Results 1-20 of 130 for going forward speaker:Róisín Shortall

Rare Diseases: Statements (6 Mar 2024)

Róisín Shortall: ...one in 17 people will be affected by a rare disease at some point in their lives. Putting their stories on display in the heart of our capital city, just a stone's throw from the Oireachtas and Government Buildings, is certainly a powerful statement and I encourage Members to visit it. Recently, rare diseases policy reform has been put back on the political agenda thanks to the...

Appropriation Bill 2023: Second Stage (12 Dec 2023)

Róisín Shortall: I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate and to highlight the Social Democrats concerns about the Government's funding of key public services. While I will refer to some of the amounts provided for in the Bill, I begin my contribution by raising the most pressing spending issue of the day, which is what would appear to be the deliberate decision by the Minister for public...

Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage (21 Nov 2023)

Róisín Shortall: ...does not serve people terribly well. Many people wish they had the money to afford private health insurance and many others struggle to meet the cost of that. In the main it is higher-paid categories of people who tend to be in very senior jobs and decision-makers at administrative and political level who have private health insurance. There is very much an attitude of...

Home Care Workers and Home Support Scheme: Motion [Private Members] (8 Nov 2023)

Róisín Shortall: ...Social Democrats are very happy to support the motion. For over five years, a statutory right to home care has been promised and yet it still has not been delivered. We are told that work is ongoing but we still have no idea when the legislation will be published. It is becoming clear that there is no real sense of urgency about getting this over the line. In fact, it seems to be...

Select Committee on Health: Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services) (Safe Access Zones) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (25 Oct 2023)

Róisín Shortall: ...is also at the heart of my amendment. We all want this legislation introduced as quickly as possible. We want it to be effective in protecting women who are accessing services. The Minister said a few minutes ago that there is no system in place to record a warning. If there is no system in place, how does this legislation work? Deputy Smith was talking about other offences. Let us...

Finance (No. 2) Bill 2023: Second Stage (Resumed) (24 Oct 2023)

Róisín Shortall: ...some of the tax changes provided for in budget 2024. It is now three weeks to the day since the budget was announced and, in that time, it has become even more obvious just how short of ambition this Government actually is. Budget 2024 is basically the same approach as in 2023 with an emphasis on short-term measures rather than lasting structural change. Like last year, one of the most...

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (12 Oct 2023)

Róisín Shortall: ...after 12 months on the operation of this legislation. On the other issues, on the things I and the committee feel strongly should be contained in this, the Minister has promised to bring forward a second piece of legislation. We got the legislative programme recently. Nowhere in that programme, in the form of legislation being drafted or heads being drafted, is there any contemplation...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Implementation of Sláintecare Reforms: Department of Health and HSE (Resumed) (14 Jun 2023)

Róisín Shortall: ...as well. Let us hope there is continued acceleration of that programme. In response to the last point that was raised on the shortage of GPs, that is the reality. People have no where else to go other than emergency departments, EDs, very often at nighttime and during the night. For that reason, I cannot understand why we have not introduced salaried GPs. That has to happen. Mr. Watt...

Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2023: Second Stage (13 Jun 2023)

Róisín Shortall: ...be supporting. A ban on the sale of vapes to under 18s is very much long overdue along with curbs on advertising. However, given the surge in youth vaping, the provisions of this Bill do not go far enough to tackle what is a rapidly growing problem. During pre-legislative scrutiny, the scale of vaping amongst minors was laid bare and that is why the Committee on Health recommended...

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion [Private Members] (23 May 2023)

Róisín Shortall: I welcome the opportunity to speak about some of the underlying reasons for the stubbornly long hospital waiting lists and I thank Sinn Féin for bringing this motion forward. Reading through this motion should be a sobering experience, but the reality is we have become so accustomed to unacceptably long waiting lists with unambitious targets and missed deadlines that we are no longer...

Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (10 May 2023)

Róisín Shortall: ...of registered dentists and registered dental auxiliary workers to maintain professional competence 38A.(1) A registered dentist and a registered dental auxiliary worker shall maintain professional competence on an ongoing basis. (2) A registered dentist and dental auxiliary worker shall, whenever required by the Dental Council to do so, demonstrate competence to the satisfaction of the...

Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (10 May 2023)

Róisín Shortall: ...at this snail's pace. After 17 years, we are at the point where only ten registers are open. A further seven or so need to either be opened or are under consideration. We do not know where the Minister is going on this. Not only are there seven professions in respect of which registers are outstanding, it is also the case that a significant number of other professions did not appear on...

Select Committee on Health: Regulated Professions (Health and Social Care) (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (3 May 2023)

Róisín Shortall: ...out the implications of introducing established criteria for determining which health and social care professions to regulate into the future under the Act of 2005. I repeat the point I made a few minutes ago which is that there are serious questions about the operation of CORU. There are serious questions about the fact this is legislation from 2005 to regulate health and social care...

Re-introduction of Mortgage Interest Relief: Motion [Private Members] (25 Apr 2023)

Róisín Shortall: I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion at a time when so many families are struggling to survive. They are trying to cope with the high cost of housing, the ongoing situation regarding inflation and pressures on family budgets at a time when interest rates continue to rise. All of this combines to place a heavy burden on many mortgage holders and first-time buyers....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Implementation of Sláintecare Reforms: Department of Health and HSE (29 Mar 2023)

Róisín Shortall: ...the reports when they are promised. I commend everybody who was involved in the enhanced community care initiative. The results from that have been very positive. It sets out the clear way forward in respect of a key element of Sláintecare, which is switching activity away from the acute hospital sector to the community. I want to discuss some of the key enablers in respect of...

Credit Union (Amendment) Bill 2022 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Róisín Shortall: ...the Opposition with a Bill briefing on Tuesday. It was very much appreciated. I always find it very interesting to listen to debates and commentary around credit unions, particularly from Government Deputies. Like them, I have high regard for the credit union movement. These trusted, not-for-profit institutions are an integral part of our society. They represent the very best of...

Energy Costs and Windfall Taxes: Motion [Private Members] (15 Feb 2023)

Róisín Shortall: ...energy prices drop. The unbridled profiteering we have seen in recent years cannot be allowed to continue. The market is utterly failing customers. The State must step in, as it should have done long ago. Hard-pressed customers cannot wait any longer for the drop in wholesale gas and electricity prices to be reflected in their bills, not least because there is no guarantee that...

Home Care: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (8 Nov 2022)

Róisín Shortall: ...dominated by women and that is certainly a factor in the historical undervaluing of this work. If there were proper pay scales, it would not be as difficult to recruit staff and we would have a lot more men going into the service as well, thus there are strong arguments for this, apart from the right of workers to decent pay. Ultimately, these workers deserve our respect, not just in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Regional Health Areas Advisory Group (26 Oct 2022)

Róisín Shortall: ...have one other question. The Chair will recall that we had Professor Tom Keane before the Oireachtas committee to share his experience with the cancer programme and to give us advice on how we may go forward. I recall him saying that essential to this reform was ensuring that there was legal accountability at clinical and administrative level for decisions taken, for the spending of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (19 Oct 2022)

Róisín Shortall: ...23 dedicated hospital detox and stabilisation beds throughout the country. The number of rehabilitation beds is also risibly low. The issues are clearly multifaceted, but the question is: what is going to be done about them? What we need is a multi-agency approach about which there needs to be urgency. That is why I call on the Taoiseach to head up a task force to rejuvenate and clean...