Results 1,661-1,680 of 9,820 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Post-European Council Meeting on 15 and 16 October: Statements (Resumed) (20 Oct 2020)

Thomas Byrne: I gave my wrap-up at the start when I spoke about Africa. I thought it would be useful to get through some of these.

Post-European Council Meeting on 15 and 16 October: Statements (Resumed) (20 Oct 2020)

Thomas Byrne: That is because I did not get to them. It was not deliberate. The Acting Chairman cut me off.

Post-European Council Meeting on 15 and 16 October: Statements (Resumed) (20 Oct 2020)

Thomas Byrne: The Government agreed the procedure for the traffic light system earlier. It was a Government decision and I am sure the details will be announced in due course. I am not at Cabinet so I am not privy to that. I presume the Minister for Transport will deal with that. We want to implement the traffic light system. On Israel and Palestine, I did not answer Deputy Costello's question only...

Post-European Council Meeting on 15 and 16 October: Statements (Resumed) (20 Oct 2020)

Thomas Byrne: When Sinn Féin was occupied with other states' issues we were very strong on this and we remain very strong on this. When the Taoiseach was Minister for Foreign Affairs, he visited Palestine at that time as well, as have some of my party colleagues. We will continue to prioritise the Middle East peace process on the Security Council. We will do whatever we can to advance efforts...

Post-European Council Meeting on 15 and 16 October: Statements (Resumed) (20 Oct 2020)

Thomas Byrne: We are not shutting down trading companies that are involved in importing and exporting.

Post-European Council Meeting on 15 and 16 October: Statements (Resumed) (20 Oct 2020)

Thomas Byrne: There is no shutdown of that type of activity, which continues. That type of misinformation is unfortunate. Regarding the level of preparedness, I will organise a briefing for Oireachtas Members at which we can go through all the issues and give all the ammunition and information Deputies need to give to their constituents in terms of preparation. Deputy O'Callaghan mentioned rule of...

Post-European Council Meeting on 15 and 16 October: Statements (Resumed) (20 Oct 2020)

Thomas Byrne: What I am saying is-----

Post-European Council Meeting on 15 and 16 October: Statements (Resumed) (20 Oct 2020)

Thomas Byrne: I am saying that as of-----

Post-European Council Meeting on 15 and 16 October: Statements (Resumed) (20 Oct 2020)

Thomas Byrne: I am not giving detailed information about what other countries are doing because I do not have it. In the past few days, governments all around Europe have been taking significant and serious steps.

Post-European Council Meeting on 15 and 16 October: Statements (Resumed) (20 Oct 2020)

Thomas Byrne: Portugal has a state of calamity, for example.

Post-European Council Meeting on 15 and 16 October: Statements (Resumed) (20 Oct 2020)

Thomas Byrne: The mood at the European Council and the General Affairs Council regarding Covid-19 was extremely grim. The pattern is the same all over Europe in terms of how health systems are coping, how countries are dealing with Covid-19 and what the worries are. Deputies Boyd Barrett and Ó Murchú and others questioned Deputy Richmond on Covid-19 engagement. The European Union does not have...

Post-European Council Meeting on 15 and 16 October: Statements (Resumed) (20 Oct 2020)

Thomas Byrne: I propose to read my response regarding Africa first and then to go through the questions Deputies have asked. There will probably still be time at the end if any of the Deputies wish to ask further specific questions. One of the points made was that I am not the Minister for Health so I cannot answer questions relating to health. I can answer on what I did at the General Affairs Council...

Financial Resolutions 2020 - Financial Resolution No. 7: General (Resumed) (14 Oct 2020)

Thomas Byrne: Ba mhaith liom mo chuid ama a roinnt leis an Teachta Flaherty. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, opened his budget speech yesterday by saying "The backdrop for budget 2021 is a truly remarkable one", and never was a truer word spoken. When the budget last year was presented, it had been developed by the then Government in the shadow of Brexit. It was...

Pre-European Council Meeting on 15 and 16 October: Statements (7 Oct 2020)

Thomas Byrne: Gabhaim buíochas le gach Teachta a bhí ag labhairt agus ag cur isteach sa díospóireacht. Bhí pointí an-tábhachtacha déanta maidir leis an Eorap agus maidir leis an tír seo. Táim buíoch do na Teachtaí a rinne cur síos ar roinnt de na ceisteanna tábhachtacha a bhaineann le caidreamh seachtrach na hEorpa, ceist a pléadh...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Northern Ireland (30 Sep 2020)

Thomas Byrne: Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach as an bhfáilte a chur sé romham anseo ar maidin. Ba mhaith liom freisin mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis an Seanadóir McCallion ós rud é gur ardaigh sí na hábhair tábhachtacha seo ag tús an tSeanaid inniu. The New Decade, New Approach agreement, as the Senator said, was published...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Northern Ireland (30 Sep 2020)

Thomas Byrne: I will pass on the Senator's request to the Taoiseach and the Ministers. We have a Taoiseach who is probably the most committed to education we have ever seen. He is also committed to breaking down the barriers between people within the North and between North and South. That is what this Taoiseach is about. One way of doing that is expanding access to education, both regionally for the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Foreign Policy (30 Sep 2020)

Thomas Byrne: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir as ucht an fháilte a chuir sé romham inniu. Nuair a tháinig mé isteach mar Aire Stáit níor cheap mé go mbeinn, ar mo chéad lá sa Seanad, díreach ar ais i Seomra na Dála. Tá taithí agam anseo ach bhí mé i mo Sheanadóir ar feadh cúig bliana freisin. Gabhaim...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Foreign Policy (30 Sep 2020)

Thomas Byrne: We will maintain our call for the authorities to engage in meaningful dialogue. To be clear, the Government led by the Taoiseach does not accept the results of the election. I want to be absolutely clear. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE, of which Belarus is a member, has offered to visit Minsk and help facilitate talks. We will continue to encourage the...

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (22 Jul 2020)

Thomas Byrne: Of course.

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (22 Jul 2020)

Thomas Byrne: I thank both Deputies for the questions. Deputy Brady's question on the national recovery and resilience plans is very helpful. With the greatest respect, I have to say that there has been a lot of confusion about this issue today. To obtain the grants, member states are required to prepare national recovery and resilience plans setting out their reform and investment agendas for the years...