Results 3,061-3,080 of 11,255 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Mar 2019)

Colm Burke: Like my colleagues, I join in wishing Mr. Donal Hickey well and thank him for his contribution and work in the Houses of the Oireachtas over a long number of years. I wish him well in his retirement. I refer to the issue of housing. One of the issues that is being missed in this debate is the reason we have a significant demand for housing is because there has been a significant increase...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (2 Apr 2019)

Colm Burke: In dealing with the housing issue one of the factors that has not been dealt with is the number of vacant houses. I was in an area in recent days where I was told by residents that a three bedroom semi-detached house has been vacant for seven years. The owner owns of a number of other properties and it is now not profitable for that person to let the house. I do not understand the reason...

Seanad: Land and Conveyancing Law Reform (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (3 Apr 2019)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State for bringing the Bill forward. It is important to achieve a balance. There are genuine cases where the views, considerations and family circumstances of the property owner are not taken into account. I would like the Minister to take that consideration forward but balance is important and this Bill certainly helps that.

Seanad: Land and Conveyancing Law Reform (Amendment) Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (3 Apr 2019)

Colm Burke: Tomorrow at 10.30 a.m.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services Provision (4 Apr 2019)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, to the House. This morning I wish to raise the need for treatment services for persons with lymphoedema. As the Minister of State is aware lymphoedema is a condition of painful swelling in body tissue. It can affect any part of the body but usually develops in the arms and-or legs. Once lymphoedema has developed it is a lifelong...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services Provision (4 Apr 2019)

Colm Burke: I welcome the decision by the Department. The Minister of State will be aware that the model of care has been published. Lymphoedema Ireland has worked hard to get it to this stage. It is important that what happened to the GPs in terms of the hard work they did to introduce new ways of dealing with issues to reduce costs does not happen in this regard. This is about saving money and,...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services Provision (4 Apr 2019)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (4 Apr 2019)

Colm Burke: Yesterday the Chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health, Deputy Harty, and I went to the site of the national children's hospital and met the people in charge there. Real progress is being made on that building project. Some 420 people are working on that site, but when the structure is completed and the various services are being put in, 2,500 people will be required to work...

Seanad: An Bille um an Ochtú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Scaoileadh ar Phósadh) 2016: An Dara Céim - Thirty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution (Dissolution of Marriage) Bill 2016: Second Stage (9 Apr 2019)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister for bringing forward this proposed amendment to the Constitution. It is a change which is required. I will raise some points for consideration based on my experience of dealing with the family law courts. Some people have used the courts system to delay the process of separation and divorce. For instance, I am aware of one case which has been ongoing for 18 years....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Fibromyalgia Support Services (11 Apr 2019)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I wish to raise the issue of fibromyalgia and the need for an improved medical service in this area. As the Minister of State will know, this condition involves nerve dysfunction and causes chronic pain and fatigue. People who have the condition suffer a lot from migraine. Restless leg syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and difficulty in...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Fibromyalgia Support Services (11 Apr 2019)

Colm Burke: As the Minister of State is aware and dealt with in her reply, this is a complicated issue. It is difficult because the condition presents in different ways but enough research has now been done to clearly show that this illness is long term and does not resolve. There are 15 different conditions recognised under the long-term illness scheme. We should be trying to take a more planned...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Apr 2019)

Colm Burke: I wish to raise the issue of overall care in the private hospital sector. It is interesting that in the UK, a person was convicted in the past few weeks with regard to carrying out unnecessary operations. It has been established that unnecessary mastectomies were carried out and that over 750 patients must now be compensated. This issue concerns accountability in the health service. While...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (16 Apr 2019)

Colm Burke: I am concerned about the charges imposed by local authorities on voluntary organisations, especially sports clubs, in developing new facilities. Where a club seeks planning permission for the development of playing pitches or a clubhouse, charges are imposed on it. Local authorities now seem to be requiring sports clubs to complete roadworks on the public road. In a pre-planning meeting...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Free Travel Scheme (8 May 2019)

Colm Burke: My question relates to a person who receives money from the Office of Wards of Court arising from compensation for a road traffic accident. The person has a disability and attends a service every day, by bus, which ensures they are not confined to a home for the rest of their lives. Their medical condition is so serious that they will never drive again so they have to use public transport...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Free Travel Scheme (8 May 2019)

Colm Burke: This is a genuine case in which a person is travelling every day to attend a service for people with disabilities.This person has a serious disability. They appear not to have the same rights as other people because they are in receipt of moneys from the Office of Wards of Court, and if they, for instance, went to apply for disability allowance in the morning, they would qualify for a...

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

Colm Burke: All we have at the moment is negative coverage. Last Wednesday in Cork the Taoiseach opened a new primary care centre. It is 62,000 sq. ft. in size and the largest in the country. There are 12 general practitioners, GPs, physiotherapists, mental health teams and dieticians in this brand new centre, but not one square inch of coverage was given to it by any of the media outlets, even though...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 May 2019)

Colm Burke: I am reading with concern about the appointments that may be made in the Football Association of Ireland, FAI, and about how some influence might be brought to bear by what are perceived to be Government agencies, if not by the Government itself. It is important that every organisation in the country maintain its independence. I am not saying there is interference, but I understand some...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Second Stage (14 May 2019)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister for the work that he is doing. Dealing with the housing market is a major challenge. The big change that we have seen is the increase in employment. We have many more people coming into the country than ever before. Instead of leaving the country, people are staying here. As a result, we have higher demand for accommodation. The demand for housing poses major...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Second Stage (14 May 2019)

Colm Burke: Their circumstances have changed. I came across a situation where someone let out their own house following a bereavement in the family. That person went to rent an alternative house in a different location, but when they wanted to move back into their own home, it took 14 months to get possession of their own house. When the person got possession, they got no rent for the 14 months and...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Second Stage (14 May 2019)

Colm Burke: We have seen where tenants have abused their situation and just moved into a new property because there are no checks and balances in the system. We need to be careful about this. I have always had a strong view about this. I have no problem with investors investing in the property market here. It is welcome. I keep raising the issue of long-term tenancies and making the tenant...