Results 63,661-63,680 of 74,100 for speaker:Bernard Durkan

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (26 Jan 2022)

Bernard Durkan: I conclude by congratulating all and sundry for the interventions that took place over the past two years. They were necessary interventions. I congratulate all those in the Minister's own office, the Department of Finance, the Revenue Commissioners and everybody associated with the positive interventions that were made at a vital time in the country's history when there was not much by way...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 7 - Office of the Minister for Finance (Revised)
Vote 8 - Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Revised)
Vote 9 - Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revised)
Vote 10 - Tax Appeals Commission (Revised) (26 Jan 2022)

Bernard Durkan: I thank the Minister and the Chairman.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues Relating to General Practice: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Bernard Durkan: I am ready and willing. I welcome the witnesses and congratulate them on the role they have played throughout the pandemic. It was called upon. They rallied to the cause and that is much appreciated and admired. Has the new GP contract in any way addressed the issues that have caused problems in the provision of GP services?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues Relating to General Practice: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Bernard Durkan: Is that evolving at the present time to the satisfaction of all concerned?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues Relating to General Practice: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Bernard Durkan: Is the IMO getting a response?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues Relating to General Practice: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Bernard Durkan: I am glad to hear that because it is important that progress continues to be made on whatever agreements are reached and whatever arrangements are entered into. Otherwise, they get struck, left on the shelf and added to the list. In the event of an all-out effort being made, how can we dramatically increase the number of trainee GPs being accommodated in training? That question has been...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues Relating to General Practice: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Bernard Durkan: Is there access at the moment or is access limited or impeded?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues Relating to General Practice: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Bernard Durkan: We need to know the degree to which positions can be made available in the hospitals. For example, hospitals are overburdened with excess staff, because the pressure is on and the demand is there.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues Relating to General Practice: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Bernard Durkan: Unfortunately, unless we tackle these issues head on and deal with them, we will be talking about the same issues in five and ten years. It is all very well to talk about austerity, which was mentioned a couple of times, but we never had austerity in this country. We had the IMF running the country when the money supply was cut off. It was unfairly cut off to a lot of people who were very...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues Relating to General Practice: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Bernard Durkan: Dr. Quinlan and Dr. Crowley.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues Relating to General Practice: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Bernard Durkan: I recognise what Dr. Crowley is saying and that there is no quick fix, but there cannot be no quick fix forever. It must be possible to solve the problem at some stage. If we do not put in place the mechanism to deal with it, the public will lose confidence, politicians will lose confidence and GPs will lose confidence, and we will then be in the situation where we are not capable of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues Relating to General Practice: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Bernard Durkan: Dr. Madeleine Ní Dhálaigh wishes to come in, and I put the same question to her. We need to respond but if we cannot make a quick fix then let us have some fix in the shortest time possible. If we have to import personnel then let us do it. Let us recognise the problem and address it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues Relating to General Practice: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Bernard Durkan: Can access be improved? Given the situation presenting, what steps are necessary to improve that, steamline it and ensure there is ready access?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Drugs Strategy: Minister of State at the Department of Health (19 Jan 2022)

Bernard Durkan: There is a point that we need to emphasise in this debate. The previous speaker referred to the broad spectrum of opinion that is emerging and that is quite true. I find one thing difficult to understand. We have read, for instance, in reports from Tallaght and so on about young mothers being forced into prostitution to pay for drugs. Whether that is crack cocaine or a beginner drug like...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (1 Feb 2022)

Bernard Durkan: 81. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which she expects to be in a position to address issues of teacher shortages at all primary and or second-levels schools throughout the country with particular reference to the need for locums; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4653/22]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (1 Feb 2022)

Bernard Durkan: 163. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which she expects to be in a position to meet the concerns of second-level students with regard to the structure for the leaving certificate 2022 exams; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4652/22]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Revenue Commissioners (1 Feb 2022)

Bernard Durkan: 289. To ask the Minister for Finance the average length of time taken by the Revenue Commissioners to revert to customers via the online inquiry system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4858/22]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (1 Feb 2022)

Bernard Durkan: 498. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if an application for a secondary school place in the case of a person (details supplied) will be reviewed and or facilitated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4872/22]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (1 Feb 2022)

Bernard Durkan: 505. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 362 of 23 November 2021, the precise position in respect of the various planning stages for each project as of 26 January 2022; the extent to which progress has been made since November 2021 in respect of each project with particular reference to the ongoing assessment of the needs in the area; her...