Results 1,641-1,660 of 1,865 for speaker:Maria Byrne

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...

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

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State. It is good that the Department has acknowledged there are problems in certain areas. I note that it is putting additional staff into certain areas to alleviate those problems. We will have to monitor this. We will note in our own offices the expediency with which the applications are being processed. I appreciate that the Department is aware of the matter...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Feb 2018)

Maria Byrne: I would like to refer to the bus crash that took place in Limerick yesterday. I wish to pay tribute to all involved, including the ambulance services, the fire services, An Garda Síochána, the council, the mid-west community health care units, John the Baptist Community School and the teachers for their very fast response. Counselling and support was offered to all families and to...

Seanad: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (7 Feb 2018)

Maria Byrne: I so move.

Seanad: Education (Welfare) (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (6 Feb 2018)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister. I commend her and my Labour Party colleagues on bringing forward the proposal. The fact that the Bill is receiving more or less unanimous support shows that people are putting children at the centre of what this is all about. It demonstrates the importance of lifelong learning. The Bill covers those aged from six years to 16 years of age, but it is very important...

Seanad: Education (Welfare) (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (6 Feb 2018)

Maria Byrne: Next week.

Seanad: Education (Welfare) (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (6 Feb 2018)

Maria Byrne: Tomorrow at 10.30 a.m.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: School Accommodation (1 Feb 2018)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for coming to the House to discuss this important issue. Approximately 7,000 children in Ireland have Down's syndrome. Having spoken to the family members of many children with Down's syndrome, I know those children are the life and soul of their families. They are very sociable. They certainly keep the members of their families on their toes....

Seanad: Commencement Matters: School Accommodation (1 Feb 2018)

Maria Byrne: I am disappointed. There are two children in the one class, one of whom is on the autism spectrum. Certainly if the Down's syndrome child had any variation of autism he would be entitled to the July provision. I would like the Minister of State to relay to the Minister, Deputy Bruton, and the Department the fact that it does not add up. They bring a teacher in to work with one child who...