Results 1,101-1,120 of 2,805 for speaker:Malcolm Byrne

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Feb 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: Like the Leas-Chathaoirleach, I welcome the students from St. Tiernan's in Dundrum and our guests from the European Court of Justice and I offer a particular welcome to the Estonian ambassador. Ireland and Estonia have a long range of links and friendships. Tallinn is a beautiful city so I recommend that anyone who has not been to it definitely visit Estonia. Apart from recognising...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Feb 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: We were discussing tax breaks for gym membership earlier.

Seanad: Second Anniversary of Russian Invasion of Ukraine: Statements (22 Feb 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I too welcome the ambassador of Ukraine, H.E. Ms Larysa Gerasko, and the ambassador of Lithuania, H.E. Mr. Marijus Gudynas, who are friends to many of us in this House. I hope our words today show the solidarity across these Houses with them and the people of Ukraine who must always be in our thoughts. I thank the Minister of State for being...

Seanad: Second Anniversary of Russian Invasion of Ukraine: Statements (22 Feb 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: That will be the Minister of State's next job.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Feb 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: It was a pleasure to have President Franklin in the Houses. I also welcome that the Speaker of the Senate of Canada and her delegation are with us today. I wish to be associated with the very appropriate remarks regarding the late Michael O'Regan. I raise the question of funding support for amateur theatre and musicals. As Members probably know, the amateur theatre festival circuit is...

Seanad: Situation in the Middle East: Statements (20 Feb 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: I am sharing time with Senator O'Loughlin. Cuirim fáilte roimh an Tánaiste. Everybody in the House will agree with the sentiments he has expressed today and in international forums, which reflect the horror of the people of Ireland at what we are witnessing in the Middle East. We can debate the politics of everything else but it is critical that there be an immediate ceasefire....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Climate Change Policy (15 Feb 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Ryan. When the Minister of State and I were in school, we learned all about the Gulf Stream and the importance of the flows in the Atlantic. I am very alarmed by recent reports from Utrecht University on one of the longest studies of the impact...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Climate Change Policy (15 Feb 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for his response and I am glad the Government is looking at the potential impact across a range of sectors. As he said, this may not happen this century but there is a real risk of it happening. We are already seeing a lot of strange weather events as a result of climate change.I would be concerned if Government policy is that it will put Noah's Ark on top of...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the witnesses. With regard to what Kevin Bakhurst has said, it is essential that trust in RTÉ and in public service broadcasting be restored. I look forward to the day when we are discussing the broader question of public service broadcasting and how we can support the creation of Irish content and the staff and independent production companies engaged in the good work that is...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: I appreciate that. I am going to look at the McCann Fitzgerald report. I appreciate Ms Cusack's position and what she was dealing with. I know she was asked earlier whether she was afraid of Dee Forbes as director general. Does she feel she was misled by Dee Forbes?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: I appreciate that. The McCann Fitzgerald report found that there were ten cases that potentially did not satisfy the requirements for voluntary redundancy under the relevant Acts. There were issues with Revenue in respect of those redundancy questions. With regard to the bogus contracts of self-employment, there is now a contingency plan in RTÉ with regard to the costs and the risks....

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: I suppose I am asking what RTÉ's contingency is.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: RTÉ will have a contingency set aside, however.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: I appreciate that.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: We are talking €15 million and €200,000 as the two ballpark figures.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: I want to come to Ms O'Keeffe's voluntary package. This actually speaks more to the culture within the organisation. As I understand, Ms O'Keeffe was appointed the acting CFO in 2013 within RTÉ. That competition was filled internally. Her predecessor had left under a voluntary exit package at the time. Ms O'Keeffe subsequently got to leave under a voluntary exit package. This is...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: Thank you, and that offer from the committee obviously remains, as Deputy Griffin said.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: I appreciate that. If I can move on to the Grant Thornton report, and I just want to be correct in my understanding of this, no member of the board was aware of Toy Show The Musicalas a concept and how it was developed before the combo meeting of 29 March. I am conscious Mr. Hickey and Ms O'Leary are named as having attended the combo meeting, but no member of the board was aware prior to March.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: The previous chair was aware of this. I find it somewhat bizarre and really odd, given that significant financial undertaking early on and given that - I appreciate what Adrian Lynch said about some of the external expertise - this was at a scale that was unprecedented. I am conscious Ms O'Leary started to raise some of the issues. When that was presented to her at that combo meeting, as...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Transparency of RTÉ Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Feb 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: Okay. I want to ask Mr. Lynch then, because clearly this seems to be something that was explored and examined at the executive board. The impression I get from reading the Grant Thornton report and from what we have heard from board members is that the board was at all times told this is going well and that ticket sales are fine. In fact, the wording used at one stage is that it was even...