Results 9,701-9,720 of 24,339 for speaker:Jerry Buttimer

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2017)

Jerry Buttimer: Who created the HSE? It was Deputy Micheál Martin.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2017)

Jerry Buttimer: Deputy Micheál Martin is the Senator's party leader.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2017)

Jerry Buttimer: Who created the HSE? It was Deputy Micheál Martin.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2017)

Jerry Buttimer: The Senator's party leader created the HSE.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2017)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank the 18 Members who contributed on the Order of Business. I join the many Senators who paid tribute to the memory of the late and great iarThaoiseach, Liam Cosgrave. Like many others in the House, I attended the funeral last Saturday afternoon and was struck by the simplicity and humility of the occasion which reflected the man he had been. As Monsignor Wilson said, he was a man who...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2017)

Jerry Buttimer: Senator Bacik referred to health and Sláintecare. The Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, is very much committed to Sláintecare. He is of the view that an implementation group will be appointed by the end of the year. He is very much committed to the report of the overarching body, which unfortunately did not contain Members of the Seanad, but in the budget we are seeing an...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2017)

Jerry Buttimer: It was raised on the Order of Business. I know the one line Sinn Féin gets every day is that we cannot praise good news. Sinn Féin does not like to hear good news.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2017)

Jerry Buttimer: I remind Senator Murnane O'Connor that on this occasion in the budget the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, is allocating €209 million to new initiatives where the Government will inform the HSE of what the funding can be spent on. She should remember that it was her party leader who conceived and brought into being the structure of the HSE, the Health Service Executive.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2017)

Jerry Buttimer: The Senator should remember that.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2017)

Jerry Buttimer: Just so Members know, in the context of the health service, the health budget is €15.3 billion, which is a 5% increase.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2017)

Jerry Buttimer: The Minister said transitional funding will be made available for Sláintecare on an ongoing basis.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2017)

Jerry Buttimer: This is about ensuring-----

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2017)

Jerry Buttimer: I know that good news is hard to take.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2017)

Jerry Buttimer: I appreciate that the Senator would love to be in Government.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2017)

Jerry Buttimer: I will. The important point is that the budget announced by the Minister will allow for more people to be employed and there will be new initiatives to cut waiting lists. Senator Bacik is correct that we need to see the Sláintecare plan being taken on board across the health sector.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2017)

Jerry Buttimer: Whether it is primary care or the optometrists to whom Senator Lawless referred or elder care in the home, as Senator Colm Burke has been talking about, that is all addressed in the budget. We will have more home care packages and we will embrace Sláintecare and what the Minister referred to in terms of the transition.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2017)

Jerry Buttimer: There is an additional €35 million for mental health on this World Mental Health Day which is up from last year.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2017)

Jerry Buttimer: I will not be able to do so because I have been asked to respond to the Order of Business and am doing so. I welcome Senator Bacik's Private Members' Bill. We hoped to see that expedited in the past. It is a Bill we have supported. I join with Senator McFadden in congratulating Athlone Institute of Technology on its success. I hope we will see the Technological Universities Bill back in...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2017)

Jerry Buttimer: I respect Senator Ó Clochartaigh's right to have a view on that. The Taoiseach will make his views and those of the Government known at the EU Heads of State meeting. It is important that we allow the Spanish people to decide for themselves what they want to do. The referendum was deemed illegal by the courts, as Senator Ó Clochartaigh will be aware. However, there are two sides...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2017)

Jerry Buttimer: I am not going to get into an argument here in the House because there is some way to go in the debate on that issue. However, it is important the concerns of the Irish Government in terms of policing and what happened on the day of polling are expressed. We were all concerned by that. Equally, Senator Ó Clochartaigh will be happy to welcome the increase of €2.5 million in the...