Results 141-160 of 1,308 for speaker:Maria Byrne

Seanad: Commencement Matters (Resumed): Third Level Facilities (3 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State and thank her for coming here to take these matters. I wish to highlight the importance of Mary Immaculate College in Limerick in terms of teacher training. The college was founded in 1898 and is the oldest training college in the State for primary school teachers. It was started by the Sisters of Mercy as part of their convent on the South Circular Road and...

Seanad: Commencement Matters (Resumed): Third Level Facilities (3 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for her personal acknowledgement, on behalf of the Department, of the contribution of Mary Immaculate College. I thank the Minister of State for her commitment in that they have made their submission and it is there for consideration. I cannot emphasise enough the role they play. Anything the Minister of State can do in her deliberations, I would appreciate.

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme: Statements (3 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for attending the Seanad this afternoon to discuss this crucial and important issue. I welcome his statement that he will look at the fair deal charges for farms and small businesses. This is important, as Senator O’Reilly so eloquently put it, for young farmers and young people who want to inherit farms and businesses. It is difficult because many find...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the news that the VHI has announced it will reduce the cost of 26 of its 78 plans. This is a positive development. I encourage people to shop around for their health insurance. This raises the question of whether there will be a price war among the different health insurance companies. The cost of insurance has often been referred to in the Chamber and, hopefully, this will be...

Seanad: Well-being in Schools: Statements (4 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister and thank him for coming here to discuss such an important issue. I suppose we can all reference our own childhoods. Our primary school days were very different in that there was no well-being programme or co-operation between teachers, parents and families. I welcome one initiative that has operated for quite a while. I refer to the Incredible Years programme,...

Seanad: Proposed EU Directive on European Travel Information and Authorisation System: Motion (4 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I move:That Seanad Éireann approves the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to take part in the adoption and application of the following proposed...

Seanad: Budget 2018: Statements (10 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State. I wish him, the Minister of State, O'Donovan, and the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, all the best in terms of the budget. I welcome that this is a balanced budget and there is a little bit for everybody. I am glad to see that the Government has been prudent in the way it has chosen to spend the money and that it is not putting its two feet into it in terms of...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I rise today to raise a tourism issue. Today, a competition called Eurowings will be streamed live on Facebook at 2 o'clock. Shannon Airport is one of three airports in the final. The other airports are in Bosnia-Herzegovina and in Italy. I encourage everyone to go online and vote for Shannon Airport to win the route because we want to encourage as many tourists as possible to come to...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (12 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I seek to raise awareness of the fact that today is World Sight Day. Our eyesight is very important to all of us. For the past five years, national sight day has been held on the second Thursday of October. When many people end up with impaired vision of fuzziness across their eyes, they ignore it. It is important to raise awareness of the need to have one's eyes looked at if one finds...

Seanad: Recognition of Irish Sign Language for the Deaf Community Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (17 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for agreeing to the amendments. I compliment the deaf community on its work to date on the proposed amendments which Senators Daly and Clifford-Lee have brought to this conclusion. I met members of the deaf community in Limerick. They were good at putting forward suggestions on how compromise could be reached. I also compliment the Minister of...

Seanad: Recognition of Irish Sign Language for the Deaf Community Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (17 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank both the Minister of State and the team in the Irish Deaf Society. One thing that is clear is that the Bill will pass because of teamwork from the Irish Deaf Society and all the Senators. I congratulate all. It is a good news day for the Irish Deaf Society. I know from my communication with my own colleagues in Limerick, who were very vocal in putting forward their view, that it...

Seanad: Recognition of Irish Sign Language for the Deaf Community Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (17 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: Tomorrow morning at 10.30 a.m.

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I wish to speak about two initiatives to do with education. One is the announcement on Monday by the Minister, Deputy Richard Bruton, and the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Mitchell-O'Connor, of a €20 million investment in Limerick Institute of Technology in terms of STEM. It is an investment in a science and IT building that is much needed and will facilitate between 600 and 1,000...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I also mentioned the swimming pool.

Seanad: Flood Prevention Measures: Statements (18 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for coming in here today to listen to our concerns about flooding. The last time I spoke to him concerned the area of Montpelier, County Limerick. A house there had been flooded twice over - the flood actually went in one door and out the other - and the Minister of State released funding to deal with it. The local authority there is currently carrying out the...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Autism Support Services (19 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, to discuss this important issue. My query relates to the number of autism spectrum disorder, ASD, assessments of need being carried out in the Limerick, Clare and Tipperary areas. I understand there is a significant backlog in this regard. I was recently contacted by a family in north Tipperary who, when they applied for a place for...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Autism Support Services (19 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister for his interest in this issue and I aware of his commitment to the area of disabilities. His answer was grand and I know that matters are being reviewed but it does not resolve the plight of the parents whose children have not got a school place this year because the HSE has failed to meet its commitment within the timeframe. I understand there are complications but...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Autism Support Services (19 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister for that.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I wish to raise awareness of a report compiled by Professor Emer Smyth of the ESRI in respect of the transition of students from primary to second level. It found that students who like maths in third and fourth class settle in to secondary school better than students who do not have a love of maths instilled in them. Two thirds of 13 year-old girls and 57% of boys surveyed were found to be...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I would like to highlight the EPA's report on all the raw sewage that is being pumped into our waters without being treated. It is alarming that some of the many treatment plants that have been put in place are not being operated properly. According to the report, over 500,000 tonnes of raw sewage is being pumped into the water on a daily basis. We should bring the Minister to the House to...