Results 1,321-1,340 of 6,724 for speaker:Seán Kyne

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Kyne: I know the family very well. Multiple anonymous letters have been received from former employees of Inland Fisheries Ireland, and one of the employees was suspended after 37 years of service. When that was done, they then targeted the then chair’s nephew, who is also an employee of Inland Fisheries Ireland. Clearly, people within the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Kyne: Absolutely. The Minister was happy to investigate the board but he does not seem to be willing, or is not being advised, to investigate Inland Fisheries Ireland itself, its senior management and the issues that have been brought to the management’s attention and that of the Department by me, Senator Burke and others over recent months.

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Kyne: I welcome Terry’s family to the Chamber. I welcome his widow, Aileen, and his children, David and Tanya, as well as Bobby, who is looking on. I also welcome Deputy Joe Carey and former Deputy Brian Walsh as well, both very close friends of Terry, as well as the Members who served with him in this House. I did not serve with Terry in this House, but I served with him in the...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Kyne: I welcome the Minister. We all agree that the help-to-buy scheme is a tremendous programme, supported by the Minister and the Government and pushed through in recent years with the support of the Houses. It has been a great initiative to help people to set up in their first home. In Galway, some 1,784 people have benefited from the scheme. Up to November of this year, approximately 37,330...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Kyne: I thank the Minister for the response. We will not push the recommendation. It is regrettable that Sinn Féin does not want to help people to buy a home and would deny assistance to those who have benefited from the scheme. More than 1,784 people in Galway and some 37,000 nationally have to date been assisted to get their feet on the property ladder via the tax rebate under the...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Kyne: I agree with Senator Maria Byrne. The changes that were made to the small business exemption scheme, from a limit of €500 to one of €1,000, are very welcome. I understand that a company will be able to give two vouchers to employees under the scheme. Does the Minister have any plans to broaden the scheme? Obviously, people are facing additional costs from transport and...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Kyne: I concur with Senator Byrne. In government, Fine Gael has shown that we want to allow people to keep more of their money and to put more money back in their pockets. The Minister and the Government have increased the threshold at which people will start paying the higher rate of tax. We have kept pace with the increases in the minimum wage with adjustments to the USC as well. Those...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Kyne: I concur with the recommendation. All initiatives to improve energy efficiency should be improved and made more easily available, whether for the rental sector or for individual homeowners who, for example, want to replace the front and back doors of their house. If people are not in receipt of the fuel allowance and the household benefits package, they are not able to draw down a grant for...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Kyne: I move recommendation No. 14: In page 102, between lines 6 and 7, to insert the following: “Report on Tax Credit for Regional Film Development 42.The Minister shall within 3 months of the passing of this Act prepare and lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report on the impact of retaining the enhanced tax credit for regional film development at its original level until 31st...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2022: Second Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Kyne: The Minister is welcome as is the Social Welfare Bill. It is a far cry from what we faced back in 2011 to 2014 in terms of what we can do. We are doing things in this budget because they are the right things to do but also because we are in a position to do them, given the strength and management of the economy and the fact we have such strong tax receipts. A considerable number of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Kyne: I welcome Mr. Watt, Mr. Mulvany and the teams from the HSE and the Department. I have a few questions; perhaps Mr. Watt may start. There has been some commentary regarding the public spending code as it relates to capital projects. Mr. Watt is uniquely qualified, given his previous role in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, to comment on this. If the Minister for Health,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Kyne: I welcome the review and the fact that we are looking again at the length of time. Six to nine months would be good in terms of some of these projects but I accept that the planning system is a different matter. On the consultant contract that is being discussed currently, what in-built measures are included for weekend rotas for consultants, for example? As I understand it, part of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Kyne: Presumably that would allow for the greater use of equipment like MRI scanners and so forth. Such equipment has been paid for but is not always being used-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Kyne: What is the situation regarding the roll-out of free GP care for six and seven year olds? I assume that the deadline set by the Minister for the end of this year will not be met. What stage are we at? I understand we are talking about 80,000 children or, more importantly, their parents or guardians. Where are we at with those negotiations?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Kyne: Regarding the acute waiting lists, the number of patients waiting for 48 months or more is approximately 819. What can we do to reduce the wait for acute services? Is there a focus on that because I would have thought acute means emergency or very urgent as opposed to elective. In that context, it is a significant number, not to mention the number of patients waiting for between 36 and 48...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Kyne: These are the figures we got from the Department.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Kyne: All surgery can be considered urgent but for surgery to provide pain relief, 18 patients were waiting for 48 months or more and 107 for between 36 and 48 months. The description says it all.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2022)

Seán Kyne: I thank Ms Goff.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Industrial Development (6 Dec 2022)

Seán Kyne: The Minister of State is welcome. I thank the Office of the Cathaoirleach for choosing this matter for debate this morning. As the Minister of State will know, Galway has a very proud record of job creation at IDA Ireland-sponsored plants in a range of sectors, including technology, pharmaceuticals, medtech, international financial services, business services, engineering and food. We want...