Senator Gerard Craughwell

Independent Senator
Gerard Craughwell

I'm surprised at how much important work that effects so many peoples lives goes on in Leinster House, unnoticed by the general public. As an independent Senator, I intend to participate in the legislative process making it more effective and responsive to citizens needs.

Today (19 Feb 2019) at the Order of Business in the Seanad,  I  countered the very serious suggestion by the Leader of the House, Senator Jerry Buttimer,  Fine Gael that the ongoing debate  on the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017 is bringing the Seanad into disrepute. It has been implied that the almost 70  hours of debate has damaged the reputation of the Seanad and by implication its members.  I pointed out that since the commencement of Committee Stage debate, the Council of Europe's Group of States against Corruption had questioned whether the  Bill was in line with European Standards and if it actually secured judicial independence. In addition the European Commission in a report in March 2018 was definitive and explicit in its  view  that the Bill was not in line with European Standards. As recently as November 2018 the Irish Times Editorial stated “It is still not too late for the Government to scrap the ill-advised Judicial Appointments Bill being foisted on the country at the whim of Minister for Transport,  Shane Ross.”

By the end of September, the Irish Defence Forces (DF) will have reached an all time low. An all time low in numbers and in morale. Proud experienced Officers, NCO’s and enlisted women and men are walking away from the career they placed their hopes and dreams in. Young women and men who want to serve their country are opting for jobs in supermarkets or fast food outlets leaving behind careers destroyed by a failure of those in charge to understand their own mismanagement. The situation is I believe made worse by political interference forcing uniformed personnel to lower standards to present an image of an organisation with a plan.

In August 2017 I became concerned that the main political parties in Leinster House were working together to deny the citizens of this Republic the opportunity to select their next President by means of an election.
I feared that members of the Oireachtas and City and County Councillors would be prevented by the party whip from exercising their democratic right to nominate candidates and that the Presidency would simply be "rolled over" uncontested for another 7 years.

Today in the Seanad, I introduced my Defence (Veterans Lapel Badge) Bill 2017. This Bill provides for the establishment of a Veterans Lapel Badge to be conferred upon former members of the Army, Air Corps, Naval Service and Reserve Defence Forces by the Minister for Defence. The purpose of the Veterans Lapel Badge is to raise the profile of our Defence Force Veterans who have served their country with bravery and loyalty either at home or abroad or both.

Irish Water has launched a dedicated refunds website page water.ie/refunds as the government legislation necessary to enable the refunding of household water charges progresses through the Oireachtas. Radio advertisements are also beginning this week across local and national stations advising customers to contact Irish Water on 1850 448 448 if their address has changed and they have yet to update their details.

The CONSTITUENCY COMMISSION REPORT 2017 has just been published based on the results of the 2016 Census of Population Result

A PDF of full report is available at: Constituency Commission Report 2017

The constituencies of Cavan/Monaghan, Dublin Central and Kildare South will each gain one additional TD

However  the constituencies of Laois and Offaly were merged and will lose one seat as a result.

Other recommendations include: 

As the Irish delegate from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on EU Affairs to COSAC, I recently visited the Sicilian Port of Pozzallo in the province of Ragusa. What I saw there in the well-staffed and well organised reception centre for migrants was the massive scale of the migrant crisis.
Traffickers have learned that desperate people are willing to risk everything including their lives to escape from war, poverty and brutal regimes. The statistics are staggering. In 2014 the port of Pozzallo received 28,168 migrants and 51 deceased. A further 16,414 arrived the following year and in 2016 the port received 19,000 migrants of whom 3,147 were unaccompanied minors. When one considers that Pozzallo is but one of the Mediterranean Ports dealing with this crisis, the 4,000 people that Ireland has agreed to take and the 1,238 that we have accepted to date, is but a drop in the ocean of the overall crisis.

2017-06-07

Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance Scheme 2017

The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance Scheme will be paid out on week ending 14th July 2017

Previous applicants do not have to reapply and letters will issue to them within the NEXT TWO WEEKS.

If you don’t get a letter you need to make a written application.

The Application Form will be available from Friday June 16th 

You can get an application form from: 

• All Department Offices
• You can send a text:   Form BTSCFA followed by your name and address to 51909
• Email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• LoCAll 1890662244
• Website: www.welfare.ie

 

Today I thanked the Minister for Defence Paul Keogh for debating the issue of the Defence Forces with me.  His speech included a great deal of information about investment in the Defence Forces, new aircraft, new ships and new everything. There was no information on serving members who do not have enough to live on. Can the Minister of State be proud of a Permanent Defence Force whose members are depending on welfare payments to make ends meet? Families are struggling to survive. I have received communications from privates, corporals and sergeants who simply cannot feed their families. When a bill comes through the letter box they must make a decision on whether they will pay the bill or buy food. That is simply not good enough especially when we are told, and perhaps the Minister of State will confirm this, that the Department returned €27 million of unused money last year.

Today I wrote to the Taoiseach in his capacity as Minister of Defence regarding the recent Public Appointments Service advertisement for a new post of Assistant Secretary Defence Capability (People) Department of Defence at a salary of between €128,000 and €146,000 per annum. I wrote because I was at a loss to understand the rationale for this new post as both the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces already have very well staffed and effective HR sections which manage the recruitment, induction, training, development and other HR services for their civilian, civil service and military personnel. 

Archive

2019
(2 articles)

2018
(2 articles)

2017
(12 articles)

2016
(8 articles)

2015
(28 articles)

2014
(5 articles)

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