Results 141-160 of 1,927 for speaker:Malcolm Byrne

Seanad: Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020: Second Stage (1 Dec 2020)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the Minister for his work. I also thank the officials in his Department and, indeed, other Departments for their work. We are extremely fortunate in this country to have such quality diplomatic staff and, indeed, public service when dealing with a complex challenge such as this one. I note colleagues, including Senator Chambers, talked about the unity of purpose in this Chamber and,...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (2 Dec 2020)

Malcolm Byrne: I agree with the concerns about data expressed by Senator Seery Kearney. We had that discussion during the Brexit debate yesterday. It is also worth reflecting on the important testimony given today by Senator Craughwell. I agree with the concerns he expressed. I will raise two issues on which I have sought debates a number of times. The first is the recent Environmental Protection...

Seanad: Technological Universities Agenda: Statements (2 Dec 2020)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the Minister for coming into the Seanad for this very important discussion on the technological university sector, the changes that have been happening over the past decade and how they will play a part in the higher education landscape, nationally and internationally. It is important that we also thank the staff, students and governing bodies of all the institutions involved, such...

Seanad: Technological Universities Agenda: Statements (2 Dec 2020)

Malcolm Byrne: Senator Craughwell is not shy.

Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht: Impact of Covid-19 on the Tourism Sector: Discussion (2 Dec 2020)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank Mr. Kelly, Mr. Gibbons, Ms De Saulles and all their staff and teams for the work they do. Like my colleague, I apologise for being called away to vote. A number of the issues I wanted to ask about have been raised but I will put a couple of specific questions to the witnesses. One of the issues is the outcome of Brexit. There has been a lot of emphasis on additional shipping...

Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht: Impact of Covid-19 on the Tourism Sector: Discussion (2 Dec 2020)

Malcolm Byrne: One of the other issues is the CRSS and the need to extend the wage subsidy scheme. We have talked about this extensively already but I have specific concerns about some of the not-for-profit tourism ventures. I am thinking of Wexford and Hook Head, Dunbrody and the Irish National Heritage Park, which have not been able to avail of the commercial subsidies and supports. It will be...

Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht: Impact of Covid-19 on the Tourism Sector: Discussion (2 Dec 2020)

Malcolm Byrne: Golf tourism is a specific market that has been hit. International golf tourists are hugely important to Ireland. That industry has been badly hit and has not been able to avail of the same supports. How are we going to revitalise that sector?

Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht: Impact of Covid-19 on the Tourism Sector: Discussion (2 Dec 2020)

Malcolm Byrne: I have one quick final question around the post-Covid environment. We must think about getting to next summer and beyond, but Covid will have an impact on international travel and business travel. If they were to make a pitch and look at the Irish tourism product in five years' time, where do our guests see it? What will have been the impact of Covid and Brexit? This is a bit of crystal...

Seanad Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Engagement on Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (2 Dec 2020)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the Minister for coming here and for his contribution yesterday on the Brexit omnibus Bill, which was comprehensive. The Minister made a point around Michel Barnier's warnings and described his own fear of the UK making a significant mistake. The reality is that next week is make or break. It is up to the UK. If it makes a particular decision about the internal market and finance...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2020)

Malcolm Byrne: Five years ago, the Paris Agreement on climate change was signed. Yesterday, three reports were published, which I read last night. Their findings did not help me to sleep. These were the World Meteorological Organization's State of the Global Climate 2020 report, the UNESCO report on conservation of nature and The Lancetreport on health and climate change. I will outline why some of the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Dec 2020)

Malcolm Byrne: The European Union has now adopted the Magnitsky Act, which is something that is very welcome. We need to ensure that those sanctions are used against the last dictatorship in Europe, Belarus. We have spoken in this House before about the need to address the abuses of Lukashenko. Even last weekend we saw that more than 300 people were detained during peaceful protests by those looking for...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Driver Test (8 Dec 2020)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to address the issue of delays on driver tests. There are delays in getting the theory test. I logged on this morning to see if I could get a theory test in Gorey before Christmas. It was quite difficult to get anything in the immediate vicinity but a lot of my concern is around the driver test itself. I am aware that the Road Safety...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Driver Test (8 Dec 2020)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I appreciate the difficulties but I understand that there are now more than 90,000 people on the waiting lists. As the Minister of State noted, this will seriously impact our efforts to get young people back into employment, education and training. The Government's strategy for recovery aims to target high rates of youth unemployment. It will...

Seanad: Combating Sexual, Domestic and Gender-Based Violence: Statements (Resumed) (8 Dec 2020)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the Minister for coming to the House and for his personal commitment to addressing these issues. I agree very strongly with Senator Moynihan that there are quite a number of issues in respect of housing which have not been fully teased out during debates on this matter. These issues do not affect only those on council housing lists. Situations often arise in which the relationship...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Dec 2020)

Malcolm Byrne: I start by agreeing with Senators McGreehan and Keogan on the need for a discussion around rural housing. One of the difficulties is that not only are people not allowed to build one-off houses in rural areas, they cannot even live in nearby villages because the required water and wastewater infrastructure is not in place. We need to have a discussion on that issue. I welcome the news that...

Seanad: Annual Transition Statement on Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015: Statements (9 Dec 2020)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the Minister for coming into the House and for his strong personal commitment to addressing this issue. We all know the facts. Reports are coming out every week highlighting the extent of this crisis, the fact that we have to reach the target of 7.5% reduction in emissions each year between now and 2030 if we are to avoid a 1.5oC rise in temperature that will cause us so much...

Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht: Impact of Covid-19 on the Film and Television Industry: Discussion (9 Dec 2020)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the witnesses for the content creation that is keeping us going through this period. I would like to focus on how big the industry can grow and on the potential for Ireland when we come out of Covid-19 and how we get there. I will pose a number of questions and whoever chooses to answer them can do so. How big do the witnesses believe the sector can grow in Ireland? What needs do...

Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht: Impact of Covid-19 on the Film and Television Industry: Discussion (9 Dec 2020)

Malcolm Byrne: I am conscious of time but there were three other quick questions, which were on the audiovisual media services directive and the content levy, what we will do with section 481, and studio infrastructure.

Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht: Impact of Covid-19 on the Film and Television Industry: Discussion (9 Dec 2020)

Malcolm Byrne: What about section 481 and the studio infrastructure?

Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht: Impact of Covid-19 on the Film and Television Industry: Discussion (9 Dec 2020)

Malcolm Byrne: Apologies for having to step out briefly. I will return to some issues I did not get a chance to discuss in the earlier round. I welcome the support for Tara Studios in north Wexford. It will be a major addition to the studio landscape if planning is granted. There will be a review of section 481 in the next period. What are the witnesses' recommendations on helping the sector to...