Results 641-660 of 11,255 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Adjournment Debate: Medicinal Products Prices (17 Apr 2013)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister for coming to the House at this late hour to deal with this matter. The issue I am raising relates to what happens when people purchase drugs or medications from their local pharmacies. I understand that after they have made the maximum monthly payment of €144, they are not given a detailed breakdown of the total cost of the rest of the medication from which they...

Seanad: Adjournment Debate: Medicinal Products Prices (17 Apr 2013)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister. My principal issue is that people should get a detailed statement at the end of the month regarding the total cost of the medication, including what refund is coming from the Department. There is a huge lack of knowledge as to what medication is now costing. If one is under the €144 threshold, one knows exactly what it is costing, but if it is over €144,...

Seanad: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (18 Apr 2013)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister to the House. I welcome the Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2013, which has arisen on foot of the European Court of Justice ruling on minimum pricing. The Minister went through the figures. It is amazing that there has not been a substantial decrease, in real terms, in the number of people who smoke. We still seem to have a problem with people in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Organ Donation: Discussion (18 Apr 2013)

Colm Burke: I wish to thank all the witnesses and commend them on their very comprehensive presentations. I recently spoke to a medical consultant who was involved in a team looking after a patient. They spent five hours in the operating theatre trying to get someone through a very difficult situation and they thought they had done a great job. They found that in the theatre next door there was a team...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Apr 2013)

Colm Burke: I agree with Senator Cullinane on the housing issue. It is not only about the problems that local authorities have in managing their housing stock as there is also an issue regarding vacant housing. As I understand it, Cork City Council has over 500 vacant houses, so we must devise new schemes to bring such properties back into use. If necessary, we should work with the private sector to...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Apr 2013)

Colm Burke: Could I comment briefly on the proposed legislation on the X case? It is important to realise that the comments that have been made recently about the requirement for six consultants is not a practical proposal. I do not think it was ever on the table. It is amazing how speculation can go wild on occasion. Of the 18 maternity hospitals, 11 of them have only three obstetricians, which...

Seanad: Financial Stability and Reform Bill 2013: Second Stage [Private Members] (24 Apr 2013)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I also welcome the Bill put forward by Senator Barrett. As someone who has also published a Private Members' Bill, I know the amount of work involved. This area is extremely complex and this is a very well researched and drafted document, on which I compliment him. He raises the very important issue of whether we learnt lessons from what has...

Seanad: Financial Stability and Reform Bill 2013: Second Stage [Private Members] (24 Apr 2013)

Colm Burke: At 10.30 a.m. tomorrow.

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Mr. Pat The Cope Gallagher, MEP (25 Apr 2013)

Colm Burke: I welcome Mr. Gallagher to the House and pay tribute to the work he has done in the fisheries area. As one who served as a substitute member on the fisheries committee, I know full well the amount of work involved. I owe him an apology as it was agreed that the fisheries committee would visit Ireland in 2008 or early 2009. His colleague, Mr. Seán Ó Neachtáin, was also a...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Mr. Pat The Cope Gallagher, MEP (25 Apr 2013)

Colm Burke: The second matter is the issue of whether, in the case of proposed European directives and regulations, more should be done about analysis here. I suggested that the Seanad would set aside two days a month to go through regulations and directives much more comprehensively than is being done. There was a recent example in the Joint Committee on Health and Children where the committee was...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Mr. Pat The Cope Gallagher, MEP (25 Apr 2013)

Colm Burke: Those are the two questions I want to ask. I wish to know, in view of Mr. Gallagher's involvement here, both in government and in dealing with the Seanad, whether the Seanad could play a more active role in working with MEPs and in looking at EU directives and regulation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Organ Donation: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Apr 2013)

Colm Burke: I thank all the contributors for their excellent presentations this morning. I have learned a great deal from them. Has there been any discussion of providing one transplant unit for the country among the medical profession, the HSE and the Department of Health? The need for a long-term plan has been highlighted. I have a serious problem with the way the HSE is dealing with the general...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Organ Donation: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Apr 2013)

Colm Burke: I just wanted to hear the answer. I will skip it if I have to.

Seanad: Order of Business (1 May 2013)

Colm Burke: I welcome the decision by the Government yesterday in regard to proceeding with the publication of the heads of the protection of life during pregnancy Bill. I agree with Senator O'Brien that it is important that there be a reasoned debate on this matter. I know some Senators, such as Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú, have very strong views and I very much respect those views....

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Ms Nessa Childers, MEP (1 May 2013)

Colm Burke: Ms Childers is very welcome to the Seanad. I agree with her views on Seanad reform and I have been arguing the same case for the past two years. I will refer to Europe's role in the area of medicine, the role it is playing and the role it can play. I was in the European Parliament for two years, a brief time, but at the time the internal market committee dealt with the cross-border health...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Ms Nessa Childers, MEP (1 May 2013)

Colm Burke: I thank Ms Childers for her contribution here today. I wish to touch on the role of medical practitioners in this country and how we as a country seem to be going outside Europe to recruit doctors. I think we now have the highest number of doctors from outside the EU compared to any other country in Europe and are taking them from countries that need to retain their own doctors. I also...

Seanad: Charities Regulation: Motion (1 May 2013)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister. I also welcome the motion on what is an important issue when one takes into account the fact that there are more than 8,000 charities operating in Ireland which employ and benefit many people. They make a huge contribution to society. However, we do not have a regulator. Coming from a legal background and having worked with voluntary organisations for more than 30...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Planning Issues (1 May 2013)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State. I wish to raise the issue of Part V compliance. I know of a number of projects that did not comply with Part V when a company went into liquidation. There is a difference between going into liquidation and entering NAMA. In this case Ulster Bank is involved but is not part of the NAMA process. I was concerned to find that the properties are fully...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Planning Issues (1 May 2013)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State. If I give her details of the project I am concerned about it could be followed up because I am not satisfied that the local authority has not responded to my query. This is a major development of over 160 units and I am not satisfied that Part V has been complied with. When I see it being offered for sale to outside investors I want to make sure that the...

Seanad: Order of Business (2 May 2013)

Colm Burke: It is cattle as well.