Results 6,701-6,720 of 9,827 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Seanad: Appointments to Board of Irish Museum of Modern Art: Statements (23 Sep 2014)

Thomas Byrne: There is a constitutional responsibility on the Minister to answer.

Seanad: Appointments to Board of Irish Museum of Modern Art: Statements (23 Sep 2014)

Thomas Byrne: It will just be for the next fortnight. That is my point.

Seanad: Appointments to Board of Irish Museum of Modern Art: Statements (23 Sep 2014)

Thomas Byrne: That is a pity, because there are so many other things to talk about in respect of this. The people demanded reform last year. They have got absolutely nothing in terms of Seanad reform. They got one meeting. The leaders of the parties got one meeting with the Taoiseach. What has happened? Business has carried on unabated and now our foremost gallery and museum for modern art, which was...

Seanad: Appointments to Board of Irish Museum of Modern Art: Statements (23 Sep 2014)

Thomas Byrne: I suppose that last word of the Minister's is probably the most unfortunate one of her presentation. I refer to the word "tenure". What is the tenure of this appointee Mr. McNulty? His tenure appears to be to get him over the hill and through the gap for a Seanad election which is going to happen in a couple of weeks. That is the tenure the Minister is talking about here. Let us look at...

Seanad: Appointments to Board of Irish Museum of Modern Art: Statements (23 Sep 2014)

Thomas Byrne: It is about the Minister's appointment and actions. I do not know the man from Adam.

Seanad: Appointments to Board of Irish Museum of Modern Art: Statements (23 Sep 2014)

Thomas Byrne: It does appear that the Minister appointed someone to the board of IMMA a week before he was nominated to run on the cultural and educational panel of the Seanad. I speak as one who knows about the qualification process for Seanad elections having been told that I could not qualify for the agricultural panel and that I was to run instead on the cultural and educational panel. That was from...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Sep 2014)

Thomas Byrne: Will the Leader tell us when the debate will take place?

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Sep 2014)

Thomas Byrne: Yes.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Sep 2014)

Thomas Byrne: He was appointed a week ago.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Sep 2014)

Thomas Byrne: It is a belt-and-braces approach. He was appointed to IMMA last week.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Sep 2014)

Thomas Byrne: I was refused on the Agricultural Panel.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Sep 2014)

Thomas Byrne: Once again the Government has brought the reputation of the Seanad into disrepute in the context of the appalling way in which it has dealt with the by-election relating to the seat formerly held by Ms Deirdre Clune, MEP. In the first instance, it was obliged to introduce amending legislation in order to allow the by-election to take place. Now, in an effort to impose its own candidate, it...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Sep 2014)

Thomas Byrne: It does and, in that context, I am not querying what the Clerk did in respect of this matter. I am, however, querying what the Minister did in order to satisfy the strict legal requirements with which the Clerk must comply. It is important that the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht come before the House in order to explain the recent appointment to the board of the IMMA. The...

Seanad: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Second Stage (18 Sep 2014)

Thomas Byrne: My party would prefer if it was held the following week as it would give us more time. Other Senators may wish to comment on that. Perhaps the Leader would take that into consideration.

Seanad: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Second Stage (18 Sep 2014)

Thomas Byrne: Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh. I welcome the Minister to the House once again. He has brought forward much legislation, most of it to improve the situation with regard to transparency, open government and the reform of our institutions, which I welcome. I believe the country will benefit from this and the Minister will have a legacy therefrom. Fianna Fáil supports the Freedom...

Seanad: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Second Stage (18 Sep 2014)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister is here often enough, so we will not blame him for his absence. We might not allow some other Ministers the same latitude. I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Simon Harris. The Government often talks about restoring FOI. Some 18,000 FOI requests are made every year and a significant volume of information has been given out every year since the...

Seanad: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Second Stage (18 Sep 2014)

Thomas Byrne: It would be just as well if some of the characters one sees wandering around these Houses were out in public. They might not show up then, and might not annoy us with the lobbying they do at times. It sometimes seems that there is an open-door policy in these Houses. One wonders how people get in although any Member can allow them in.

Seanad: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Second Stage (18 Sep 2014)

Thomas Byrne: That is another point, but we are here through the constitutional process. We can also be put out by a constitutional process. A book at the front door that everyone must sign, with the possible exception of school groups, would do no harm because there is too much of that. I spoke before in this House on this issue on another piece of legislation, the lobbying Bill. I mentioned that on...

Seanad: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Second Stage (18 Sep 2014)

Thomas Byrne: In general I am talking about lobbyists, but I am unsure as to how one would exclude anyone from this measure. Most visitors will not be of interest. We support this Bill, but FOI is already there and will continue. We are glad that the Government has made significant changes to this Bill in the Dáil. We will be putting down more amendments. It is a pity the next Stage is less than...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Sep 2014)

Thomas Byrne: There was not. They were not in the Labour Party manifesto; that is for certain.