Results 141-160 of 783 for at speaker:Malcolm Byrne

Seanad: Budget 2024 (Finance): Statements (10 Oct 2023)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for coming the Chamber. I was rather alarmed when I heard Senator Keogan criticising the increase in the overseas aid budget. The Government should be proud of our record of investing in overseas aid and supporting the most vulnerable on this planet. While I note that Senator Keogan’s friends were not protesting today outside Leinster House, the kind of...

Seanad: Budget 2024 (Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform): Statements (10 Oct 2023)

Malcolm Byrne: ...and it addresses not just the short-term challenges but indeed the long-term challenges and opportunities for Ireland. I will start by addressing specifically some of the areas within the Minister of State's own brief and where he has an interest. I welcome that under the circular economy an additional €3 million is provided for the roll-out of the circular economy strategy. The...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Children in Care (5 Oct 2023)

Malcolm Byrne: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. The Minister of State will be aware that there are around 6,000 children in care in Ireland, and about 90% of those are in foster care. Foster carers are individuals who have a passion for what they do and they care for some of the most vulnerable children and young people in society. I know the Minister of State will have met many of them as...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Oct 2023)

Malcolm Byrne: ...reasons, remember, because yesterday ten years ago was the day of the referendum which proposed to abolish this House and this was the morning of the count. Most of us here, I imagine, were either at a count centre or tuned into the radio listening to some of the early tallies.Part of the commitment that was given ten years ago, when the people took the decision to retain the Upper House,...

Seanad: Visit of Slovak Delegation (4 Oct 2023)

Malcolm Byrne: We are now approaching 600 days since Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. I hope that this Chamber will invite the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs to the Chamber to talk about the strong and correct support Ireland continues to give to Ukraine. A number of us had the privilege last week of meeting the speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament, who was very clear that the people...

Seanad: Access to Third Level Places and Student Accommodation: Statements (4 Oct 2023)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House for this very important discussion about access to further and higher education and issues relating to student support and accommodation. We know the issues of funding for students and higher education funding have continued to be kicked down the road by successive Governments. This Government took a very clear decision to cost what it...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Malcolm Byrne: I want to move on to the bigger picture. This is a direct political concern. When Kevin Bakhurst came before us, he indicated that some of the areas he would be looking at possibly reducing funding for included coverage of the local and European elections and also possibly ard-fheiseanna and party conferences. From a political point of view, public service broadcasting can be vital to a...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Malcolm Byrne: I agree. It was that particular point the director general raised that I was concerned about. The bigger picture here is around the future of public service broadcasting, which is the issue we were all looking at before the scandal arose in RTÉ and which our committee will be reporting on. The licence fee model is clearly broken. When Coimisiún na Meán's representatives...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Malcolm Byrne: I appreciate that. I know that with the TV licence technical working group it was a different environment but we are now in the situation where significant numbers of people are not paying their TV licence fee. We are going to reach a tipping point where those of us who are paying are going to ask why we are continuing to pay it when so many are not paying it. I would respectfully suggest...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Malcolm Byrne: That is great. I very much appreciate that. You could certainly see a body such as Coimisiún na Meán, operating at arm's length, managing a fund to allocate resources to public service broadcasting.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: RTÉ Oversight and Long-Term Support and Funding: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (4 Oct 2023)

Malcolm Byrne: On the Future of Media Commission report, the recommendation on the licence fee was the only one that was not accepted by the Government. The Minister might outline why she feels it was not accepted by the Government. Does she think events have perhaps changed minds at Cabinet?

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Oct 2023)

Malcolm Byrne: Like others, I congratulate the nation of Germany on its national day. I want to raise the story by Ferghal Blaney in the Irish Daily Mirrorconcerning the HSE's property portfolio. It does not surprise me that so many HSE buildings are underutilised. One of the buildings I have been referring to in this Chamber is the former HSE clinic in Camolin, County Wexford. This building was closed...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Sep 2023)

Malcolm Byrne: Before I raise the one matter I wish to raise, I wish to state that I agree with the views expressed by Senator Mullen concerning higher education funding. The issue I wish to raise was reported by Naomi O'Leary in The Irish Timesyesterday on questions around artificial intelligence, AI, and deepfakes but also misinformation and disinformation on social media channels. The article found...

Seanad: Crime and Policing: Motion (27 Sep 2023)

Malcolm Byrne: This is a particularly important issue. I have chatted with the Minister of State privately on this. One of the challenges is that those of us who have gone out in Dublin over the years have never felt that unsafe until the past few years. Quite frankly, in parts of the city we are seeing gangs of feral youths that intimidate people. At times when seeing some of the behaviour, it is...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Engagement with Coimisiún na Meán on the 2023 Work Programme (27 Sep 2023)

Malcolm Byrne: I accept that but I am concerned because the European Commission's Vice President, Ms Vra Jourová, yesterday indicated that it is intended that the Digital Services Act will be used in these circumstances. There is a requirement at EU level for Twitter, or X, to provide reports on misinformation and disinformation and the European Commission has identified it as the platform with the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Hospital Facilities (26 Sep 2023)

Malcolm Byrne: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. The national children's hospital is something we all want to see happen and we know its importance, but there continues to be growing concern about the cost and ensuring it is completed. James Reilly, who was the Minister for Health when this deal was originally drawn up and signed, indicated that it would cost €650 million. Planning was...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Hospital Facilities (26 Sep 2023)

Malcolm Byrne: I thank the Minister of State. I and everyone else appreciate there is construction inflation but we are still talking about a hospital that is costing what, on the face of it, is looking like at least twice what was originally budgeted and we still do not have the final figure. Can the Minister of State assure us that the target for the national children's hospital to be open by the end of...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Sep 2023)

Malcolm Byrne: I am sure the Leader will join with me in congratulating Rosslare Europort on being named European ferry port of the year at the European Ferry Shipping Summit last week. She will know from the time we spent on the Brexit committee that one of the very few good things that came out of Brexit was the rapid expansion of Rosslare. This fantastic facility, led by Mr. Glenn Carr and the team,...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Sep 2023)

Malcolm Byrne: I met recently with Macra na Feirme. It is very keen that we look, within the budget, at addressing the issues of succession planning within agriculture. We still have the challenge that more a third of farmers in Ireland are over the age of 65, more than half are aged over 55, and only 7% are under the age of 35. I would like a debate, which I have called for previously, on the question...