Results 1,341-1,360 of 6,611 for speaker:Seán Kyne

Seanad: School Transport: Motion (21 Sep 2022)

Seán Kyne: The Senator should name some more.

Seanad: School Transport: Motion (21 Sep 2022)

Seán Kyne: I thank the Minister for attending in person in the Chamber. I compliment Senator Dolan and her colleagues for tabling the motion. It is fair to say that school transport issues have always been a staple of political life in August and September. It has been at a much higher scale this year. This is a consequence of the positive changes made to reduce costs for families, which are to be...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Staff (20 Sep 2022)

Seán Kyne: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, to the House and thank the Cathaoirleach's office for selecting this Commencement matter this afternoon. I submitted it following representations from a group of independent teachers who operate under the name "fair post-primary redeployment for teachers". The group currently has 300 members nationwide, all of whom feel there is no way out of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Staff (20 Sep 2022)

Seán Kyne: I thank the Minister of State for the response. She said more than 800 teachers have been redeployed. The figures for 2019 are 126 applications, of which eight were redeployed, while in 2018, 178 applied and 21 were redeployed. Those are relatively small numbers of successful redeployments. If teachers are willing to transfer, both have permanent contracts and teach the same subjects and...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Sep 2022)

Seán Kyne: I, too, would like to speak about next week’s budget. There are many worthy asks that will affect every family and household in the country. I have spoken about those in the past and I hope to do so again during the week. I will raise a couple of specific cases. This morning, the Neurological Alliance of Ireland, NAI, held a briefing across the road. We have spoken in this House...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Sep 2022)

Seán Kyne: I stand to support the campaign by NewsBrands Ireland with regard to its campaign about tax on journalism and the call to cut VAT to 0%. This is something that should be taken up in advance of the budget. Local newspapers from across the country were present today, and I welcome the editor of the The Connacht Tribune, Mr. Dave O'Connell, including The Connaught Telegraph, Galway City...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Dental Services (14 Sep 2022)

Seán Kyne: I would like to thank the Cathaoirleach’s office for selecting this Commencement matter. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, to the Chamber. On 5 August, Oranmore Orthodontics issued a text message to say that the practice was closing. I will not get into the ins and outs of why, but that was development for parents in the area. The practice informed parents that it is...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Dental Services (14 Sep 2022)

Seán Kyne: I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate he has been provided with the script. It is very brief and provides no answers. It contains statements I do not believe are factually correct. The Minister has been given assurances that the Dental Council and the Orthodontic Society of Ireland are using their influence to encourage dental practitioners to support the patients. Dentists have...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Sep 2022)

Seán Kyne: I also wish to be associated with the condolences expressed on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and to congratulate King Charles III. I express my condolences to the British ambassador, all those British people resident in Ireland and indeed many Irish people resident in the UK.There was a welcome announcement in the last budget of €50 million in funding for wastewater treatment...

Seanad: Energy: Motion (14 Sep 2022)

Seán Kyne: The Minister of State is welcome to the Chamber. I commend my Fianna Fáil colleagues on tabling this Private Members' motion. It is timely in advance of the budget. There is no doubt the cost-of-living inflation is to fore of everybody's mind as we approach budget day. There is possibly a long winter ahead. The cost of energy and fuel is of particular concern. We all hope we have a...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Renewable Energy Generation (13 Jul 2022)

Seán Kyne: I thank the Cathaoirleach's office for selecting this Commencement matter today. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, to the House. I am raising this issue for two reasons. First, our climate action plan has ambitions in respect of the need to reduce the use of fossil fuels, particularly in energy production. The ambition is to generate significant renewable energy from wind,...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Renewable Energy Generation (13 Jul 2022)

Seán Kyne: I thank the Minister of State for the comprehensive response and I welcome that MARA will be operational from next year. It will have a body of work to do on new applications which are made for wind energy. I also welcome that there will be, if I can put it like this, a screening of those projects which are going to be developed and a robust assessment of the potential offshore developments...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Jul 2022)

Seán Kyne: I welcome the ambassador to the Chamber. She is very welcome. I wish her well on her national day. I also take the opportunity on behalf of the Fine Gael group to thank the offices of the Cathaoirleach and the Leas-Chathaoirleach for their work and co-operation over the course of this term. I hope that all staff get a good and well-deserved break as well. I spoke previously, as did many...

Seanad: Remediation of Dwellings Damaged By the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Second Stage (11 Jul 2022)

Seán Kyne: On Wednesday.

Seanad: Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022: Second Stage (11 Jul 2022)

Seán Kyne: On Wednesday.

Seanad: Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Seán Kyne: Senator Higgins raised a number of important queries. I will slightly contradict myself. One could argue that if all anonymous complaints were being treated with the same level, and if they were all automatically being pursued, that would increase the level of anonymous complaints and there may be more vexatious complaints, on the one hand. On the other hand, and this is particularly in...

Seanad: Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Seán Kyne: Amendment No. 9 is interesting in the context of this section. The section provides that a worker may make a report to the relevant Minister if one or more of a list of given conditions are met. It then goes on to talk about the head of the public body. To use the example of a Department, the Secretary General would be in charge. If an assistant secretary has engaged in wrongdoing, is the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Effects of Long Covid and Provision of Long Covid Care: Engagement with Dr. John Lambert (6 Jul 2022)

Seán Kyne: I thank Dr. Lambert for being here and for his work and advocacy on behalf of long Covid sufferers. Does he think that society and employers need more assurance that this is something that is really impacting on people? I feel that society has not accepted that long Covid is something that is real and impacting on people's lives and on their ability to perform in their jobs or live normal...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Effects of Long Covid and Provision of Long Covid Care: Engagement with Dr. John Lambert (6 Jul 2022)

Seán Kyne: Does Dr. Lambert have any estimate of the number of sufferers of long Covid in Ireland? Is it prevalent among any specific age cohort or gender?