Results 2,261-2,280 of 11,255 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Recognition of Irish Sign Language for the Deaf Community Bill 2016: Committee Stage (21 Jun 2017)

Colm Burke: Senator Conway mentioned Dublin Bus. Paragraph (g) of amendment No. 3 reads: "a company (within the meaning of the Companies Acts) a majority of the shares in which are held by or on behalf of a Minister of the Government." Therefore, a public body would mean that that is covered by the section.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Hospital Consultant Recruitment (22 Jun 2017)

Colm Burke: I wish to raise the issue of hospital consultant post vacancies that currently exist in hospitals. It is my understanding, from the information I have received, that there are some 400 vacancies for consultant posts. As the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Bruton, will remember, in 2011-12 there was a cut in consultant salaries of up to 30%. That has not changed because it was a...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Hospital Consultant Recruitment (22 Jun 2017)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister. I am afraid I do not necessarily agree with the contents of the reply. The information that I have is that we still have a major problem in that the number of people applying for posts is drastically reduced, and the number of posts advertised which attracted no applicants. I have been consistently looking for exact details of vacancies in hospitals since 2012. I got...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Jun 2017)

Colm Burke: I wish to raise the issue of orphan drugs and rare diseases. Approximately 370,000 people in Ireland are affected one way or another by rare diseases but only 5% have a licensed treatment option. Our main problem relates to orphan drugs, namely, drugs that are made available, are still being worked on and are expensive to develop. Of the 148 orphan drugs available to people with rare...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Jun 2017)

Colm Burke: I, too, want to raise the issue of elderly care. We often apply rules and regulations without compassion. I believe that has occurred in this case. This needs to be resolved as a matter or urgency, particularly in the case of this couple who are married and have lived together for over 63 years and, owing to the manner in which regulations are being implemented, are not now to be...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Administration (28 Jun 2017)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State and congratulate him again. I wish him every success in his new role as Minister of State. I must deal with two people from west Cork this morning and I am sure it will make my job that much easier.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Administration (28 Jun 2017)

Colm Burke: The matter I wish to raise is the fair deal scheme and its current structure whereby someone admitted to a nursing home who is an owner would have that land taken into account in calculating the assessment of payment towards nursing home charges. I know of two cases. One is a very sad case as a person who owned land died and the land passed back to the mother; she is now in a nursing home....

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Administration (28 Jun 2017)

Colm Burke: The Minister of State touched on the point that in the case of sudden illness, the person comes in under the fair deal scheme. The case I was referring to is a case of Parkinson's disease, which, as he will be aware, is a gradual illness. In that case, the person is now being penalised. The person who is in the nursing home obviously cannot predetermine what illness he or she gets. The...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Jun 2017)

Colm Burke: I support Senator Norris and his Bill. I am not necessarily supporting the Bill completely but it is an issue with which we must deal. There are over 32,000 families with difficulties repaying mortgages. Their financial position has not changed a great amount in the past few years and we now need to deal with the issue. We have a new problem in that with the flotation of shares in AIB,...

Seanad: Home Care Services: Motion (28 Jun 2017)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State. I am not following him, but this is our third time to run into each other today in various debates. This is an important issue in how we plan health services. While over €760 million has been put into older people services, of which €373 million is for home care provision, it is a service we will have to continue to grow for several years....

Seanad: Home Care Services: Motion (28 Jun 2017)

Colm Burke: Next Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (28 Jun 2017)

Colm Burke: I congratulate the Minister and Ministers of State, and wish them every success. I am delighted that a Minister of State from Cork is dealing with the Department of Health. I look forward to working with everyone. I refer to future planning of hospital services for Cork. I note the last line of the report I received. As I have said, the population of Cork city and county has increased...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jul 2017)

Colm Burke: I congratulate the Leader on his recent announcement and wish him and his partner every success in the future. I thank him for the courage he has shown over the last five years in respect of major changes that have occurred in Irish law, namely, the referendum on marriage equality, and the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill in the sense of getting it through various public hearings....

Seanad: Report on Dying, Death and Bereavement: Statements (4 Jul 2017)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister and wish her every success. I had the pleasure of working with her on the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health for five years and I certainly learned a lot from working with her. I look forward to working with her in her new role as Minister. I thank Senator O'Donnell and all who have helped her in producing this publication. There is a lot of research in it and it...

Seanad: Report on Dying, Death and Bereavement: Statements (4 Jul 2017)

Colm Burke: At 10.30 a.m. tomorrow.

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Jul 2017)

Colm Burke: I apologise for being late; I was at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Health. I refer to the serious fire at premises in Cork, which was also raised by my colleague, Senator Lombard. It is extremely important that the issue is dealt with. It is a substantial building on a large site. It is owned by a State authority and has been lying idle for 15 years. We now need the Minister to get...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Link between Homelessness and Health: Discussion (5 Jul 2017)

Colm Burke: I thank the deputations for their comprehensive presentations. The reports are comprehensive as well. I want to raise one or two issues. In many cases, there is a housing problem and a health problem. I want to deal with housing briefly. We brought in regulations to try to improve rented accommodation. They were welcome at the time. The purpose of one of the regulations we brought in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Link between Homelessness and Health: Discussion (5 Jul 2017)

Colm Burke: Nor do I. I am not saying that but to deal with this particular person, this is what an organisation came up with. It was the cost of carers and providing the care in order that the person would not end up back in a hospital situation. That was the cost just for one person. There are very difficult cases that have to be handled and the question is what is the best management of those...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Link between Homelessness and Health: Discussion (5 Jul 2017)

Colm Burke: There is one of them in Cork also and it has worked very well.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Jul 2017)

Colm Burke: I refer to the proposed legislation relating to the opt-out from organ donation. This matter has been debated time and again during the past five years and it is my understanding the legislation was to be introduced some time ago. I now understand it is going through the Cabinet. Has the Leader received any indication of the likely time when it will be introduced? The legislation is...