Results 8,621-8,640 of 9,823 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: It is the message.

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: No doubt the IMF calls for a charge., and we support it in principle as well, but the IMF does not force the individual details. The Minister of State stated that we made reasonable points. Perhaps some Members on his side will agree with some of the points we made. I urge the Minister of State and the Government to consider those points between now and whenever the Bill goes to the Dáil,...

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: It is relative to the salary of the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes?

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: He had his own P. Flynn moment.

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Roimh an olltoghcháin bhí Fine Gael agus Páirtí an Lucht Oibre díreach in aghaidh an mhuirir seo. Dúirt Fine Gael go raibh siad chun an cháin ar áit chónaithe phríobháideach neamhphríomha a árdú go €300 in aghaidh na bliana agus dúirt Páirtí an Lucht Oibre go raibh siad chun an cháin sin a árdú go €500, in ionad an costas seo a leagadh. Bhí siad in aghaidh an...

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Cén fáth ar chuir na páirtithe na geallúintí sin ina bhforógraí? An raibh siad ag insint bréaga le muintir na hÉireann? Sin a cheapann na daoine. Why did the Government parties go before the Irish people prior to the election and say-----

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I am speaking to the amendment and the section, which is about the charge of €100 that Fine Gael and Labour said they would not introduce. They not only said they would not do it, they said there was another way of doing it.

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: They do not. They said before the election they would not do it, and they showed a way to raise a similar amount of money, but they will not do that because they are bringing it in on everybody else. It is not true to say they have to do it. Ministers, including the Minister, Deputy Howlin, in this Chamber and the Minister, Deputy Noonan, in the Dáil, have said repeatedly that the IMF...

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I am going to be lashed as well-----

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Senator Noone can correct me if I am wrong. It is a long time since I studied constitutional law, so I will not claim to have any particular knowledge or expertise in the area, as I do not. However, I did not understand that a Minister could raise the amount of tax through delegated legislation or through statutory powers. If a Minister were able to do that or if that were the practice,...

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: This is a positive amendment that recognises that those who paid stamp duty between 2004 and especially during 2007-08, are the people who paid for the Celtic tiger. It was from them that taxes came. Now we are to land those people with an annual charge of €100. This point is very important. The previous Government set the precedent for giving them some kind of rebate or increase for...

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Second Stage (6 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: This legislation comprises 34 pages and 20 sections. The Dáil and the Seanad are entitled to debate it at proper speed and give it due consideration. Instead, it is being rushed through because today is a good day to bury bad news, because there so much other bad news. This charge affects everybody, not just the sectors that were targeted in yesterday's expenditure measures. It is a...

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Second Stage (6 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: My colleague, Senator Ó Domhnaill, referred to the issue of waivers and I agree with him. Another fundamental unfairness in respect of this charge is that the local authorities are not being asked to make efficiencies under the legislation while members of the public is being asked to pay €100 or they will go to prison or be fined or convicted in a criminal court. The crimes the...

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Second Stage (6 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: It is not about the amount. We are not the Greeks. The public will not pay the charge if they do not see efficiencies from the local authorities or if they telephone local authorities and get no answer. Apart from putting a burden on the citizen, this charge will place considerable responsibility on local authority staff to ensure they do their jobs properly. Most of them do so but I hear...

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I am delighted to accept Senator Sheahan's compliments regarding the 10.1% deficit figure because it obviously relates to last year's budget. It is a major about-turn if he is describing last year's budget as prudent management but it is welcome nonetheless.

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The savings were announced last year.

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Fianna Fáil supports the decision to achieve an 8.6% deficit target in 2012. We are delighted that we apparently will reach a deficit of 10.1% this year. We are hoping to achieve a 2.9% deficit over the period of the plan by making savings of €3.8 billion next year. Most rational political parties, if they are not solely motivated by political gain, accept this basic necessity. However,...

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: We will support the Government as best we can, but its members will have to stick together, because every one of them that drops off the ship is another damaging blow to the stability of this country.

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I do wish the Government luck.

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Is that how the Senator justifies the cuts?