Results 2,201-2,220 of 2,663 for speaker:Malcolm Byrne

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Water Quality and Infrastructure and Small Town and Villages Growth Programme: Discussion (23 Sep 2021)

Malcolm Byrne: I understand that. I am aware of some local difficulties. It is essential that we have that report as soon as possible to restore public trust. If I asked within two weeks, would it be fair to say that a report would be available that would be made public?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Water Quality and Infrastructure and Small Town and Villages Growth Programme: Discussion (23 Sep 2021)

Malcolm Byrne: I appreciate that. It is important that it be made publicly available in the next two weeks to restore public trust. I appreciate that and the commitment to meet with me and local councillors. There will also be a HSE report on the scale of the illness, which we anticipate will be produced soon. I understand that when we have both of those, the EPA will review what has happened. Will the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Water Quality and Infrastructure and Small Town and Villages Growth Programme: Discussion (23 Sep 2021)

Malcolm Byrne: That will be the independent review. Contrary to what some people have said locally, there is independent oversight of what has happened. I am conscious that we need to make sure that this does not happen anywhere else. Is there an indication of the timeframe for the audit of the largest 20 sites the Minister has requested and then the 800 other plants around the country? We have to ensure...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Water Quality and Infrastructure and Small Town and Villages Growth Programme: Discussion (23 Sep 2021)

Malcolm Byrne: I appreciate it will take a bit of time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Water Quality and Infrastructure and Small Town and Villages Growth Programme: Discussion (23 Sep 2021)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank Ms Attridge. There is one concern if we are moving towards a single utility and this is an important question. In the past, if we had a failure or problem with water, as local councillors we were able to call the chief executive of the council or local water engineer to account. If we establish a single utility and an event such as this happens again, which I hope it does not, what...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Screen Ireland (22 Sep 2021)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank Ms Bergin and Ms Finnegan for their presentation. Ms Bergin said that the priorities for the board during her tenure as chair are capturing the share of the inward international production market, as well as training and skills. I am glad to hear that. The content creation industry is a trillion-dollar industry. In the UK it accounts for 7% to 8% of GDP and over Covid, one thing...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Screen Ireland (22 Sep 2021)

Malcolm Byrne: I would like to follow up because I was very conscious that Ms Bergin said in her opening statement that one of her key aims was to capture the share of inward international production but in response to my question her focus was on supporting the development of a creative indigenous sector. I am not saying that the two concepts are mutually exclusive but having a focus on attracting...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Screen Ireland (22 Sep 2021)

Malcolm Byrne: I am just not hearing about the focus on attracting the international investment.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Challenges Facing the Coach Tourism Transport Sector as a result of Covid-19: Discussion (22 Sep 2021)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the witnesses for their presentation. Apart from the necessary financial supports requested by the CTTC, what actions are needed to be taken by State agencies, in particular, Tourism Ireland, and, to a certain extent, Fáilte Ireland, to promote your members' businesses and to get agencies to respond to the point raised by Mr. Buckley about engendering confidence in people to use...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Challenges Facing the Coach Tourism Transport Sector as a result of Covid-19: Discussion (22 Sep 2021)

Malcolm Byrne: I raise the question of the school transport challenge. We are considering the learnings from this period. How would Mr. Barton change the school transport system, having operated in this area? It is not specifically related to this debate but can he offer us any advice on that?

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Water Pollution (21 Sep 2021)

Malcolm Byrne: I wish to raise the contamination of the water supplies at Gorey and Ballymore Eustace recently. The Minister of State will be aware of the report of the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, which was quite damning of the failures of the relevant authorities. What is particularly important is the need to restore public trust in our public water supply. I will refer to the incidents in...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Water Pollution (21 Sep 2021)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the Minister of State, who is aware that reports will come quite soon from the HSE on the scale of the medical problems that arose in the course of this period. We know that at least 52 cases have been reported but there may be more. I hope the report will be published as quickly as possible.It would be appropriate at that time for the Minister of State or the Minister, Deputy...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Sep 2021)

Malcolm Byrne: Senator Hackett waxed eloquently about the towns in the midlands on The Irish Timesshortlist of best places to live. I remind Senators that Gorey is also on that list. However, I will let its reputation speak for itself. During the summer, we experienced the passion and joy of the Olympics. On behalf of the House, I congratulate all our Olympians and Paralympians on their achievements and...

Seanad: Bullying and Sexual Harassment in Third Level Institutions: Motion (21 Sep 2021)

Malcolm Byrne: Like others, I would like to compliment Senator Ruane, not just for bringing forward this motion but for her continuous work within this area. I know to praise the Minister as well because he has taken a specific leadership role on this. It is essential that our universities and higher education institutions, as Senator Dolan has said, are safe spaces, regardless of one's background,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Reopening of Further and Higher Education Institutions: Discussion (22 Jul 2021)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the Minister and Minister of State for contributing to the meeting. I echo the comments around how they have helped make the new Department a success, particularly given the challenging year we have had. For the entire system to work as effectively as it did over the past year is testament to the efforts of staff and students and indeed all the Department and agency officials as...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Reopening of Further and Higher Education Institutions: Discussion (22 Jul 2021)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the Minister. I appreciate the funding levels for higher education have increased but as he has pointed out himself, the numbers going into it have significantly increased as well. I wish to quickly raise a number of other issues. I agree with Deputy Ó Cathasaigh's point around the change in design. With our capital works, the matter of how we can improve ventilation is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Reopening of Further and Higher Education Institutions: Discussion (22 Jul 2021)

Malcolm Byrne: I appreciate the Chairman's point but it is important to say there is an obligation on academics and those in the academic community. We must respect freedom of expression and freedom of thought and I am a big advocate for academic autonomy but that autonomy is undermined when evidence-based research is not followed.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Jul 2021)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank Ms O'Sullivan and Professor Crowley for coming before the committee. I thank Ms O'Sullivan, in particular, for sharing her story again. A lot of us have had the honour of hearing her story. She has shared it and has been exceptionally brave. As she said, she is just one person. This is a challenge that many individuals are facing. As a committee, we deal with laws and...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: General Scheme of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Jul 2021)

Malcolm Byrne: I am coming from a legal perspective. The crucial issue is the threshold at which the witnesses think an individual complaint could be made. They will appreciate that this is the challenge we are facing as legislators.