Results 4,901-4,920 of 5,171 for speaker:Victor Boyhan

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Voting at 16) Bill 2016: Second Stage (29 Mar 2017)

Victor Boyhan: The Senator should.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Voting at 16) Bill 2016: Second Stage (29 Mar 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I also welcome all of the people of different ages who are seated in the Visitors Gallery and thank them for taking the time to come here. I commend Senators Fintan Warfield, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Lynn Ruane on introducing this Bill. Senator Norris is right that the Bill consists of three paragraphs on two pages. Let us be clear what...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Voting at 16) Bill 2016: Second Stage (29 Mar 2017)

Victor Boyhan: Nowhere in legislation is such an appointment precluded. We are talking here about electoral reform and allowing young people to fully engage, which I fully support. I would like to see young people being able to vote. They can already vote in universities and I would like to see a major expansion of that franchise. It is another area where we should have young people engaging, being able...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Voting at 16) Bill 2016: Second Stage (29 Mar 2017)

Victor Boyhan: They want to influence key decisions that affect their lives and the lives of the people they live with and in our communities of all ages. They bring a vast energy, enthusiasm and commitment to their own communities and to life itself. We have seen the track record of young people engaging in environmental issues and in many referenda and we have seen them actively participate in...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Tribunals of Inquiry Recommendations (28 Mar 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I thank the Minister of State for being with us. The Mahon tribunal investigated planning corruption in Dublin between 1997 and 2012. The tribunal cost more than €160 million, consisted of 589 days of public hearings and taking evidence and had 427 witnesses. One might ask what the taxpayer has to show for all of this work and all this money and these hours of investigation? We...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Tribunals of Inquiry Recommendations (28 Mar 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response. It will feed into a proposal on a draft Bill on which we are working and which will come before the House at some point. I want to raise two issues. The Minister of State has not identified the new independent office of planning regulation. He acknowledged it, but gave no commitment on its implementation, including the date of...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Mar 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I support the proposal made by Senator Humphreys because it is right and important. It has gone too far in respect of the Garda Commissioner. The gap between the number of breath tests the Garda claims to have carried out and the number identified by the Medical Bureau of Road Safety coupled with the extraordinary interview on "Morning Ireland" earlier have to raise widespread concerns...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (28 Mar 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I welcome the Minister and thank him. I know his absolute commitment to this matter. I have three points and four questions for the Minister. First, we know the Bill is to provide for an automatic entitlement to a medical card for those in receipt of the domiciliary care allowance. The Minister also intends to reduce the prescription charges for medical card holders aged 70 years and...

Seanad Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Engagement on Common Travel Area: Department of Justice and Equality (23 Mar 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I thank the witnesses for attending the Seanad's hearings. They are welcome. I also thank the Chairman and wish him well in his job. It is an important position. That we are meeting in the Seanad gives us a sense of the committee's importance. Establishing the committee was a decision of the Seanad. In time, we might tweak how we do our business. In the meantime, I will stick to the...

Seanad: Pensions (Equal Pension Treatment in Occupational Benefit Scheme) (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (22 Mar 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I welcome the Minister and Dr. David Parris and his partner to the Seanad. I do not doubt the Minister's personal commitment to this issue. I hope the Government will come on board and that this will not be dragged out. Senator Bacik has to be thanked for the way she set out the background to this Bill and the work she did in bringing it forward. She and her colleagues in the Labour Party...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Mar 2017)

Victor Boyhan: The Irish Cancer Society is holding its 30th national fundraising Daffodil Day event on Friday. One might ask what its relevance is. Several national newspapers over the weekend reported that a senior consultant in oncology had expressed serious concerns about the shortage of beds and lack of consultants to deal with patients with cancer. It is an absolute disgrace.According to this...

Seanad: Rebuilding Ireland: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I thank the Minister of State, Deputy English for coming to the House today. I will start on a positive note. It is important to acknowledge the huge amount of work that has been done. The Minister of State referred to the fact the Government is building on work done by Senator Paudie Coffey. I am delighted the Government has not forgotten all the effort the Senator put into this area....

Seanad: Rebuilding Ireland: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Victor Boyhan: The help-to-buy scheme for first-time buyers, involving refunds of income tax and DIRT paid over the previous four years, is also in place. Having acknowledged that progress, I want to focus on what we are discussing today, namely, a report on progress made in the fourth quarter of 2016, from September to December. I note that under Pillar 1 - homelessness, the progress report provides...

Seanad: Rebuilding Ireland: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I ask for an additional minute, given that there are only four Senators present.

Seanad: Rebuilding Ireland: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I ask the Minister of State to go back to the Department and examine the issue of NAMA lands and whether we can use them for housing. The Department must also approach the Conference of Religious in Ireland, CORI, and ask it to cough up lands that it offered to give the State in an indemnity scheme which was nothing short of a disgrace. CORI has not delivered but has the potential to...

Seanad: Death of Martin McGuinness: Expressions of Sympathy (21 Mar 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I express my sympathy to Martin McGuinness's wife, family and to his colleagues in both Houses of the Oireachtas. From talking to several of his colleagues today, I know how profound and sad his passing has been for them and their work. When one looks at his legacy, it is complex to say the least. He had a remarkable journey. He finished school at the age of 15 and passed away at 66....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Victor Boyhan: Are we dealing with pillars four and five together?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I am conscious that this will be dealt with in the Seanad on Tuesday week. We have been notified of that today so I will contain my comments. I welcome it. In terms of the reuse of houses, clearly, local authorities have housing stock that is not being used. I have had a report from my own local authority today. Can Mr. McCarthy tell us how that is going in terms of nailing down the 31...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Victor Boyhan: I have three issues I wish to raise. I will refer to them as 4.6, 4.12 and 4.13 of the report. In 4.6 there is reference to the introduction of a new affordable rental scheme to enhance the capacity of the private rental sector to provide for quality and affordable accommodation for a household which is currently paying a disproportionate amount of disposable income in rent. There is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Quarterly Progress Report Strategy for Rented Sector: Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (9 Mar 2017)

Victor Boyhan: It was 4.6, 4.12 and 4.13. Mr. McCarthy dealt with one there.