Results 8,181-8,200 of 9,823 for speaker:Thomas Byrne
- Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jun 2012)
Thomas Byrne: Where once we had democracy, Gaeltacht residents in County Meath will have their representatives on Ãdarás na Gaeltachta appointed by county councillors in Waterford and Cork. It is cronyism and jobbery of the worst kind.
- Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jun 2012)
Thomas Byrne: The councils are controlled, on the whole, by the Fine Gael and Labour parties. The democratic element of Ãdarás na Gaeltachta is being abolished by this Bill, which is a half measure for the Irish language and shows the contempt the Fine Gael Party has for the Irish language. The central plank of the Bill is to remove the democratically elected members of Ãdarás na Gaeltachta and have...
- Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jun 2012)
Thomas Byrne: I call on the Leader to make arrangements with the Minister to have this Bill taken off the agenda for tomorrow. He did not expect us to oppose it. Members from the west and Tipperary who had planned to tour new constituencies and new areas and shed crocodile tears about lost areas can think again. They will have to be present in the House to vote if they want the Bill to pass because...
- Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jun 2012)
Thomas Byrne: Deputy Keaveney was mischief-making with his union buddies.
- Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jun 2012)
Thomas Byrne: We know what can go wrong.
- Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jun 2012)
Thomas Byrne: Senator Ivana Bacik did not seem to know anything about it last night on the "Tonight with Vincent Browne" programme.
- Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jun 2012)
Thomas Byrne: In light of the speculation on the boundary reviews, I note with interest that many Senators from the west are not present in the House. I wonder if they are meeting on the roads to Ballinrobe, Ballymoe, Williamstown and similar places on which current speculation centres. Senator Averil Power from my party is raising an issue about north County Dublin. Everyone is making way for the...
- Seanad: Lagan Brick Dispute: Statements (14 Jun 2012)
Thomas Byrne: I thank the Leader for allowing this issue on the Order of Business and the Minister for remaining here to deal with it. We often propose amendments to the Order of Business in the full knowledge they will never be accepted. I am glad it was accepted this time and I am grateful to the Leader and to the Minister. It is a recognition of its serious nature. The Lagan Brick factory in...
- Seanad: Referendum on the Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution: Statements (14 Jun 2012)
Thomas Byrne: I am glad this debate is taking place today. We could be tempted to look back at the success of the referendum campaign and expect that any future referenda on developments in Europe will be passed as easily, but that is not the case. On this occasion people held their breath and voted "Yes" because they felt they had to. There is much happening in the European Union currently. We have...
- Seanad: Order of Business (13 Jun 2012)
Thomas Byrne: Yes.
- Seanad: Order of Business (13 Jun 2012)
Thomas Byrne: Is the mayor of Sligo invited?
- Seanad: Order of Business (13 Jun 2012)
Thomas Byrne: I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, that the Taoiseach come to the Seanad to explain the circumstances behind the allegation regarding the shredding of files in the Department of the Taoiseach and the leaking of a letter to The Irish Times and the failure to lay it before the Houses of the Oireachtas. The matter dealt with by him in the Dáil yesterday is of the most serious...
- Seanad: Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences Against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (12 Jun 2012)
Thomas Byrne: Usually the Minister's colleagues.
- Seanad: Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences Against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Jun 2012)
Thomas Byrne: I would be interested to hear the Minister's views as he took part in a discussion of this matter at some length at an Oireachtas joint committee in the previous Dáil. While Senator van Turnhout's amendment raises issues of profound import for society, I do not believe I would be carving out exceptions to this legislation unless we are making the policy choice in the general law. That is...
- Seanad: Order of Business (7 Jun 2012)
Thomas Byrne: They have no councillors.
- Seanad: Order of Business (7 Jun 2012)
Thomas Byrne: His own advisers spoke to the media about it.
- Seanad: Order of Business (7 Jun 2012)
Thomas Byrne: During the referendum campaign people at the doors raised with members of the coalition Government a matter of grave public concern, which is that of special advisers. A very undignified spectacle is playing out in the newspapers at the moment. The Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, appears to be battling with the Minister for Public Enterprise and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, to...
- Seanad: Order of Business (7 Jun 2012)
Thomas Byrne: The Evening Herald newspaper says it understands there was dissatisfaction that the Minister failed-----
- Seanad: Order of Business (7 Jun 2012)
Thomas Byrne: I am not displaying it. I have read it a number of times so I can probably quote it from memory. The Minister expressed dissatisfaction that his adviser could not get the top point in the salary scale. The spokesperson confirmed on the record to the newspaper that the Minister will be battling for the new special adviser to secure the top point on the principal officer scale. This man and...
- Seanad: Order of Business (7 Jun 2012)
Thomas Byrne: The Minister was not on the phone to Chancellor Merkel. That is the problem.