Senator Gerard Craughwell- speech from 24 Nov 2021

Go raibh maagat, Caoirleach. Deputy Leader, yesterday I attended the RACO biannual conference. RACO is the representative group for commissioned army officers. I have to say it was probably one of the most depressing days that I have ever attended any conference. Clearly nobody takes the defence forces seriously in government. Nobody cares about the way this organisation has been run into the ground. Yesterday we had a cabinet minister, Minister Simon Coveney, tell the assembled group that the conciliation and arbitration adjudicator they are waiting for since June of this year. He is waiting for authorisation from Deeper. Now I would ask, what sort of an organisation have we created in public expenditure and reform that a cabinet minister cannot make one part-time appointment? It is outrageous so it is. The other thing that has been published widely over the last couple of days is the state of accommodation in the defence forces. The Curra, our flagship, the Curra, our flagship, been run into the ground. You have the United Nations School in the Curra. The place is derelict. You wouldn't put animals in parts of it. It is outrageous the way that it has been run into the ground. All of these barracks were handed over over 100 years ago in pristine condition and today they are red, rotten and falling apart due to lack of investment and simply not good enough that that is the way things are going. The second issue I want to raise is the issue of vaccines, booster vaccines in particular. I got a message from some friends on Saturday, you could walk into City West if you were five months since you had your vaccine and get your booster shot. So I make no bones of the fact that I am scared stiff of COVID. I have underlying conditions so I turned up at City West, stopped at the gate. Where are you going? I'm here for my booster. Very good. Is it five months since you had your last one? It is, yeah, there or thereabouts. Oh, show me your cert. So I showed the cert. Ah, you're five days short of five months. I'm sorry, you have to go home. Yet other people I know who were vaccinated on the same day as me got in and got their booster shot. My niece in Galway got eight requests to turn up for a vaccination after she had had them and she was then getting text messages saying you'll be regarded as a no show. We really need to get the whole thing with vaccines up and running. And finally, the issue of our essays within the Oireachtas. It is outrageous. I know that the woman who works for me is not just a secretarial assistant. She does a massive amount of research on my behalf and to think that they are not regarded in the same light as PAs in the Dáil. It's outrageous. We really need to sort it out. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.