Results 2,661-2,680 of 11,255 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Schools Building Projects (15 May 2018)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister for coming here today to deal with this matter, which relates to Scoil Cholmcille on Blarney Street in Cork. From 1 September, the school will have 216 students.If the number of students increases to 220 the school will be entitled to an additional teacher. Scoil Cholmcille currently has a difficulty due to changing demographics. A school was first built on the site...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Schools Building Projects (15 May 2018)

Colm Burke: Yes.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Schools Building Projects (15 May 2018)

Colm Burke: I appreciate the Minister's reply. The school has an extremely dedicated principal, teachers and assistants who work there and there is huge support from the parents. The numbers in the school have increased much faster than a school would normally experience. That is why there is pressure. There is also the issue of the site itself, but the school has clearly set out in its plan how it...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (15 May 2018)

Colm Burke: I want to raise an issue related to CervicalCheck and the human papillomavirus, or HPV, vaccine. It is unfortunate that some of the people who were to the forefront criticising the HPV vaccine programme are now to the forefront in criticising the errors in the CervicalCheck scheme. Interestingly, two of the individuals concerned appeared on a television programme recently, yet neither of...

Seanad: Radiological Protection (Amendment) Bill 2018: Second Stage (15 May 2018)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister and thank him for bringing this legislation forward. In one sense it is a transfer of functions from one Department to another but it is also about tidying up existing legislation and strengthening regulation. That is welcome. The Bill transfers certain functions from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government to the Department of Communications,...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Medicinal Products Regulation (16 May 2018)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and appreciate his taking the time to deal with this matter. As he is aware, I am a member of the Joint Committee on Health. We produced a report on orphan drugs, in particular trying to fast-track the process and bring more certainty at an earlier stage. I understand that the assessment process for many drugs here takes, on average, 23 months...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Medicinal Products Regulation (16 May 2018)

Colm Burke: The European Medicines Agency approves drugs and we then seem to go through a process which takes over two years. That is causing a lot of frustration for people who could benefit if the drugs were available, as well as those carrying out research and development. That is why the report sets out clear recommendations. I ask that the Minister of State and the Department examine the report's...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: CervicalCheck Screening Programme: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Colm Burke: I thank the delegation for attending this morning. With regard to dealing with CervicalCheck, I have a number of questions about the clinicians at the front line. My understanding, on which I would like clarification, is that they were not advised of the clinical audit taking place and that they were not involved in it. Second, the first they heard of the clinical audit was when they got...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: CervicalCheck Screening Programme: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Colm Burke: If one looks at the letters exchanged between Gráinne Flannelly and Kevin Hickey, however, they highlighted that there were concerns. Going back to pre-June 2016, my information is that the clinicians were not engaged in the audit process or were not made aware that there was an audit process in place.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: CervicalCheck Screening Programme: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Colm Burke: Could it be checked?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: CervicalCheck Screening Programme: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Colm Burke: This is important because these are the people on the front line. The information I received is to the effect that the first they heard of the audit process was to be notified of the cases of patients where errors were made in the reading of the slides initially. They were now being asked to deal with this issue. That is my information. I am just wondering if that can be checked because I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: CervicalCheck Screening Programme: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Colm Burke: On 1 September 2017, there was a meeting of clinicians at which concerns were raised. Was Dr. O'Keeffe aware of that meeting and of the concerns being raised?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: CervicalCheck Screening Programme: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Colm Burke: However, this is September 2017, some 12 months after the letters went out. Was Dr. O'Keeffe not advised-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: CervicalCheck Screening Programme: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Colm Burke: -----that of the 200 or so people who had adverse outcomes in the audits, there was little disclosure made at that stage?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: CervicalCheck Screening Programme: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Colm Burke: Would Dr. O'Keeffe not have requested that information?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: CervicalCheck Screening Programme: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Colm Burke: The memo of October 2016 sets out a total of 203 letters have been issued to 29 consultant doctors for historical cases where cytology, prior to diagnosis of one or more smear tests, was reviewed. Did anyone check with the 29 consultants to ask what level of engagement had they with their patients? They had the letters from June. This is three or four months on. Was there not a need at...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: CervicalCheck Screening Programme: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Colm Burke: Was the Department or HSE administration aware that there was an ongoing issue about consultants communicating information? At what stage did they become aware of that? They have told me that they made the case at an early stage in 2016 when they got the letters.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: CervicalCheck Screening Programme: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Colm Burke: The most important part of the review was the final element, namely advising the patient or the patient's family. There seems to have been no process in place to check that this final element was carried out completely.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: CervicalCheck Screening Programme: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Colm Burke: Surely the Department must have been concerned. There was an accumulation of results and the bigger the numbers, the greater the problem was going to be. This was identified in February 2016. However, by September or October 2017 we still did not have the process fully in place about advising the patients and their families. We are talking about a period of 18 months. People surely must...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: CervicalCheck Screening Programme: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Colm Burke: My first question is for Dr. McKenna. I understand the audit was carried out on all of the people who had already received cancer treatment or who were in the course of cancer treatment.