Results 8,261-8,280 of 9,832 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: The Labour Party will not be around.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: I propose to share my time with Senator Mooney, with the agreement of the House.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: In other words, if Senator Mooney had a full slot, there would be no need for me to share. If we had a proper debate, there would be no need for me to share.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: I will share my time with Senator Mooney, but again we want to put our strong objections to the way the debate is being held------

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: -----and to the way programme for Government commitments on guillotines are being completely ignored. This Government is surpassing the previous Government for using the guillotine. It is time its Members stood up to Ministers and told them to abolish guillotine, since that is what they promised.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: Níl aon am.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: Why is the Seanad always able to sit on a Friday when we are shafting people and when we are trying to attack the most vulnerable people in society? Why can we not sit 24 hours a day, seven days a week to pass debt relief legislation for vulnerable people? We cannot do so as the proposed legislation keeps getting postponed, yet the door is always open if we are to make cuts, no matter what...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: No we are not. This is a choice.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: Where is this in the troika agreement? It is nowhere to be seen. This is a deliberate policy choice of the Labour Party and the Fine Gael Party and it is coming into effect next Thursday. Somebody who becomes a single parent after next Thursday is subject to the provisions of this Bill and will have not Scandinavian child care available. Let us stop talking about Scandinavian child care...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: The point is that they are forced to negotiate with the banks by themselves with no strong arm, no help and no legislation backing them up, with bank managers asking why they have Sky Sports instead of Sky Movies and why they are getting Kellog's corn flakes instead of Aldi corn flakes. These are the questions being asked in banks.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: Where is the Keane report? We had a report in October 2010 and the Keane report last year. We were assured all this was happening but it is now being ignored and are sending these people back to the banks following which they then have to satisfy a social welfare inspector that they negotiated some deal with the banks. These two provisions deserve a much more serious debate than that...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: A Fianna Fáil idea.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: We will agree to that.

Seanad: Report of Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments: Statements (24 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for coming before the House for this debate and I wish her well in her role. This debate brings back to me the difficult time my party, its members and I experienced in the aftermath of the publication of the Mahon tribunal report. The period in question was very upsetting for us, particularly as people in whom we had placed our faith and whose evidence we had...

Seanad: Industrial Disputes (24 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to speak first. I also thank the Minister of State, Deputy John Perry, for coming into the House to respond. I know the Minister, Deputy Richard Bruton, is abroad promoting the country, about which I will not complain. My Adjournment matter concerns the strike at the Irish Cement plants in Platin, County Meath and Limerick. Over 100 workers are on...

Seanad: Industrial Disputes (24 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: What has to happen is that the Government must put pressure on Irish Cement to implement the Labour Court's recommendation. The workers have been through the process and the Labour Court has acknowledged that pay costs have reduced significantly. Shift allowances and overtime payments have been withdrawn. While rates of pay are still the same, what workers are taking home every week is...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: Like shafting single mothers.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: That is none of our business.

Seanad: Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union) Bill 2012: Second Stage (23 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: I rise in support of the fiscal compact. However, my support is heavy-hearted in some ways. My party is full square behind the treaty. I have no difficulty with the technical rules in the treaty. Those who urge a "No" vote have a duty to answer where they were when the six pack legislation was being debated by the European Parliament and Council and in this Parliament, when they had the...