Results 1,721-1,740 of 1,774 for speaker:Maria Byrne

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2016)

Maria Byrne: No.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2016)

Maria Byrne: It is not appropriate for the Senator to question my intelligence level.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2016)

Maria Byrne: University Hospital Limerick is always getting negative publicity around here but there was good news in the announcement yesterday that the opening date of the new accident and emergency department may be brought forward following the significant upgrade of the software systems there. This includes the integration of the patient and clinical management systems which allow consultants and...

Seanad: Be Winter-Ready Campaign: Statements (15 Dec 2016)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State to the House for this discussion on the very important Be Winter-Ready campaign. The key issues are to be prepared, stay safe and know where to turn to for help. These are the key messages that must be communicated, especially to older people in the community. As others have said, people must ensure that they have an adequate supply of water and food in...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Dec 2016)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the announcement yesterday from the Minister for Tourism, Transport and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross, on the Shannon Estuary drive following calls from me for the inclusion of Limerick in the wild Atlantic way. I am glad the Minister has announced the initiative. It will be a touring route and a pilot scheme will be run in conjunction with Fáilte Ireland. It will involve an...

Seanad: Cystic Fibrosis Treatment: Statements (8 Dec 2016)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister, Deputy Harris, here this afternoon. I compliment him on the interest he has shown in the provision of the drug, Orkambi, to cystic fibrosis sufferers. When the Minister was in Limerick in early October to open the cystic fibrosis unit he saw it at first hand and met many of the patients who were there. The main thing that a number of people who have come to my...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Higher Education Funding: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Dec 2016)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the witnesses and congratulate them on their presentations. I have met many of them in the past and listened to their different views. We all support keeping student fees at the lowest rate possible. I do not think any member believes they should go up by a significant amount. In saying that, we have to be practical to work within the resources available at the moment. We are...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2016)

Maria Byrne: I wish to highlight a good news story by welcoming the announcement at the weekend by the US Department of Transportation that it will grant a foreign licence to Norwegian Air, thereby facilitating the development of a route from Shannon and Cork to the east coast of the US. I also welcome the 30 jobs announced this morning announced by Acacia Communications in Limerick. The company is from...

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Nov 2016)

Maria Byrne: University Hospital Limerick was raised here today. While there are concerns about the hospital, I would hate the story to go out that it is falling apart at the seams. As recently as last month, the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, was in Limerick for the opening of the new €16.5 million development unit to deal with cystic fibrosis, the Parkinson's Association of Ireland was...

Seanad: Knowledge Development Box (Certification of Inventions) Bill 2016: Second Stage (30 Nov 2016)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister to the Chamber and commend her on this very worthy Bill. Having served on an enterprise board for 15 years, having dealt with many small companies and coming from a small business background, I am very aware that it is very important to incentivise and encourage development, especially in the research and development sector. I served on the board of Limerick Institute...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Nov 2016)

Maria Byrne: I compliment mathematics teachers and acknowledge the new finding that there has been a major improvement in the teaching of mathematics. Ireland has been ranked on a list of high achievers and has come in ahead of Finland, which is one of the highest achievers. Low achievers have actually done very well but the pupils who are high achievers are still in the risk category, which is...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Second Stage (29 Nov 2016)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Acting Chairman for the opportunity to speak on this Bill today. I welcome the Bill. It proposes a host of measures, including paternity leave, the restoration of farm assist, protection for the self-employed, which is most important and has never happened before, increases in the back-to-education allowance and the provision of over 50,000 school meals. These are all very...

Seanad: Commencement Matters (Resumed): Cancer Screening Programmes (24 Nov 2016)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy. I am delighted that she is here to speak on such a relevant topic. The BreastCheck programme is currently available to women between the ages of 50 and 69. According to the BreastCheck website, "the Department of Health and Children chose this age group for screening as there is a greater proportion of women at risk of...

Seanad: Commencement Matters (Resumed): Cancer Screening Programmes (24 Nov 2016)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for her response. I too would encourage all women to avail of the service but I also urge the Minister of State to keep it under review and take the statistics into account because there are people being diagnosed at a younger age, which is frightening. I would like the Minister of State to monitor that.

Seanad: Commencement Matters (Resumed): Cancer Screening Programmes (24 Nov 2016)

Maria Byrne: I propose a suspension of the sitting until the conclusion of the division in the Dáil.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Higher Education Funding: Discussion (24 Nov 2016)

Maria Byrne: I apologise to the two witnesses for leaving during their presentation. I had to speak in the Seanad. I concur with much of what has been said. Every family fears the introduction of student loans because people are concerned about how loans would be repaid. The education of their children is the priority of families and I know many couples who had two or three children in college at the...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Nov 2016)

Maria Byrne: I welcome the statement by some of the major employers in Limerick and the mid-west region that they have no intention of pulling out of the mid-west region. Most of them are American-based companies about which there has been a good deal of scaremongering. However, the heads of companies such as Cook Medical, Uber and Northern Trust came out yesterday to state they are delighted they...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Wild Atlantic Way (17 Nov 2016)

Maria Byrne: I call on Fáilte Ireland to include Limerick city in the Wild Atlantic Way route before the commencement of the 2017 tourism season. I also ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to put his weight behind my proposal. In 2015 I submitted a motion on this issue to my local authority, Limerick City and County Council, which received unanimous support. While we subsequently...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Wild Atlantic Way (17 Nov 2016)

Maria Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for his positive response. It is something I have beaten the drum about for a while. I am delighted to hear the Minister of State is willing to take my point of view on board and is working on some initiatives on tourism attractions. I await his positive response in the near future.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Nov 2016)

Maria Byrne: I wish to raise the issue of a new library for Mary Immaculate College in Limerick. The college is to the forefront of teacher training and many Members would have constituents who are students there.In 1978, when the library was built, 250 seats were provided for 750 students. Approximately 3,500 students currently attend the college, with the figure expected to rise to more than 5,000 by...