Results 1-20 of 123 for speaker:Cathal Byrne

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Oct 2025)

Cathal Byrne: I also offer my condolences to our Seanad colleague on the very sad passing of her father. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. I welcome the peace that has come to the people of Gaza. I hope it will be a long-lasting peace. We in this country know how difficult it can be to sustain a peace and the work that is required by those on all sides, both internal and external, to ensure it lasts....

Seanad: Budget 2026 (Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation): Statements (8 Oct 2025)

Cathal Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for joining us. On behalf of the Fine Gael Party, we support the proposed budget. I listened carefully yesterday to both Ministers, Deputies Donohoe and Chambers, when they outlined this budget and the proposals around it. When I consider the key priorities a budget should be measured against, I think of safeguarding the economy, supporting families, improving...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Ambulance Service: Discussion (8 Oct 2025)

Cathal Byrne: I welcome our guests and acknowledge the hard work that is done, day in, day out, by members of the National Ambulance Service, namely paramedics and all those employed who deliver the service across the country. I want to focus on a number of areas. On the question of training, it was stated that there are 1,044 applicants for the most recent places. Is that right?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Ambulance Service: Discussion (8 Oct 2025)

Cathal Byrne: How many of those people will actually be taken on?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Ambulance Service: Discussion (8 Oct 2025)

Cathal Byrne: Are there plans for further training colleges around the country beyond Cork?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Ambulance Service: Discussion (8 Oct 2025)

Cathal Byrne: When the HSE publishes the database of figures and response times, my home county of Wexford and the south east are consistently shown up as having the longest average wait times in the country. Pre-pandemic, in 2019, the standard response time was 21 minutes, then it went up to 30 minutes and now we are looking at 29 minutes. I have people ringing me regularly right across County Wexford...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Ambulance Service: Discussion (8 Oct 2025)

Cathal Byrne: What is the NAS's target? Having put these extra resources in place, where does it hope to get to in 2026, 2027, 2028 and thereafter?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Ambulance Service: Discussion (8 Oct 2025)

Cathal Byrne: Specifically, what is the NAS's timeline? What is the targeted response that it expects to get in the average wait time for a person in Wexford to get an ambulance?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Ambulance Service: Discussion (8 Oct 2025)

Cathal Byrne: I have just one last question. Could I get an update on the new ambulance base for north Wexford, which will cover-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Ambulance Service: Discussion (8 Oct 2025)

Cathal Byrne: Yes. It will cover the north of County Wexford.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Ambulance Service: Discussion (8 Oct 2025)

Cathal Byrne: I would appreciate it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Ambulance Service: Discussion (8 Oct 2025)

Cathal Byrne: How many colleges is that spread across? Is it per college?

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Prison Service (7 Oct 2025)

Cathal Byrne: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor. I wish to raise the issue of prison spaces. One of the commitments in the programme for Government in the area of justice was to increase the number of spaces for prisoners. I am highlighting this because I am concerned by recent commentary by members of the Prison Officers Association, who said that because of the shortage of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Prison Service (7 Oct 2025)

Cathal Byrne: I thank the Minister of State and the Department for the response. I very much look forward to seeing the increase in prison places that has been outlined. I will come back to this issue again because it is one of the utmost importance. The public must feel confident that those convicted of serious crimes who are sent to prison have a space available to them and that prisons are adequately...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (2 Oct 2025)

Cathal Byrne: I raise an issue about the tillage sector that came before the agricultural committee yesterday. I spoke in this Chamber recently about the impact that low grain prices are having in my home county of Wexford, where we have a very strong and vibrant tillage sector. Unfortunately, as things are at the moment, tillage farmers have told me that they do not see a future in the sector and that...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Oct 2025)

Cathal Byrne: Over the last number of weeks I have met many principals, deputy principals and teachers across County Wexford in the context of the upcoming budget next week. Among the issues highlighted to me is the fact that at the moment Ireland has the highest pupil-teacher ratio across the EU, at 22.5 pupils per teacher. When it comes to next week's budget, I urge the Minister for education and the...

Seanad: National Social Enterprise Policy: Statements (1 Oct 2025)

Cathal Byrne: I want to speak briefly about a social enterprise project I recently visited in south Wexford. I refer to the Helen Blake lifeboat restoration project, which is a really wonderful example of what is possible in the area of social enterprise. This is a story which was born out of a tragedy. On the 20 February 1914, a Norwegian ship, the SS Mexico, ran aground on rocks off the coast of...

Seanad: Agricultural Sector: Motion (1 Oct 2025)

Cathal Byrne: The Minister is most welcome to the Chamber. I would like to speak on the upcoming budget in the context of the importance of keeping some of the agricultural tax reliefs currently in place and what they mean for rural Ireland. I want to speak in particular in the context of the fact that one in three farmers is now aged over 65 and, of the 50,000 farmers across the country, only one in 20...

Seanad: Agricultural Sector: Motion (1 Oct 2025)

Cathal Byrne: I refer to agricultural reliefs, in particular to the exemptions that exist for young trained farmers. They allow for the transfer from one generation to a farmer aged under 35 years who can claim a full exemption from stamp duty. At a time when the stamp duty rate is 7.5% on all non-residential land, it would be quite a significant burden were that tax exemption to expire. It is important...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Transport (30 Sep 2025)

Cathal Byrne: I thank the Minister of State for coming in to discuss and debate this issue. As he is aware, Wexford town is the capital town of County Wexford. It is home to a population of about 21,500 people and, like many towns, it is experiencing very rapid population growth, with an increase of approximately 9% over the last census. One of the issues with the rise in population in Wexford town is...