Results 7,721-7,740 of 9,823 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2012)

Thomas Byrne: The section relates to the commencement date of other sections. We can discuss those other sections later. This is filibustering.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2012)

Thomas Byrne: The Senator is filibustering. She does not even know what section she is talking about.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2012: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2012)

Thomas Byrne: That did not apply in the case of the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, when there was a budget overrun in his Department and across the health service.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2012: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2012)

Thomas Byrne: That did not happen in the health service.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2012: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2012)

Thomas Byrne: The Department of Health was given a Supplementary Estimate. Why should the position in respect of the Department of Social Protection which deals with the most vulnerable in society be different?

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2012: Second Stage (18 Dec 2012)

Thomas Byrne: Is the Senator jumping ship?

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2012: Second Stage (18 Dec 2012)

Thomas Byrne: We did not mention the Senator at all.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2012: Second Stage (18 Dec 2012)

Thomas Byrne: Táim buíoch do mo chomhleacaí, an Seanadóir Ó Domhnaill, as a chuid ama a roinnt liom. In the programme for Government, the Government parties commit to protecting social welfare rates. There is nothing in the programme for Government about core or specific rates. The Tánaiste, the leader of the Labour Party, reaffirmed that commitment on the 100th day in office of this Government....

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Dec 2012)

Thomas Byrne: Yes.

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Dec 2012)

Thomas Byrne: We would have supported the legislation at the time if he had agreed to the grants then.

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Dec 2012)

Thomas Byrne: We pushed the Government very hard on the issue.

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Dec 2012)

Thomas Byrne: The promissory note.

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Dec 2012)

Thomas Byrne: It seems to be.

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Dec 2012)

Thomas Byrne: Let me refer to last year's Social Welfare Act. Significant changes were made to the lone-parent family payment in that legislation but it was only this week that lone-parent families have been notified by the Department of some changes being made, with effect from 1 January, and others that will come into effect from next summer. The latter changes have been postponed. It was awful for...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Second Stage (13 Dec 2012)

Thomas Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. He has an extremely important role, for which he is well capable of, in the Department of Health. It is a waste for a good Minister of State to be sent into the Seanad to discuss a technical Bill on the funding for the Oireachtas for the next three years. I wish him well in his main role and hope that he accepts my comments in the spirit that...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Second Stage (13 Dec 2012)

Thomas Byrne: Yes, it is. I accept that the use of guillotines has reduced somewhat in the Seanad but we battled over them during the early months of the current Government. I accept the Leader's point that it has not been used in the past while and I pay tribute to him for that. I know that he has had to battle with the Government and its Chief Whip over its use. The other House, as we speak, is...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Dec 2012)

Thomas Byrne: That strategy was introduced in 2008 by the previous Government.

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Dec 2012)

Thomas Byrne: Here is Labour's way or Fianna Fáil's way.

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Dec 2012)

Thomas Byrne: The Senator was a witness to that marriage of lies and nonsense.

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Dec 2012)

Thomas Byrne: I second the excellent amendment my colleague, Senator White, put forward. I remind the Fine Gael and Labour Senators about the various tweets and statements they made over the past week. My colleague in Meath East, Deputy Regina Doherty, said she was sickened by the cut. Senator Healy Eames said she was not at all happy, while Deputy Simon Harris said that the Minister would have a...