Results 221-240 of 10,663 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Mar 2012)

Colm Burke: It is an issue that should be raised on the Adjournment because with over 40% of people having medical cards by the end of the year, we have a huge amount of information already available on computer. Therefore, the introduction of patient medication cards should not be delayed and we should set a clear target for implementation during the lifetime of this Government.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Female Genital Mutilation) Bill 2011 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2012)

Colm Burke: I have one or two comments. I welcome the Minister to the House and thank him for introducing the Bill. I thank Senator Bacik for taking the initiative two years ago. When the matter was last before the House I said I had raised the matter as far back as 1992 with Members of the Oireachtas because there was a huge influx of women from Somalia to England at the time. A medical professor in...

Seanad: Housing Policy: Statements, Questions and Answers (28 Mar 2012)

Colm Burke: An elderly couple came to see me recently with a query about downsizing. Now that their children are grown, they would like to downsize their four bedroom home to a single-storey building. They are getting nowhere, however, with Cork City Council. Does the Minister of State intend to introduce a programme to assist persons in that situation? I have referred to the German letting model on...

Seanad: Housing Policy: Statements, Questions and Answers (28 Mar 2012)

Colm Burke: I have referred to an elderly couple who now are tenants in a four-bedroom house. They do not need that space and wish to downsize to a two-bedroom house specifically aimed at elderly people.

Seanad: Housing Policy: Statements, Questions and Answers (28 Mar 2012)

Colm Burke: Yes. One would then have available a four-bedroom house or a young family.

Seanad: Housing Policy: Statements, Questions and Answers (28 Mar 2012)

Colm Burke: It needs to be given priority.

Seanad: Small Business: Motion (28 Mar 2012)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and also welcome the business people in attendance. As someone who has been self-employed for many years, I am deeply aware of the difficulties small businesses are obliged to face at present. My colleagues have touched on many of the issues already. However, I wish to touch on two issues. The first concerns an agency funded by the State that...

Seanad: Rare Diseases (28 Mar 2012)

Colm Burke: My matter relates to the medical condition epidermolysis bullosa, commonly known as EB. It refers to a group of genetic conditions, the central feature of which is extreme fragility of the skin. It is characterised by blisters and wounds on the skin and internal linings following even very minor friction. Children with the condition are often referred to as butterfly children, due to their...

Seanad: Rare Diseases (28 Mar 2012)

Colm Burke: My information is that one in 18,000 babies born is affected by this disease. At present, 88 patients are attending the two specialist EB clinics in Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin and St. James's Hospital. The number of people affected is extremely small. All I ask is that EB be classified as a long-term illness. There is no cure for the disease; it is there for life. Serious...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Apr 2012)

Colm Burke: I have visited a number of countries in which water was in scarce supply. At one hospital, water needed to be collected from its roof - it only rains there for two weeks per year - and stored in ten 50,000-litre tanks. That supply must sustain the hospital for 11 and a half months. In this light, one appreciates the value of water. In some Irish local authority areas, that more than 40% of...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Apr 2012)

Colm Burke: I agree with Senator O'Sullivan in that matter. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, has done a very good job and I compliment the Department and all those involved in progressing this sector and ensuring that Ireland is reaping the benefits of the hard work done over a long number of years. I wish to highlight the report published this week on the implementation of the reform of the intern year...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Apr 2012)

Colm Burke: I am surprised by that last contribution. The Senator was elected by the university graduates and my understanding is that when somebody is elected, their role is to give leadership. I hope Senator Norris is circulating all his voters with the details of the treaty because that is our role in politics.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Apr 2012)

Colm Burke: If Senator Norris cannot read the document, I would have no difficulty in sitting down and going through each paragraph with him.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Apr 2012)

Colm Burke: I raise the issue of the household charge. A letter in today's Irish Examiner from the Irish Property Owners Association states that its members are not in favour of paying water charges. These are the people who are required to pay €200 per annum because they have a second house or more houses. It was interesting to read, also in the Irish Examiner, that one person who owns more than...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Apr 2012)

Colm Burke: -----their net contribution is €80,000.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Apr 2012)

Colm Burke: That is a very small contribution. The Irish Property Owners Association is stating its members do not want to pay for services yet they enjoy all the benefits of the services. Rate payers, regardless of the local authority area in which they reside, must pay commercial rates. Those people are also carrying on commercial transactions and they must pay for services. It is appalling that a...

Seanad: Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union) Bill 2012: Second Stage (23 Apr 2012)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State and wish him well in his new role. I pay tribute to my colleagues who have contributed in a constructive way to the debate. It is important when considering the issue to reflect on where we have come from. One of the submissions made to the sub-committee on the referendum was by Mr. Jim Power who stated: The EMU appeared to work well for the first decade,...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Apr 2012)

Colm Burke: I would like to raise the issue of absenteeism in the health service. It may have been raised previously but I would like to raise it again because it is important at a time when there is much difficulty in making ends meet in the health service. There was a 19% absenteeism rate in one hospital in this country for the month of January. One out of every five workers was not at work when...

Seanad: Competition (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (25 Apr 2012)

Colm Burke: I assure Senator Barrett that the solicitors in the country are not the cause of anti-competitive practice. As proof, the first case taken to a European court relating to anti-competitive practice was dealt with by a firm of Cork solicitors against Comhlacht Siúcra Éireann, which refused to sell sugar to distributors and decided to sell directly to shops. That was one of the first cases...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister for the detailed contribution on the Bill. There has been a significant increase in the demands on the social welfare system. People drawing social welfare do not have a choice because of the changes in the employment market. In 2010, €20.8 billion was paid out in social welfare when the yield from income tax was slightly over €11 billion. Last year, the yield...