Results 2,161-2,180 of 9,823 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Seanad: Confidence in Minister for Justice and Equality and Defence: Motion (27 Feb 2013)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister for Justice and Equality, and Minister for Defence, Deputy Shatter, is not present. The Minister of State, Deputy McGinley, is always welcome here. We have great relations with him and he has great expertise in his area but he is not the Minister for Justice and Equality.

Seanad: Confidence in Minister for Justice and Equality and Defence: Motion (27 Feb 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I do not dispute his expertise. Last week we had a great debate with him.

Seanad: Confidence in Minister for Justice and Equality and Defence: Motion (27 Feb 2013)

Thomas Byrne: The motion relates to the Minister for Justice and Equality and Defence. As I understand it, there is a Minister of State at the Department of Defence who is also the Chief Whip.

Seanad: Confidence in Minister for Justice and Equality and Defence: Motion (27 Feb 2013)

Thomas Byrne: It is a point of order. The Minister's absence is completely unsatisfactory and disrespectful.

Seanad: Confidence in Minister for Justice and Equality and Defence: Motion (27 Feb 2013)

Thomas Byrne: It is symbolic of the arrogance of the Minister for Justice and Equality and is the reason that gardaí all around Ireland have lost confidence in the Minister.

Seanad: Confidence in Minister for Justice and Equality and Defence: Motion (27 Feb 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I move: "That Seanad Éireann has no confidence in the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence Alan Shatter T.D., because of his on-going erosion of the physical security infrastructure of the State through Garda station and Army Barrack closures, systematic undermining of Garda numbers and resources with a deeply inadequate budget allocation and abject failure to address the declining...

Seanad: Confidence in Minister for Justice and Equality and Defence: Motion (27 Feb 2013)

Thomas Byrne: On a point of order, the Senator specified a number of individuals. There are known issues with some but the Senator has suggested historical allegations about other names.

Seanad: Confidence in Minister for Justice and Equality and Defence: Motion (27 Feb 2013)

Thomas Byrne: It is an outrageous act.

Seanad: Confidence in Minister for Justice and Equality and Defence: Motion (27 Feb 2013)

Thomas Byrne: Some issues are self-evident but others are not.

Seanad: Confidence in Minister for Justice and Equality and Defence: Motion (27 Feb 2013)

Thomas Byrne: He is allowed to make allegations and drop names to associate them with scandals.

Seanad: Confidence in Minister for Justice and Equality and Defence: Motion (27 Feb 2013)

Thomas Byrne: This is not a motion about scandal.

Seanad: Confidence in Minister for Justice and Equality and Defence: Motion (27 Feb 2013)

Thomas Byrne: There is no recruitment whatever.

Seanad: Confidence in Minister for Justice and Equality and Defence: Motion (27 Feb 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I am disappointed by the disrespect the Minister, Deputy Shatter, has shown to the House by not attending the debate on a motion concerning him. Let us not be confused. This motion is not about the Minister's attendance before this House and how great he is to the Seanad. That has nothing to do with it at all. This motion is about the issues such as burglary that affect people on the...

Seanad: Confidence in Minister for Justice and Equality and Defence: Motion (27 Feb 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I have set out the facts from the Central Statistics Office in respect of my own county. I have them to hand and they have been put on the record a number of times. Moreover, they derive from responses from the Minister himself in Dáil Éireann.

Seanad: Confidence in Minister for Justice and Equality and Defence: Motion (27 Feb 2013)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister has shown disrespect and discourtesy to the gardaí and to their representative bodies. He has shown disrespect and discourtesy to the Army and its representative bodies, as well as to the prison officers. These are the people who often put their lives and physical safety on the line in the service and defence of the State. My first interaction with the Minister, Deputy...

Seanad: Business of Seanad (28 Feb 2013)

Thomas Byrne: They were already illegal in Ireland. We banned them.

Seanad: Business of Seanad (28 Feb 2013)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister is following the last Government's lead.

Seanad: Business of Seanad (28 Feb 2013)

Thomas Byrne: Banker bonuses in this country were effectively outlawed with the IMF agreement, with a 90% tax introduced with one of the last legislative acts of a former Minister, the late Mr. Brian Lenihan. I call for a debate on the state of rural roads in Ireland. I was at a meeting last night in Kells, County Meath, where hundreds of people attended to express considerable anger about how the roads...

Seanad: Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (6 Mar 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I thank the Senator.

Seanad: Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (6 Mar 2013)

Thomas Byrne: I thank Senator Gilroy for his good wishes. They are much appreciated but unfortunately this Bill is not appreciated in large parts of the Meath East constitutency.