Results 1,101-1,120 of 1,729 for speaker:Maria Byrne

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Sep 2021)

Maria Byrne: I wish to raise two issues. I have had many calls from people I know.My colleague, Senator Carrigy, will be happy that post offices will be able to provide facilities that banks cannot. Many banks have closed down or will close down in rural and urban areas, a lot of them are going cashless and ATMs are being closed down in many areas. It is a huge issue in my area. A colleague of mine in...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Sep 2021)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the good news that, at long last, a chair has been appointed to Shannon Airport, a former Member of this House, Pádraig Ó Céidigh. I wish him all the best. He was an appropriate choice for the position given the economic situation and it being a driver for the region. I look forward to working with Pádraig. He is the right man for the job, so a good job was...

Seanad: Housing For All - a New Housing Plan for Ireland: Statements (29 Sep 2021)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister for being here. This is an important topic that we are all committed to in the context of delivery. Following on from what Senator Ahearn said, and paying tribute to the two previous Ministers with responsibility in this area, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, and former Deputy Eoghan Murphy, 85,000 private homes and 24,000 social homes were delivered....

Seanad: National Lottery (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (29 Sep 2021)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for being here. I also wish to thank my colleagues, Senators Ward, Carrigy and Currie, for bringing forward this Private Members' Bill. From the outset, I wish to state that I was an agent of the national lottery in the past and also a member of the Retail Grocery Dairy & Allied Trades Association, RGDATA, which is very firmly behind this Bill. While I...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Sep 2021)

Maria Byrne: Yesterday, theLimerick Leaderreported that almost 50% of family carers have some form of mental health issued. During the pandemic we have depended so much on family carers to care for loved ones. They have helped to keep people at home and maintain stability.Care Alliance Ireland has shown that in the ten years between 2009 and 2019 there was a 70% increase in the number of carers...

Seanad: Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person (Amendment) (Stalking) Bill 2021: Second Stage (22 Sep 2021)

Maria Byrne: Apologies, I was at another meeting. I support the Bill and I compliment my Fianna Fáil colleagues on bringing it forward. We have all come across people who have been harassed or stalked by people.It is not a very pleasant experience, which is the whole sentiment of what is before us tonight. I welcome that the Minister of State and the Government are not opposing the Bill. I look...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Sep 2021)

Maria Byrne: I congratulate Senators Moynihan and Ward and wish them all the best for their future. Today is a unique day as this week many first-year university students came to campuses. I pay tribute to the people in different universities and institutes of technology who made campuses safe for students to come back on site. For many students even in second year it is their first time setting foot...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2021: Second and Subsequent Stages (16 Jul 2021)

Maria Byrne: I echo the words of Senator Ward. People say I have a vested interest here as I grew up in the hospitality industry and we have a gastropub at home. It is run by my brother and sister-in-law so I have nothing to do with it but I understand the challenges they are facing. I hear from my family members on a daily basis about staff and the different issues surrounding them but we must try to...

Seanad: CervicalCheck Tribunal (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (15 Jul 2021)

Maria Byrne: My thanks to the Minister for attending for this important debate. I begin by welcoming Vicky Phelan home after six long months in the United States where she received treatment arising from her misdiagnosis under the CervicalCheck programme. No individual should be required to leave her family, as Vicky did so bravely and amid a pandemic. She had to go through this experience alone and...

Seanad: Companies (Rescue Process for Small and Micro Companies) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2021)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive explanation. It is very clear from his response that micro companies and small businesses are at the heart of this recommendation. That is good to hear because I am aware that small businesses have found it very hard, especially in the past 12 months or so. The fact that the Department is willing to work with them and that there has been...

Seanad: Companies (Rescue Process for Small and Micro Companies) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2021)

Maria Byrne: Now.

Seanad: Companies (Rescue Process for Small and Micro Companies) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2021)

Maria Byrne: Now.

Seanad: Companies (Rescue Process for Small and Micro Companies) Bill 2021: Second Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Maria Byrne: The Minister of State is welcome. Before I start, I wish him and Aideen all the best for their wedding day on Thursday and a long life together. I welcome the Bill. I come from a small business background and I am aware of the plight of small businesses, especially in times of Covid. We are starting to come out the other side. I have been working with many small businesses that are either...

Seanad: Workplace Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions Bill) 2021: Second Stage (12 Jul 2021)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Much of what I had intended to say has been said, but I welcome the Bill and the fact that it will strengthen the Workplace Relations Commission and deliver more transparency to the eligibility of adjudication officers, particularly through the amendment of section 40 of the 2015 Act. I welcome the amendment to section 40(c) of that Act, which...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Jul 2021)

Maria Byrne: I also want to welcome good news. I am chairperson of the board of management of Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh. The Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, announced the building project for the school can now go to tender. We have been waiting for this news for two years and it is fantastic. We will have a 26-classroom school for 650 students. While I am on the subject of Gaelcholáiste...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Social Welfare Payments (5 Jul 2021)

Maria Byrne: I am delighted to see Senator Flynn in the Chair and wish her all the best in her role. I thank the Minister of State for coming this morning. I call for an examination of the earnings of carers, whether family carers, informal carers or carers in general, and social protection for them. Carers have prevailed in the most difficult circumstances during the Covid-19 pandemic. We all have to...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Social Welfare Payments (5 Jul 2021)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for his response. He has to acknowledge that carers work many hours that are not accounted for. Many of the people who provide care at home for a loved one never apply for carer's allowance. They save the State so much money. This needs to be reviewed. People need to be asked to work with the Department by informing it of how many hours they provide care...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Social Welfare Payments (5 Jul 2021)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State.

Seanad: Gender Pay Gap Information Bill 2019: Report and Final Stages (5 Jul 2021)

Maria Byrne: My concern relates to section 20A(3)(a), which states that regulations made under this section shall not apply to an employer with fewer than 50 employees. Gender pay discrimination is a serious issue. As we know, the Bill aims to tackle the existence of pay discrimination but could this section permit employers with fewer than 50 employees to legally discriminate against employees on a...

Seanad: National Maternity Hospital: Statements (2 Jul 2021)

Maria Byrne: The development of the new national maternity hospital is an issue that we cannot ignore. While there is no doubt that the issue is complex, we must find a solution. The debate largely receives media attention in correlation to the religious association but we must recognise the commitments the religious order has made. The commitments in the national maternity hospital vision statement...