Results 4,881-4,900 of 14,090 for speaker:Marc MacSharry

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Cancer Screening Programmes (18 Nov 2015)

Marc MacSharry: What about lumps? We heard nothing about those. This is not the Minister of State's core area but, to quote the lady in question, "when I get to Galway will I have lost vital time?" These patients are not being referred by lay people, traffic wardens or people in the street. They are being referred by medical professionals with seven years of training. I am bound to say that these delays...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Nov 2015)

Marc MacSharry: I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, namely, that the Minister for Health, Deputy Leo Varadkar, come to the House to account for his supreme ability to talk the talk and inability to walk the walk. The latest debacle is the complete abandonment by the Government of its plan to introduce universal health insurance, which has been Fine Gael policy since 2007 and Labour Party policy...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Nov 2015)

Marc MacSharry: I propose that the Minister for Health, Deputy Leo Varadkar, come to the House today to account for the fiasco which is the Government's abandonment of universal health insurance.

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Nov 2015)

Marc MacSharry: It is.

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Nov 2015)

Marc MacSharry: We will not push this matter to a vote today but could the Deputy Leader invite the Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar, to the House at some stage this week to discuss the debacle of the emergency department crisis throughout the country? This has worsened by 100% in terms of trolleys, waiting lists and so forth since 2007. For the last 15 months the numbers have increased consistently...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (2 Dec 2015)

Marc MacSharry: I welcome the Minister to the House. He is under pressure as the man says.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (2 Dec 2015)

Marc MacSharry: The Minister is doing what he can. Fair play to him.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (2 Dec 2015)

Marc MacSharry: I will be nice to the Minister because he is a former Member.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (2 Dec 2015)

Marc MacSharry: We welcome the Bill which, effectively, will streamline the planning process from a ministerial perspective. It follows on from recommendations of the Mahon tribunal, notwithstanding current challenges in housing. While we are supporting it, one of the concerns is that if some guidelines of planning institutions go beyond the national standards in terms of quality and what they bring to it,...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Dec 2015)

Marc MacSharry: We cannot agree to the Order of Business. I, therefore, propose an amendment that the relevant Minister come to the House for an emergency debate on the flooding issue. As we know, the forecast this evening for counties Clare and Kerry, all counties in Connacht, County Donegal and other parts of the country is again very bad. In 2012 the Taoiseach spoke about the need to have much more...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Dec 2015)

Marc MacSharry: Her full name is Donata Maria.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Dec 2015)

Marc MacSharry: I wish to raise a number of issues. In recent days there has been a series of actions throughout the country which have compounded the difficulty caused by the Government and previous Governments in shutting down rural communities, in particular the closure of Garda stations. In west County Sligo we had the closure of Easky Garda station some years back and despite officials from the OPW...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (16 Dec 2015)

Marc MacSharry: We support the Bill. One thing that was missing from the Minister of State's speech was a reference to the performance of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission in recent years. I understand that as a result of the savings which have been provided for, there has been a year-on-year reduction in costs other than those associated with the banking inquiry or general elections. That is a...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2015)

Marc MacSharry: The Minister mentioned two points in his contribution on Second Stage on which I wish to touch. He said that the Minister, Deputy Brendan Howlin, wants the commission to be as representative as possible. I agree and have no doubt that the Minister of State does too. Perhaps the Minister did not have any input into it. The current commission is the only one in history so far where the...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Dec 2015)

Marc MacSharry: I wish everybody a happy Christmas, especially all the staff who had to put up with me so much over the past year. I thank them and all colleagues for their work and wish them well. In the new year, perhaps the Seanad could take a leadership role on the basis that those in the other House will be very much focused on the forthcoming general election. The Dáil will be dissolved while...

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Second Stage (17 Dec 2015)

Marc MacSharry: I welcome the Minister. I am glad to have an opportunity to make a few points on the Bill. We would welcome anything that can assist in changing our culture of binge drinking, as the Minister has rightly pointed out. I take a drink myself and enjoy it. As a nation, as the Minister said, we all drink too much and it is very much a cultural thing. Many administrations have wrestled with...

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Second Stage (17 Dec 2015)

Marc MacSharry: The acting Leader should propose an extension of five minutes to allow the Minister to respond.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Roads Maintenance (13 Jan 2016)

Marc MacSharry: I wish everybody a happy new year. I welcome the Minister. This matter relates to Four Masters Bridge and Lennox Bridge which connect Kinlough in north County Leitrim to Bundoran and Ballyshannon in County Donegal. Lennox Bridge is a single lane bridge that has been in place for many years. It is cracked and the most recent head-on collision on it happened last weekend. On this...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Roads Maintenance (13 Jan 2016)

Marc MacSharry: I thank the Minister. Sadly, that was a very generic response and it could probably apply to most counties in Ireland with respect to flooding damage and so on. I am disappointed the Minister did not say that he has spoken to officials in the Department and that they will engage with the county managers of both counties to prioritise this. As the Minister stated, the community has...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Jan 2016)

Marc MacSharry: I second the amendment put forward by Senator Mooney and agree with his sentiments in regard to the yellow-pack salaries being paid to new teachers, gardaí and nurses. I appreciate time is short in terms of the end of the current Administration, but I call for a debate on agriculture as soon as possible within the next fortnight. As Members are aware, a variety of issues face farming...