Results 1,461-1,480 of 2,967 for speaker:Séamus Healy

Leaders' Questions (27 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: Up to 30,000 families face eviction due to the Government's failure to protect them. Mortgage holders will not qualify for the insolvency procedures because they have no disposable incomes or disposable assets. They have fully engaged with their lenders. They are not strategic defaulters. Their only assets are their family homes. They hold modest mortgages, many of less than...

Leaders' Questions (27 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: -----forbearance was not appropriate, given the fact that the person's financial position was unsustainable, and that, if the repayments due were not met and arrears accumulated on the mortgage, the matter would, regrettably, be referred to solicitors. Such conduct from banks that we have bailed out is outrageous, unjust and unfair.

Leaders' Questions (27 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: Will the Government legislate urgently to enable these unfortunate and blameless families to stay in their homes or will it continue to allow the banks to deploy the modern equivalent of the battering ram?

Leaders' Questions (27 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: Up to 30,000.

Leaders' Questions (27 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: They are fully engaged. They have done everything.

Bond Repayments: Motion [Private Members] (26 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: Debt is the single biggest issue facing the citizens of this country. I publicly congratulate the "Ballyhea Says No" group which has raised this issue and kept it before the public over a long period of time, marching every week. I also congratulate the other groups around the country linked with "Ballyhea Says No" who are doing the same thing, including "Clonmel Says No", which marches...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Information and Quality Authority Corporate Plan 2013-2015: Discussion (26 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: I am keeping an eye on the monitors because health business will be dealt with in the Dáil Chamber shortly, as happens frequently these days.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Information and Quality Authority Corporate Plan 2013-2015: Discussion (26 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: I want to ask one question about resources. Has HIQA any input into the question of resources for the health services? If the agency is checking the standards in hospitals or health agencies and clinics, surely an important factor is the level of resources available in the particular hospital or health care centre. In recent years, over 11,000 staff have been taken out of the system-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Information and Quality Authority Corporate Plan 2013-2015: Discussion (26 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: This is relevant to the corporate plan. A total of €3 billion has been cut from the health budget. I am aware of a hospital near my home which has lost 25% of its budget and almost 200 staff members. Surely these are issues that crop up when HIQA is carrying out inspections and checking standards across the board in various health care settings. Is it reasonable that HIQA reports...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Alteration of Eligibility Criteria) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: I support Deputy Billy Kelleher. These elderly persons have medical cards that are valid until 2020 and their applications were assessed and the cards granted by the HSE. At the time, officials obviously felt their circumstances would not change significantly in the next period of years, which was a reasonable and common-sense position to take. I question whether this is being done on a...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Alteration of Eligibility Criteria) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: I did not claim you said that.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Alteration of Eligibility Criteria) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: I am asking you to deal with the matter urgently.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Alteration of Eligibility Criteria) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: The Minister of State has been honest in his contribution by confirming that this Bill is all about cutbacks, savings and targeting elderly people for those savings. He indicated that he does not have any other options, but there are choices. This is a wealthy country, although some people would have us believe that it is broke. In October 2012, the Minister of State, Deputy Costello, told...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Alteration of Eligibility Criteria) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: The Bill is a short piece of legislation. It is essentially a legislative piece of hypocrisy at variance with all Government policy. It goes back to a 2008 decision by Fianna Fáil to introduce a similar regime. We all recall the current Minister’s position at the time. He used the term “terrorism” to describe the proposal by the Fianna Fáil and Green Party...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Alteration of Eligibility Criteria) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: It is an important issue.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Alteration of Eligibility Criteria) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: It is related.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Alteration of Eligibility Criteria) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: It is related to the Bill and the services that are available to holders of medical cards under the terms of the Bill.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Alteration of Eligibility Criteria) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: It started with charging for blood tests and there are now charges for dressings, minor surgery and letter writing. The Minister must take up those issues directly with the Irish Medical Organisation, IMO, and GPs. It appears that GPs are attempting to pass on cutbacks to medical card holders. It is not acceptable to say that medical card holders must complain directly to the HSE because...

Youth Employment: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (20 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: Despite commitments and promises during the general election campaign in 2011, the Government parties are continuing to pursue the programme of the Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government that preceded them. They were elected on a platform of ensuring the least well off and ordinary families across the State would be protected. They have reneged on that commitment and they are now targeting...

Government Decision on Exiting Programme of Financial Support: Motion (Resumed) (20 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: The mountain of debt heaped on the backs of Irish people over the past number of years is not our debt and we should not have been burdened with it. We certainly should not have had policies of austerity that were followed by this and the previous Government and which arose because of that debt. I have absolutely no confidence in this Government, particularly in any hope that it will give a...