Results 421-440 of 10,793 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Nov 2012)

Colm Burke: It is interesting to hear Senator Cullinane raising the issue of primary care centres. Last week, I raised the issue of a primary care centre in Cork where it was agreed in 2004 that it would be built. Here we are seven years later and it is still not open. The HSE cannot give a date for when it will be opened, yet it paid ¤956,000 for it. It was built four years ago and has been vacant...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Nov 2012)

Colm Burke: That ¤485 million would be very useful now. I wish to raise the need for all parties involved in elder care-----

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Nov 2012)

Colm Burke: I am looking for a debate on the issue, particularly about the need for those involved in care for the elderly - the nursing homes organisations, HIQA, the HSE, the NTPF, the patient organisations and those involved in home packages - to sit down around the table and plan for elder care in the future. We are not doing that; we approaching this in a hit and miss fashion when we must start...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (29 Nov 2012)

Colm Burke: I refer to the comments made earlier by Senator Leyden about the legal profession. I would remind him that it was a member of the legal profession who identified the error that was made-----

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (29 Nov 2012)

Colm Burke: -----or the deceit that occurred in this matter. If Senator Leyden applied the same rules to his own party as he seems to have applied to the legal profession this morning I do not think he would be talking that loudly about it.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (29 Nov 2012)

Colm Burke: I agree that this matter should be reviewed. Even if the will was registered it would not have identified the changes that were made by the solicitor involved in it. Maybe we should come back to the issue of registration of wills.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (29 Nov 2012)

Colm Burke: The Senator does not apply the same rules to the leader of his own party.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (29 Nov 2012)

Colm Burke: The issue of rates is extremely important, as is the way in which local authorities are currently managed. As regards the template involved, if one compares one local authority with another, are we getting the same value for money in different areas? People talk about shops paying ¤4,000 or ¤5,000 in rates, but it is far more than that. In Cork city, for instance, a shoe shop in Patrick...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (29 Nov 2012)

Colm Burke: My question concerns having a debate on this issue, including not only the reform of local government but also about having value for money in each local authority area. We need to examine this quickly because I am not convinced that we are getting value for money, given the way local authorities are currently run. We need to keep this under constant review.

Seanad: Statute of Limitations (Amendment) (Home Remediation-Pyrite) Bill 2012: Second Stage (5 Dec 2012)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy McGinley. His colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy O'Dowd, provided an outline of how it is proposed to deal with this matter. It is important that the resolution committee be put in place at an early date in order that it might begin to deal with the issue. I come from the...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Colm Burke: I thank the Cathaoirleach and apologise to the Leader. In regard to the budget there are one or two issues we need to look at in respect of the health budget. Some ¤150 million extra is being put into the health budget which is a huge amount considering that less money is available. In the health care area there is a need to look at efficiencies. For example, 65 million items of...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Colm Burke: We are putting an extra ¤150 million into the health budget.

Seanad: Report of the Expert Group on the Judgment in the A, B and C v. Ireland Case: Statements (6 Dec 2012)

Colm Burke: I welcome the report published by the expert group under the chairmanship of Mr. Justice Seán Ryan. We must introduce legislation together with regulations. This is one of the options set out in the report. I wish to outline my position as clearly as possible. I might bore some listeners in quoting case law in support of my argument, but this legislation would not introduce abortion on...

Seanad: Report of the Expert Group on the Judgment in the A, B and C v. Ireland Case: Statements (6 Dec 2012)

Colm Burke: I thank the Chair for the notification. The Supreme Court decision 20 years ago set out the view that there was a need for legislation. I believe this is the way forward, but it is not legislation which allows abortion on demand. It is a question of establishing legislation to follow through on the amendment passed in 1983. The way forward is through legislation and regulation and there...

Seanad: Report of the Expert Group on the Judgment in the A, B and C v. Ireland Case: Statements (6 Dec 2012)

Colm Burke: On a point of order, it is important to clarify that the Supreme Court heard expert evidence when it was deliberating on the X case.

Seanad: Report of the Expert Group on the Judgment in the A, B and C v. Ireland Case: Statements (6 Dec 2012)

Colm Burke: Incorrect information is being furnished.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Discussion with Fibromyalgia Sufferers of Ireland and Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland (6 Dec 2012)

Colm Burke: At a previous committee meeting, I inquired about vacancies in consultant posts. On 1 January 2011, there were 141 paediatric consultants but by 30 September 2012 there were 147, meaning six new appointments were made. How did a consultant in the area of fibromyalgia and spina bifida slip through the appointment process when it was promised back in 2009? Maybe some clarification should be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Discussion with Fibromyalgia Sufferers of Ireland and Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland (6 Dec 2012)

Colm Burke: However, six new posts were created. Can an existing paediatrician with experience in this area be assigned to take on some of this workload if there is a difficulty filling the specialised post?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Discussion with Fibromyalgia Sufferers of Ireland and Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland (6 Dec 2012)

Colm Burke: There are 147 paediatric consultants in the State. Surely one of them has experience in this area. Has this been considered if there is a difficult filling the post?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Discussion with Fibromyalgia Sufferers of Ireland and Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland (6 Dec 2012)

Colm Burke: We are in a difficulty.