Results 7,441-7,460 of 9,832 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)

Thomas Byrne: They do not need to be compelled.

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)

Thomas Byrne: Everyone of them who has ever been asked has said they will come to the Oireachtas. I am confident in saying that there would be no issue of compelling any member of my party. It is a red herring for the Government to bring this up because it has often said over the past number of weeks that they would be compelled to come in. Any time any member of Fianna Fáil has been asked whether...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I am saying the politicians will come in.

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)

Thomas Byrne: Let us start with the politicians. They and former politicians will come in but many others will not come in and will not have to come in and the inquiry will not want to bring them in because it might prejudice criminal trials so it will be a political event down in the basement in this House for the next year or so. It will drag down the reputation of the Houses. A major daily newspaper...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I sometimes enjoy Senator O'Keeffe's columns in newspapers and I do take people on face value. There has been much criticism of the Nyberg, Honohan and Regling and Watson reports, some of it justified. However, I would ask those who criticised those reports to actually read them. There is a huge amount of information in them and findings that are relevant and if people actually took the...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I will not oppose the Bill on Second Stage. I agree with the Minister that Committee Stage will provide an opportunity to debate the provision in some detail because it is quite a long and complicated Bill and it is important that we go through each section to tease out exactly what it means. From the outset, it seems that the Bill is really putting together what is already law and setting...

Seanad: Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Bill 2013: Second Stage (9 Jul 2013)

Thomas Byrne: People with €5 million houses do not come to my clinics.

Seanad: Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Bill 2013: Second Stage (9 Jul 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I stand to absolutely and wholly oppose this legislation, which is the wrong legislation at the wrong time. In a normal, functioning economy, when people are in work, one would not mind having a system of repossession. However, when people do not have a job and cannot pay their mortgages, it is not right. There is no evidence of the strategic defaulters referred to by Senator Mullen. When...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2013)

Thomas Byrne: Yes, absolutely.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2013)

Thomas Byrne: It is too late for them already.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I was quoting Senator Eamonn Coghlan.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2013)

Thomas Byrne: Tá brón orm.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I said there will be 71,000.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2013)

Thomas Byrne: We stopped repossessions under our original code of conduct.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2013)

Thomas Byrne: Our code of conduct held them up before that.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, to delete No. 2, because so far the Leader and the Government have refused permission to allow the Seanad to discuss the revised code of conduct on mortgage arrears. In the absence of that discussion and in the absence of taking that document seriously, the repossession Bill which the Government is putting forward is an outrage. It is about...

Seanad: An Bille um an Dara Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Deireadh a Chur le Seanad Éireann) 2013: An Dara Céim (Atógáil): An Dara Céim (Atógáil) - Thirty-second Amendment of the Constitution (Abolition of Seanad Éireann) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed): Second Stage (Resumed) (4 Jul 2013)

Thomas Byrne: This legislation must be opposed for a number of reasons, the first being the origin of the idea. Last week Senator Eamonn Coghlan wondered whether the idea arose over a pint or a cup of coffee, and for all we know, that is the case. Certainly the idea was landed on a surprised Fine Gael Parliamentary Party in a hotel in west Dublin before a Fine Gael dinner live on television. Therefore,...

Seanad: An Bille um an Dara Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Deireadh a Chur le Seanad Éireann) 2013: An Dara Céim (Atógáil): An Dara Céim (Atógáil) - Thirty-second Amendment of the Constitution (Abolition of Seanad Éireann) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed): Second Stage (Resumed) (4 Jul 2013)

Thomas Byrne: Four weeks.

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (26 Jun 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I shall not move my amendment.

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (26 Jun 2013)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister has listened to the arguments that I made last week and I shall chalk it up. The changing of "or" to "and" is an important distinction because there was a danger that collective agreements could be deemed second class in the criteria listed. I am sorry that I did not spot the possibility because it is simpler than changing the entire wording. I thank the Minister and my party...