Results 381-400 of 459 for speaker:Phil Prendergast

Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2010: Second Stage (1 Jul 2010)

Phil Prendergast: I am delighted to welcome the Minister of State. I support the Bill, but I have a few questions to ask about it. My colleagues and I have received an amount of correspondence on the following issue. I am aware there has been a delay in timelines in moving from the site. The move was due to take place in 2011. The date was extended first to 2014 and now to 2015. There will always be...

Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2010: Second Stage (1 Jul 2010)

Phil Prendergast: That is welcome.

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Jul 2010)

Phil Prendergast: I second the proposed amendment to the Order of Business. I refer to the comments of the Ombudsman, Ms Emily O'Reilly, on the culture of secrecy and legalism within the HSE. They confirm that the HSE is a bureaucratic and inefficient body which appears to make up the rules as it goes along. Some 718 complaints about HSE incidents were made last year. However, this represents the number of...

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Jul 2010)

Phil Prendergast: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Jul 2010)

Phil Prendergast: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Jul 2010)

Phil Prendergast: I rise to ask the Leader when we will have the debate that is meant to continue on the HSE. Dr. Chris Luke almost had to close his accident and emergency department in the Mercy Hospital, Cork, last week due to a chronic shortage of doctors. This mess has been well flagged and Dr. Luke has indicated there is a problem with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, the Government and the...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2010: Second Stage (6 Jul 2010)

Phil Prendergast: I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection. The Minister for Social Protection stated: "It is up to other parties to explain how their policies would maintain the same level of commitment to social welfare clients". The Labour Party has proposed a PRSI holiday for employers who take long-term unemployed people off the dole and a graduate and apprentice programme...

Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (6 Jul 2010)

Phil Prendergast: I speak to amendment No. 2 in the name of the Labour Party that the HSE "may not dispose of any land (including buildings) vested in it by this section and must continue to use the land (including buildings) vested in it by this section for medical purposes related to the treatment of cancer in public patients in a manner and form determined by the Executive with the consent of the Minister"....

Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (6 Jul 2010)

Phil Prendergast: There are not many places about which we can say that. I know everybody works very hard in the HSE and some people on the front line suffer extraordinary difficulties at the moment with the moratorium on staff recruitment. It is having a serious impact in the delivery of some services. There has also been a major impact from the way doctors can be employed, and just last week there was a...

Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (6 Jul 2010)

Phil Prendergast: I will be pressing amendment No. 2 for the reasons so eloquently set out by all Senators who contributed. In regard to the fundraising abilities of the Friends of St. Luke's Hospital, as I noted last week, €26 million is an enormous sum. Everyone in this country must have contributed to a collection for St. Luke's at one time or another. Nobody can be unaware of the services it offers....

Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (6 Jul 2010)

Phil Prendergast: I move amendment No. 2: In page 4, subsection (6), lines 33 to 35, to delete all words from and including "may" in line 33 down to and including "section" in line 35 and substitute the following: "may not dispose of any land (including buildings) vested in it by this section and must continue to use the land (including buildings) vested in it by this section for medical purposes related to...

Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (6 Jul 2010)

Phil Prendergast: I am very disappointed that our amendment was not accepted. I sometimes wonder if I am hearing the same things as Senators on the other side of the House. I cannot see any difficulty whatsoever with this amendment. It would bring a degree of comfort to the people who have received an excellent service. I have a family member who received treatment in St. Luke's Hospital and she also had...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2010)

Phil Prendergast: I move amendment No. 15: In page 12, before section 14, to insert the following new section: 14.—Section 220(2)(a) and (b) of the Principal Act are deleted and the following paragraph substituted therefor: "(a) the Minister shall by regulations provide that where two parents or guardians have joint custody of a child, the child benefit may be apportioned between them;".". I welcome the...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2010)

Phil Prendergast: I move amendment No. 16: In page 12, before section 14, to insert the following new section: 14.—In all decisions relating to what constitutes a reasonable or suitable offer of training or employment, or in relation to any other activation measure, the interests of a child dependant shall be considered before a payment is suspended, reduced, or stopped.".

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2010)

Phil Prendergast: It would be relaxing.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2010)

Phil Prendergast: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2010)

Phil Prendergast: I move amendment No. 19: In page 24, before section 22, to insert the following new section: "22.—The Minister may provide for the recruitment of retired social welfare appeals officers to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.".

Seanad: Provision of Health Services by the HSE: Statements (Resumed) (29 Sep 2010)

Phil Prendergast: On a point of order, I contributed to a debate in the House on 16 June. I appreciate I cannot intervene again, but on that date I put a number of questions to the Minister for Health and Children. I asked her views on how the HSE conducted its business, whether she could account for the practice of not telling the truth to the public, if she was willing to state she accepted responsibility...

Seanad: Provision of Health Services by the HSE: Statements (Resumed) (29 Sep 2010)

Phil Prendergast: I will conclude by noting that I asked her whether she had assumed the role of public apologist for the HSE. I also wanted to know what she thought of the HSE's breach of a promise she had given to the people of south Tipperary.

Seanad: Provision of Health Services by the HSE: Statements (Resumed) (29 Sep 2010)

Phil Prendergast: She said decisions on health services would not be taken without consultation.