Results 1,181-1,200 of 9,823 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: -----on small schools which are crucial to rural life.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The Government has attacked rural life, not protected it. It has targeted sectors-----

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Second Stage (6 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I will start by quoting from the programme for Government regarding legislation and rushing it through the Oireachtas. It states: While recognising that there may be exceptional circumstances in which debate may need to be concluded by a given deadline, we will restrict the use of guillotine motions and other procedural devices ..... We will also deal with the related problem of...

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Second Stage (6 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: This legislation comprises 34 pages and 20 sections. The Dáil and the Seanad are entitled to debate it at proper speed and give it due consideration. Instead, it is being rushed through because today is a good day to bury bad news, because there so much other bad news. This charge affects everybody, not just the sectors that were targeted in yesterday's expenditure measures. It is a...

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Second Stage (6 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: My colleague, Senator Ó Domhnaill, referred to the issue of waivers and I agree with him. Another fundamental unfairness in respect of this charge is that the local authorities are not being asked to make efficiencies under the legislation while members of the public is being asked to pay €100 or they will go to prison or be fined or convicted in a criminal court. The crimes the...

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Second Stage (6 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: It is not about the amount. We are not the Greeks. The public will not pay the charge if they do not see efficiencies from the local authorities or if they telephone local authorities and get no answer. Apart from putting a burden on the citizen, this charge will place considerable responsibility on local authority staff to ensure they do their jobs properly. Most of them do so but I hear...

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I am delighted to accept Senator Sheahan's compliments regarding the 10.1% deficit figure because it obviously relates to last year's budget. It is a major about-turn if he is describing last year's budget as prudent management but it is welcome nonetheless.

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The savings were announced last year.

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Fianna Fáil supports the decision to achieve an 8.6% deficit target in 2012. We are delighted that we apparently will reach a deficit of 10.1% this year. We are hoping to achieve a 2.9% deficit over the period of the plan by making savings of €3.8 billion next year. Most rational political parties, if they are not solely motivated by political gain, accept this basic necessity. However,...

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: We will support the Government as best we can, but its members will have to stick together, because every one of them that drops off the ship is another damaging blow to the stability of this country.

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I do wish the Government luck.

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Is that how the Senator justifies the cuts?

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: This is a positive amendment that recognises that those who paid stamp duty between 2004 and especially during 2007-08, are the people who paid for the Celtic tiger. It was from them that taxes came. Now we are to land those people with an annual charge of €100. This point is very important. The previous Government set the precedent for giving them some kind of rebate or increase for...

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I have a fundamental difficulty with trading companies - even if the properties they own are empty - not being required to pay this charge. Either it is a property tax or it is not. If such companies own properties, why are they not required to pay the charge? I accept that there are exemptions in respect of certain unfinished estates. It would certainly be galling to live in such an...

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: An alternative to applying the full charge to the houses to which I refer would be to apply a charge to the property. In such circumstances, the €100 would build up each year until a house was sold and then the solicitor involved would be obliged to hand over the total amount at the end of the sale process. There is no good reason trading companies are being excluded. We are introducing...

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Will Senator Norris be looking for one? I hope not on George's Street.

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: It is the message.

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: No doubt the IMF calls for a charge., and we support it in principle as well, but the IMF does not force the individual details. The Minister of State stated that we made reasonable points. Perhaps some Members on his side will agree with some of the points we made. I urge the Minister of State and the Government to consider those points between now and whenever the Bill goes to the Dáil,...

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: It is relative to the salary of the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes?

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: He had his own P. Flynn moment.