Results 1,681-1,700 of 1,774 for speaker:Maria Byrne

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (12 Apr 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister and the members of the VFI and LVA. I also welcome former Senator Imelda Henry, who does trojan work on behalf of the vintners. I support this Bill. The Good Friday proposal dates back to the Intoxicating Liquor Act 1927 and the proposals also applied to Christmas Day and St. Patrick's Day. In the 1960s St. Patrick's Day was taken from the list and only Good Friday...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Apr 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome that an additional 47,000 school children will benefit from school meals and school breakfasts. They will join the other 200,000. It is a joint initiative between the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Social Protection. It is very positive. They have written to a number of schools that are not considered DEIS schools. I encourage all schools that have...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Disabled Drivers and Passengers Scheme (5 Apr 2017)

Maria Byrne: I rise to raise the issue of the primary medical certificate. This is required by people who apply for a disabled driver's pass. The disabled drivers scheme is very positive. There have been a number of initiatives that have been improved in recent years such as the amount of money that is allowed towards the car adaptation. Disabled drivers can park in disabled parking spaces and this...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Disabled Drivers and Passengers Scheme (5 Apr 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. While I understand that there are many people in receipt of the scheme, the Minister of State might take back to the Minister the need to assess individual cases. There is an appeals process but the Minister might consider the inclusion in the regulations of a word relating to discretion.

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Apr 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the very positive news that SUSI grants have been reopened to postgraduate students because they were closed in 2012. This will encourage people to further their education and increase their employment prospects in the long term. I commend the Minister for Education and Skills for reopening the grants to postgraduate students and congratulate Peter Furey from Ardscoil Rís in...

Seanad: Adult Safeguarding Bill: Second Stage (5 Apr 2017)

Maria Byrne: Next Tuesday at 2.30 p.m.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Skills Shortages (30 Mar 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy John Halligan. I know he is aware of the skills shortage in the hospitality industry, especially chefs and front-of-house staff. The expert group claimed that we need approximately 5,000 chefs a year in terms of training, and I understand 1,800 currently go through the system. My background is in the hospitality sector, and I know how important it is...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Skills Shortages (30 Mar 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for his response. I do not have the relevant information, but a number of people have contacted me who would be delighted to offer him some suggestions. I welcome that there will be an opportunity to provide input to the report. I would like the Minister of State to see what is happening in the centre in Limerick to which I referred. It is something that...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Mar 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Tolands from Limerick, who are in the Visitors Gallery. I am delighted to see them. They are present as guests of my colleague, Senator Kieran O'Donnell, and I hope that they enjoy their visit. I welcome the Defence Forces roadshow that is under way in all barracks around the country. There is a need to recruit 850 people to the Army. There is a colourful exhibition and...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Mar 2017)

Maria Byrne: I and many of my Oireachtas colleagues attended a briefing with University Hospital Limerick and the HSE mid-west. It was very enlightening. I welcome the €850,000 that will be invested in the surgical day care unit in Limerick. People will now be able to come to the hospital on the morning of an operation or be assessed outside of the unit and will not take up unnecessary hospital...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (28 Mar 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State and the proposals before the House today. I welcome the domiciliary care allowance and the proposal to bring almost 10,000 extra children into the category in receipt of medical cards. I have been involved with one or two families that were just over the threshold in the past and know the pain that they went through. I compliment the Minister of State and...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Mar 2017)

Maria Byrne: I understand that when the Minister, Deputy Harris, announces his eight-point plan today, he will propose to scrap the HSE and start all over again. I welcome this news because I think we could go back to the old health boards.It is his intention to scrap the HSE and devolve the powers to local hospital groups and community groups. When we had the old health boards, there was a lot of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Implications of Brexit for the Irish Educational System: Discussion (21 Mar 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank the witnesses for their presentations. I shall follow on from the point that Senator Ruane made about fees. When English students come here to study and when Irish students go to England, they pay the same fees as their counterparts in both jurisdictions. Following Brexit, will English students be considered international students and be obliged to pay higher fees? I want to ask...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Implications of Brexit for the Irish Educational System: Discussion (21 Mar 2017)

Maria Byrne: I am sorry but I must leave to speak at another forum. I shall miss hearing the replies but I will research them later.

Seanad: JobPath: Statements (21 Mar 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister to the House and thank him for his detailed presentation. There has been much discussion of JobPath, but I will speak from my own experience in terms of the people who come to my office who are long-term unemployed. My experience to date has been with Turas Nua because it operates in the Limerick area. I am aware that many positive changes have been made, certainly...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Mar 2017)

Maria Byrne: I would like to be associated with the condolences to the young children who died in the fire this morning, and to the person who is in hospital. She will hopefully have a speedy recovery. I am alarmed at the figures released this morning about the interim applications to the Central Applications Office, CAO. The applications for nursing are down by over 9% and the number for teaching is...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Mar 2017)

Maria Byrne: I rise today to support International Women's Day. A number of articles in today's newspapers are about how women are to the fore in terms of some of the top jobs. An issue raised by my colleague, Deputy Madigan, in the Dáil relates to the reference in the Constitution to a woman's place in the home and she is introducing legislation to try to get that changed. It is 2017 and that is...

Seanad: Tourism Industry: Motion (8 Mar 2017)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister here today. I would like to compliment all working in both the tourism and hospitality sector, certainly for the fact that it brought over €8 billion into the economy in 2016. I take grave exception to what has been said to my left here today about the 9% VAT rate, as somebody who comes from the hospitality industry and who grew up in a business that was...

Seanad: Tourism Industry: Motion (8 Mar 2017)

Maria Byrne: I did not interrupt Senator Gavan. We have to look at the rural towns and villages. Many are dependent on our tourism industry. I know that the Minister has been responsible for promoting the Wild Atlantic Way and the Ancient East, and a previous Minister promoted The Gathering, which was really successful and brought many of our diaspora back to Ireland for many family gatherings. It was...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Pre-Legislative Scrutiny of Education (Amendment) Bill 2015 and General Scheme of Education (Parent and Student Charter) Bill 2016: Discussion (7 Mar 2017)

Maria Byrne: I thank everyone for their presentations. I wish to compliment my colleague, Deputy Jim Daly, on bringing this Bill forward. I am currently the chairperson of a board of management so I am looking at it from an interesting angle. Students represent the kernel of our discussion today. The children's ombudsman covers those up to 18 years of age, whereas this measure will cover all aspects...