Results 7,421-7,440 of 9,823 for speaker:Thomas Byrne
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)
Thomas Byrne: What the Taoiseach said was disgraceful and outrageous.
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)
Thomas Byrne: Then we should investigate the charges.
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)
Thomas Byrne: That is what will happen here.
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)
Thomas Byrne: We gave the Minister the model in the Leveson inquiry.
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)
Thomas Byrne: We gave the Minister the model on how to do it.
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)
Thomas Byrne: I included myself in that.
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)
Thomas Byrne: Yes.
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)
Thomas Byrne: I am saying "we".
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)
Thomas Byrne: I apologise. I will say "we". It is the third person - the posh way of saying it - but I am including myself in it. We must be wary of that grandstanding because what the public wants at all times is fairness. The public does not want show trials or political investigations. The public wants to know what happened. For all the faults, failings and criticisms of tribunals of inquiry, and...
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)
Thomas Byrne: If that is the case-----
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)
Thomas Byrne: It is legal analysis but that is a major flaw. Will findings of fact be made against anybody in an inquiry? Are we wasting our time? I am not suggesting that findings of fact should be made against former Ministers but they have said they will take part in this inquiry. Is the purpose of this Bill really to have televised hearings in the run up to the local elections? We will then find...
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)
Thomas Byrne: They do not need to be compelled.
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)
Thomas Byrne: Everyone of them who has ever been asked has said they will come to the Oireachtas. I am confident in saying that there would be no issue of compelling any member of my party. It is a red herring for the Government to bring this up because it has often said over the past number of weeks that they would be compelled to come in. Any time any member of Fianna Fáil has been asked whether...
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)
Thomas Byrne: I am saying the politicians will come in.
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)
Thomas Byrne: Let us start with the politicians. They and former politicians will come in but many others will not come in and will not have to come in and the inquiry will not want to bring them in because it might prejudice criminal trials so it will be a political event down in the basement in this House for the next year or so. It will drag down the reputation of the Houses. A major daily newspaper...
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)
Thomas Byrne: I sometimes enjoy Senator O'Keeffe's columns in newspapers and I do take people on face value. There has been much criticism of the Nyberg, Honohan and Regling and Watson reports, some of it justified. However, I would ask those who criticised those reports to actually read them. There is a huge amount of information in them and findings that are relevant and if people actually took the...
- Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Bill 2013: Second Stage (10 Jul 2013)
Thomas Byrne: I will not oppose the Bill on Second Stage. I agree with the Minister that Committee Stage will provide an opportunity to debate the provision in some detail because it is quite a long and complicated Bill and it is important that we go through each section to tease out exactly what it means. From the outset, it seems that the Bill is really putting together what is already law and setting...
- Seanad: Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Bill 2013: Second Stage (9 Jul 2013)
Thomas Byrne: People with €5 million houses do not come to my clinics.
- Seanad: Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Bill 2013: Second Stage (9 Jul 2013)
Thomas Byrne: I stand to absolutely and wholly oppose this legislation, which is the wrong legislation at the wrong time. In a normal, functioning economy, when people are in work, one would not mind having a system of repossession. However, when people do not have a job and cannot pay their mortgages, it is not right. There is no evidence of the strategic defaulters referred to by Senator Mullen. When...
- Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2013)
Thomas Byrne: Yes, absolutely.