Results 8,221-8,240 of 9,823 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (2 May 2012)

Thomas Byrne: I am tempted to give up when I hear the Constitution invoked on a Fianna Fáil Private Members' Bill. The Constitution has been invoked as a reason not to accept every Bill ever introduced in this House by Fianna Fáil. It is about time that stopped. This Bill has been drafted in light, in particular, of the reference to the Supreme Court and the Employment Equality Bill in Article 26 of...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (2 May 2012)

Thomas Byrne: I was not born.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (2 May 2012)

Thomas Byrne: The family law legislation was a Private Members' Bill.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (2 May 2012)

Thomas Byrne: Let us abolish the Seanad if we are just going to have conversations or-----

Seanad: Report of Advisory Group to the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector: Statements, Questions and Answers (1 May 2012)

Thomas Byrne: There are gaelscoileanna that are multidenominational.

Seanad: Business of Seanad. (30 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: They should have voted some of our amendments through.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Motion for Earlier Signature (30 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: It should be noted -----

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Motion for Earlier Signature (30 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: The Cathaoirleach has a lack of experience with the Council of State and we wish him all the best in his functions. It is important to note that the Constitution provides that the President may decide to sign the Bill earlier. Should the vote be carried, the Cathaoirleach can exercise his discretion this evening.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: There is no obligation on them to so do.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: As I understand it, while they are obliged to consider alternatives, they are not obliged to put them into place.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: I have listed the flaws in the legislation. I would be grateful if someone more learned than I could find the definition of "mortgage". In the Consumer Credit Act it is defined as a housing loan, and a mortgage is just a document one signs. Perhaps it is somewhere in the social welfare legislation. Mortgage interest is defined but are the terms "mortgage" and "mortgage repayment...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: I did not say that.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister should ask the person with the placard to explain the point to her.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: I did not say that.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister is doing it the other way around.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: What training is being provided to staff? Who decides if an alternative repayment arrangement is not being complied with? This is an intolerable burden to be putting on the community welfare officer. I do not know how he or she will do it. He or she will have to go through all of the documentation to ensure it has been complied with. The Minister has not answered the question as to what...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: They are not the people deciding whether to grant a payment. I was referring to welfare officers.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: What the Minister describes would be achieved if there were an obligation on the financial institution, the mortgage lender, to enter into one of these alternative repayment arrangements. There is no such positive obligation. I agree they have to be nice and think about all the aspects of the case and engage with the borrower. There is an obligation on the vulnerable borrower, but not on...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: With all due respect, this section has been badly thought through. The idea in principle is a good one, namely, that we would ask the banks to shoulder the blame but I ask her to withdraw the section for a number of reasons. The Minister was present the morning Professor Kilborn spoke at the FLAC conference which I also attended. It was one of the most enlightening speeches I ever heard on...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2012)

Thomas Byrne: I have concerns about the implementation and the rush to implement this particular section, where we have the unusual provision that section 4(2) will come into operation on 3 May 2012. The Seanad sat on a Friday and is sitting today, Monday, to facilitate the enactment of the Bill. We have a motion for earlier signature on the Order Paper. We have the Presidential Commission waiting for...