Results 601-620 of 9,823 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I wish to say how sad I am on the death of a good friend and colleague, Brian Lenihan. There is no more to say as regards anecdotes or praise of the man because it has all been said, but I am very sad still. The issue has been raised about the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, coming to the House. The Minister made himself available in the House for the very uncontroversial and...

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Second Stage (15 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: What happened at the Pensions Board?

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Second Stage (15 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: After we raised it.

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Second Stage (15 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: It was answered in a parliamentary question.

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Second Stage (15 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: It was a parliamentary reply in the Dáil.

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Second Stage (15 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: We on this side of the House welcome any attempt to deal with unemployment. It is welcome that at the very least the Government has thought about and acted on jobs, even if we disagree with some of the things it is doing. It is welcome that the focus in the Seanad, Dáil and Bill is on jobs. The jobs initiative, which was previously called the jobs budget, falls well short of what was...

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Second Stage (15 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: On a point of order, Labour Party Senators are raising worthy issues, including MABS and mortgages. I am happy to sit here until late tonight to discuss those important matters, but Standing Orders require that Second Stage speeches should be confined to the general principle of the Bill. If the Labour Party tactic on difficult questions, such as targeting the pension pots of middle-income...

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Second Stage (15 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I ran for election.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The 100 days concept is much used by the Taoiseach and we are marking it today as a result of the remarkable actions of President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the height of the Great Depression. After he assumed power, on the second day he closed the banks for four days and within 100 days he had passed 15 Bills through Congress, which is still a record. Comparing the last 100 days or even the...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Promises have been broken.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Fine Gael has broken its contract this time.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I spoke yesterday.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: What about Report Stage?

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: It is a matter for the Government to provide speakers to speak on the relevance of the Bill.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: On a point of order, the Leader does not propose to allocate any time for Report Stage. This could be important, especially if amendments or recommendations are ruled out of order or not accepted.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I point out, on behalf of my colleague, Senator Terry Leyden, that the health issues raised by him and other Members were, once again, not addressed by the Leader.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Yes.

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I move recommendation No. 1: In page 3, before section 1, to insert the following new section: "1.—The Minister for Finance shall within two months from the passing of this Act, and every two months thereafter, prepare and lay before Dáil Éireann a report setting out the number of jobs created as a result of each taxation measure provided for by this Act and the number of jobs created as...

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: When I spoke initially, I did not have to hand the tax breaks the Bill will give. It is important to note that we are giving tax breaks to big business in the interests of creating employment. That is what makes this recommendation so important. The air travel tax break is worth €315 million, the reduction in VAT is worth €880 million, which is almost a €1 billion in tax relief to...

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The recommendation is seeking reports on the number of jobs created as a result of each taxation measure.