Results 8,281-8,300 of 9,844 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements (30 Jun 2021)

Thomas Byrne: The application went in exactly when the European Commission wanted it and it was submitted in conjunction with the European Commission. It was not late.

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements (30 Jun 2021)

Thomas Byrne: I do not have the exact date to hand, but the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, can give that detail. However, I absolutely assure the Deputy and this House that there was no lateness. In fact, no member state was late in submitting an application for the recovery fund. Deputy Mattie McGrath is also implying that only a certain amount of money was applied...

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements (30 Jun 2021)

Thomas Byrne: Sorry, I will happily answer the question on vaccine passports. I am not aware of any discussions in 2017 on this. I was not at the meeting of the General Affairs Council of the European Council but the passports were certainly discussed at the European Council last week. To be clear, the digital Covid certificate is an instrument for travel but if member states want to use it for domestic...

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements (30 Jun 2021)

Thomas Byrne: I want to be absolutely clear on the nonsense that is being peddled by Deputy Mattie McGrath that somehow we were late. Some member states have yet to submit their plans. The indicative timeline was the end of April and our application was submitted, with the agreement of the Commission, in May. There was some media speculation at the time about the discussions that were ongoing with the...

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements (30 Jun 2021)

Thomas Byrne: I will begin by making a brief comment on the announcement today by Vice-President Šefčovič extending the grace period for the importing of chilled and non-frozen meats to Northern Ireland from Britain. This follows a formal request by the UK Government to the EU. There were some other announcements today, one of which is on the very important issue of green insurance...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Cross-Border Co-operation (5 Jul 2021)

Thomas Byrne: My best wishes to the Acting Chair, Senator Flynn, not just in the role this morning, which is significant, but I hope for her and her community that it will become routine and part of the normal fabric of our society. This is very important. I thank the Acting Chair for all the work she is doing. I thank Senator McGreehan for taking a patriotic approach to the island rather than an...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Cross-Border Co-operation (5 Jul 2021)

Thomas Byrne: I will bring the exact proposal to the attention of the Taoiseach and he will be watching this closely today. I will also bring it to the shared island unit in the Department of the Taoiseach. Expanding the North-South school exchange programme is a crucial part of the programme for government commitments on a shared island. We need to bring young people together. The Senator mentioned...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Radon Gas Levels (5 Jul 2021)

Thomas Byrne: I thank the Senator for raising this issue. I must say that it is an issue about which I am most concerned. We often hear scaremongering when new technologies or particular products are developed that they may pose a health risk. While that always is debatable, in this case, it is not. Radon poses a clear risk to health, as the Senator has mentioned. It is something of which we all need...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Radon Gas Levels (5 Jul 2021)

Thomas Byrne: I thank the Senator for raising the matter. There is information available and there are things going on. I will bring the Senator's concerns to the attention of the Minister. Progress on the implementation of the radon strategy is reported to Government regularly. This discussion has been very useful and I have a strong interest in the issue as well. I will bring the Senator's concerns...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Northern Ireland Protocol (Article 16): Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs (9 Feb 2021)

Thomas Byrne: I thank Deputy Howlin. The Government has put significant time and resources into Brexit preparations. Overall, it has been well managed. We have not had the physical manifestation of delays in the form of traffic but I acknowledge that there are other delays. We will never get to 100% of traffic going through green light channels. That is just not possible. The Single Market was built...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Northern Ireland Protocol (Article 16): Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs (9 Feb 2021)

Thomas Byrne: We were all aware of possible problems with the land bridge. Internally, I challenged the view that the market would respond. It has responded so far, which is welcome. Any shipping company which has provided more routes has seen significant amounts to transport. When we talk about one in five, the vast majority of checks are documentary. The stops involve paperwork. Much of that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Northern Ireland Protocol (Article 16): Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs (9 Feb 2021)

Thomas Byrne: The simple answer to the first question on whether the systems are in place to address all these issues is "Yes". They are there in a formal sense within the withdrawal agreement, the trade and co-operation agreement and the protocol. The Irish Government is fully part of that. Despite the fact that it is directly between the EU and Britain, we are fully involved. Those systems were not...

Seanad: Interim Report of the Seanad Special Select Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Motion (30 Sep 2021)

Thomas Byrne: Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach as an bhfáilte a chur sé romham filleadh ar an seomra álainn seo, seomra inar shuigh mé ar feadh cúig bliana, idir 2011 agus 2016. Tá áthas orm a bheith ar ais leis an Seanadóir Daly agus é ina Chathaoirleach. Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis an roghchoiste maidir leis an...

Financial Resolutions 2021 - Financial Resolution No. 2: General (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Thomas Byrne: Does the Deputy know why?

Financial Resolutions 2021 - Financial Resolution No. 2: General (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Thomas Byrne: He announced that he has symptoms of Covid - he had a negative test.

Financial Resolutions 2021 - Financial Resolution No. 2: General (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Thomas Byrne: The figure for animal welfare is €1.5 million out of €1.8 billion. It is 0.1%.

Financial Resolutions 2021 - Financial Resolution No. 2: General (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Thomas Byrne: The French are not happy either.

Financial Resolutions 2021 - Financial Resolution No. 2: General (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Thomas Byrne: The French people are not happy. The Deputy should not come in saying the French are happy. They are not.

Financial Resolutions 2021 - Financial Resolution No. 2: General (Resumed) (14 Oct 2021)

Thomas Byrne: B’fhéidir nach n-úsáidfidh mé an t-am iomlán but I am very grateful for the opportunity to speak on budget 2022 both as the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs and as a Deputy proudly representing the people of Meath East. It is a great privilege to represent the people in this Chamber, and I think about that every day. Many of us may...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Partnership and Cooperation Agreement Between the European Union and the Republic of Singapore: Motion (13 Oct 2021)

Thomas Byrne: Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach agus le baill an choiste atá sa seomra coiste agus ar líne freisin. I have the pleasure to introduce this motion, which has been referred by the Dáil to this committee, on the approval of the EU-Singapore Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. Deepening our engagement and our presence in the Asia Pacific region is a key strategic...