Results 1,441-1,460 of 1,673 for speaker:Maria Byrne

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Apr 2018)

Maria Byrne: I congratulate Joy Neville on becoming the Rehab sportsperson of the year. Joy is from Limerick. She is a neighbour of mine and I know her well. She may not support the same rugby club as me but her brothers do. Joy played for Shannon and UL Bohemians, as well as Munster and Ireland This latest accolade adds to her Grand Slam achievements in the past and her 70 caps for Ireland. She has...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (28 Mar 2018)

Maria Byrne: I attended a briefing this morning organised by Senators Humphreys and McFadden concerning the Parkinson's Association of Ireland. I learned that over 12,000 people in Ireland have Parkinson's disease. While I know there are many regions with their own association, the Parkinson's Association of Ireland runs a helpline where a specialist nurse phones people with medical queries back because...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Mar 2018)

Maria Byrne: I wish both Munster and Leinster the very best of luck in their two quarter finals this weekend. The matches are taking place on Saturday and Sunday. They will certainly put Ireland on the map, and hopefully both teams will win. It was Daffodil Day last Friday. We often speak about parking charges for cancer patients at hospitals, but University Hospital Limerick, along with the hospitals...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Mar 2018)

Maria Byrne: I again raise the outbreak of measles in Limerick and the mid-west. There are now cases affecting more than 25 people so it is quite serious. They are giving out free vaccinations in the Lord Edward Street primary care unit this afternoon from 3 p.m. onwards. I encourage people, especially those aged from 20 to 40 who have not yet been vaccinated, to attend the clinic for a free...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Mar 2018)

Maria Byrne: We had a great weekend of sport with Ireland winning the grand slam. I was there when we won it in 2009 but I was watching it on the streets of Limerick when it happened this year. It was wonderful to see a Limerick man presenting the trophy to the team and we had two Limerick players on the team, Keith Earls and Conor Murray, whom I congratulate on being short-listed for player of the...

Seanad: 100 Years of Women's Suffrage in Ireland: Statements (7 Mar 2018)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister, Deputy Madigan, to the House and thank her for all the fine work she is putting into the Vótáil 100 programme. I also compliment all our senatorial colleagues, and especially Senator Ivana Bacik, as a the chairperson of the committee. Many worthwhile projects have been put together to date. I recently attended a seminar in the Royal Irish Academy, at which...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Mar 2018)

Maria Byrne: I too pay tribute and thank the front-line staff, the in-house staff and those who worked in hospitals and were out clearing roads and all the volunteers as well as the Army, the Civil Defence, the Garda and council staff - everybody who was involved in the clean-up right around the country. I pay compliment to them and the many volunteers who joined them. Yesterday was a historic day in...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Feb 2018)

Maria Byrne: I note that the engineering and technology event, Limerick for Engineering, that was to be held in Shannon Airport this coming Thursday and Friday has been cancelled due to expected adverse weather conditions. However, it has been rescheduled for next week. Over 2,500 primary and secondary school students have been encouraged to attend this event which is related to innovation and...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Feb 2018)

Maria Byrne: I pay tribute to Andy Lee from Castleconnell, County Limerick, who has announced his retirement from boxing. He won 35 of his 39 professional fights. He was a fantastic amateur and professional boxer for many years. He represented Ireland at the Olympic Games. I wish him all the best in his retirement. The 34th Limerick Literary Festival will take place this weekend. It is being opened...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Feb 2018)

Maria Byrne: The new health centre in Limerick, Barrack View, was opened last Monday week. There has been a rise in the incidence of measles in Limerick and the wider region. Today, free vaccinations are being given at the centre from 12 p.m. onwards. It is quite frightening to note the number of people who die from measles each year. I encourage people to avail of the opportunity to acquire a free...

Seanad: Flooding: Statements (21 Feb 2018)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber and thank him for the very positive day we had recently in Limerick. He met many people from rural and urban areas of the county. He is aware of a number of ongoing issues, and I would like to highlight some of them. During the meeting we discussed embankments and areas where there had been flooding and there is ongoing work. I compliment the...

Seanad: Services for People with Disabilities: Motion (21 Feb 2018)

Maria Byrne: I thank Senator Conway for introducing tonight's motion. I know people living with disabilities, especially with blindness. Senator Conway referred to street furniture that is in the way. A number of people who live in my area have guide dogs and an amount of investment and training is put into the training of guide dogs. I understand the process takes three to four years. The motion is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Teacher Recruitment: Discussion (20 Feb 2018)

Maria Byrne: I need to go to speak in the Seanad Chamber. I have a few questions, including one for Mr. Ó hAiniféin, which I might ask now because I might not be here when he makes his presentation. We acknowledge the problems related to shortages, substitutes etc. However, 5,000 full-time jobs have been created in the past two years. Is this adding to the problem in that people are in...

Seanad: Housing: Statements (Resumed) (20 Feb 2018)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for coming to the House to discuss the housing issue. It was the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, not the Minister of State, who was in Limerick recently when close to 100 houses were opened. I compliment the Minister and the Minister of State on that achievement. The Minister of State was involved in the planning stages. It was a very good...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Feb 2018)

Maria Byrne: I wish to raise two issues to do with Limerick, but possibly more. They are different issues. First, I congratulate the four students from Scoil Ide who won the Intel Mini Scientist Competition. They were up against 145 schools and more than 8,000 students. In terms of education, science, technology, engineering and mathematics, STEM, subjects are always being promoted. That was...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Feb 2018)

Maria Byrne: It is a very positive development that the STEM subjects are being highlighted at primary school level. On a different note, I had the pleasure of visiting Troy Studios in Limerick last Monday along with some of my colleagues where "Nightflyers", which will be released on Netflix in the summer, is being filmed. It is a very good news story in that more than 400 people are employed in Troy...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Motor Insurance Costs (13 Feb 2018)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy D'Arcy, and thank him for coming to the House today. I am looking for an update on the report on the cost of motor insurance. Many people, especially the self-employed, have come to my office to tell me about the significant increase in their insurance premiums. I know the Minister of State set up a committee and a working group was drawn together to...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Motor Insurance Costs (13 Feb 2018)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. I will just give him a small example. A person in their early 50s came into my office recently whose premium had previously been a little more than €800. This person had received a bill for close to €1,200 despite having a no claims bonus and having never had a crash in 30 odd years of driving. Some of the companies...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Motor Insurance Costs (13 Feb 2018)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Carer's Allowance Delays (8 Feb 2018)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Andrew Doyle, to the House. I acknowledge this is not his area of expertise but I appreciate that he is here to consider my worthy request. Many people applying for the carer's allowance are coming to my office. A lady whose ten-year old daughter is very ill told me it took 17 weeks for her application to be assessed. The husband of a woman with...