Results 21-40 of 1,253 for speaker:John Crown

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Jun 2011)

John Crown: The Acting Chairman will forgive my unfamiliarity and rustiness on points of procedure. I did not realise my comments were confined to section 3 at this stage. I will wait until later to comment.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Jun 2011)

John Crown: I welcome the Minister, Deputy Burton. It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to interact professionally with her and I hope we will have many opportunities to do so in the years to come. I wish to make some points which echo those I made to a Minister of State who addressed us in the Chamber several weeks ago, one whom I thought if things had worked out differently might be answering to...

Seanad: Whistleblower Legislation: Motion (29 Jun 2011)

John Crown: I am a whistleblower. I had the experience when I first returned to Ireland of being involved in a few whistleblowing events which taught me much about the manner in which this country is run. As a result, I am extraordinarily supportive of all efforts to try to ramp up the level of protection in place for whistleblowers. Over the years, there has been an increasing level of tolerance and...

Seanad: Whistleblower Legislation: Motion (29 Jun 2011)

John Crown: The Drogheda story was clearly one of many great tragedies. Many women had their lives terribly altered and ruined as a result of medical bad practise. I was struck by the fact that there was no real debate at that time about the structures in place in that hospital. Why was it that so much could depend on the actions of a single doctor? Was it appropriate that a unit would be so...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Jul 2011)

John Crown: I ask the Leader to ensure that the House is granted an opportunity to engage in a degree of debate and, hopefully, parliamentary oversight in respect of the development of the planned national children's hospital. Everyone in the House and people throughout the country will be aware of the greater than usual level of national scrutiny that has obtained in respect of this specific and...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Jul 2011)

John Crown: Yes, I am asking the Leader to bring to the attention of the Minister our great concern regarding the development of the new children's hospital and also the need for oversight on the part of this House in respect of the plan. There is a concern that, at a time of great financial stringency, we may well have a commitment to construct a new building at some stage while in the short term there...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Jul 2011)

John Crown: In conclusion, I ask everyone to please remember that the total cost of Crumlin hospital is the equivalent of five days of the repayment of the bank bailout. The total cost of the Crumlin hospital overrun, which led to the hospital having its services curtailed, was four hours of what we are paying for the bank bailout. These facts must be borne in mind. I ask the Leader to convey our...

Seanad: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (7 Jul 2011)

John Crown: This is an issue in which I have a great interest. On a daily basis, practising doctors in Ireland, particularly practising cancer specialists, see the results of the carnage caused by cigarette smoking. A quick, off the top of the head, list of the cancers for which cigarettes are the principle cause makes for frightening reading, beginning with lip, mouth, tongue, throat, oesophagus,...

Seanad: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (7 Jul 2011)

John Crown: I believe we should do that. We should also consider extending the legal limits on where people can smoke. It was a subject of some amusement to me - working as I do in environs where it is illegal to smoke either indoors or outdoors - to discover that within the hallowed campus of Leinster House there are several locations officially or unofficially designated as smoking areas. It would...

Seanad: Medical Practitioners (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (8 Jul 2011)

John Crown: I am trying to compose myself and to wrestle with a dilemma I face in respect of this legislation. The rational side of me accepts it must pass if we are to have doctors in our hospitals next week, but the dreamer in me wonders, after 18 years of screaming about the problems in our health service, whether anybody is listening. This latest example of Ballymagash forward planning, where we...

Seanad: Medical Practitioners (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (8 Jul 2011)

John Crown: -----which hop across the country in "quangaroo" fashion or whatever it is they do.

Seanad: Medical Practitioners (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (8 Jul 2011)

John Crown: That is just flat out wrong. With great respect to HIQA, talk about establishing a huge operation with a multimillion budget and 200 inspectors to state the blindingly obvious, namely, that there are no good hospitals in the country. I accept that there are a number of adequate hospitals. I have a quick chuckle on each occasion I hear people referring to centres of excellence. As someone...

Seanad: Medical Practitioners (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (8 Jul 2011)

John Crown: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Medical Practitioners (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (8 Jul 2011)

John Crown: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Medical Practitioners (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (8 Jul 2011)

John Crown: I am shocked.

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Jul 2011)

John Crown: I did not have an opportunity to consult HIQA on the mortality figures in local hospitals, but the closure of services in Roscommon is a critical issue. I am not an instinctive "save our hospital" type of person because calm, rational and systematic decisions need to be made about the configuration of hospital services. However, these decisions must keep in mind two key variables. The...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Jul 2011)

John Crown: The three most senior people in government promised that the unit would be kept open and then abruptly changed their policy on the basis of data which I believe are not correct. Furthermore, it has just been reported on radio that Mr. Patrick McHugh stated HIQA had never visited or inspected this hospital. A representative from HIQA was put on the spot on the radio programme and it has said...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Jul 2011)

John Crown: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2011)

John Crown: I may be out of order and, if I am, I ask the Acting Chairman to indulge a freshman Senator ill-informed with the standard operating procedures. I take this opportunity to raise with the Minister of State a matter with respect to the Bill which through my own inattention I should have raised at an earlier stage in the proceedings. I call on the Government, while it is still possible, to...

Seanad: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2011)

John Crown: I understand and acknowledge that but I wish to take the opportunity to get the message to the Minister. The Minister of State and the Dáil still have the opportunity to make amendments and I call on the Minister of State to bring this to the Minister's attention. This could be an important amendment and I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for indulging me in raising the matter somewhat out of...