Results 801-820 of 2,476 for speaker:Malcolm Byrne

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 May 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I will withdraw the amendment, but I will reintroduce it on Report Stage.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 May 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: On a point of order, I must challenge this interpretation. It comes back to the points on amendments being ruled out of order. This amendment is in many ways structurally no different to the previous amendments in that it proposes to specifically require the establishment of one of the sub-committees or committees to deal with broadcasting. In many ways, there is no difference to the...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 May 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: Yes, but I question why we are allowed to debate the establishment of a youth advisory panel as a sub-committee of the commission but not a specific committee to deal with broadcasting.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 May 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: Absolutely.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 May 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: All I will say on amendment No. 55 is that in the process of reflection that is going on, I urge that there would also be a requirement in terms of what is brought forward because we specifically want something to deal with broadcasting for fear that it will be lost in the overall area.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 May 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I am afraid I have some problems with a number of these amendments. The Senator touched on some of these herself. I have no problem with the oversight aspect but I believe the Senator is being overly prescriptive. I can foresee circumstances in which it would be required to borrow in dollars or another currency, particularly given the nature of the business the media commission is to be...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Rail Network (5 May 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the Minister of State very much for coming to the House. I am very conscious that Government policy is to increase the number of people using public transport. Senator Casey and I come from Wicklow and Wexford respectively, for which the Rosslare rail line is particularly important.If we want to get people out of their cars and not using the M11 when travelling through our counties...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Rail Network (5 May 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I appreciate that the Minister of State was reading from a pre-prepared reply, but that would be fine if we were representing the southside of Dublin and we would be glad to know about the improvement of the DART line, which is not what we asked about. We asked about improvements to the Rosslare rail line and clearly what has been provided by the Department of Transport and Irish Rail once...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 May 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: We have often spoken in this House about the importance of human rights informing our foreign policy. Our approach to what is happening in Ukraine has been very much based on our view that we cannot be politically neutral when human rights are being abused. This House has been very strong about the abuse of human rights in Belarus and the oppression under the Lukashenko regime. While much...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Primary Care Centres (11 May 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. The Minister of State always comes into this House with good intention and he will be delivering an answer on behalf of the HSE. As the Minister of State knows, the north Wexford area is one of the fastest growing in the country when it comes to population and that has meant there has been a lot of pressure on healthcare. There was a commitment...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Primary Care Centres (11 May 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I thought I was on time.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Primary Care Centres (11 May 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I welcome that the Minister of State will pursue this matter with the HSE. There is excellent healthcare provision from the local GPs in north Wexford but we have been promised this additional primary care centre in Gorey and have been waiting a long time, and there does not seem to be progress. I would be particularly grateful for anything the Minister of State can do to expedite the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 May 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I agree with Senator Kyne about using those assets to which he referred. Ba mhaith liom dhá ábhar a ardú. I was fortunate enough to be at the launch last week of Pandemonium, the book by Jack Horgan-Jones and Hugh O'Connell. I have started to read the book, which is quite well written, and tells the story of the events of the past two years. Unlike certain other journalists,...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 May 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: It is longer. It is 18 months.

Seanad: Europe Day 2022: Statements (11 May 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: It is quite momentous to mark Ireland's 50-year membership of the European Union. From a Fianna Fáil perspective, this is something of which we have always been very proud. It is something that Seán Lemass and Jack Lynch led on. It is interesting that the only two parties sitting here are the only two parties that have consistently supported our membership of the European Union...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 May 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I am in broad agreement around the principles these amendments are trying to achieve. We need to move away from self-regulatory codes. It is important, though, that when the new regulator, the media commission, is established that it does not operate entirely behind an Iron Curtain. It needs to understand the industry and the sectors and how they work. It would be useful, perhaps, if we...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 May 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I am speaking specifically to the wording of the amendments. That is why I am expressing concern.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 May 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: I am happy, having listened to the Minister’s point. I want to speak directly to what is in the legislation and the proposed amendments. If we are thinking about the commission when it is up and running, I would certainly hope it would not regulate behind an Iron Curtain.If a sector wants to set up its own system to try to address some of the problems at an early stage, the...

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 May 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: That is effectively a money message.

Seanad: Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 May 2022)

Malcolm Byrne: The Minister summed it up well. I have particular concerns about a requirement on TG4 in this regard. However, the Senator is correct when it comes to trying to ensure that we seek to address questions relating to regional diversity. I wonder if, when she is reflecting on the Bill, the Minister could look at the section relating to the powers and functions of the commission. Under the...