Results 361-380 of 2,476 for speaker:Malcolm Byrne

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: -----include it in the programme for Government. The issue of professorships for the technological universities is one we have been considering for quite a while. Has there been progress?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: I do not doubt the Minister’s commitment, but I have been hearing that answer for the past two years plus. Professorships are critical to ensuring that these institutions are globally competitive.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: While the Minister is still in office.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: No. There has been approval of funding for MTU to reform its senior executive structures. When will the same be done for the other TUs?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: I will conclude with two brief questions. The Minister mentioned the capital programme. He might update us on that as it affects SETU’s Wexford and Waterford sites.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: My constituency is broader as a Senator. The sites’ development is critical to the south east.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: My final question is on governance. There has been some news about the potential influence of non-state actors in this State and, indeed, these Houses, but I would be grateful to know the Minister’s opinion on the Confucius Institutes and similar institutes that are not entirely under the governance of Irish universities. I would be grateful for the Minister’s perspective on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans for Further and Higher Education: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (9 Oct 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: As the Minister knows, I am a strong advocate for academic autonomy, but where another government is essentially trying to determine the academic programmes of an institution, it is a cause of concern. Given the increasingly authoritarian nature of the Chinese Communist Party, for it to have a say in any aspect of the Irish educational system is something I would view with deep concern.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Detailed Scrutiny of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: Yes, although I may be anticipating what RTÉ will say. I am quite supportive of the principle behind this legislation. I agree that we should look at making the archive available. I am quite conscious that much of the time we are talking about the television side of things, but a large part of the radio archive has been made available. One of the things I particularly enjoy is the...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Detailed Scrutiny of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: The question relating to the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, might be the easier one.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Detailed Scrutiny of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: The key issue I have is on the cost side. Everyone agrees with the objective of this Bill, which is to ensure the widest public access possible. We are all in favour of that. Let us look at how it can be done. Deputy Costello made a point about ensuring an academic talking about the social history of Ireland and who wishes, for example, to specifically talk about Ireland during the...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Detailed Scrutiny of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: Mr. Ryan or Deputy Costello may answer this question about access to written materials. In comparison with other State agencies, such as the National Library of Ireland and its remit and obligations, is there anything relevant from the legislation underpinning that? I want to see as much access as possible. I entirely support that. My question, however, is whether we need legislation in...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Detailed Scrutiny of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: Go raith maith agaibh. This has been a very useful discussion. I quite like Mr. O'Connor's line about archiving being slow and my question is the extent to which we may be able to use AI to archive some of this material. I asked the question earlier around intellectual property rights and how this can be accessed. I am very drawn by the idea of the creation of a sovereign large language...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Detailed Scrutiny of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: Would Ms Ní Charra like to respond?

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Oct 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: I second Senator Dooley's proposed amendment to the Order of Business. I will also say that I am not a spy. I have no doubt that Senator Dooley is not a Russian spy either. He and Deputy Cathal Crowe are spending so much time keeping an eye on each other-----

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Oct 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: -----the Russians would not be up to them.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Oct 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: I wish to raise the question of retail crime, which ISME reckons costs this country more than €1.62 billion per year. This has been a concern for retailers all over the country. Even in terms of Garda statistics, however, the Garda estimated that in the year to the end of March, 6,772 theft from shop incidents were reported to it, which was up from 6,228 in the previous year. In...

Seanad: Offshore Renewable Energy: Motion (9 Oct 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for coming to this important debate. I share the concerns of my colleague, Senator Dooley, about whether we are moving quickly enough. The State's objective is that we will have 5 GW of offshore wind energy connected to the grid by the end of 2030. In his concluding remarks, will the Minister of State indicate whether he is still committed to that objective...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Coast Guard Service (8 Oct 2024)

Malcolm Byrne: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. He will be aware of the Courtown-Arklow Coast Guard unit. It is one unit. I raise the question of the facilities for the Coast Guard stations in Arklow and Courtown. In the case of the Arklow Coast Guard station, the Minister of State will be aware that in December last year Wicklow County Council granted planning permission for upgrades to...