Results 3,241-3,260 of 26,396 for speaker:David Cullinane

Seanad: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: I second the amendment. I certainly do not wish to rehash the argument the Minister and I had on Committee Stage. I have put on record Sinn Féin's opposition to this section of the Bill, which we believe should have been a stand-alone section, but I will not go over that ground again. I wish to make the point on Report Stage that it is wrong for Members and premature for the Minister...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: As I am sure the Leader is aware, a group of consultant psychiatrists in the Carlow, Kilkenny and south Tipperary mental health services have withdrawn confidence in the clinical management of the service which they claim is unsafe. In a letter which was put in the public domain by RTE's "This Week" programme, nine doctors wrote to the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health,...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: I commend the pre-budget submission launched by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul yesterday, planning for the right kind of recovery. In recent years, we in Sinn Féin have sought, through this House, proper debates on pre-budget submissions and alternative budgets from a range of organisations which, in fairness, take the trouble to make submissions to Government, and also political...

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (25 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: On behalf of the Sinn Féin Party I extend my sympathies to Sam's family and welcome his three daughters, Marion, Elaine and Angela, to the Visitors Gallery. I will start by quoting my party colleague and Stormont Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure, Carál Ní Chuilín, when she spoke about Sam following his death:His artistic contributions served to enrich life not only...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Reform) Bill 2014: Second Stage (25 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: I do not doubt Senator Quinn's sincerity in introducing the Bill, on which I commend him. He has been a pioneer in introducing legislation in this House, but I do not see how the Bill fits into the vision of a fair, equitable and efficient health-care system that I would like to see in this State. The reality is that people are dispensing with private health insurance in droves because of...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Reform) Bill 2014: Second Stage (25 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: It is linked to the debate and I will get to that. In the Minister's vision for health care - if we could call it that - he wants to open health care to the private health insurance market completely. He promised free-GP care for all - it was one of his core commitments as Minister for Health. What did he deliver? He delivered fewer medical cards for people - people who need them, people...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Reform) Bill 2014: Second Stage (25 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: That is because people have more medical cards-----

Seanad: Health Insurance (Reform) Bill 2014: Second Stage (25 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: I can speak on whatever issue I want; I have six minutes. It is a Second Stage speech and we are talking about health care.

Seanad: Health Insurance (Reform) Bill 2014: Second Stage (25 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: We are talking about health care and-----

Seanad: Health Insurance (Reform) Bill 2014: Second Stage (25 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: -----the private health insurance market. I will speak to whatever I want to speak to, with respect.

Seanad: Health Insurance (Reform) Bill 2014: Second Stage (25 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: You can rule me out of order all you want -----

Seanad: Health Insurance (Reform) Bill 2014: Second Stage (25 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: -----but I will outline to the Minister the important issues for people outside this House. They are worried about these issues. They are the people bearing the brunt of losing their medical cards. More people have medical cards because people have lost their jobs and are in low-paid job; that is the reason. The Minister will have to accept the reality that people have lost their...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Reform) Bill 2014: Second Stage (25 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: I ask the Acting Chairman to remind me what the Bill is about.

Seanad: Health Insurance (Reform) Bill 2014: Second Stage (25 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: Health. Thank you for that. It is about health care-----

Seanad: Health Insurance (Reform) Bill 2014: Second Stage (25 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: -----and this is the Minister for Health.

Seanad: Health Insurance (Reform) Bill 2014: Second Stage (25 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: I have six minutes and I will continue with my contribution.

Seanad: Health Insurance (Reform) Bill 2014: Second Stage (25 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: I will continue with my contribution because the Minister needs to hear what people outside this House are saying and also to hear what people inside the House are saying when he is not here. The reality is that a market-driven approach to health care will not work. Opening it up further to private health insurance will not work. The only system that will work and be fair and equitable is...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: I take the opportunity this morning to welcome the announcement by the vice president of Bausch & Lomb, who is in the Visitors Gallery, of a capital investment in its plant in Waterford. A number of weeks ago, workers were presented with a fait accompliof 200 redundancies and pay cuts of up to 20%. Since then there have been intensive negotiations between the two trade unions...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: In the past few weeks several calls have been made for a debate on health care with the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly. We were told by the Leader that the Minister would be in last week----

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: -----which he was, to take a debate on Senator Feargal Quinn's Bill on private health insurance. Any issue that was raised by a Senator on any side of the House, which was outside the scope of the Bill, was ruled out of order. The debate on that Bill was not the appropriate time to have a proper debate with the Minister for Health on the wide range of issues that are affecting health care....