Results 8,601-8,620 of 9,832 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility (Statement) Bill 2011: Second Stage (14 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Gabhaim buíochas don Seanadóir Barrett. Is obair thábhachtach é an Bille seo. Mar a dúirt Seanadóirí eile, ba cheart dúinn tuilleadh oibre mar seo a dhéanamh sa Seanad. I thank the Senator Barrett for bringing forward the Bill. While I welcome the Minister of State's comments about the Government introducing legislation, unfortunately, the last time he said that was during the...

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011 - Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The manifestos of both Government parties included alternatives.

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011 - Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The Progressive Democrats, of which the Senator was a member, was also responsible.

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011 - Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: While I do not wish to delay proceedings, I will raise an important issue. This section appears to have been dropped into a template Bill that was provided by the legislation on the non-principal private residency charge. With all due respect to those responsible, this is not a particularly well drafted section. Why are certain people not liable to pay the charge while others are entitled...

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011 - Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: That is the point because some people are entitled to the waiver whereas others are not liable to the charge. Will the Minister of State explain the difference being made between the two groups in the legislation? Is it intended? From a drafting point of view the section is difficult to read. Subsection (5) states: "The Minister shall not prescribe a list for the purposes of this...

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011 - Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Perhaps the officials could look at it.

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011 - Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The section deals with exemptions and waivers from the obligation to pay the household charge. However, it does not go far enough. A whole swathe of people have been told that basic social welfare rates are being protected, but at the same time, charges such as this are being imposed on them. Our amendment No. 12 proposed that persons in receipt of jobseeker's allowance, jobseeker's...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The Senator is wrong.

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Was it?

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: While I compliment my colleague, Deputy Michael McGrath, on getting the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, to admit on live television that the cuts would be reversed, the fact is that these are not cuts but prospective cuts. We have not succeeded in getting the Government to reverse the cruel, cold cut to the fuel allowance. It will affect the poorest, oldest, sickest and the...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: They are the people who will be down €2 a week. They are the people that Government targeted because it was afraid to do what we did in previous years and what were described in The Irish Times today as brave budgets where everybody across society was hit according to what he or she could afford. In this budget specific sectors have been targeted. It thought it would get away with the...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The most important issue facing us is the European situation and it is crucial that we have a full debate on it. The story on the front page of The Wall Street Journal today noted the Central Bank was considering printing punts again. We need a debate on what is happening, what the Government negotiating position is and whether we have put anything forward. There is a lot of talk about...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Why have your colleagues asked to join the finance scrutiny committee?

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I was watching "Prime Time".

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The fuel allowance, perhaps.

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: We should speak to the section when the House is full.

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The import of the section is that the charge of €100 may be increased by ministerial fiat. If Fine Gael and Labour Party backbenchers are prepared to accept such uncertainty and hand the powers of the Oireachtas over to a Minister, let them do so. As I state almost daily, if they are happy to turn the Dáil and Seanad into rubber stamp Chambers, let them do so.

Seanad: Business of Seanad (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I ask the Leader to increase the amount of time allowed for the debate. We will be discussing the impact of the household charge on social welfare recipients, and if he stops the debate about the poorest of the poor, shame on him.

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Sinn Féin made a mistake by not having separate amendments because we can certainly support the first part but not the second part as it would be wrong to exclude Senators from the measure. The figure of €75,000 is approximately twice the famous average industrial wage. One must have some sympathy for people on the average industrial wage who might own two or three properties such as...

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister can enlighten me as to whether he has bought a house in County Louth yet. He will get a massive bill for property tax-----