Results 1,201-1,220 of 9,823 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

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

Thomas Byrne: Roimh an olltoghcháin bhí Fine Gael agus Páirtí an Lucht Oibre díreach in aghaidh an mhuirir seo. Dúirt Fine Gael go raibh siad chun an cháin ar áit chónaithe phríobháideach neamhphríomha a árdú go €300 in aghaidh na bliana agus dúirt Páirtí an Lucht Oibre go raibh siad chun an cháin sin a árdú go €500, in ionad an costas seo a leagadh. Bhí siad in aghaidh an...

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

Thomas Byrne: Cén fáth ar chuir na páirtithe na geallúintí sin ina bhforógraí? An raibh siad ag insint bréaga le muintir na hÉireann? Sin a cheapann na daoine. Why did the Government parties go before the Irish people prior to the election and say-----

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

Thomas Byrne: I am speaking to the amendment and the section, which is about the charge of €100 that Fine Gael and Labour said they would not introduce. They not only said they would not do it, they said there was another way of doing it.

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

Thomas Byrne: They do not. They said before the election they would not do it, and they showed a way to raise a similar amount of money, but they will not do that because they are bringing it in on everybody else. It is not true to say they have to do it. Ministers, including the Minister, Deputy Howlin, in this Chamber and the Minister, Deputy Noonan, in the Dáil, have said repeatedly that the IMF...

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

Thomas Byrne: I am going to be lashed as well-----

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

Thomas Byrne: Senator Noone can correct me if I am wrong. It is a long time since I studied constitutional law, so I will not claim to have any particular knowledge or expertise in the area, as I do not. However, I did not understand that a Minister could raise the amount of tax through delegated legislation or through statutory powers. If a Minister were able to do that or if that were the practice,...

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

Thomas Byrne: Tá an prionsabal anseo an-difriúil ar fad. An prionsabal atá i gceannas anseo ná an prionsabal an táille a leagan ar ghach teaghlach sa tír, gnáth daoine na tíre. Séard a a bhí sa chostas a chuir Fianna Fáil i bhfeidhm i sa bhliain 2009, ná costas ar daoine a bhí infheistíocht acu i dtithe saoire nó i dteach eile seachas teach an teallaigh. Níl sé cothrom ná ceart go...

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

Thomas Byrne: It is not exactly the same with social welfare. The Minister for Social Protection cannot increase or decrease social welfare payments without reference to the Oireachtas. There is nothing to prevent this charge being changed by means of a Financial Resolution on budget day. I do not see why it cannot be subject to the democratic will of the people. I ask the Minister of State to...

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

Thomas Byrne: Sinn Féin made a mistake by not having separate amendments because we can certainly support the first part but not the second part as it would be wrong to exclude Senators from the measure. The figure of €75,000 is approximately twice the famous average industrial wage. One must have some sympathy for people on the average industrial wage who might own two or three properties such as...

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

Thomas Byrne: The Minister can enlighten me as to whether he has bought a house in County Louth yet. He will get a massive bill for property tax-----

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

Thomas Byrne: I certainly feel sorry for him.

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

Thomas Byrne: He has acknowledged on my local radio station that he owned a holiday home in Donegal.

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

Thomas Byrne: There are people who claim to be on the average industrial wage, who own two or three properties. They certainly should be given some consideration.

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

Thomas Byrne: It is in his constituency.

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

Thomas Byrne: We should speak to the section when the House is full.

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

Thomas Byrne: The import of the section is that the charge of €100 may be increased by ministerial fiat. If Fine Gael and Labour Party backbenchers are prepared to accept such uncertainty and hand the powers of the Oireachtas over to a Minister, let them do so. As I state almost daily, if they are happy to turn the Dáil and Seanad into rubber stamp Chambers, let them do so.

Seanad: Business of Seanad (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I ask the Leader to increase the amount of time allowed for the debate. We will be discussing the impact of the household charge on social welfare recipients, and if he stops the debate about the poorest of the poor, shame on him.

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The fuel allowance, perhaps.

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The Senator is wrong.

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Was it?