Results 5,961-5,980 of 9,823 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Seanad: Order of Business (28 May 2015)

Thomas Byrne: I have already given the Cathaoirleach notice of my intention, in accordance with Standing Orders, to seek an adjournment of the House in order to discuss the specific and urgent matter of Aer Lingus. I wish to make an appeal to the Leader. What vision do we have for the Seanad if we are only discussing Aer Lingus after the horse has bolted in the Dáil?

Seanad: Order of Business (28 May 2015)

Thomas Byrne: What is the Seanad for? Is it merely a debating Chamber? Do we merely rubber-stamp things? Is this a House of Parliament? If this was a serious House of Parliament then a debate on Aer Lingus would have been scheduled to take place before the Dáil vote so that all voices could be heard before the Dáil made its decision. I acknowledge that it is a decision for the Dáil....

Seanad: Order of Business (28 May 2015)

Thomas Byrne: The Seanad should have control where a Government backbencher contradicts a Minister. Somebody is right and somebody is wrong.

Seanad: Order of Business (28 May 2015)

Thomas Byrne: We need to know who is right.

Seanad: Order of Business (28 May 2015)

Thomas Byrne: The Cathaoirleach has no control over them? Are we meant to get the proper answers to Commencement matters? I do not want to hear a row between a backbencher and a Minister of State. I want to know what the exact position is. It seems absolutely ludicrous that a backbencher would know more than a Minister of State. What is the position? What is the story? What can we rely on in terms...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 May 2015)

Thomas Byrne: On a point of order, what the Leader has said is reasonable. Can I suggest that if Senator Barrett gets time from the committee and he does wish to speak, then Members could give way to him? He will only have a short time-----

Seanad: Order of Business (28 May 2015)

Thomas Byrne: He will have a lunch break.

Seanad: Aer Lingus Share Disposal: Statements (28 May 2015)

Thomas Byrne: I do not see a rush to the Government benches to support this debate.

Seanad: Aer Lingus Share Disposal: Statements (28 May 2015)

Thomas Byrne: Because the Government is proposing to flog the last remaining share of Aer Lingus. We would like to see some justification-----

Seanad: Aer Lingus Share Disposal: Statements (28 May 2015)

Thomas Byrne: Let us start with that, because that is why we kept 25%.

Seanad: Aer Lingus Share Disposal: Statements (28 May 2015)

Thomas Byrne: If we had been ideologically committed to selling off State assets in the way Fine Gael is, we would have sold the whole lot.

Seanad: Aer Lingus Share Disposal: Statements (28 May 2015)

Thomas Byrne: We did that for a reason.

Seanad: Aer Lingus Share Disposal: Statements (28 May 2015)

Thomas Byrne: We did that to protect Aer Lingus for the State.

Seanad: Aer Lingus Share Disposal: Statements (28 May 2015)

Thomas Byrne: We kept the 25%. We could have sold 100% back then but we did not we kept the 25% for a reason.

Seanad: Aer Lingus Share Disposal: Statements (28 May 2015)

Thomas Byrne: I have just come across the general principles of the proposed disposal for the purposes of the Dáil motion. It is an absolutely shocking document. How anybody could vote for this piece-----

Seanad: Aer Lingus Share Disposal: Statements (28 May 2015)

Thomas Byrne: How could anybody propose to vote for such a wishy-washy, vague piece of paper? That is what is being done. The Minister is selling the shares and that is it. The Members of the Dáil are voting on waffle about Aer Lingus’ preference for a registered employment agreement. It can change a preference tomorrow. My favourite colour today is blue and tomorrow it might be red. It...

Seanad: Statute Law Revision Bill 2015: Second Stage (28 May 2015)

Thomas Byrne: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. This is a very important series of work that has been ongoing since 2006, if not earlier. The Minister's officials have been working very hard on it. It has been ongoing since 2003 and there were Acts in 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2012. A significant amount of work has been done on trying to get our Statute Book in order in the best way we can, acknowledging...

Seanad: Statute Law Revision Bill 2015: Second Stage (28 May 2015)

Thomas Byrne: -----the High Sheriff will suppress such insolent practices with a posse [Senator Norris can be in the posse] and apprehend the principal actors in the said riot and have them prosecuted with the most rigorous of the law." The legislation will remove this from the Statute Book, and I am very glad of it. All joking aside, these were very difficult times for the Roman Catholic population of...

Seanad: Statute Law Revision Bill 2015: Second Stage (28 May 2015)

Thomas Byrne: Do we not want to take it now? We could take Report Stage as well.

Seanad: Statute Law Revision Bill 2015: Second Stage (28 May 2015)

Thomas Byrne: He wants to keep the Penal Laws.