Results 701-720 of 1,886 for speaker:Fergal Browne

Seanad: Hospital Accommodation. (8 Dec 2004)

Fergal Browne: This matter relates to whether the number of beds and facilities at the National Rehabilitation Hospital, Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin, can be extended and expanded. I recently received a query from the family of a constituent, which brought home the fact a person's life can be changed in a few minutes. The gentleman in question was working on a gas mains and had excavated a large hole in...

Seanad: Hospital Accommodation. (8 Dec 2004)

Fergal Browne: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I am shocked to learn the hospital only has a 123 bed capacity, a small amount of beds given the hospital serves the whole country. We are catering for an ageing population who, unfortunately, often suffer strokes before dying from a heart attack. I get the impression from the Minister of State's reply that patients currently taking up beds at the...

Seanad: Hospital Accommodation. (8 Dec 2004)

Fergal Browne: I am aware of that. The Minister of State is speaking in terms of the larger picture and the provision of 235 beds when he speaks of a quicker turnover of patients and better support for them. However, there is currently no scope for a quicker transfer rate of patients at the hospital. Is it a question of extra beds or is there a bigger picture in terms of matching services? With how many...

Seanad: Hospital Accommodation. (8 Dec 2004)

Fergal Browne: How many additional beds can the current complement of staff cope with? Are they operating at maximum capacity now?

Seanad: Hospital Accommodation. (8 Dec 2004)

Fergal Browne: So, if extra beds are provided further staff would be needed.

Seanad: Order of Business. (10 Dec 2004)

Fergal Browne: I plead with the Leader of the House that next week when the Health Bill is being taken it would not be rushed through the House as happened in the other House yesterday. I regard as disgraceful the manner in which the Government brought forward many amendments on Report Stage.

Seanad: Order of Business. (10 Dec 2004)

Fergal Browne: I wish to explain the background.

Seanad: Order of Business. (10 Dec 2004)

Fergal Browne: The Bill will come to the House next week but it has not been properly debated——

Seanad: Order of Business. (10 Dec 2004)

Fergal Browne: It will be here today but Committee Stage will be taken next week, I presume. Disability groups and other groups have not been given a chance to look at the amendments.

Seanad: Order of Business. (10 Dec 2004)

Fergal Browne: The Government has overturned amendments on Committee Stage. It is a very important Bill and the time limit on discussing it seems to have moved. This House should debate it properly because it was not properly debated in the other House. I understand the schools building programme may be announced next week and this may be an opportune time to invite the Minister for Education and Science to...

Seanad: Order of Business. (10 Dec 2004)

Fergal Browne: It is very worrying that the Government has failed to spend this year's budget for school buildings and it is important that this does not happen again. I ask the Leader to invite the Minister to the House next week for a short debate.

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Second Stage. (10 Dec 2004)

Fergal Browne: I welcome the Minister and her officials to the House. Her concluding remarks were somewhat ironic as she indicated that patients would be the winners. She also admitted the legislation is simple in one respect but complex in others. Why was the Bill rushed through the Dáil? The events in the other House yesterday, when amendments were accepted on Committee Stage and overturned on Report...

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Second Stage. (10 Dec 2004)

Fergal Browne: There is considerable ambiguity in this regard. Despite holding no meetings since last June, the health boards will remain in place for some time. The public is confused. Having initially been told the boards would be abolished as of 1 January 2005, we are now informed they will continue to operate for another six months.

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Second Stage. (10 Dec 2004)

Fergal Browne: That is definite.

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Second Stage. (10 Dec 2004)

Fergal Browne: That brings some clarity to the matter. The Minister spoke about consulting widely but has not done so. I have been contacted by many groups which are appalled at the manner in which the Bill was rushed through the Dáil. They suggested that some amendments which, incidentally, reflected Government policy, were not accepted or even properly debated. The Irish Nurses Organisation, the trade...

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Second Stage. (10 Dec 2004)

Fergal Browne: That remains to be seen. We learned recently that the previous Minister for Health and Children spent €30 million on commissioning reports. We have still not received the full figure but I understand approximately 150 reports were commissioned during his five year tenure during which approximately €2 million was spent on public relations and spin. This damages the perception of the role...

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Second Stage. (10 Dec 2004)

Fergal Browne: Trust and integrity are important.

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Second Stage. (10 Dec 2004)

Fergal Browne: One of the Government parties appears to be retreating from a deal agreed unanimously by the Government on Tuesday.

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Second Stage. (10 Dec 2004)

Fergal Browne: I am merely referring to the issue. The main issue is that we will not have real reform of the health service. When I asked members of staff of the South Eastern Health Board the areas to which they would be redeployed, they were uncertain about where they would end up. Higher ranking officials in the health boards are concerned that they may lose out. All health board staff need to know...

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Second Stage. (10 Dec 2004)

Fergal Browne: It is not a question of us blaming the Minister but one of whether she will accept blame on behalf of the Government.