states in that regard?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: Do any of the witnesses present have information on those statistics?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: Do any other witnesses want to make a comment?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: I might talk about the current figure of 30,000 for EU countries to share, whereby every country will get a percentage, based on GDP and population, of that 30,000. There are some fears that, perhaps, that figure will ultimately grow. Is there a ceiling to it such that member states will have an option to discuss it and perhaps to opt out of it at some point within the agreement?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: If, for example, further down the road, a state's GDP has collapsed and its population is such that it feels as though it cannot accommodate any more, what will be the procedure? If a state wants to opt out of an increase, will it have that flexibility within the agreement?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: There is no opt-out, therefore, at any point down the road. We will be tied into it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: Following on from Senator McDowell's comment about the UK and what might happen down the road in that regard, it looks as though all we can do is jump the fences as we meet them, and the first fence is bringing in legislation, which we all fully agree with. What happens thereafter is out of our control in many ways, and this could drag on. In the interim, people are crossing over the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: I appreciate that. It is just that the UK is having its own difficulties with France, and I suspect it might use the fact it has us over a barrel in many ways in respect of this. This could open up negotiations between the UK and the EU that could ultimately affect what we are discussing.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: I appreciate that.

Seanad: Court Proceedings (Delays) Bill 2023: Committee and Remaining Stages (24 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: Anois.

Seanad: Court Proceedings (Delays) Bill 2023: Committee and Remaining Stages (24 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: Anois.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: The deadline for businesses to apply for the increased cost of business grant expires on 1 May, which is in less than seven days. Small businesses such as shops, hairdressers, pubs and cafés can apply to have 50% of their rates bill returned to them. For example, a business with a rates bill of €8,000 in 2023 can get a grant of €4,000 or 50% of the rates bill. For...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: I welcome the Minister and her officials. It has been a very useful discussion and it is important that correct and factual information be laid out. One criticism I have of the Government is that we have been slow to do that. We have left a vacuum that others have moved into. Bad actors were referred to earlier. That is unfortunate. The purpose of this discussion is to try to get facts...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: It would be important to estimate that because all we have to do is kick a football from where we are sitting and the streets are populated with tents. We seem to have gotten to a point in this country where we are struggling to accommodate the numbers who are coming in. We are talking here about bringing in a mechanism, streamlining and fast-tracking, call it what you may. It is important...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Robbie Gallagher: Is it fair to say that currently our EU colleagues are not co-operating with us on secondary movements?