Results 3,541-3,560 of 9,823 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Thomas Byrne: I have the greatest of respect for Senator Quinn even if I might not agree with him on everything. We are not looking at this or the next Government; we are looking at the distance between the establishment of the National Lottery and its sale. The Bill does not deal with that distance. I have suggested that the public water forum be turned into a constitutional convention on the issue of...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Thomas Byrne: Senator O'Donnell will be interested in this. The national lottery was not actually sold. The Government issued a licence. Having checked that, I have now submitted a Report Stage amendment. A licence could be issued in the same way the national lottery licence was issued regarding the business and undertakings of Irish Water without having anything to do with section 2 and leaving...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Thomas Byrne: That is irrelevant.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Thomas Byrne: My colleague may have a proposal.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Thomas Byrne: It was not agreed.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Thomas Byrne: Sorry, Senator Moran has walked into the debate recently and with all due respect, some of us-----

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Thomas Byrne: For the last while, yes.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Thomas Byrne: We are here since 10 p.m. We are here for four hours.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Thomas Byrne: The Senator has confirmed what I said. She confirmed what I said, that she came in three quarters of an hour ago.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Thomas Byrne: I thought the proposal of my colleague was perfectly reasonable, but if the other side does not see that, that is fine.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Thomas Byrne: No, I want to speak. If the other side is not agreeing with me-----

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Thomas Byrne: It is already on the record.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Thomas Byrne: Senator Cullinane raised the issue of the bank guarantee. Who could have imagined us taking on those debts? Who could have imagined an Irish Government would have to do that? If it had been prohibited by the Constitution they might not have done that, but the reality is that if someone had made that proposal 30 years ago, we would have had the same answers that the Minister who was sitting...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Thomas Byrne: I refer to the issue of taking part in EU defence missions. What Irish Government would take us into war? What Irish Government would have us involved in conscription? We changed the Constitution in order to allay the fears of the Irish people in that regard. We introduced the triple lock under the United Nations mandate, and approval of the Dáil and this House is required before we...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Thomas Byrne: He does.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Thomas Byrne: I wish to make a few points in response to what the Minister said. He read from Article 10.1 of the Constitution and implied that water was already protected in the Constitution when he stated: "All natural resources, including the air and all forms of potential energy ... belong to the State," but he stopped reading at that point. What he did not say was the phrase, also in the same...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Thomas Byrne: The ESB is in State control, but there but there are also private generators of energy and private extractors of natural resources throughout the country, and that is as it should be. It was a bit disingenuous of the Minister to read partially from Article 10 of the Constitution. He said that we all know what is in Article 10 without reading the entirety of it. What is needed is an...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Thomas Byrne: Senator O'Donnell raised an important point in asking us to consider if we would go against the people. She only has to go back to the Oireachtas inquiries referendum where every party in this Oireachtas was in favour of that amendment, but that was against the wishes of the people. The parties got it completely wrong with the wishes of the people regarding giving the Oireachtas more powers...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Thomas Byrne: The people voted to retain the Seanad when the majority of parties were-----

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Thomas Byrne: There are some who would wish for that.