Results 7,621-7,640 of 9,832 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister of State has raised a related point, to which I want to return because it is very important. He has refused to state the sum the Government expects to receive from the valuation. He is right in that regard, but I ask him to examine, in his capacity as procurement Minister, the process throughout the State system. Certainly in local authorities, councillors are still going...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I apologise if Senator Reilly has already dealt with the following point. Section 3 repeals the 1986 Act. However, section 44 refers to the 1986 Act and states that the fund established by that Act continues. Is there a contradiction in that section 3 repeals the legislation, yet there is a reference to it in section 44?

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Thomas Byrne: It seems problematic. I believe this needs to be clarified.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I move amendment No. 2: In page 6, between lines 29 and 30, to insert the following:"4. The National Treasury Management Agency shall manage that portion of the proceeds from the sale of the National Lottery Licence designated for the National Children's Hospital.".It goes to the heart of the Bill and our concerns about it that what we are relying on is a promise from Government, and...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Thomas Byrne: In general terms.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I find some of the Minister of State's arguments compelling. He is correct that if the State puts something out to tender, it must be advertised in Europe. There is no question of this. However, the Government does not have to put the national lottery to tender. There is no EU law which prevents the Government from operating it within a Department. EU procurement law is generally neutral...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Thomas Byrne: We seem to be getting confused in the debate. I worry that there is an impression that somehow this is being forced on us-----

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Thomas Byrne: -----when I hope it would be clear to the public that the Fine Gael-Labour Party Government decided it.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for recognising that this Bill has nothing to do with the troika agreement. It is one of the first occasions on which the Government has admitted that something it is doing has not been forced on it by anyone else. It is worth putting on the record that the original troika agreement did not commit the Government to sell any State assets but merely asked the...

Seanad: Financial Stability and Reform Bill 2013: Second Stage [Private Members] (24 Apr 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I pay tribute to Senator Barrett who continues to bring forward important legislation, based on his own expertise and experience and that of his students and colleagues in Trinity College. It is very important that such expertise is brought to our national Parliament. It is a great pity, however, with the way that this Parliament works, that such expertise stops when the speeches are made,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report 2013: Discussion with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (24 Apr 2013)

Thomas Byrne: If the Government were to introduce measures in the next budget, would that increase uncertainty over us reaching our targets?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report 2013: Discussion with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (24 Apr 2013)

Thomas Byrne: Is the Government's approach to capital expenditure with the undershooting of capital targets a blockage to economic growth, similar to what Professor Barrett described happened in the 1980s?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Fiscal Assessment Report 2013: Discussion with Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (24 Apr 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I apologise on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Michael McGrath, who cannot be present for the entirety of the meeting. The council's assessment, restated today, is that the planned adjustments of €3.1 billion in 2014 and €2 billion in 2015 should not be reduced. Given that we are likely to overshoot the runway, so to speak, by going beyond the 3% target, is there a case for...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Second Stage (24 Apr 2013)

Thomas Byrne: It was made in the 1980s by Fine Gael.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Second Stage (24 Apr 2013)

Thomas Byrne: It made that particular decision.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Second Stage (24 Apr 2013)

Thomas Byrne: That is an outrageous allegation for the Minister to make in this House. If they treat this Parliament as they are doing they will be run out of office quicker than they ever expected.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Second Stage (24 Apr 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I do not know what to say because this is outrageous. It is a bad precedent for the Seanad and the Dáil because while Governments, and this Government in particular, are prepared to guillotine legislation, I have never heard of a Minister's speech being guillotined in any Chamber. It is outrageous and people should object to that in a serious way. It is turning this Seanad into a...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Second Stage (24 Apr 2013)

Thomas Byrne: On a point of order, I object to the Minister of State just putting on the record a speech instead of setting out the details of the Bill. It is unacceptable and insulting to the Seanad that the Minister would not explain what is in the Bill for the purposes of the debate. It is unprecedented and I call on the Minister of State to argue his point. Otherwise, we may as well close the doors,...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Second Stage (24 Apr 2013)

Thomas Byrne: On a point of order, an bhfuil ráiteas an tAire Stáit le fáil? Is the Minister of State's speech available in print?

Seanad: Adjournment Debate: Road Network (17 Apr 2013)

Thomas Byrne: It is impossible to read the version of the Minister of State's reply that has been furnished to us. The copy of the reply from which the Minister of State read is in the proper font. I do not know why it could not have been photocopied and made available to us. It is impossible to read the document given to us. It is an insult to the Seanad that the Department of Transport, Tourism and...