Results 4,501-4,520 of 5,013 for speaker:Victor Boyhan

Seanad: Councillors' Conditions: Statements (Resumed) (22 Nov 2017)

Victor Boyhan: The Leader knows my views on this.

Seanad: Councillors' Conditions: Statements (Resumed) (22 Nov 2017)

Victor Boyhan: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Justice Matters: Statements (22 Nov 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I welcome the Tánaiste and former Minister for Justice and Equality. I want to start with the line "parallel process". Why are we having a parallel process when we have the Charleton tribunal? Based perhaps on the arithmetic of these Houses, there is a sense here of Members vying for political blood and for heads on a plate and this is neither fair, right, nor appropriate. It is...

Seanad: Justice Matters: Statements (22 Nov 2017)

Victor Boyhan: This is worth saying because it is what I fundamentally believe. The Tánaiste is well-regarded, well-respected and an experienced Deputy, former Senator and Minister. She has clearly set that out. She has come to this House and explained her position. She said, critically, that last Monday she confirmed to the Taoiseach that neither she nor the Department of Justice and Equality "had...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Hospital Services (21 Nov 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I welcome the Minister of State. In essence, I am asking that the Minister for Health make a statement on the plans by the Dublin Midlands hospital group to downgrade the services at Portlaoise hospital and to publish the five-year plan for the hospital. There is great uncertainty regarding this plan. From today's edition of theLeinster Express, we understand that public meetings are to be...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Hospital Services (21 Nov 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I thank the Minister of State. I am cognisant that there was a draft plan in 2016. Consultation clearly took place. The draft plan was amended and the HSE came back in 2017 with a further version. That is an indication of ongoing consultation and engagement, which I welcome. It is important to have this plan published soon in line with what the Minister of State has delivered today. It...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Planning Issues (16 Nov 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy John Phelan, to the House. I will be brief. I am raising this matter in the context of Rebuilding Ireland. In the preparations for it and the ongoing and concluding legislation to underpin it, officials in the Department made a very strong case for the fast-tracking of planning and a lot of concern was expressed by local councillors, in particular,...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Planning Issues (16 Nov 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I, too, thank the Minister of State. I note that there have been no approvals under the fast-tracking system, despite the provision being put through in legislation last December. It is a slow process. One of the big difficulties with the policy document Rebuilding Ireland and planning is keeping track of statistics. Every time one asks a question one is given different figures....

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Planning Issues (16 Nov 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I know and the Minister of State is right.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Nov 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I want to talk about the Housing (Homeless Families) Bill that was discussed in Dáil Éireann yesterday. I welcome the Government support for it. This is a Labour Party Private Members' Bill which attempts to compel the housing authorities to recognise the needs of children and families who become homeless, which is valid. I am greatly encouraged by the response of both parties to...

Seanad: Councillors' Conditions: Statements (16 Nov 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Phelan, to the House. I am conscious that he was a councillor for a long period and, therefore, knows about local government and the importance of city and county councillors who do their work for local communities. I will use my speaking time as constructively as I can and I will not repeat what others have said. I want to thank the AILG and LAMA...

Seanad: Councillors' Conditions: Statements (16 Nov 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I used the word "some." I got Fine Gael votes too.

Seanad: Health Services: Statements (Resumed) (15 Nov 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I welcome the Minister of State and his officials and thank him for such a comprehensive report. Health is a wide brief and he has chosen to focus on particular issues which Senators have raised in the House. A service which is close to my heart and to which I have referred regularly in the House is the national rehabilitation service. There is a real need for a master plan or to receive...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I wish to extend my sympathies to the wife and family of Kevin Dawson, the renowned journalist who died the other day at the age of 57 years. I will explain how I came in contact with him first. He was a brave young journalist who, 25 years ago, first broke the story in the Sunday Tribunerelating to the drug trials on children in State institutions when no other newspaper would touch the...

Seanad: Housing and Rental Market: Statements (14 Nov 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I thank the Minister for coming before the House and sharing his report. I am a member of the Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government. Clearly. This is a very complex issue. The Minister is correct in stating that there is a lack of data sets and hard facts on this issue. I presume the committee's recommendations are available online. We made 13 recommendations...

Seanad: Housing and Rental Market: Statements (14 Nov 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I thank the Minister. I am not just saying this because I am on the committee, but the report was very extensive. There was huge public engagement and consultation. After a lot of close scrutiny it was decided that we should be very focused on the key issues. That is why we made 13 recommendations.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Nov 2017)

Victor Boyhan: Before the end of this year, I would like a fair amount of time to be set aside to have a comprehensive debate with the relevant Minister or Minister of State on Rebuilding Ireland. It is one of the most important Government policies. We discussed all aspects of it at great length in the Seanad. The Minister sought support from us for legislative change in regard to many aspects of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Finance: Discussion (9 Nov 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I am conscious of the time so I will try to be as specific as I can. I thank the witnesses for attending. This committee is about local government. Our terms of reference today are to examine the funding model. That is what we are about. It is why this committee decided to invite the various groups and witnesses. I thank Mr. O'Sullivan. It is interesting to focus on CCMA. I constantly...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Finance: Discussion (9 Nov 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I thank Mr. Lemass and Ms Larkin for coming in. The two papers were excellent. They were very simple with no ambiguity. We will clearly be leaving here with a greater, crystal clear understanding of the two relevant functions and roles. I thank the witnesses sincerely for that. It is sometimes very hard to break something down to a simple message and the witnesses have certainly done so...

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I welcome the Minister for Health and thank him for his opening remarks. He set the tone for a constructive debate. It is a question of public health and nobody here, whether in the Visitors Gallery, the Dáil or the Seanad needs to be reminded of the pain and suffering the irresponsible use of alcohol causes, most of all to minors and children but also to families, husbands, wives and...