Results 1,381-1,400 of 1,729 for speaker:Maria Byrne

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Feb 2019)

Maria Byrne: I thank Down Syndrome Ireland for its informative event in the audio-visual room last week. I agree with one of the previous speakers about the July provision. It is something I have raised here in a Commencement debate. Children with Down Syndrome are not accepted under the July provision. For those who do not know, the July provision is an opportunity to go to school in the month of...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Feb 2019)

Maria Byrne: I also lend my support to the amendment as proposed. As Senator Nash said, we can only deal with the amendment in front of us. Given the fact it started in this House, we would like to see it finish in this House. On a point in support of the amendment, when it comes to advertising jobs for the RCSI, in particular trying to attract people to come back to Ireland from outside, not to have...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Feb 2019)

Maria Byrne: Next Tuesday, 12 February.

Seanad: Community and Rural Support Schemes: Statements (6 Feb 2019)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I am positive about the schemes. I will speak from my experience of living in the west, in a city which has many rural villages on its outskirts. From working with those communities, I find that a number of the schemes that come under the remit of the Department of Rural and Community Development have been positive and life-changing for the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Feb 2019)

Maria Byrne: On the national children's hospital, while we all await the full explanation of how the overrun occurred and what is involved, to which the Minister for Health has given a commitment, it is sad to see the scaremongering about other projects that has happened in the last few days. For example, at University Hospital Limerick we await 60 modular beds. Two members of the Labour Party were...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Feb 2019)

Maria Byrne: Many people have contacted my office about the overcrowding at the hospital-----

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Feb 2019)

Maria Byrne: -----and query why these beds are not going ahead.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Feb 2019)

Maria Byrne: One Labour Party member, and a former Deputy, was quoted as saying that it is due to the overrun at the children's hospital.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Feb 2019)

Maria Byrne: We cannot have scaremongering because it alarms people. The 60 modular beds are going ahead; I believe that they are. In terms of the overrun at the national children's hospital, we are all talking about the price and the whole lot but the fact of the matter is that we need the hospital. As many as 450 children will be facilitated at the hospital. There is an overrun and, yes, we need to...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Jan 2019)

Maria Byrne: I rise to highlight the more than 35,000 nurses on the picket lines. As the Leader is well aware, University Hospital Limerick is in the news every day and has been mentioned in the House many times by various Senators. I call for sense to prevail and for both sides to come together and reach a resolution. Going into the hard winter season, none of us wants to face continuous strikes....

Seanad: Housing for Elderly People: Motion (30 Jan 2019)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister and compliment my colleague, Senator Reilly, on bringing forward the motion. I have had the pleasure of visiting both a private and a public venture in Limerick with the Ministers of State, Deputies English and Jim Daly. The private and public facilities have definitely learned from each other about ways to improve the lives of older people, particularly those aged...

Seanad: Directly Elected Mayors: Statements (29 Jan 2019)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State and congratulate him on bringing this issue back to the House. There have been many attempts during the years to do this, but nothing really happened. A Green Paper was published on which there was much discussion but it did not proceed to a White Paper. As a former Mayor of Limerick city, which I had the honour and privilege to serve from 2010 to 2011, I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: National Council for Special Education: Chairperson Designate (29 Jan 2019)

Maria Byrne: I apologise as I must leave because of a meeting.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Medical Card Appeals (24 Jan 2019)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne. The reason I tabled this matter is that I am encountering a lot of frustration in my office about medical cards. How many appeals have been upheld in the mid-west? Limerick, north Tipperary and Clare all come within the same catchment area. I have dealt with several people who have terminal illnesses and who have received four or...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Medical Card Appeals (24 Jan 2019)

Maria Byrne: What I take most from the Minister of State's reply is the reference to a holistic and compassionate approach. While some people can be very nice to deal with, I cannot believe that somebody who is on a fourth round of treatment still has to fight for a medical card. Discretion is still being held impeded by red tape and more compassion and discretion needs to be shown. Writing to people...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (24 Jan 2019)

Maria Byrne: The European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week will commence on 28 January so the announcement that up 6,000 women in this country will have their smear tests reread is ironic. This is a worrying time for the women involved. I know that they are due to receive their letters within the next ten days but we have had so much to do with CervicalCheck over the past 12 months. I know that my own...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Jan 2019)

Maria Byrne: I, too, condemn the bombings in Derry at the weekend. It was horrific and frightening to see the videos on the news. I compliment all who were involved in organising yesterday's event. It was very appropriate and went off really well. I attended another event this morning and I took taxis to and from my destination. Both drivers had watched yesterday's proceedings on television and were...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Garda Deployment (18 Dec 2018)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton. I rise today to discuss areas of justice. I am looking for a greater Garda presence in the east Limerick area. Recently I made a submission to the Castletroy development plan in which I looked for a full-time Garda station in that region. The area is expanding. At the time the chief superintendent said that due to lack of resources it...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Garda Deployment (18 Dec 2018)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State. I neglected to say that the community gardaí are meeting the residents tonight and have been very responsive. It is a big factor that people do not see the Garda on the ground. It is pretty much a rural area. There has been a spate of burglaries. I commend the Government on the reopening of the Garda College. It is good that there are so many extra...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (18 Dec 2018)

Maria Byrne: I support Senator Ó Ríordáin's call for a debate on women and sport, an issue about which I am very passionate and have a keen interest in. I congratulate the ladies' hockey team who won the best team award in the RTÉ sports awards on Saturday night. It was a great tribute to their contribution representing Ireland, for which they won silver medals. They have set a high...