Results 1,561-1,580 of 1,729 for speaker:Maria Byrne

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Curriculum Reform: Discussion (21 Nov 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank all the speakers. As some of what I wanted to ask was covered already, I will not go back over it. I agree with Deputy Funchion on continuous assessment. It has to be brought in somewhere. When I studied for the leaving certificate examinations, one read everything and everything was put up on the board. One learned it and took it down. Those days have changed. On Ms Ní...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Nov 2017)

Maria Byrne: The match last night was disappointing, but I wish the IRFU all the best today because at 1 p.m. we will finally know whether Ireland was successful in its bid to hold the Rugby World Cup. I certainly wish the IRFU well. I know the Minister, Deputy Shane Ross, and the Minister of State, Deputy Brendan Griffin, have travelled with the IRFU delegation. We will know the news at 1 p.m. This...

Seanad: JobPath: Motion (15 Nov 2017)

Maria Byrne: I second the amendment proposed by Senator Butler. I welcome the Minister of State and thank her very much for her attendance today. This is a very important issue. In my experience of dealing with people that have come through the JobPath system, the majority have found it to be a very positive experience. The difference between JobPath and the CE scheme is that the CE scheme is intended...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2017)

Maria Byrne: Last week I referred to the Threshold report and the issue of rising rents. Today we read that rents in Dublin, up to September 2017, had risen by over 11%. In my city of Limerick they have risen by 10.5%. It is frightening because the report shows that rents in Dublin city centre can be anything up to €1,800 per month. In many other cities they can be €1,100 or...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Nov 2017)

Maria Byrne: I raise the issue addressed by Threshold in its report published this morning. It states more than 2,000 complaints have been received from tenants who are being evicted because they have received notice that major renovations to their properties are to be carried out. There is no definition of "major renovations". I believe the Residential Tenancies Board is to issue directives in the...

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister. There has been a long debate this evening and we are all in agreement that we want to see the issue of binge drinking cut out. I do not think anybody here supports binge drinking. I welcome the Minister's commitment to meeting all those across the sector, from the small retailer to the representative organisations and bigger organisations. This is most positive. I...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the good news from President Higgins in Australia, from where he confirmed, in an interview with Martin Shanahan of IDA Ireland, that many Australian companies are, because of Brexit, looking to Ireland's mid-west as a potential spot for relocation and expansion, when traditionally their focus would have been on the UK. This development is being described as the boomerang effect,...

Seanad: Report on Lone Parents in Ireland: Statements (25 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister. I agree with much of what has been said and will not go over it. I wish to refer to one or two experiences I have had. Sometimes maintenance is promised by a partner and there is an agreement in place that maintenance is to be paid. However, in many cases it is not or else it comes every six or eight weeks rather than every week or in whatever timeframe was...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Tackling Obesity and the Promotion of Healthy Eating in Schools: Discussion (24 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the witnesses for their presentations. As I am the last member to speak, many of my questions have been asked already and I will not go back over them. I agree with Senator Gallagher about the parents. It is about educating them. For too long, parents were not very conscious of what they put in the school lunch boxes. There is much more emphasis now. We have to find some way of...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I would like to highlight the EPA's report on all the raw sewage that is being pumped into our waters without being treated. It is alarming that some of the many treatment plants that have been put in place are not being operated properly. According to the report, over 500,000 tonnes of raw sewage is being pumped into the water on a daily basis. We should bring the Minister to the House to...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Autism Support Services (19 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, to discuss this important issue. My query relates to the number of autism spectrum disorder, ASD, assessments of need being carried out in the Limerick, Clare and Tipperary areas. I understand there is a significant backlog in this regard. I was recently contacted by a family in north Tipperary who, when they applied for a place for...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Autism Support Services (19 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister for his interest in this issue and I aware of his commitment to the area of disabilities. His answer was grand and I know that matters are being reviewed but it does not resolve the plight of the parents whose children have not got a school place this year because the HSE has failed to meet its commitment within the timeframe. I understand there are complications but...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Autism Support Services (19 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister for that.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I wish to raise awareness of a report compiled by Professor Emer Smyth of the ESRI in respect of the transition of students from primary to second level. It found that students who like maths in third and fourth class settle in to secondary school better than students who do not have a love of maths instilled in them. Two thirds of 13 year-old girls and 57% of boys surveyed were found to be...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I wish to speak about two initiatives to do with education. One is the announcement on Monday by the Minister, Deputy Richard Bruton, and the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Mitchell-O'Connor, of a €20 million investment in Limerick Institute of Technology in terms of STEM. It is an investment in a science and IT building that is much needed and will facilitate between 600 and 1,000...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I also mentioned the swimming pool.

Seanad: Flood Prevention Measures: Statements (18 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for coming in here today to listen to our concerns about flooding. The last time I spoke to him concerned the area of Montpelier, County Limerick. A house there had been flooded twice over - the flood actually went in one door and out the other - and the Minister of State released funding to deal with it. The local authority there is currently carrying out the...

Seanad: Recognition of Irish Sign Language for the Deaf Community Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (17 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for agreeing to the amendments. I compliment the deaf community on its work to date on the proposed amendments which Senators Daly and Clifford-Lee have brought to this conclusion. I met members of the deaf community in Limerick. They were good at putting forward suggestions on how compromise could be reached. I also compliment the Minister of...

Seanad: Recognition of Irish Sign Language for the Deaf Community Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (17 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank both the Minister of State and the team in the Irish Deaf Society. One thing that is clear is that the Bill will pass because of teamwork from the Irish Deaf Society and all the Senators. I congratulate all. It is a good news day for the Irish Deaf Society. I know from my communication with my own colleagues in Limerick, who were very vocal in putting forward their view, that it...

Seanad: Recognition of Irish Sign Language for the Deaf Community Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (17 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: Tomorrow morning at 10.30 a.m.