Results 3,821-3,840 of 5,013 for speaker:Victor Boyhan

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2019)

Victor Boyhan: I will withdraw the remark. I believe in working in a spirit of co-operation and I do not believe in abusing one's position. I am glad the Minister is smiling. I can only read his body language but he seems happy with that.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2019)

Victor Boyhan: It is for this House and not any other-----

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2019)

Victor Boyhan: -----to decide its Order of Business. Nobody is filibustering and nobody is frustrating the progress of this legislation. The people who feel frustrated do not have to come in here. There are only four Senators in this House at this moment. Despite what people may say on Twitter or on Facebook, nobody is frustrating the legislation. I invite any Government Minister or the Leader of this...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2019)

Victor Boyhan: Hear, hear.

Seanad: National Training Fund: Statements (28 Feb 2019)

Victor Boyhan: I thank the Minister of State for his presentation, to which I listened in my office. I assure him that I am not running here to say something without having heard what he had to say. I thank him for coming into the House and wish to point out that it was me who requested his attendance to discuss the national training fund, NTF, in the wake of the publication by the Government of the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Public Services Card (27 Feb 2019)

Victor Boyhan: I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this item. I welcome the Minister of State to the House. This relates to the need for the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to make a statement on whether the public services card should be an acceptable form of identification in opening a bank account. I have received representations from people living in rural areas as well as...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Public Services Card (27 Feb 2019)

Victor Boyhan: I know what the Minister of State is saying but he is not telling us very much. I accept the Government is considering amendments and that the matter is complex. In essence, the Minister of State is telling me that it is a voluntary arrangement with the cardholder. However, there is no comfort there for these rural people. They have no IDs and are being forced as an unintended consequence...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Feb 2019)

Victor Boyhan: I wish to ask the Leader if we could have a debate on the housing options for our ageing population. I have just come from the AV room which was packed this morning for the launch of a Government document on housing options for our ageing population. The Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Damien English, and the Minister of State at the...

Seanad: Update on Implementation of National Forestry Programme: Statements (27 Feb 2019)

Victor Boyhan: I acknowledge the enormous work the Minister of State has done in horticulture, forestry and other areas for which he is responsible. Last week I was in the wonderful house in Avondale. When summing up, the Minister of State might touch on the plans for that. In the context of forestry, we have to think of the bigger picture and that includes biodiversity and the potential for more jobs....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Property Tax Review (14 Feb 2019)

Victor Boyhan: I will make my case pretty short and snappy. I asked that the Minister outline the position regarding the issue of the local property tax. We know there was to be a review of the local property tax last year but we are now long past that point. I have seen some circulars from the Minister of State's colleagues and party on the issue. I am conscious local elections will be held in 2019 and...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Property Tax Review (14 Feb 2019)

Victor Boyhan: I thank the Minister of State for his response. I do not want him to take this personally but, effectively, that is a cut and paste exercise. I asked all of this last year and this response is identical to the reply I got then. I did not even have to read it. The final line sums it up. Rather than waste the Department's paper and print and our time, the essential point is that "the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna (Atógáil) - Commencement Matters (Resumed): Property Tax Review (14 Feb 2019)

Victor Boyhan: Within the hour.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Feb 2019)

Victor Boyhan: Will the Leader invite the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government to the House to discuss the future plans for Irish Water? I have been contacted by numerous representatives of local authorities and trade unions representing 3,500 workers who fear they will be effectively conscripted into Irish Water. They have contracts and are in effect public servants and have public service...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Feb 2019)

Victor Boyhan: I thank the Leader for organising the debate on the exceptionally sad case of Shane O'Farrell. The more one reads into it, the more one realises that there has been a terrible miscarriage of justice. I received correspondence from Mrs. O'Farrell this morning. She will be here with a number of other people. I hope as many people as possible can come to the House. I think it will be an...

Seanad: Death of Shane O'Farrell: Motion (13 Feb 2019)

Victor Boyhan: I second the motion. I welcome the Minister to the House and especially welcome Ms O'Farrell and her daughter here today for what must be another painful experience in respect of the loss of her son. In 2011, Shane O'Farrell, aged 23 and the only son of the O'Farrell family was killed in a horrific hit and run by Mr. Gridziuska who had multiple breaches of bail and should have been in State...

Seanad: Loneliness Task Force Report: Statements (13 Feb 2019)

Victor Boyhan: I welcome the Minister of State. I heard what he had to say from the monitor in my office. I also acknowledge Senator Swanick and Seán Moynihan from ALONE. This report is a very interesting document: A Connected Ireland - An Ireland Free from Loneliness. The Senator was right to highlight this issue. Early in his work the Senator engaged with all of the 31 local authorities and...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Rehabilitative Periods) Bill 2018: Second Stage (13 Feb 2019)

Victor Boyhan: I thank the Minister for that and I welcome him back to the House. I thank Senator Ruane and her team for the Bill. I listened to that moving and personal story. I pay tribute to the Senator because time again she brings her personal story and experience to the House. I genuinely believe that we all have our own personal stories but perhaps some of us do not speak of them with such ease...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Feb 2019)

Victor Boyhan: I second Senator Norris's proposal to amend the Order of Business. I do not intend going into any great detail on Shane O'Farrell because I hope we will have the support of the House to make that amendment. Investigations are needed into his untimely death. I support the family's request for a commission of investigation into his death to be carried out. I acknowledge the enormous work...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Prohibition of Certain Products Containing Plastic Microbeads Bill 2018: Discussion (12 Feb 2019)

Victor Boyhan: I thank the witnesses for attending. This is a very interesting topic. It is clearly quite a technical area and, as such, the committee and the Department were right initially to engage with Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and its researchers. That was a good move and I acknowledge the support of the Department in encouraging it. I acknowledge also the work we have seen in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Prohibition of Certain Products Containing Plastic Microbeads Bill 2018: Discussion (12 Feb 2019)

Victor Boyhan: I asked about the synergies achieved in working with Teagasc and local authorities.