Results 9,021-9,040 of 9,823 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Seanad: Order of Business. (26 Jul 2011)

Thomas Byrne: How can we justify spending €50 to spend a penny?

Seanad: Order of Business. (26 Jul 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I join in the congratulations offered to the Government and European leaders for the interest rate reduction. It deserves some nitpicking and we will have the opportunity to do so later. It is a good deal and it is good news for the country that the interest rate has been substantially reduced. However, further challenges remain. We await the decision on charging ordinary folk €100 per...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (21 Jul 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The section allows considerable scope to address general issues.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (21 Jul 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The number of Members of the Dáil has a direct impact on the layout of constituencies, a matter which gives rise to debate. In this regard, I return to the important issue of county boundaries. The Minister of State mentioned the constituencies of Westmeath and Meath West. After 2002 there was the ludicrous decision to include part of County Westmeath in the constituency of Meath West...

Seanad: Hospital Services (20 Jul 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this matter. Apparently, I am the only Member to give notice of raising a matter on the Adjournment so its selection was a fait accompli. This is an important function of the Seanad and I encourage Senators to use it. If we do not use it, we might lose it. I welcome the Minister, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald. She is one of the better and more...

Seanad: Hospital Services (20 Jul 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I thank the Minister for her reply on behalf of the Minister for Health. There seems to be some watering down of the requirement that there would be capacity elsewhere to deal with patients who would otherwise be in Navan. The Minister's reply referred to a significant improvement in the performance of the emergency department in Drogheda and estimated that it would be at least six months...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I recall that after care was a major political issue when the Bill previously came before the House. When my party was in government it took tremendous flak for not agreeing to the proposal by various interest groups to include a provision on after care in legislation. I accept that such proposals were made in good faith. At the time, the Minister indicated that the issue was already...

Seanad: Finance (No. 3) Bill: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2011)

Thomas Byrne: This section deals with the taxation treatment of civil partnerships, in particular, Chapter 1, Part 44A, which deals with income tax. I invite the Minister to repeat the Government's commitment not to raise income tax rates in the budget, in particular for civil partnerships. However, I presume that will apply to everybody in terms of equality of treatment.

Seanad: Finance (No. 3) Bill: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I am making a very important point about tax rates and certainty surrounding them, which is of concern to many thousands of people. I ask the Minister to give that certainty again. It relates to this section on income tax.

Seanad: Finance (No. 3) Bill: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister has refused to do so. This party contributed very constructively to this debate and I agreed with, and spoke on, a number the amendments Senator Zappone tabled. The Minister has refused to restate the Government's commitment not to increase income tax rates. We are dealing with a section on income tax. I have asked the Minister to repeat that commitment but he has refused to...

Seanad: Finance (No. 3) Bill: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The seventh word in the section is "income" and the eighth word is "tax".

Seanad: Finance (No. 3) Bill: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister has identified Senator Zappone's issue. Equality is not always happiness; sometimes there can be unhappiness. I was shocked by Senator Bacik's remarks that we should not provide for separation because it would not be a good story on equality.

Seanad: Finance (No. 3) Bill: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2011)

Thomas Byrne: This recommendation refers to deeds of separation trusts, etc. as well. If the Department has recognised Senator Zappone has raised a legitimate issue and she has provided the wording to an amendment, then it is the job of the Seanad to amend the legislation accordingly. If this amendment will provide equality to civil partners in this area, why can it not be accepted now? It has been made...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I note with interest correspondence between the Minister, Deputy Shatter, and not just the Cathaoirleach but the Leader of the House as well. I would like to know what the Leader said in response to the Minister. The fact is that the Leas-Chathaoirleach, Senator O'Donovan, Senator Mullen and to a lesser extent myself raised a number of important issues which were not addressed by the...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2011)

Thomas Byrne: -----on Committee and Report Stages, and which were fully addressed on Second Stage in the Dáil as a result of statements the Minister made here. We have a very sensitive Minister for Justice and Equality. Had he simply briefed spokespersons in advance or come into the House and given the full story in advance this would not have arisen.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister has a hard neck complaining about Senators exercising their constitutional rights and meeting their constitutional obligations to raise issues of importance in the Seanad.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2011)

Thomas Byrne: He will not muzzle me or any Senator on this side of the House. With regard to the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, what happened was that she signed up to a four-year plan stating a certain amount would have to be cut from the social welfare budget overall. She reasoned with herself and, I suppose, her party and concluded all the money would be obtained from combating social...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Not enough, of course. They need to keep the pressure on because promises were made on every single hospital. In this regard, the announcement on Navan hospital stated the removal of the accident and emergency facility therefrom would have devastating effects on patient safety in County Meath. There were no promises made about orthopaedic services because they were never under threat under...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2011)

Thomas Byrne: He should come here to discuss the issue of local hospital services.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I endorse all the calls for a debate on the publication of the Cloyne report. I support the calls for it to be held after a suitable period of reflection and reading because it is important, as people have said, that if people are to contribute to the report, they would do so. We primarily think of the victims, living and deceased. It is important to remember some are deceased because of...