Results 41-60 of 1,894 for speaker:Maire Devine

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Jul 2016)

Maire Devine: I again raise the issue of the ongoing industrial dispute between the Psychiatric Nurses Association of Ireland, PNAI, and the HSE. The dispute has now entered its second phase, which commenced this morning. The HSE needs to commit to resolving this dispute urgently before patient care is impacted upon. Phase 2 commenced this morning throughout hospitals. Essentially, nurses will not be...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Jul 2016)

Maire Devine: I want to raise concerns similar to Senator Daly's regarding the as yet unpublished report by the trauma steering group and the suggestion that up to nine emergency departments may close their doors to patients, including in Cavan, Naas, Wexford, Portiuncula and Cork. Recent reports have highlighted the future of emergency medicine, with recommendations that increased centralisation of...

Seanad: Social Protection: Statements (12 Jul 2016)

Maire Devine: It is timely that I get the opportunity to make a statement in the Seanad today about social protection. I make the statement on the back of the release of a damning report on poverty, deprivation and inequality published two weeks ago by Social Justice Ireland. It provides some truly harrowing statistics and figures which fly in the face of the old narrative from the Government that the...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Irish Prison Service (13 Jul 2016)

Maire Devine: I thank the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy English, for coming to the Seanad to address my nursing colleagues' extreme concern at the proposed changes to their working rosters at Cloverhill prison. These changes, if implemented, will lead to the halving of nursing cover on a nightly basis. My colleagues are extremely worried...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Irish Prison Service (13 Jul 2016)

Maire Devine: I am very disappointed, and nurses are going to be very disappointed. The night shift is the most volatile shift and no other members of the multidisciplinary team are available. The onerous responsibility for providing the necessary care and the appropriate clinical environment falls on one nurse, and it is too much. Not many nurses would apply for such posts, but I will bring back the...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second and Subsequent Stages (14 Jul 2016)

Maire Devine: Sinn Féin will support the Bill. That said, we do have concerns and there are areas in which we seek assurances. Perhaps the Minister of State might address them today and provide answers. The original purpose of the Bill was to allow HIQA to inspect all residential settings for people with disabilities and it was given a three year period in which to do so, from November 2013. As...

Seanad: Citizens' Assembly: Motion (15 Jul 2016)

Maire Devine: I welcome the Minister. I am pleased to have this opportunity to speak on this motion, which relates to the proposed citizens' assembly. I want to begin by saying that any and all mechanisms that afford citizens further opportunities to participate in the democratic process are to be welcomed and commended. We have had witnessed a number of successful endeavours of this type in Ireland....

Seanad: Citizens' Assembly: Motion (15 Jul 2016)

Maire Devine: Many polls have shown that more than 87% of citizens are in favour of repealing the eighth amendment. It needs to be repealed. We do not believe there should be a further delay in dealing with such an urgent issue. For that reason, we are supporting amendment No. 1, in the names of Senators Ruane and Higgins, which calls for a report and a recommendation on the eighth amendment to be...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2016)

Maire Devine: Along with Senator Dolan, I wish the raise the issue of the budget choices launched by Social Justice Ireland yesterday. It is hoped that this report will be studied, listened to and acted on in all the deliberations as the Government prepare for budget 2017. Ireland faces major challenges. There are challenges that have been constant, such as poverty, inequality and homelessness, but...

Seanad: Tax and Social Welfare Codes: Motion (19 Jul 2016)

Maire Devine: Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach, the Minister and his colleagues in Fine Gael, who are bringing this issue before the Seanad this evening. I have shared their experiences, especially in the sad times, when there were people who have been made unemployed queuing out the door of clinics. We need to do something to help them, but I felt inadequate in regard to those who were...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Jul 2016)

Maire Devine: And me.

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Jul 2016)

Maire Devine: I echo the words of Senator Conway-Walsh in thanking the entire Seanad staff. We, especially the newbies who probably wrecked the heads of the staff, really appreciate their support. I hope we will come back energised and a bit more knowledgeable after the summer. I wish to raise two issues, the first of which concerns the action plan for housing. We welcome the report. It is an...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Sep 2016)

Maire Devine: I am Senator Devine.

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Sep 2016)

Maire Devine: I am not from Mayo. I am from Dublin, thank you very much.

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Sep 2016)

Maire Devine: Last week I attended a briefing with representatives of the Psychiatric Nurses Association, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and SIPTU in Leinster House regarding the lack of implementation of what was agreed with the Health Service Executive, HSE, on nursing internships. This agreement was reneged on by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, and it...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Community Services Programme (29 Sep 2016)

Maire Devine: I thank the Minister of State for attending to address this issue. I also thank and acknowledge a couple of staff from St. Andrew's community centre in Rialto who are present for highlighting to me during the summer the problems facing the community service programme, CSP. The other staff are busy hosting a local economic event in the area today. Community service projects are the bedrock...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Community Services Programme (29 Sep 2016)

Maire Devine: The response is positive but I would obviously need to take it in more. "Appraisal" can be a scary word when one is considering services, including community services. I hope it is not an appraisal to cut further or make the community service projects unsustainable. The Minister of State referred to an appraisal and report at the end of this quarter. Does he know exactly when the decision...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Community Services Programme (29 Sep 2016)

Maire Devine: That would be great.

Seanad: Address by An Taoiseach (Resumed) (29 Sep 2016)

Maire Devine: I thank the Taoiseach for his attendance today. In the few seconds available to me, my guess is I will not get the Taoiseach to agree to solve the multiple emergencies throughout the fractured health system. Consequently, I have decided to go easy on the Taoiseach and to ask him to solve one issue about which I was banging on yesterday and on different occasions, namely, an issue concerning...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2016)

Maire Devine: I am sure the House will join me in congratulating the Dublin team on their back-to-back win on Saturday. I raise the issue of the Government placing the health of members of the Defence Forces in jeopardy through the continued use of the anti-malaria drug, Lariam, which is issued to our troops who serve abroad. PDFORRA asked me to raise the issue. It is holding its annual conference in...