Results 3,561-3,580 of 9,894 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Education (Admission to School) Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) (30 May 2018)

Thomas Byrne: Gone home.

Education (Admission to School) Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) (30 May 2018)

Thomas Byrne: I thank the Minister and my colleagues on the committee for getting this Bill through the House. It has taken a number of years in this Dáil, but it also took years before that. It is major legislation. Last summer when the Taoiseach took over, Fianna Fáil, and in particular my party leader, said that we would facilitate its passage. We believed it to be a good, nice, easy win,...

Education (Admission to School) Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) (30 May 2018)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister is setting out what powers he will have if schools do not comply with the law. It emphasises the point I made earlier that it is essential that schools are given help and resources to be able to do this because we are now looking at a big job that boards of management in schools will have to do to comply with this legislation, most of which will never have one issue with it at...

Education (Admission to School) Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) (30 May 2018)

Thomas Byrne: They really have the dictionary out in the Department. The Minister is substituting "admission" for "enrolment". Previously, the Minister substituted "attendance" for "enrolment" or vice versa. It is getting late in the night, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, and we will not oppose it. It is surely altogether worthwhile.

Education (Admission to School) Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) (30 May 2018)

Thomas Byrne: This is new politics at its best.

Education (Admission to School) Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) (30 May 2018)

Thomas Byrne: We are all going to sit down before the Bill goes to the Seanad.

Education (Admission to School) Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) (30 May 2018)

Thomas Byrne: I thought the Minister had agreed to withdraw this amendment when we were discussing No. 45.

Education (Admission to School) Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) (30 May 2018)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister can only accept one of the amendments.

Education (Admission to School) Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) (30 May 2018)

Thomas Byrne: I also thank the Minister. Part of the problem is the fact that the Government is not geared up for the way the new politics is working. We are not doing this simply to get one over on the Minister. The Government tends to operate by taking advice on amendments from the Attorney General or the parliamentary counsel. They are then published, but we get a very limited opportunity to react...

Education (Admission to School) Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) (30 May 2018)

Thomas Byrne: I thank my colleagues for supporting the proposal that I put to them last night and today. None of us should be in thrall to any lobby group on any issue and I am not speaking here on behalf of any particular group. I wish to get this exactly right. The lobby groups in this case have said to us that they see difficulties in the drafting of the Minister's amendment that might have...

Education (Admission to School) Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) (30 May 2018)

Thomas Byrne: I welcome the Minister’s amendments. I hope they achieve the desired effect. I have seen some special schools treat children inappropriately, particularly when dealing with expulsion or suspension, which is similar to admission. I do not want to see any barriers put up for children with special needs. This genuinely has the child’s interests at heart and it should not be a...

Education (Admission to School) Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) (30 May 2018)

Thomas Byrne: I do not intend to delay the House. It is clear that many schools already operate waiting lists. I welcome the Minister's approach of phasing them out so that they are not removed overnight. Does the Minister intend to give schools assistance in implementing this and other aspects of this Bill, not only so they can implement the new rules but also so they can advise prospective parents on...

Education (Admission to School) Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) (30 May 2018)

Thomas Byrne: Not just by the religious groups.

Education (Admission to School) Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) (30 May 2018)

Thomas Byrne: The problem is not religious schools but the preponderance of religious schools. At primary level, they account for more than 90% of schools. We can get fixated on teaching religion and on Catholic or Protestant schools, but there would be no issue if there was a much lower proportion of religious schools. At second level, for example, it is not as much of an issue because invariably there...

Education (Admission to School) Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) (30 May 2018)

Thomas Byrne: On behalf of Fianna Fáil, I want to say that we can see a strong case to be made for having religion at the end of the school day. There is a strong case for that. It happens already, as alluded to by Deputy Shortall, in multidenominational schools where religious instruction is provided, in some cases to the majority of pupils, depending on the parents' wishes, and it seems to happen...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Placement (30 May 2018)

Thomas Byrne: 108. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a school place will be provided for a child (details supplied) in September 2018. [23891/18]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rural Transport Programme Funding (30 May 2018)

Thomas Byrne: 207. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the status of the once-off community grant of Louth-Meath Fingal LocalLink. [23859/18]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Insurance (30 May 2018)

Thomas Byrne: 211. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if there is recourse in respect of a person that has a small number of PRSI stamps paid by their employer for the duration of their working life. [23814/18]

Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) (29 May 2018)

Thomas Byrne: I am surprised that Sinn Féin of all parties cannot support the preference, if oversubscribed, for Church of Ireland or other minority faith schools. Where are these schools? There are 22 Church of Ireland schools in Donegal, eight in Cavan and five in Monaghan. There are only two Presbyterian schools in Dublin, while there are nine in Donegal and three in Monaghan. If we are looking...

Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016: Report Stage (Resumed) (29 May 2018)

Thomas Byrne: This whole group of amendments is really the crux of the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016 and it is where the pressure has been coming on legislators to act. There is a difficulty. I acknowledge that and always have. I have come across constituents who have been refused admission to schools because they were not baptised Catholic. I saw one particularly egregious example where...