Results 21-40 of 123 for speaker:Cathal Byrne

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Transport (30 Sep 2025)

Cathal Byrne: I thank the Minister of State and welcome his commitment to engage with me on this issue. It is very important to point out that the reason these students are travelling from Wexford town to New Ross is they could not get access to a secondary school place in their home town of Wexford town. That is an anomaly in the current rules whereby the State has failed to provide them with a...

Seanad: School Transport: Statements (30 Sep 2025)

Cathal Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for attending. I have a number of points to make. I have been in communication with the Minister of State about several bus routes in Wexford where we are looking for additional capacity on services. I acknowledge the 7,000 students who have benefited from a school bus ticket in Wexford. I will highlight, in particular, one instance where I would like a...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Sep 2025)

Cathal Byrne: Last night, I met with representatives of Wexford IFA. I was particularly struck by their words about the tillage sector, which in my rural county of Wexford delivers so much income and employment. One of the issues they highlighted is the unsustainable prices that are currently being achieved in the tillage sector. They described how this is the worst year for tillage in a generation. I...

Seanad: Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation: Statements (24 Sep 2025)

Cathal Byrne: I acknowledge our guests in the Visitors Gallery, including my friend, Councillor Paddy Meade, and his guests the Carters. My understanding is that both his father and his brother served as TDs in the Dáil in the past. They are most welcome to this Chamber. I thank the Minister, Deputy Chambers, very much for joining us today. I pay tribute to him, the Minister of State, Deputy...

Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery: Priorities and Provisions in the Review of the National Development Plan: Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (24 Sep 2025)

Cathal Byrne: I thank the Minister for coming before us. He was in the Seanad earlier dealing with the same subject. I do not propose to repeat myself too much. I want to drill down to a number of quick questions. One of the big issues we have teased out here is the notion of perhaps taking some of the large State infrastructure projects that are of critical national importance out of the usual...

Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery: Priorities and Provisions in the Review of the National Development Plan: Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (24 Sep 2025)

Cathal Byrne: My second question relates to the issues that came from the judicial review of the Galway ring road project, where a motorway around Galway was granted planning permission by An Coimisiún Pleanála and that permission was then overturned on the basis that it did not take into account climate mitigation measures under the climate action Act, specifically in section 15. Is the...

Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery: Priorities and Provisions in the Review of the National Development Plan: Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (24 Sep 2025)

Cathal Byrne: On a separate point, one of the concerns being highlighted to me regarding infrastructure development, particularly by Wexford County Council, is that for projects that require a foreshore license, planning permission must be applied for first and then a person must correspondingly apply for a foreshore license afterwards. Both applications cannot be lodged concurrently with a condition put...

Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery: Priorities and Provisions in the Review of the National Development Plan: Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (24 Sep 2025)

Cathal Byrne: On a more local issue, I recently visited Christian Brothers Secondary School, New Ross, which has approximately 400 boys and girls attending it. The building the school is in has been there since 1926. While there have been some extensions to classrooms, and four new classrooms are going to be delivered imminently, one of the issues the school highlighted to me is that it is the only...

Seanad: Migration: Statements (23 Sep 2025)

Cathal Byrne: Too often in this country, we are too afraid to speak out on these issues. It is only right and proper that in the people's representatives' Chamber in this House, we actually discuss and debate these issues on every occasion. Since having been elected as a Member of the Seanad, I have come in here and spoken on migration. It is only right and proper. I thank the Minister of State for his...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Insurance Matters: Engagement with the Alliance for Insurance Reform (17 Sep 2025)

Cathal Byrne: It is helpful to have the witnesses come in and I thank them for the work being done in this area. I read through the presentation and opening remarks. To be honest, I found some of the data in it absolutely shocking. I know previous speakers have highlighted this as well. However, you see in the 2024 reports that the awards in employers' liability are down 31%, in public liability awards...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2025)

Cathal Byrne: I place on the record my support for this Bill. It is important that this House, as a Chamber representing people throughout the country, takes stock of the fact there are now so many people living together as a committed couple in the context of a relationship that is cohabitant, which traditionally might have been a married couple. Society has moved on. It is very important that...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Fire Safety (9 Jul 2025)

Cathal Byrne: The Minister is most welcome to the Chamber. This is an issue that has been raised with me by local councillors in my home county of Wexford, near Mount Leinster, but also those in Waterford, affecting the Comeragh Mountains. The key issue is that there is a feeling in farming communities that the restrictions in place to control and restrict the controlled burning of scrubland on our...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Fire Safety (9 Jul 2025)

Cathal Byrne: I thank the Minister for bringing a bit of clarity to this situation because there is a genuine feeling among farmers that attempts are being made to fully prohibit controlled burning. While I recognise that there is a closed period, this fact may not be as well known among farmers as it should be. From speaking to many farmers, particularly those in Kiltealy, which is on the Wexford side...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Building Projects (9 Jul 2025)

Cathal Byrne: It was not me.

Seanad: Post Office Network: Statements (9 Jul 2025)

Cathal Byrne: The Minister of State is most welcome to the Chamber. I acknowledge the presence of the many individuals in the Gallery with a strong connection to our strong and vibrant post office network. My family's involvement with An Post started when my great-grandfather served as a local postman for 40 years. My grandfather was a postman for forty-seven and a half years. Pride of place in my...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach: Engagement with the Taoiseach (9 Jul 2025)

Cathal Byrne: It is no problem at all. I have one question. It relates to the nitrates derogation. I saw the announcement regarding feedback from the European Commission and the requirement to consider impacts on habitats directive goals. Given the changes we have seen from the European Commission side of the table, how likely is it that we will be able to retain the nitrates derogation in its current form?

Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery: Business of Joint Committee (9 Jul 2025)

Cathal Byrne: It is at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery: Judicial Review and Appeals Process: Engagement with Courts Service (9 Jul 2025)

Cathal Byrne: I appreciate that. I thank the Chair very much. I thank our visitors who are in with us today. I have a couple of questions around the idea that it is so easy to take judicial review proceedings. It is a personal opinion of mine that somebody who is not directly impacted by a planning decision should not be allowed to contest and challenge it either at the local authority stage or...

Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery: Judicial Review and Appeals Process: Engagement with Courts Service (9 Jul 2025)

Cathal Byrne: When somebody gets past that initial stage and then gets permission to bring forward the case, what is the average time it takes from step 1 to step 2?

Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery: Judicial Review and Appeals Process: Engagement with Courts Service (9 Jul 2025)

Cathal Byrne: This committee is interested in trying to fast-track the delivery of infrastructure, be that houses, hospitals or whatever other key State infrastructure. If there were to be changes, what changes would Ms Denning like to see that could speed up the process for the case getting from when the initial application for permission is granted to the case being substantively heard?