Results 301-320 of 4,645 for speaker:Victor Boyhan

Seanad: Commencement Matters: GLAS Payments (17 May 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I thank the Minister for that comprehensive response. I wish to comment on two things he has said in his response. There are about 1,000 queries on validation and process. That is fair enough. He has to apply the scheme. The Minister has not confirmed this, but according to official figures this week there are more than 2,090 outstanding issues. If 1,000 is subtracted from 2,000 - we...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: GLAS Payments (17 May 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I thank the Minister.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 May 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I wish to raise one simple issue. I refer to the National Rehabilitation Hospital on Rochestown Avenue in Dún Laoghaire. I have continually raised this issue in Seanad Éireann over the past year without success, so today I propose an amendment to the Order of Business. It is the first time I have ever done so but it is now required. I call on the Minister for Health to come to...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 May 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I listened to the Leader, but I do not believe in having a sideshow with the Minister downstairs. That is not how we do our business. This is the Chamber and where we debate. This is where we hold people to account. Therefore, I would be happy to withdraw the amendment on the basis of a commitment that the responsible Minister would attend the House on Tuesday and time would be set aside...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 May 2017)

Victor Boyhan: Okay. I will withdraw the amendment on that basis. I thank the Minister for his offer, but I would like to have the issue back on the agenda on Tuesday.

Seanad: Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2016: Second Stage (17 May 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I warmly welcome the Minister to the House. I particularly like to see her here and believe she has an amazing record in this whole area. She has been a wonderful advocate for children generally. This Bill will be one of the cornerstones of her policy legacy and I know she is anxious to get it right. In previous debates about the Adoption (Amendment) Bill, she has delivered in separating...

Seanad: Second Interim Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and Certain Related Matters: Statements (17 May 2017)

Victor Boyhan: It is very timely that we are having these discussions back to back today. When we look at the mother and baby commission of investigation and consider what the Minister has said to us in her report I find it very disappointing. It will be another two years before this work is completed. I note that these are institutions and not homes. Somebody said to me recently that they did not live...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Breach of EU Urban Wastewater Directive: Discussion (18 May 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I thank the witnesses for coming before the joint committee. They set out their stall very well. It is clear we have an infrastructure deficit and it will cost €1 billion to remedy the problems. I will focus for a few moments on the Ringsend treatment plant. It has been known for a long time that capacity issues would arise as economic development progressed throughout the country...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 May 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I want to raise one issue. It relates to a report on direct provision supports for asylum seekers published by Mr. Justice Bryan McMahon in 2015. In that report he made 173 recommendations. I made contact with Nasc last week. For those who do not know what Nasc is, it is the Irish immigration support group based in Cork. Of course there are different stories depending on who one talks to...

Seanad: National Rehabilitation Hospital: Statements (23 May 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I warmly welcome the Minister of State and thank him for coming to the House to respond to the opportunity presented to him last week. He has come here willingly, as he always does, and I want to acknowledge that any time the House makes a request to the Minister of State, he responds positively and brings information with him. The more information he can bring us, the more we will invite...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 May 2017)

Victor Boyhan: That involves 12 months standing.

Seanad: Order of Business (24 May 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I wish to discuss an issue with the European Commission's annual economic recommendations and its commentary on Ireland. It has issued a warning to Ireland that the property tax take here is too low - at 1%, it is below the EU average of 1.6% - and that the country is too reliant on volatile revenue sources. No wonder people are becoming disconnected from the European Union on a range of...

Seanad: Defence Matters: Statements (24 May 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for his very comprehensive address to the Seanad on the Defence Forces. It goes without saying that as a country we are of course truly proud and grateful for the support of both the Permanent Defence Force, the Civil Defence and all other auxiliary supports around them. They do an amazing job, which is very important. It is also...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (National Asset Management Agency) Order 2017: Motion (24 May 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I thank the Minister of State for being present and reading the statement into the record on the proposal. It is difficult to see what the NAMA commission will find out that we do not already know. There are outstanding criminal inquiries into the matters relating to the commission, there is a Comptroller and Auditor General report and now this commission is proposing to do this work. This...

Seanad: Order of Business (30 May 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I raise the same issue as Senator Ardagh. I call on the Leader to organise for the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Katherine Zaponne, to come to the House. I want to impress the importance of this today because of the report on child protection by Dr. Geoffrey Shannon, which was commissioned by An Garda Síochána and published yesterday. It is a damning report. It...

Seanad: Order of Business (30 May 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I-----

Seanad: Order of Business (30 May 2017)

Victor Boyhan: Maybe some other colleague might-----

Seanad: Order of Business (30 May 2017)

Victor Boyhan: We need a time. Did the Leader say it would be after 6 p.m.?

Seanad: Order of Business (31 May 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I wish to raise only one issue, which relates to Coillte. We know that Coillte has 390,000 ha under forestry in this State. That is an enormous natural and national asset and resource, and it is very important. There has been great discussion on the possibility of elements of Coillte being privatised or sold off. We know that there are a further 90,000 ha dedicated to biodiversity, or...

Seanad: Domestic Violence Bill 2017: Committee Stage (31 May 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I welcome the Minister to the House. I acknowledge the enormous effort and work she has put into this legislation. I am particularly delighted that she is here today to see this Stage of the Bill through the process. As stated by Senator Conway-Walsh, domestic violence is a crime against families and children and their right to innocence. It is a crime against women and, in some case,...