Results 12,261-12,280 of 24,340 for speaker:Jerry Buttimer

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: National Maternity Services and Infrastructure: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank Mr. Woods. Does anyone wish to add anything to his comments? The witnesses are happy enough. That is very good.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: National Maternity Services and Infrastructure: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: Are we recruiting?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: National Maternity Services and Infrastructure: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: This morning, in a different forum, Mr. Woods's chief executive, the Director General, said there was a difficulty in recruiting staff in the HSE. Does this apply to obstetrics?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: National Maternity Services and Infrastructure: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: There were questions on the hospital groups and on appointments to the boards.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: National Maternity Services and Infrastructure: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: What is the reason for these reviews taking an extended length of time?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: National Maternity Services and Infrastructure: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: If our staffing levels are inadequate, for whatever reason, the issue of adverse incidents could arise again, perhaps more regularly than we would like.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: National Maternity Services and Infrastructure: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: Senators Crown and Burke spoke about obstetrics. I met a midwife recently in the maternity department of Cork University Hospital. She is a long-term member of staff. She complained to me that she is working harder than she ever did with less staff in a changed environment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: National Maternity Services and Infrastructure: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: Dr. Chris Fitzpatrick, who will be in attendance at the second part of this meeting, has commented that there was no investment during the boom years. This goes back to the point made by Senator Crown. It is clear from the Senator's hypothesis about the obstetrician ratio that we are talking about nearly having to double the current staffing level. Even though we are playing catch-up, we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: National Maternity Services and Infrastructure: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: Is there a recruitment difficulty?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: National Maternity Services and Infrastructure: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: Tony O'Reilly was speaking about that at another forum, while both Dr. O'Reilly and Mr. Woods have said it here. Is that down to pay or is it a variety of reasons?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: National Maternity Services and Infrastructure: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: Okay, thank you. Are we happy enough?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: National Maternity Services and Infrastructure: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank all the witnesses for their participation. I remind members that the committee has written to the Committee on Procedure and Privileges about marking pregnancy and infant loss remembrance day, which is on 15 October. We will have an event here in the committee room area on that date. We will suspend proceedings for ten minutes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: National Maternity Services and Infrastructure: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: We will resume. I thank Deputy Ó Caoláin and Senator Burke. I welcome Dr. Chris Fitzpatrick, consultant at the Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital and its former master, to our second meeting this morning. We are looking forward to hearing from him. We have already had two interesting meetings on the future national maternity strategy. I remind Dr. Fitzpatrick...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: National Maternity Services and Infrastructure: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: Does that not happen already in the allocation of resources to the HSE by the Minister? Surely there is accountability in that respect.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: National Maternity Services and Infrastructure: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: Would it not be fair to say that, arising from what happened in Portlaoise, the Minister has acted? We have seen that report implemented and used as a roadmap for implementation following what happened in Portlaoise.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: National Maternity Services and Infrastructure: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank Dr. Fitzpatrick for attending, for the contribution he made and for his ongoing commitment.

Social Housing Policy: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (30 Sep 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: Undoubtedly, as the Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly, said, we are in the middle of a perfect storm regarding housing. It is distressing and heart-breaking when one meets constituents, neighbours, friends and past pupils caught up in dire straits with housing problems. Thankfully, however, we have a housing strategy. It amused me to hear Deputy Barry Cowen and his colleagues opposite...

Social Housing Policy: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (30 Sep 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: The reason it has not been spent must be answered by the councils. As Deputy Jonathan O'Brien knows - we worked together quite closely when on the city council - there is a need for a joined-up approach between the local authority and central government. Up to €5 million has been allocated to the councils in Cork to support the return of vacant social housing units for use. However,...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Tourism Policy (29 Sep 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: 609. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to set out the legislative and policy provisions that grant responsibility for local tourism development and promotion to local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32940/15]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Legislative Measures (29 Sep 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: 616. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to set out the legislative and policy provisions that give responsibility for local tourism development and promotion to local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32939/15]