Results 1,761-1,780 of 2,806 for speaker:Malcolm Byrne

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I wish to be associated with the vote of thanks to all of the members of staff in the Seanad and in the Houses of the Oireachtas more generally. We certainly could not do our job without their help, and also the work of our secretarial assistants. I hope all of the staff will get a well-deserved break at some stage over the summer. I congratulate the Houses of the Oireachtas on its...

Seanad: Remediation of Dwellings Damaged By the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Committee Stage (13 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the Minister for coming to the House. It is important to acknowledge his work and that of his officials. He has put an incredible amount of work into this. He has chosen not to play politics with it. He wanted to resolve an issue affecting significant numbers of individuals and families. I am speaking specifically to the amendment. We all value our homes. They are where we live...

Seanad: Night-time Economy: Motion (13 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I commend Senator Warfield on bringing forward this motion. He has been a strong advocate on this issue for quite some time. I also commend the team from Give Us The Night. I was not able to make the briefing this afternoon, although my intern went to it. Certainly, those involved with Give Us The Night have been very active on this issue for a long...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Governance and Related Issues in Cycling Ireland: Discussion (13 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank all the witnesses and particularly Dr. Daly and Ms Kerrane. I am very conscious that becoming volunteer members of a board, particularly during a difficult transition period, must be acknowledged. It should be acknowledged that Cycling Ireland is more than just the board. It is about the members and cyclists on the ground. The good work by all the volunteers in the country must be...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Governance and Related Issues in Cycling Ireland: Discussion (13 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I appreciate the matter is out of Sport Ireland's hands.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Governance and Related Issues in Cycling Ireland: Discussion (13 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: Let us just say there is no other occasion in the near future where we are expecting another national governing body to be before the committee.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Governance and Related Issues in Cycling Ireland: Discussion (13 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: Of course. Mr. McDermott is aware there is a seriousness about the issues which happened at Cycling Ireland and certainly at the IABA. There are ongoing issues in respect of addressing gender balance and other matters at governing body level. In terms of specific serious concerns-----

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Governance and Related Issues in Cycling Ireland: Discussion (13 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: With the Chair's indulgence, I have one further question. Contrasting Cycling Ireland with the IABA, in Cycling Ireland we had a board which voluntarily stepped aside. Excellent volunteers like Dr. Tom Daly and Ms Helen Kerrane stepped up to the mark. As is clear from the weekend, the outgoing IABA board has lost the confidence of the clubs and members. It certainly arguable and our...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Governance and Related Issues in Cycling Ireland: Discussion (13 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I was comparing and contrasting, Vice Chairman.

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Report Stage (12 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: This issue has exercised both the Minister and his officials quite a bit over the last number of weeks. I thank him and his officials for the briefing and the engagement around this issue. It should be clear that there is a long-running tradition of effective student representation in Ireland and-----

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Report Stage (12 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: Indeed. I referenced effective student representation specifically. The key point is that within this legislation, there is an acknowledgement by the Minister of the role of students. There is a challenge in ensuring we always have independent students' unions. In outlining some of the legal difficulties, I hope the Minister can assuage some of the concerns and fears because it has...

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) (12 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I am concerned about some remarks that Senator Gavan made concerning private institutions. Ireland is unusual in that about 95% of students attend publicly-funded or public institutions, which is different to most other countries. We have one of the highest third level education participation rates in the world, with about 62% of 18-to-20-year age cohort attending. As for the money Senator...

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) (12 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I propose a suspension of the House for 15 minutes.

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) (12 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: My concern relates to the fact that we have a small number of private higher education providers that meet a need within the State. I am a big supporter of the public education system. Senator Gavan seems to suggest that these providers are somehow damaging our education system. They are not; they are supplementing it. The SUSI grant scheme should be extended to those other institutions....

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) (12 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: On a point of order, a Chathaoirligh-----

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) (12 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: On a point of order, I do have an issue. We had an agreement that we would not guillotine this legislation and that we would not rush through it. We have been called in here to vote but just so people are aware of what we are voting on. It is not that it is substantive. The vote is on amendment No. 13, which is to delete the words "and environmental development and sustainability" and...

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) (12 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: If Senator Higgins would speak to the amendments-----

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) (12 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: If the Senator would speak to the amendments rather than calling votes on minor issues-----

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) (12 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach. I want to apologise to Senator Higgins because at no stage did I want to imply that Senator Higgins did not take her role as a legislator particularly seriously. The point I was making, however, concerning this is that there is no guillotine on this discussion but simply because there is no guillotine does not mean that Members should speak at...

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) (12 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: It is important that people speak to the specific amendments that are before them which is part of the point I want to make.