Results 5,781-5,800 of 9,832 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (14 Dec 2017)

Thomas Byrne: I have met the student unions and I have to say that I am shocked by some of the stories I have heard about student unions not being recognised and colleges putting obstacles in their way. I have heard that anecdotally about a number of colleges and I think that is very wrong. However, I have explained to the student unions that I am not sure this legislation is the right place to place a...

Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (14 Dec 2017)

Thomas Byrne: I am not going to hold this up. There was a major debate. It is worth noting the presence of the Irish sign language interpreter. What a wonderful day this is. That debate will happen later and we thank everybody for their presence. On the Bill at hand, there was an extensive debate at Committee Stage, and I thank the Minister for acknowledging the role that everybody had in coming up with...

Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (14 Dec 2017)

Thomas Byrne: The amendments are very important and I thank everybody for their engagement.

Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (14 Dec 2017)

Thomas Byrne: I was indicating.

Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (14 Dec 2017)

Thomas Byrne: I was indicating to the Ceann Comhairle before he said the time was up.

Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (14 Dec 2017)

Thomas Byrne: The concept of academic freedom - particularly for the staff of a third level institution, a university or a technological university - is so crucial and so important for democracy, freedom of thought, the development of ideas and social progress that to dilute the concept of academic freedom for staff by inserting student academic freedom, as the Members propose, would be wrong. We should...

Topical Issue Debate (14 Dec 2017)

Thomas Byrne: Can the Ceann Comhairle give us a minute because we were not expecting the statements to end so quickly.

Topical Issue Debate (14 Dec 2017)

Thomas Byrne: I understand that.

Topical Issue Debate (14 Dec 2017)

Thomas Byrne: We were.

Topical Issue Debate: DEIS Administration (14 Dec 2017)

Thomas Byrne: This is an outrageous state of affairs. Deputy Cahill has outlined the situation very well. Criteria were established but they have never been explained clearly to anybody, either in this House or to schools themselves, as to how schools qualify for the DEIS programme. We are simply told that there is an index which relates to the census of 2011 which is applied to get the list of schools....

Topical Issue Debate: DEIS Administration (14 Dec 2017)

Thomas Byrne: I will take the Ceann Comhairle's word on that, but he is not here tonight to discuss what is a major issue for schools all around the country. Deputy Cahill spoke about the five schools in Tipperary town. There are schools all over the country affected by this, which is why the Ceann Comhairle has recognised this as a huge issue. Those schools do not know why they have been excluded....

Topical Issue Debate: DEIS Administration (14 Dec 2017)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister of State gives the excuse for the 257 exclusions that the decisions were made in the context of a lower concentration of disadvantage. First, nobody knows what level of concentration is now required to be in the DEIS scheme. That information has not been given to anyone. We do not know what the level is. Second, the documents show that when the officials were briefing the...

Topical Issue Debate: DEIS Administration (14 Dec 2017)

Thomas Byrne: This is completely wrong.

Topical Issue Debate: DEIS Administration (14 Dec 2017)

Thomas Byrne: That is new information about the DEIS scheme.

Topical Issue Debate: DEIS Administration (14 Dec 2017)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister of State has-----

Topical Issue Debate: DEIS Administration (14 Dec 2017)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister of State has given incorrect information.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Creative Ireland Programme (14 Dec 2017)

Thomas Byrne: 175. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the funding his Department is providing for the creative youth programme in 2017; the allocation it will receive in 2018; and, if his Department is allocating funding, the amount being provided for media promotion of the programme. [53551/17]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Expenditure (14 Dec 2017)

Thomas Byrne: 178. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount that was spent on the provision of counselling services at third level in each of the years from 2013 to 2017; and the amount that has been allocated for the year 2017-2018. [53613/17]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (14 Dec 2017)

Thomas Byrne: 179. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the ratio of students to teaching staff in each of the years from 2013 to 2017 at third level. [53614/17]

Leaders' Questions (16 Jan 2018)

Thomas Byrne: The Taoiseach served as Minister of Health in the intervening period.