Results 9,121-9,140 of 9,823 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Section 10(1) refers to that but section 10(2) states: "References to the Department of Finance contained in any statute or instrument under a statute in so far as they relate to the administration and business transferred by subsection (1) shall, from the appointed day, be construed as references to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform." We do not have a list of specific statutes.

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: We will speak about this further. There is even a provision for the Taoiseach to intervene if the Ministers cannot decide who has a particular function. If there could be a list of powers under the Act and any delegation orders, we would not need the Taoiseach to intervene on whether a job can be done by the Minister. I reject the criticism of the Minister of State, who indicated the...

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: On consideration of substantial amendments, I reject the Minister of State's criticism. We are seeking a list to set out the functions of the new Department. The Government has argued it will work differently but is that the reality? The amendment does not go further and I did not claim that it did. If people want to target the Department on the basis of the information they get in order...

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I would prefer to bring it back on Report Stage if there could be a guarantee that the Minister would be here to discuss it.

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I move amendment No. 7a: In page 12, between lines 42 and 43 , to insert the following new subsection: "(5) The Minister shall be a member of Dáil Éireann.". The amendment requires that the Minister be a Member of Dáil Éireann. While that might seem to be an unusual amendment coming from a Member of Seanad Éireann - as far as I am aware, this was not pushed by my party in the Dáil -...

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: It would be important that I raised the issue were it to arise again. I cannot see how it might arise in practice. It would seem to me that the Minister for public expenditure and reform is in effect a Minister for Finance or has charge of the Department of Finance under the Constitution, but I accept what the Minister of State says.

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I move amendment No. 7b: In page 12, between lines 42 and 43 , to insert the following new subsection: "(5) The Minister shall within 20 days of the appointed day lay before the Oireachtas an account of all actions taken by him in relation to the functions of the Department previous to the appointed day.". This important amendment was lodged at a very late stage, not to inconvenience staff in...

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: That is not what the amendment seeks. The amendment seeks an account of the actions taken by the Minister. It matters not which Department, whether it is the Department of Finance or not. Section 9 states the functions of the Minister are to formulate and develop proposals to modernise and develop the public service, to make proposals to Government for the implementation of these policies,...

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I will raise this with the Minister, Deputy Howlin. No one is questioning that he is doing a good job. No one is questioning that he is doing it in the Department of Finance. That point is not relevant. Perhaps the officials did not read the amendment correctly when they were preparing the Minister of State's brief. They had only a short period to do that. It is not relevant. We are...

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: No. I will withdraw it on the basis that I can re-enter it on Report Stage.

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Is that re-entered now or is there a paper procedure?

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Can I take it as done?

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: It is not an important point and I do not expect the Minister will do this. Is there a provision on where the Department will be located or should it be done under statute? Is it appropriate to set down in the statute that the Department shall share offices with the Department of Finance? I assume this will be the case. Will the Minister of State provide some clarity on this? It is...

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: We may include an amendment to allow the Minister to discuss it on Report Stage. Is it open to me to draft an amendment on this?

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: We may do that. We accept the good faith of the Minister of State but it is worth probing further in terms of the practicality and the costs.

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I move amendment No. 8: In page 12, subsection (1)(a), line 45, after "the" where it firstly occurs, to insert the following: "setting of certain revenues as may be established by order to be collected and the". This is an important amendment, the purpose of which is to try to include wording which reflects the powers which, we understand, the Minister will have under the Bill. The Bill...

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Will the Minister of State clarify the section to which she referred?

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: Will the Minister of State point to the page it is on?

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister of State made the point. It does not seem to be altogether clear in the legislation that the Minister has this power. I do not accept that our amendment does not give sufficient scope. It allows the establishment by order of what certain revenues refer to. This relates to the social insurance fund which amount to €7 billion, the vast majority of appropriations-in-aid. It...

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Thomas Byrne: I move amendment No. 8a: In page 15, subsection (1), between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following: "(g) to develop policies in relation to combatting the high levels of salary and pensions of senior employees of public service bodies and of excluded bodies, and (h) to maintain a published record of all purchase orders in respect of the procurement of goods and services by and on behalf of...