Results 281-300 of 309 for speaker:Keith Swanick

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Hospital Services (3 Jul 2019)

Keith Swanick: I thank the Minister of State for coming into the House. I express my sincere thanks to him for making the long trek from west Cork to Belmullet in north Mayo last Monday to engage with staff and patients in Belmullet District Hospital. They found it a fruitful experience. I genuinely thank the Minister of State for making the effort and recommending the preservation of the 20 acute beds...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Hospital Services (3 Jul 2019)

Keith Swanick: I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. I am somewhat heartened that he might come back to us with further updates because for the HSE to pay a private facility to look after patients, usually at very high cost, at a time when there are 11 unfilled beds in New Houghton Hospital is nonsensical. Families, patients, employees and local representatives are very concerned. I...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Jul 2019)

Keith Swanick: I welcome the family of Senator Lawless to the Chamber and hope they enjoy their day in Leinster House. I refer to a health matter, namely, asthma and air quality. This comes on the back of the great work of my Fianna Fáil colleague, Deputy James Brown, and subsequently by the party leader, Deputy Micheál Martin, on Leaders' Questions a few weeks ago. They have highlighted the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Voluntary Organisations in the Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Jul 2019)

Keith Swanick: I thank the delegates for their attendance. I agree with the comments of Deputy O'Connell. As someone who works on the ground, I often wonder whether the figure of 5,000 is accurate because people may under-report or diminish their symptoms. I know of certain patients who are almost afraid to say they have had a seizure because their livelihood may depend on driving or working with farm...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Oct 2019)

Keith Swanick: In recent months, we have seen escalating bluster from across the Irish Sea. Prime Minister Johnson's non-proposal proposals for a no-man's land between the Republic and Northern Ireland reflect the seriousness of those who say they are attempting to resolve the issue. We need our Government to be open and honest with people. A breakdown in trust regarding our preparedness for the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Home Help Service (15 Oct 2019)

Keith Swanick: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, to the House. The home help scheme is under pressure. As the Minister of State will be aware, two weeks ago the Irish Independentreported a harrowing story regarding a 70 year old woman who spent 105 hours on a trolley in Limerick hospital and her family's expressed fears that she would die if a fire started. This is the direct result...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Home Help Service (15 Oct 2019)

Keith Swanick: I appreciate what the Minister of State said about the figure of €446 million and the 50,000 people who are benefiting from it. However, the population is getting older and people have more complex health issues that require more care. Will the Minister of State give a commitment that vulnerable persons for whom home care is sanctioned will be allocated hours and receive them within...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Oct 2019)

Keith Swanick: Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency's 57 air quality monitoring stations found that while air quality in this country is below EU limits, it is above the stricter World Health Organization air quality limits for fine particulate matter, ozone and nitrogen dioxide. The introduction of a nationwide ban on bituminous or smoky coal was promised by the Government back in 2017, but it...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Oct 2019)

Keith Swanick: Well done.

Seanad: HSE Capital Plan 2019: Statements (23 Oct 2019)

Keith Swanick: I welcome the Minister and thank him for his recent visit to Mayo. There was a fantastic day last Friday in Castlebar with the opening of the Mayo-Roscommon hospice. It is truly a fantastic facility, full of hope, and somebody described it as a sacred place. It is a facility where the size of a bank balance makes no difference and the facility is there for people in the counties of Mayo,...

Seanad: HSE Capital Plan 2019: Statements (23 Oct 2019)

Keith Swanick: It is the way she asks.

Seanad: Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2019: Second Stage (23 Oct 2019)

Keith Swanick: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I commend Senator Devine on her work on this area and the Bill that she is bringing forward and also commend Senator Freeman on the vast amount of work she has done in this area. I welcome Deputy Pat Buckley to the House and commend him on the work he does in the Lower House with my colleague, Deputy James Browne. As a general practitioner, GP,...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Disabled Drivers and Passengers Scheme (13 Nov 2019)

Keith Swanick: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I have asked him to come to the House today to discuss the need to expand the qualifying criteria for a primary medical certificate for the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme to persons with severe cases of autism spectrum disorder and severe sensory disabilities. This issue is close to my heart. As a GP, I come across it...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Disabled Drivers and Passengers Scheme (13 Nov 2019)

Keith Swanick: I thank the Minister of State for his reply but I cannot accept it. I think it is disgraceful. I am sure the Minister of State will agree that this scheme is antiquated. It is antiquated in the qualifying criteria requiring people to be wholly without the use of one or both limbs etc. I deal with this every day of the week in my surgery. Not only are the qualifying criteria antiquated,...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Disabled Drivers and Passengers Scheme (13 Nov 2019)

Keith Swanick: The appeals process-----

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Disabled Drivers and Passengers Scheme (13 Nov 2019)

Keith Swanick: Would the Minister not consider operating the appeals system locally, rather than having people travel to Dún Laoghaire from all over the country?

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Disabled Drivers and Passengers Scheme (13 Nov 2019)

Keith Swanick: This is every important-----

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Nov 2019)

Keith Swanick: I echo the sentiments of Senators Gallagher, Feighan and Marie-Louise O'Donnell on the Cuisle facility at Donamon in County Roscommon, which is very close to my heart and is a vital cog in providing respite to people with disabilities. I welcome members of the public who are here today to protest and are trying to save the facility. They are from all over Connacht, the midlands and the...

Seanad: Services for People with Disabilities: Motion (13 Nov 2019)

Keith Swanick: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I am delighted to support the motion, on which there is much international research. A 2019 study on the impact of eye clinic liaison officers at various ophthalmology clinics in the UK found that eye clinic liaison officers who had a presence at hospital ophthalmology clinics were valuable for streamlining processes within the clinic, not least...

Seanad: Illegal Drugs: Motion (13 Nov 2019)

Keith Swanick: I move:“That Seanad Éireann: notes that:- individuals, families and communities throughout the country have been devastated by illegal drugs; - drug-related harm consistently clusters in communities marked by poverty and social inequality; - drug-related deaths in Ireland are at the highest figure ever, increasing from 431 in 2004 to 736 in 2016; - new drugs appear regularly...