Results 161-180 of 1,308 for speaker:Maria Byrne

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Tackling Obesity and the Promotion of Healthy Eating in Schools: Discussion (24 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the witnesses for their presentations. As I am the last member to speak, many of my questions have been asked already and I will not go back over them. I agree with Senator Gallagher about the parents. It is about educating them. For too long, parents were not very conscious of what they put in the school lunch boxes. There is much more emphasis now. We have to find some way of...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the good news from President Higgins in Australia, from where he confirmed, in an interview with Martin Shanahan of IDA Ireland, that many Australian companies are, because of Brexit, looking to Ireland's mid-west as a potential spot for relocation and expansion, when traditionally their focus would have been on the UK. This development is being described as the boomerang effect,...

Seanad: Report on Lone Parents in Ireland: Statements (25 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister. I agree with much of what has been said and will not go over it. I wish to refer to one or two experiences I have had. Sometimes maintenance is promised by a partner and there is an agreement in place that maintenance is to be paid. However, in many cases it is not or else it comes every six or eight weeks rather than every week or in whatever timeframe was...

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister. There has been a long debate this evening and we are all in agreement that we want to see the issue of binge drinking cut out. I do not think anybody here supports binge drinking. I welcome the Minister's commitment to meeting all those across the sector, from the small retailer to the representative organisations and bigger organisations. This is most positive. I...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Nov 2017)

Maria Byrne: I raise the issue addressed by Threshold in its report published this morning. It states more than 2,000 complaints have been received from tenants who are being evicted because they have received notice that major renovations to their properties are to be carried out. There is no definition of "major renovations". I believe the Residential Tenancies Board is to issue directives in the...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2017)

Maria Byrne: Last week I referred to the Threshold report and the issue of rising rents. Today we read that rents in Dublin, up to September 2017, had risen by over 11%. In my city of Limerick they have risen by 10.5%. It is frightening because the report shows that rents in Dublin city centre can be anything up to €1,800 per month. In many other cities they can be €1,100 or...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Nov 2017)

Maria Byrne: The match last night was disappointing, but I wish the IRFU all the best today because at 1 p.m. we will finally know whether Ireland was successful in its bid to hold the Rugby World Cup. I certainly wish the IRFU well. I know the Minister, Deputy Shane Ross, and the Minister of State, Deputy Brendan Griffin, have travelled with the IRFU delegation. We will know the news at 1 p.m. This...

Seanad: JobPath: Motion (15 Nov 2017)

Maria Byrne: I second the amendment proposed by Senator Butler. I welcome the Minister of State and thank her very much for her attendance today. This is a very important issue. In my experience of dealing with people that have come through the JobPath system, the majority have found it to be a very positive experience. The difference between JobPath and the CE scheme is that the CE scheme is intended...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Curriculum Reform: Discussion (21 Nov 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank all the speakers. As some of what I wanted to ask was covered already, I will not go back over it. I agree with Deputy Funchion on continuous assessment. It has to be brought in somewhere. When I studied for the leaving certificate examinations, one read everything and everything was put up on the board. One learned it and took it down. Those days have changed. On Ms Ní...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Nov 2017)

Maria Byrne: I wish Senator Craughwell a happy birthday although I know he has left. I hope he has a nice day.

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Nov 2017)

Maria Byrne: I rise today to raise the issue of pyrite. A number of people from an estate in Limerick have informed me that they have been told by an independent assessor that there is pyrite in their houses. When I contacted the Pyrite Resolution Board I was told that it does not cover the areas of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, Kildare, Meath, Offaly or South Dublin, or Dublin City Council and,...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Swimming Pool Programme Funding (23 Nov 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State to House. I know that in the past he was unable to attend here due to work reasons and I thank him very much for coming here this morning. I rise today to raise the issue of the 50 m swimming pool in the University of Limerick and the fact that the Munster swimming team has no place to practice at the moment. The team is being disenfranchised when compared...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Swimming Pool Programme Funding (23 Nov 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for looking into the matter and coming back with a response. I would appreciate it if he can discover whether the timeline can be moved forward. Children of all ages, from the young to the not so young, have been disenfranchised as a result of the delay. The Department sanctioned the funding. That probably happened around the same time that I originally...

Seanad: Student Universal Support Ireland: Statements (23 Nov 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State to the House today and as Senator Gallagher has noted, the Joint Committee on Education and Skills has been looking at the Cassells report and the Wake-up SUSI report. The Wake-up SUSI campaign was started by a group of students from my own native Limerick who attend Griffith College and some of them are in Dublin, as well as in the business college in...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Nov 2017)

Maria Byrne: I congratulate an off-duty fireman in Limerick, Des Fitzgerald, who rescued two ladies from the River Shannon on 18 September. He is to be honoured by Waterways Ireland today. Mr. Willie Walsh of the International Airlines Group, IAG, has committed to the development of Shannon Airport and the group is looking for new routes for Shannon Airport. IAG is currently expanding and it has just...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome JETPOWER to Shannon Airport. It is joining a cluster of international aviation services companies centred at the airport and is a great boost for Shannon and the mid-west region. The Minister for Education and Skills announced the minor works scheme for primary schools yesterday. I welcome the announcement because I have recently been contacted by many schools that might not have...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Maria Byrne: I agree with the points made by Senator Coffey. A very clear message needs to go out in regard to hotels in Dublin. However, I lobbied for the retention of the 9% VAT rate in the past and on this occasion, and it sends a very positive message in terms of job creation, as the Minister of State said. Another benefit I have seen in the regions is the amount of investment people are beginning...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Pyrite Remediation Programme (7 Dec 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Cathaoirleach. I welcome the Minister of State here today and thank him for coming to discuss such an important issue. The reason I tabled a Commencement matter seeking Limerick to be included in the pyrite remediation scheme is because I wrote to the board that deals with pyrite, seeking Limerick to be included in the scheme, but, unfortunately, I was told that the scheme only...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Pyrite Remediation Programme (7 Dec 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State very much for his reply. We have been in contact with the Pyrite Resolution Board, but it does not seem to want to engage. It is very firm regarding the fact the scheme applies within Leinster and the greater Dublin area. Perhaps we should write to the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy English, as well....

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2017)

Maria Byrne: The Order of Business is No. 1, motion re the arrangements for the sitting of the House on Tuesday, 12 December 2017, to be taken on conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; and No. 1a, Social Welfare Bill 2017 – Second Stage, to be taken at 12.45 p.m., with the contributions of group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes and all other Senators not to exceed five minutes.