Results 801-820 of 1,019,975 for in 'Dáil debates' OR speaker:Áine Collins in 'Committee meetings'

Care of the Elderly: Motion. (3 Feb 2004)

John Cregan: Deputy Sexton is entitled to speak.

Care of the Elderly: Motion. (3 Feb 2004)

Mae Sexton: Has Deputy Ring read the two reports to which the Minister referred? He does not even know what they are about. They provided strategic choices and policy options. Did Deputy Ring bring any to the House since the reports were published? He did not because it suits the Opposition better to speak its negative rhetoric every day.

Care of the Elderly: Motion. (3 Feb 2004)

Michael Ring: The Deputy should go away. If the Progressive Democrats had their way, the elderly would be put in nursing homes and their homes taken from them.

Care of the Elderly: Motion. (3 Feb 2004)

Mae Sexton: I do not claim to have the ideal solution to the sustainability problem. A mix of initiatives is what we need.

Care of the Elderly: Motion. (3 Feb 2004)

Olivia Mitchell: The Deputy thinks she is in Opposition.

Care of the Elderly: Motion. (3 Feb 2004)

Mae Sexton: For our part, we are at least proceeding with the debate and addressing the issue. I invite the Opposition to get out of the mud bath and join in the debate in a constructive and positive manner.

Care of the Elderly: Motion. (3 Feb 2004)

Olivia Mitchell: I wish to share time with Deputies Ring and McCormack.

Care of the Elderly: Motion. (3 Feb 2004)

Séamus Pattison: Is that agreed? Agreed.

Care of the Elderly: Motion. (3 Feb 2004)

Olivia Mitchell: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this neglected issue and thank our colleagues in the Technical Group for bringing it forward. Already we are sensing a crisis in the area as social trends and the geographical dispersal of the extended family increasingly make care of the elderly something that must be planned and budgeted for in a way that did not happen in the past. One must add to that...

Care of the Elderly: Motion. (3 Feb 2004)

Michael Ring: I wish Deputy Sexton was present because I would like to make a point to her about the home help service and the reason I get so angry listening to the rubbish coming from the other side of the House. I tabled a question to the Minister of State about a case in my constituency. I want to be careful not to identify the person who was getting the home help service for one hour per day but the...

Care of the Elderly: Motion. (3 Feb 2004)

Ivor Callely: We all agree with that.

Care of the Elderly: Motion. (3 Feb 2004)

Michael Ring: It costs the State little money to provide the home help service. The Western Health Board spent the last two weeks of last year running around the country and my constituency holding conferences to spend the health board budget so that it would not have to send it back to the Department at the end of the year. It was wining and dining in hotels in Galway, Mayo and Westport. I can stand over...

Care of the Elderly: Motion. (3 Feb 2004)

Ivor Callely: The Deputy should bring that to my attention.

Care of the Elderly: Motion. (3 Feb 2004)

Michael Ring: I will do so. The health board targeted the person to whom I referred and took away the home help service from someone who needed it. It is outrageous; it is a scandal and the Minister of State and his Department should tackle that matter immediately.

Care of the Elderly: Motion. (3 Feb 2004)

Ivor Callely: That should not happen.

Care of the Elderly: Motion. (3 Feb 2004)

Michael Ring: Another matter raised by my colleague and by the Minister of State relates to the abuse of the elderly. A report came out a number of years ago in which it was reported that 12,000 elderly people had been abused. Has the Minister of State put an independent inspectorate into State homes? There is an inspectorate for private nursing homes but there is none for State homes. That is something...

Care of the Elderly: Motion. (3 Feb 2004)

Olivia Mitchell: It is happening.

Care of the Elderly: Motion. (3 Feb 2004)

Michael Ring: It should not happen. I compliment the previous Ombudsman, Mr. Murphy, and I wish him well in his retirement. My colleague raised the issue of people over 70 years of age having an entitlement to a State bed. The Government recently gave every person over 70 years of age a medical card. That means, as the former Ombudsman said, a millionaire or a billionaire has a right to a State bed if they...

Care of the Elderly: Motion. (3 Feb 2004)

Pádraic McCormack: I thank my colleagues for sharing time. I also thank the Technical Group for tabling this motion and Members of that group for waiting in the Chamber. I came in when Deputy Sexton expressed passionate views on the tabling of the motion, but her passion was misdirected. If she displayed the same passion in her own parliamentary party, she might get some action. She seemed to forget her party...

European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (3 Feb 2004)