Results 7,501-7,520 of 9,832 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Second Stage (30 May 2013)

Thomas Byrne: They were done in accordance with the ability to pay. This Government's position and values were expressed in the Croke Park II agreement, which does not get any mention in the Minister's speech, and reflected an attitude of unfairness and pitting one side against the other. I object most strenuously to the guillotining of this legislation. There is a specific commitment in the programme...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Second Stage (30 May 2013)

Thomas Byrne: It is not enough to say that Fianna Fáil did it because Fianna Fáil was thrown out of office at the last general election precisely because Fine Gael and Labour promised they would do things differently. When the Taoiseach was challenged on this yesterday in Dáil, I was very disappointed to hear him respond by saying that Fianna Fáil did it so it is okay for the...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Second Stage (30 May 2013)

Thomas Byrne: The Government seems to have brought an end to the process of overall public pay deals by conducting a series of bilateral negotiations in Croke Park II. Some sections of this Bill give it potential for further negotiations. This could appear to favour particular unions over others. There seems to be no overall decision, strategy or vision in respect of this, which may have a long-term...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Second Stage (30 May 2013)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister has not learned the lessons of Croke Park II.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Second Stage (30 May 2013)

Thomas Byrne: The whole point of Croke Park II was that allowances, and in some small cases, overtime but particularly allowances on weekends were the core pay of nurses. Core pay includes all of those things and they are the lessons to be learned. There must be severe doubts about whether section 2 is lawful. It is certainly news to me that a Minister has an existing power to reduce terms and...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Second Stage (30 May 2013)

Thomas Byrne: They are not spurious. Ask any nurse in the country is that a spurious payment?

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Second Stage (30 May 2013)

Thomas Byrne: That has nothing to do with the Senator's party.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Second Stage (30 May 2013)

Thomas Byrne: Some of them already have-----

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Second Stage (30 May 2013)

Thomas Byrne: Only from the Labour Party.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 May 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I move amendment No. 6: In page 6, line 26, after "€185,000" to insert "but not over €200,000".I object to the ramming through of the legislation but I would like to deal with more substantive issues on the section and, therefore, I will withdraw the amendment.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 May 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I move amendment No. 8: In page 6, line 35, after “may,” to insert “by way of regulation by the Minister”.This section confers extraordinary powers on the Minister to change the terms and conditions of public sector workers. Our amendment seeks to ensure the Minister does this by way of regulation. These powers are unprecedented and provide for different classes...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 May 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I was not here.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 May 2013)

Thomas Byrne: Will the Minister set out where in the legislation these powers are? That is my next question.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 May 2013)

Thomas Byrne: The Act states that a power conferred by or under any enactment to fix the terms and conditions may be exercised as follows in subsections (a) and (b). What are these Acts? The Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Acts do not allow the Minister to increase pay; that it is for sure.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 May 2013)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister has not said why it is not possible to do it by regulation.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 May 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I recognise that the Government is doing much that needs to be done; we do not always agree with the exact direction of it, but the figures overall are agreed. The Government constantly speaks about the external pressures that existed when it came into power. At some point will the Minister list the external pressures he and the Tánaiste, Deputy Gilmore, keep speaking about that...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 May 2013)

Thomas Byrne: It was in response to the Minister's comments.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 May 2013)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister has something of a cushion, in that he can leave the direct pay cuts to the higher paid. He is not trying to save as much money as was sought under the previous legislation. I am trying to get a copy of the Act, but I would be grateful if the Minister could confirm that the section he quoted-----

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 May 2013)

Thomas Byrne: That would be helpful. I do not know whether it relates to the power of a Minister, as his quote did not mention that. His quote referred to tearing up contracts and I accept that that was what the Act permitted. We will accept the Minister's comments, but he did not answer the question as to why these measures could not have been made by way of regulation, which is a different beast from...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 May 2013)

Thomas Byrne: Senator Norris would not have been himself otherwise.