Results 2,481-2,500 of 15,491 for speaker:Eamon Gilmore

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: If anything, a majority of the Members of this House opposed the co-location policy over the course of the last general election.

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: It is not merely the case that the Minister has failed to secure a bipartisan approach for the policy she is pursuing — she does not even have a mandate for it. One can only have genuine bipartisanship when one has an agreement on policy. It is quite rich of the Minister to ask the Opposition to support her policy when the Minister of State who was sitting beside her when she made that...

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: I would like to be clear on cancer policy . Despite what some people are saying, this is not about politics. Deputy O'Sullivan has stated publicly, as Deputy McManus did when she was our health spokesperson, that the Labour Party supports the cancer strategy and the centres of excellence. The provision of an additional centre in the north west should be debated and discussed. The problem...

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: ——he makes the fair point that while promises of world-class centres of excellence, best practice and the messiah from Vancouver sound great, they cannot disguise the lack of capacity in existing hospitals, which is the single biggest contributor to the current crisis.

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: The most pathetic part of the speech made last night by the Minister for Health and Children was when she described the lonely position she found herself in last Wednesday, when she struggled to get her own officials and officials from the Health Service Executive to explain why the 97 women in Portlaoise had not been notified and why an additional crisis had developed. The Minister, Deputy...

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: She has all these powers under the Health Act 2004. She is the ultimate authority for the health service under the Ministers and Secretaries Acts. The people with whom she was struggling are well-paid officers of the State for whom she approved bonuses in addition to the salaries they are already paid, presumably on the basis that they were doing a good job. However, she was unable to get...

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: Where is the report? Where is the explanation? What action has been taken? We know there is a report in draft form somewhere, but the Minister has said she is not allowed to see it. It is buried somewhere beneath a pile of lawyers and is likely to stay there for a long time.

Confidence in Minister for Health and Children: Motion (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: All of this was not entirely new. The Minister's attention was drawn to the problems in Portlaoise in this regard when Dr. Peter Naughton wrote a letter to the Department two years ago. The Minister passed the letter on for answer by the HSE as if it were a routine parliamentary question. We are not talking about accountability for administrative issues. In the past, we have debated...

Written Answers — Illegal Immigrants: Illegal Immigrants (28 Nov 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: Question 72: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps he plans to take to establish the number of people from other countries working illegally here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31136/07]

Order of Business (29 Nov 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: The Government's legislative programme, published on the day the House resumed in September, listed 17 Bills for publication in this session. Only two, however, have been published. We have not been overburdened with legislative business from the Government during this session. No legislation is listed for debate in the Dáil next week, which is understandable because it is budget week....

Order of Business (29 Nov 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: There was a great deal of talk over the past two nights during which the Minister for Health and Children said she wants a bipartisan approach to health. We will see what happens.

Order of Business (29 Nov 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: The nursing homes support scheme Bill is of serious concern to people around the country but it has not even been published. If the Government has any intention of railroading that Bill through the House it will meet with almighty resistance. The same applies to any other Bill. Will the Tánaiste tell us what Bills the Government will put on the Dáil Order Paper between now and Christmas?...

Order of Business (29 Nov 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: There is a long-standing practice which I understood Government had accepted that there would be a period of two weeks between the publication of a Bill and the commencement of Second Stage, except when emergency legislation was required. Normal practice allows a decent time for Committee and Report Stages. The Nursing Home Support Scheme Bill has not yet been published. The Tánaiste says...

Order of Business (29 Nov 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: There should be universal suffrage.

Written Answers — Sport and Recreational Development: Sport and Recreational Development (29 Nov 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: Question 25: To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism his views on the increasing privatisation of leisure facilities here; if he foresees a future role for the State and local authorities in extending the provision of leisure facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31447/07]

EU Issues. (4 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: Question 3: To ask the Taoiseach his priorities for the December 2007 EU summit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29089/07]

EU Issues. (4 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: Question 4: To ask the Taoiseach his plans for official trips abroad during the remainder of 2007 and the first half of 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29090/07]

EU Issues. (4 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: Question 6: To ask the Taoiseach if he will make a statement on his address to the Association of European Journalists in Dublin Castle on 10 November 2007. [29412/07]

EU Issues. (4 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: The Taoiseach stated he will sign the EU reform treaty on 13 December. In doing so, he will have the support of the Labour Party and, as Deputy Kenny indicated, the Fine Gael Party. Do all the parties in government support the signing of the EU reform treaty considering that the leader of one of them was one of just 11 eurosceptics who signed the minority report at the European Convention?...

EU Issues. (4 Dec 2007)

Eamon Gilmore: I thank the Taoiseach for that reply. In connection with the agenda for the summit, is it intended that there will be a discussion on relations between the EU and Russia? Does he anticipate that consideration will be given to the unease expressed by election monitors about the conduct of the recent Russian elections or will there be space on the agenda for consideration of that matter?