Results 8,321-8,340 of 9,844 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Union Issues: Discussion (20 Oct 2021)

Thomas Byrne: Members have raised interesting questions that cut across a number of issues. Senator Chambers asked specifically about the next steps with respect to the protocol. As we speak, the UK team is in Brussels discussing with its counterparts at a technical level. I understand the discussion is focusing on the EU papers - the documents published last week. David Frost and Maros Šefovi...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Union Issues: Discussion (20 Oct 2021)

Thomas Byrne: Present themselves - I think the Irish media would be fascinated to hear from them as opposed to just politicians all the time so I think that would also help. I would certainly encourage that. I ask anybody who would be interested - and I do not know their identities - to please speak out and say whether he or she thinks it is a good or bad process and what he or she thinks of the issues...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Union Issues: Discussion (20 Oct 2021)

Thomas Byrne: On the rule of law conditionality, this is the sequence. The recovery and resilience fund was agreed last year as part of the budget negotiations, an unprecedented financial boost from the European Union to try to boost the economies of the entire European Union. We need to get away from - and I do not accuse this committee of this - sometimes speaking in terms of "how much is Ireland...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Union Issues: Discussion (20 Oct 2021)

Thomas Byrne: I will answer the question on the Conference on the Future of Europe first because it was a follow-up question from Deputy Ó Murchú that I did not really address in my previous answer. The Government has organised a number of events. Obviously, Covid has restricted things. With EMI and through the Department of Foreign Affairs, I have met a wide range of groups in my capacity as...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Union Issues: Discussion (20 Oct 2021)

Thomas Byrne: It would be highly significant. It would force a change of pace. At the moment the European Commission has not approved the recovery and resilience plans for Hungary or Poland. Some other countries have not put them in, but in those cases they just have not done it yet. I am happy to let the European Commission do its job there and I support what it is doing. I do not want to make its...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Tax Reliefs (2 Nov 2021)

Thomas Byrne: Táim buíoch as an deis an freagra seo a thabhairt don Seanadóir. As the Senator has said, there are currently no specific tax-based measures targeted at the owner-occupiers of apartments with defects. However, the programme for Government does commit to examining the issue of defective housing in general. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, who generally...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Tax Reliefs (2 Nov 2021)

Thomas Byrne: As I mentioned, this is possibly the first Government to have a comprehensive approach to the issue of defective housing. The working group is examining all options, including tax. Famously, with the issue of mica, it is direct expenditure which is being looked at and not tax relief because the latter would not be sufficient for the campaigners. The Minister for Housing, Local Government...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Foreign Birth Registration (2 Nov 2021)

Thomas Byrne: I gave the Senator a stroke on the ballot paper in his first election.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Foreign Birth Registration (2 Nov 2021)

Thomas Byrne: Gabhaim mo bhuíochas leis an Seanadóir Ó Creachmhaoil. The Minister for Foreign Affairs is in Israel today and has asked me to speak on his behalf. The Department of Foreign Affairs is responsible for citizenship by descent through the foreign birth register under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 2004. As the Senator will be aware, people may apply for Irish...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Foreign Birth Registration (2 Nov 2021)

Thomas Byrne: I will certainly discuss this matter with the Minister and officials in the Department. It is one that comes across my desk from time to time. The passport service is working very closely with the human resources division in the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Public Appointments Service, on an ongoing basis to get more staff in. That is the bottom line for the entire system of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Farm Costs (2 Nov 2021)

Thomas Byrne: I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. Notwithstanding what he said about farmers taking the hit, which they often do, there is no doubt that this would have a knock-on effect on food prices and is of general concern around the country. I come from a fertile county and this is no less an issue in Meath than it is in Tipperary, and I am concerned about it as well. There are...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Farm Costs (2 Nov 2021)

Thomas Byrne: I appreciate the Senator raising this issue. We hope that for fertiliser prices, as we hope for a range of commodity prices, there will be a levelling off of some of the contributing price factors next year. Huge challenges still remain. The initiatives the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has outlined will support farmers in reducing their overall dependence on fertiliser...

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements (3 Nov 2021)

Thomas Byrne: It is happening in this country.

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements (3 Nov 2021)

Thomas Byrne: It is very important.

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements (3 Nov 2021)

Thomas Byrne: I have no problem with that whatever. However, many questions were raised by Members who had to go to other meetings. This slot might provide an opportune time to reply to those questions as well. That was certainly the practice when we sat in the convention centre, although there may have been only one Member left in the entire place. I am in the Acting Chairman's hands.

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements (3 Nov 2021)

Thomas Byrne: No, because I will not have finished answering my questions.

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements (3 Nov 2021)

Thomas Byrne: I am in the Chairman's hands.

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements (3 Nov 2021)

Thomas Byrne: I want to be clear: the purpose of this debate is to discuss what was on the European Council meeting agenda and its follow up. As it happens, this issue was not on the European Council agenda during this summit nor was the issue of fishing, as another example. The idea that Ireland is doing nothing about the Israel-Palestinian situation, as alleged in this Chamber, is completely belied by...

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements (3 Nov 2021)

Thomas Byrne: I have probably answered these questions insofar as I can. As Minister of State with responsibility for European Affairs, I do not deal with the Israel-Palestine situation on a daily basis. The Minister for Foreign Affairs is in that part of the world today doing great work on behalf of this country. He is following a long tradition among the governments of this country, going back to...

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements (3 Nov 2021)

Thomas Byrne: We meet-----