Results 1,541-1,560 of 1,687 for speaker:Maria Byrne

Seanad: Budget 2018: Statements (10 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State. I wish him, the Minister of State, O'Donovan, and the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, all the best in terms of the budget. I welcome that this is a balanced budget and there is a little bit for everybody. I am glad to see that the Government has been prudent in the way it has chosen to spend the money and that it is not putting its two feet into it in terms of...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the news that the VHI has announced it will reduce the cost of 26 of its 78 plans. This is a positive development. I encourage people to shop around for their health insurance. This raises the question of whether there will be a price war among the different health insurance companies. The cost of insurance has often been referred to in the Chamber and, hopefully, this will be...

Seanad: Well-being in Schools: Statements (4 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister and thank him for coming here to discuss such an important issue. I suppose we can all reference our own childhoods. Our primary school days were very different in that there was no well-being programme or co-operation between teachers, parents and families. I welcome one initiative that has operated for quite a while. I refer to the Incredible Years programme,...

Seanad: Proposed EU Directive on European Travel Information and Authorisation System: Motion (4 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I move:That Seanad Éireann approves the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to take part in the adoption and application of the following proposed...

Seanad: Commencement Matters (Resumed): Third Level Facilities (3 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State and thank her for coming here to take these matters. I wish to highlight the importance of Mary Immaculate College in Limerick in terms of teacher training. The college was founded in 1898 and is the oldest training college in the State for primary school teachers. It was started by the Sisters of Mercy as part of their convent on the South Circular Road and...

Seanad: Commencement Matters (Resumed): Third Level Facilities (3 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for her personal acknowledgement, on behalf of the Department, of the contribution of Mary Immaculate College. I thank the Minister of State for her commitment in that they have made their submission and it is there for consideration. I cannot emphasise enough the role they play. Anything the Minister of State can do in her deliberations, I would appreciate.

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme: Statements (3 Oct 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for attending the Seanad this afternoon to discuss this crucial and important issue. I welcome his statement that he will look at the fair deal charges for farms and small businesses. This is important, as Senator O’Reilly so eloquently put it, for young farmers and young people who want to inherit farms and businesses. It is difficult because many find...

Seanad: Mid-Term Review of Capital Plan: Statements (27 Sep 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State. I thank him for his speech that outlined his thoughts and plans. The regions have been spoken about an awful lot and my colleague, Senator Kieran O'Donnell, referred to the M20, which is very important. I shall return to what Senator Coffey said in terms of regional development. I, too, would like to support the M20 and the connection with Waterford. I...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Sep 2017)

Maria Byrne: I had to attend a meeting of the Joint Committee on Education and Skills yesterday during the Order of Business, so I would just like to congratulate Birdhill on winning the Tidy Towns competition and Limerick on receiving its first bronze medal. It is a big boost to all the volunteers who are out weekly cleaning the streets and so on. The main issue I want to raise today is the...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jul 2017)

Maria Byrne: I encourage the financial sector to look at Limerick as an option for locating. The Minister of State, Deputy Michael D'Arcy, was in Limerick on Monday and we met many stakeholders in different business organisations. He highlighted that Dublin is at full capacity. He saw for himself that Limerick has a number of available spaces which could encourage financial institutions to come to...

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor (Amendment) Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the passage of this legislation and I congratulate Senator Lawless. I also pay tribute to our colleague and former Senator, Imelda Henry, who prepared this legislation in the previous Seanad. I welcome the members of the LVA and Dublin vintners today. While I understand Senator O'Reilly's point of view, a report published yesterday on the agrifood sector by Ciaran Fitzgerald, an...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jul 2017)

Maria Byrne: I wish to refer to an incident that took place at Bengal Terrace, Old Cork Road, Limerick. The mains pipe burst and ten houses had to be evacuated as a result. As Irish Water does not have senior personnel on call at weekends, there was nobody available to deal with the incident. I compliment the social worker from Limerick City & County Council who turned up very early that...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: School Curriculum (13 Jul 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, to the House and thank her for taking this matter. Recently I met a man who is in his 80s and he is caring for his wife at home. She is able to avail of a medical card. She has multiple medical issues and a number of carers come to the house on a daily basis. In terms of his own application for a medical card, they are over the...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: School Curriculum (13 Jul 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State and I appreciate her response. In this case, the man applied and made the case of what he was providing at home but, unfortunately, he was refused. I will now go back to him to encourage him to reapply. Consideration needs to be given to the fact that persons in their later years are looking after their loved ones. I understand that there is a bit of leeway...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: School Curriculum (13 Jul 2017)

Maria Byrne: They have carers but they themselves provide extra carers as well.

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Jul 2017)

Maria Byrne: I rise today to welcome the good news that Limerick Institute of Technology was granted its requested planning permission this morning. The new €14 million development at Coonagh Cross will be great, not only for the students and teachers, but also for the greater Limerick area. This comes on top of the good news that the Department of Education and Skills announced during the week...

Seanad: School Transport: Statements (12 Jul 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State and acknowledge his passion for and commitment to his role in respect of school transport. He stated the system had been brought about in 1968 and further changed in 2012. There are 116,000 children availing of school transport daily, including 12,000 with special needs. I understand there is a recommendation that everybody on a school bus, including the...

Seanad: Equality of Access to Education: Motion (12 Jul 2017)

Maria Byrne: I move amendment No. 2: To delete all words after “That Seanad Éireann:” and substitute the following:“ - affirms its continued commitment to promote equity of access at all levels of the education system; - recognises the benefits to society and the individual, culturally and economically, of the State’s investment in educational opportunities for all of its...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Scheme: Discussion (11 Jul 2017)

Maria Byrne: I, too, thank all of the witnesses for their presentations. I also want to raise a number of local issues. I have been contacted by parents in Tipperary who have to drive their children two and a half miles to the nearest bus stop. There are other children whose parents have to do likewise. It does not make sense that so many children have to be driven two and a half miles to meet the...

Seanad: Rugby World Cup 2023 Bill 2017: Second Stage (11 Jul 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister and thank him for coming forward with this proposal which I fully support. Having attended rugby matches in Ireland, elsewhere in Europe and worldwide for the last 40 years, this is a very positive move for Ireland. France and South Africa are its main competitors in seeking to host the Rugby World Cup in 2023. Having attended the Rugby World Cup tournaments in...