Results 501-520 of 4,414 for speaker:Sean Barrett

Seanad: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (24 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: We sought to help the Minister but when we have been told in reply that we are not being very helpful, we should not persist with our attempt. I thank Senator Colm Burke and the Minister. This was a suggestion. The Minister has an enormous task and if this is not helpful, it should not obstruct him or consideration of it further delay the House. With the consent of the House, I will...

Seanad: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (24 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: The amendment seeks to untie the Minister's hands. The wording of the provision need not be as stated in the section, namely: "A person may not be appointed as an appointed director unless he or she is a person who is an employee of the Executive holding the grade of national director in the Executive." Are there people in private hospitals or people in private insurance companies, to which...

Seanad: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (24 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: The Minister would gain in accepting the amendment by confining this to people who are in the executive and recruiting the people he needs to perform this urgent task.

Seanad: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (24 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: The Minister would gain in accepting the amendment by not confining this to people who are in the executive and recruiting the people he needs to perform this urgent task.

Seanad: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (24 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 7: In page 13, line 15, after "reasons" to insert ", including risk assessment thereof,".This amendment relates to the discussion we had the last day on the rather strange application of the sub judice rule, which we all accept. The section indicates the director general is not required to give an answer to any Oireachtas committee on any matter relating to the...

Seanad: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (24 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: I am worried about the precedents. The Minister mentioned some of the earlier ones in tourism and quality assurance. That worries me because I think the precedents in both of those were bad, but that is probably not a topic for conversation now. Subsection (8) provides that one can go to the High Court or that the Chairman of the Oireachtas committee, acting on behalf of the committee, can...

Seanad: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (24 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 8: In page 13, line 21, after "matter" to insert "and referred the matter to the Ceann Comhairle".

Seanad: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (24 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 14: In page 22, line 35, to delete ?Directorate? and substitute the following: "Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority".This relates to the important function of the Accounting Officer and the audit committee and it is recognised as having been a problem on many occasions in the past. It is why Ms Niamh Brennan, professor of accounting in UCD, was asked to...

Seanad: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (24 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: We regularly get the wrong headlines, to the effect that the HSE is ¤450 million or ¤750 million over budget, yet the Minister turns down an amendment that would try to address the problem. There are serious budgetary problems. I have sided with the Minister when he has been unfairly criticised but every time we have made a suggestion to help him with these reforms, we have received a...

Seanad: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (24 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: I thank the Minister for that suggestion. I look forward to seeing how this develops in the other House. I will place the amendment in the capable hands of the Minister.

Seanad: National Dementia Strategy: Motion (24 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: I commend the Labour Party, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil Senators, the Independent Senators nominated by the Taoiseach, on the all-party agreement on the motion. Although I will support the motion, I have a small quibble with one sentence in it, as I wonder whether it despairs too much: "[T]hat strategy recognises the societal rather than the medical context of dementia and Alzheimer's"....

Seanad: Amendment to Terms of Reference of Tribunal of Inquiry: Motion (24 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister, support the motion and agree fully with Senators Byrne and Bradford. Last Friday week, the North-South parliamentary body met in this Chamber for the first time, chaired jointly by the Ceann Comhairle and the Speaker from Stormont. I gather the meeting of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly yesterday was a great success, and I met people returning from it in the...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Garda Vetting (24 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 7: In page 13, line 15, after "reasons" to insert ", including risk assessment thereof,".This amendment relates to the discussion we had the last day on the rather strange application of the sub judice rule, which we all accept. The section indicates the director general is not required to give an answer to any Oireachtas committee on any matter relating to the...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Garda Vetting (24 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: I am worried about the precedents. The Minister mentioned some of the earlier ones in tourism and quality assurance. That worries me because I think the precedents in both of those were bad, but that is probably not a topic for conversation now. Subsection (8) provides that one can go to the High Court or that the Chairman of the Oireachtas committee, acting on behalf of the committee, can...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Garda Vetting (24 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 8: In page 13, line 21, after "matter" to insert "and referred the matter to the Ceann Comhairle".

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Garda Vetting (24 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 14: In page 22, line 35, to delete ?Directorate? and substitute the following: "Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority".This relates to the important function of the Accounting Officer and the audit committee and it is recognised as having been a problem on many occasions in the past. It is why Ms Niamh Brennan, professor of accounting in UCD, was asked to...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Garda Vetting (24 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: We regularly get the wrong headlines, to the effect that the HSE is ¤450 million or ¤750 million over budget, yet the Minister turns down an amendment that would try to address the problem. There are serious budgetary problems. I have sided with the Minister when he has been unfairly criticised but every time we have made a suggestion to help him with these reforms, we have received a...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Garda Vetting (24 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: I thank the Minister for that suggestion. I look forward to seeing how this develops in the other House. I will place the amendment in the capable hands of the Minister.

Seanad: National Dementia Strategy: Motion (24 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: I commend the Labour Party, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil Senators, the Independent Senators nominated by the Taoiseach, on the all-party agreement on the motion. Although I will support the motion, I have a small quibble with one sentence in it, as I wonder whether it despairs too much: "[T]hat strategy recognises the societal rather than the medical context of dementia and Alzheimer's"....

Seanad: Amendment to Terms of Reference of Tribunal of Inquiry: Motion (24 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister, support the motion and agree fully with Senators Byrne and Bradford. Last Friday week, the North-South parliamentary body met in this Chamber for the first time, chaired jointly by the Ceann Comhairle and the Speaker from Stormont. I gather the meeting of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly yesterday was a great success, and I met people returning from it in the...