Results 101-120 of 1,308 for speaker:Maria Byrne

Seanad: Business of Seanad: Prescriptions Charges (9 May 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, to the House and thank him for coming in. I know of his special interest in people with disabilities. I will go backwards to come forwards and refer to the over 70s prescription charges which came into effect on 1 April. It has been a great success story. I met recently with the families of young adults with disabilities, and I will...

Seanad: Business of Seanad: Prescriptions Charges (9 May 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for his response. While I understand exactly what he is saying - I believe he is saying that it will be considered down the line - one group that needs to be looked at is young adults who have to live in care and are on the minimum amount of money they can receive. There are many outgoings and a burden is placed on the family. I implore the Minister of State...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 May 2017)

Maria Byrne: Today the media reported about grants which will become available over the next several weeks to encourage people to live outside of Dublin in rural towns and villages. There will be grants and incentives towards the renovation of such homes, particularly older ones. Encouraging people to live in rural towns and villages is to be welcomed. This funding is welcome, especially in the west...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Review of Skills and Apprenticeship Schemes: Discussion (16 May 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the witnesses and thank them for their presentations. I will address the Irish Hotels Federation first. My own background is in the hospitality sector, so I am aware of the shortage of chefs, commis chefs, etc. From my experience of the training centre, and I know Mr. Vaughan has experience of it in Limerick, it targeted people from unemployed areas where it has been a great...

Seanad: Autism Spectrum Disorder Bill 2017: Second Stage (17 May 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister. It is great that he is here this evening to hear the debate. I compliment my colleague, Senator Reilly, on bringing the Autism Spectrum Bill before the House. Much has been said tonight and I will not go over some of the things that have been said. One thing I have learned from talking to family members of those on the autism spectrum is the nature of the gap...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 May 2017)

Maria Byrne: I join with all the other speakers in their comments on what happened in Manchester last night. I do not think anyone here could support what happened. There are 22 people dead and I think something like 16 people under the age of 16 in hospital. They are the youth and they are our future. I pass on my sympathies to all involved. I wish to pay tribute to one other person, namely, the...

Seanad: Order of Business (30 May 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome that the new accident and emergency department in University Hospital Limerick opened at 8 a.m. yesterday. It was wonderful to see the new facilities there. I know the staff had a very busy day yesterday. Earlier in the week some of the more senior staff expressed concerns over whether some of the new staff appointed would be able to cope under the pressure of the opening with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Education (Amendment) Bill 2015 and Education (Parent and Student Charter) Bill 2016: Discussion (Resumed) (30 May 2017)

Maria Byrne: I have more of a comment than a question. It refers back to the students on the boards of management. I am chairperson of the board of management of an education and training board, ETB, school. We have students sitting on our board of management and their level of interest and interaction with the board of management is very good. They sit for the first half of the meeting and bring...

Seanad: Tourism: Statements (31 May 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister. I am aware of his passion in terms of tourism and compliment him on his interview yesterday. I holiday in Achill every year so I was very moved to hear his interview. He described it very well in terms of looking out at the beautiful scenery, and I compliment him on that. Tourism is something that is vibrant and exciting, certainly in terms of Ireland and...

Seanad: Tourism: Statements (31 May 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Acting Chairman. I shall speak briefly on Brexit. I know that our visitor numbers from Britain are down. If we are to have a hard Border, will there be restrictions on free movement of people between Ireland and the UK? There has been much investment in respect of Brexit and the agrifood sector-----

Seanad: Tourism: Statements (31 May 2017)

Maria Byrne: Can I say one last thing?

Seanad: Tourism: Statements (31 May 2017)

Maria Byrne: With regard to the Rugby World Cup I wish Ireland the very best of luck in its bid. I know the Minister of State has put a lot of work into the bid, as have some of his ministerial predecessors and through his initiative around the local authorities. We are developing a tourism strategy in Limerick and I compliment the Minister of State on that.

Seanad: Controlled Drugs and Harm Reduction Bill 2017: Second Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank Senator Reilly for agreeing to share his time. This is a very important opportunity to discuss our approach to people who come into contact with the criminal justice system as a result of drug use. I compliment Senator Ruane and think it a very well-intentioned Bill. It seeks to address drug use as a social and health issue rather than as a criminal justice matter, which I believe...

Seanad Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Engagement on the Future of the European Union (7 Jun 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome my fellow Limerick person to the Chamber. I am not sure if he covered it in his presentation but I have a question on education. Foreign students in Ireland pay higher fees. When Irish students go to the UK, they pay the same fees as UK students. I am very concerned about whether Irish students travelling to the UK to college will be treated like foreign students and faced with...

Seanad Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Engagement with Local Authorities (7 Jun 2017)

Maria Byrne: I join other speakers and will not go back over what has been said because I am conscious of time. I will add something a little different from what Mr. Swift had to say about the enterprise boards. Having served on my local enterprise board for 15 years, I am aware of how important it has been in the lives of small business. That needs to be built on, certainly. In terms of business...

Seanad Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Engagement with Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed and Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (8 Jun 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome Mr. Doran and Ms O'Brien and thank them for their presentations. Mr. Doran mentioned that many nurses from both sides of the Border go to England for training, including specialised training. I will mention one area that is of concern in this context. Many qualifications are recognised at present. If nurses train here, their qualifications are recognised in the UK and in...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Jun 2017)

Maria Byrne: I rise on this historic day to pay tribute to the outgoing Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, and to wish him the very best for the future. I also wish to pay tribute to my own Limerick colleague, the outgoing Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan. The two of them, working together, have done a fantastic job in bringing the country back from the brink and restoring our finances. I wish...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jun 2017)

Maria Byrne: Reference has already been made to the fact that today is UN World Refugee Day. I congratulate the University of Limerick on becoming a university of sanctuary. Yesterday, at the first Department of Justice and Equality citizenship event held at the University of Limerick, the president, Dr. Des Fitzgerald, made the announcement that the university would become a university of sanctuary....

Seanad: Commencement Matters: General Practitioner Services (21 Jun 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Daly, to the House and congratulate him formally on his appointment yesterday. I am delighted for him and wish him the best of luck for the future. I raise this matter to call on University Hospital Limerick to provide access for general practitioners to the blood clinic over five days a week. Currently, there is access only on four days a week,...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: General Practitioner Services (21 Jun 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for his response. The point the GP is making is it is restricted times on a Friday and the Shannon Doc only operates Monday to Thursday so there is a shorter timeframe. I understand extending the time would create greater costs on the hospital, but if the service were extended, it would help to reduce the numbers going in through accident and emergency....