Results 7,201-7,220 of 9,894 for speaker:Thomas Byrne
- Seanad: Protected Disclosures Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (20 Nov 2013)
Thomas Byrne: I second the amendment. The Senator has made a very strong argument in favour of it and I urge the Minister to accept it.
- Seanad: Adjournment Debate: Banking Sector Issues (19 Nov 2013)
Thomas Byrne: The purpose of this Adjournment matter is to get some clarification from the Government on the proposed role of the KfW bank, a German bank which the Taoiseach mentioned in his speech announcing that the Government would not seek a so-called backstop financial arrangement upon leaving the agreement with the troika and the Commission. KfW is a public interest bank with various roles in...
- Seanad: Adjournment Debate: Banking Sector Issues (19 Nov 2013)
Thomas Byrne: No, thank you.
- Seanad: Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (19 Nov 2013)
Thomas Byrne: It is not agreed. If the Minister proposes to bring forward substantial amendments on Report Stage, it does not seem satisfactory that the Bill will be taken on Thursday. I do not know whether there is an explanation for that. I will not hold up proceedings this evening but it was promised that the practice of having only a couple of days between Stages of a Bill would come to an end. It...
- Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2013)
Thomas Byrne: From 1 January, will Independent Members be required to account for the money they receive from that date on? I want a clear answer. The answer the Minister gave was not clear.
- Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2013)
Thomas Byrne: I am asking a question.
- Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2013)
Thomas Byrne: No. I was making a point on Senator Norris's behalf. I certainly did not intend to be bullying. I was merely asking a question because the Minister's answer was vague.
- Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2013)
Thomas Byrne: Not at all.
- Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2013)
Thomas Byrne: The Minister has not answered the question. When does he intend to commence the Act?
- Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2013)
Thomas Byrne: It does in September.
- Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2013)
Thomas Byrne: They add up at the end of September.
- Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2013)
Thomas Byrne: We can speak for as long as we like.
- Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2013)
Thomas Byrne: One does not require a party nomination to get elected, as in the case of Senator Walsh.
- Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2013)
Thomas Byrne: In relation to Independents who join parties, the practice may be that they give up the allowance but as I understand it, when this was a live issue in the media during the last Dáil the legal advice was that they do not have to give it up. The Minister might confirm, unless he is changing it in this Bill, that this was never the position and that people do it because it is the right...
- Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2013)
Thomas Byrne: I was a child at that time.
- Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2013)
Thomas Byrne: I appreciate the Senator was probably a Member of the Seanad at that time.
- Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2013)
Thomas Byrne: There seems to be a different class of affairs going on in Fine Gael. They just want to get rid of these people out of the party because they voted a different way on a matter of conscience. I think we need to take a stand on this issue. The public would support them if the issue managed to gain traction in the media which has not happened as yet. I point to a flaw in the legislation going...
- Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2013)
Thomas Byrne: I am staying within the remit of the amendment. We in Fianna Fáil are in a funny position. We certainly want to support the amendment but we have been where the Government is. On balance, the arguments put forward by Senators Bradford and Healy Eames make eminent sense. I was offended by the Minister's comments when he spoke about Senators Bradford and Healy Eames wanting to walk...
- Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2013)
Thomas Byrne: The Minister did say that. He said they wanted to walk away with a pot of money, which is a very low thing to say about a parliamentarian.
- Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2013)
Thomas Byrne: I was here. I heard what the Minister said.