Results 1,041-1,060 of 1,729 for speaker:Maria Byrne

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2023)

Maria Byrne: Amendments Nos. 5 and 12 are related and may be discussed together, by agreement. Is that agreed?

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2023)

Maria Byrne: Is Senator Higgins withdrawing amendment No. 5?

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2023)

Maria Byrne: Is the House happy for them to be separated? Agreed.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) (18 Apr 2023)

Maria Byrne: Amendments Nos. 6, 9 and 10 are related and may be discussed together, by agreement. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Energy Prices (19 Apr 2023)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for coming in to discuss this important issue. The cost of living, and particularly energy costs, is something I have picked up on from working with and visiting older people. I know a number of older people who have local authority homes changed over to electricity recently. One elderly lady who lives alone in a one-bedroom apartment with a...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Energy Prices (19 Apr 2023)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response and I thank the Government for the €200 energy credits. I know people on social welfare will receive another one next week with their payments. This has been a help. In contacting the energy companies, I found that those providing electricity were much more amenable to answering questions than those providing gas.That is...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (19 Apr 2023)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the publication in The Irish Timesyesterday of a letter from eight veterinarians supporting the call for a veterinary college for University of Limerick. I have met the president of University of Limerick and her team on this matter. The concerns highlighted by the veterinarians in the letter in The Irish Times concerned recruitment and retention and the fact that many people...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Apr 2023)

Maria Byrne: I thank the presenters. I heard some of the statements from my office although I had to go to something else earlier. I would like to address my questions to Dr. Marcus-Quinn. Why does digital policy differ between schools in respect of devices? I am involved with a school in which iPhones and iPads are prominent. They are used for everything, including receiving books and accessing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: The Future of STEM in Irish Education: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Apr 2023)

Maria Byrne: It varies from school to school here. Are there any examples from Europe or elsewhere that we could look at in order to form policy?

Committee on Scrutiny of Draft EU-related Statutory Instruments: Business of Select Committee (19 Apr 2023)

Maria Byrne: I second that nomination.

Committee on Scrutiny of Draft EU-related Statutory Instruments: Business of Select Committee (19 Apr 2023)

Maria Byrne: I second that nomination.

Seanad: Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2022: Second Stage (20 Apr 2023)

Maria Byrne: The Minister of State is very welcome here to discuss this all-important Bill. I am representing my colleague, Senator Seán Kyne, who had another commitment today. On his behalf, I would like that Fine Gael will be supporting the Bill. The Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2022 is about strengthening the Bill that is already in existence. While we have gone a long way, this...

Seanad: Regulation of Lobbying (Amendment) Bill 2022: Second Stage (20 Apr 2023)

Maria Byrne: Next Tuesday.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)

Maria Byrne: Mr. Watt, you are very welcome. Reading the report and reading the findings over the last couple of days, there seem to be a number of disparities between your recollection and Mr. Fraser and Ms Gillane. I know they are not here today but perhaps you will be able to give us a clear output as to the different stages that were taken and what you believe happened at the time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)

Maria Byrne: The report suggests that, in terms of the secondment process, there should be a proper process put in place, but there was a process at the time. Why was that process not followed?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)

Maria Byrne: There seems to be a bit of a question as to whether the process that was in place was actually followed thoroughly or whether there was a difference or changes made to it. Perhaps you could explain that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)

Maria Byrne: If you had the time all over again, would you have done things differently and how would you have done it differently?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)

Maria Byrne: In terms of the report, it is recommended that just one person should not have responsibility and it should be a team and it should go through the Department - I think it was the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform that they were suggesting. Would you agree with that statement that one person should not have the right to sign off on this alone? No. I disagree with that. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Engagement with Secretary General of the Department of Health (19 Apr 2023)

Maria Byrne: Mistakes were made - there is no doubt about it - with regard to this process. Should you have put up your hand and said "mea culpa" and gone back to the drawing board? Do you believe that?