Results 961-980 of 11,585 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Dec 2013)

Colm Burke: The figures on job creation and the reduction in unemployment are interesting. In the Cork-Kerry region, there has been a reduction in the number on the unemployment register of more than 5,000. Since this is similar to the Dublin region, it is not only the latter that is recovering well. Long may that continue. I hope that, by this time next year, the unemployment figures will have...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Dec 2013)

Colm Burke: After giving notice to a former landlord, a family with four young children has been told to move. My colleague, Senator Hayden, referred to the homeless. The family will be homeless within the next week unless this problem can be resolved.

Seanad: Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Fifth Stage (5 Dec 2013)

Colm Burke: I join with colleagues in thanking the Minister and her staff. We must keep in mind the fact that as this is a new agency, much work had to be done to prepare for it. I mention the detail in the Bill, which was very well drafted. I wish the Minister and the new agency every success in the future. This is a milestone in how we manage this whole area. I join with Senator Hayden in thanking...

Seanad: Health (Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) (No. 2) Bill: Second Stage (5 Dec 2013)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. This Bill amends the qualifying criteria for medical cards for the over 70s, but it needs to be put in perspective, in that, when the scheme was introduced, there were free medical cards for everyone aged over 70 years without a consideration of the cost. Nursing home care was one such cost. As far back as 1976, the Maud McInerney High Court...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Public Health (Standardised Packaging of Tobacco) Bill: Discussion with Minister for Health (5 Dec 2013)

Colm Burke: I thank all the witnesses for their presentations. The Minister has set the target for 2025 but does the Department and the HSE have a five-year target? How will the progress on reaching targets be monitored? Will we break down the 2025 period into five-year time periods and set targets for each period? I understand the Government in Australia has set out targets for tobacco control and I...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2013)

Colm Burke: There is a good news story in the health area. I was glad to hear that in the past week there were 12 kidney transplants done in a four day period. It was a significant achievement by the medical personnel involved in the hospitals concerned. This indicates the work that must be done. When we entered government, there were on average 150 transplants a year. We need to target a figure of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (10 Dec 2013)

Colm Burke: I thank the delegates for their presentations. I wish to briefly touch on one or two issues. On the issue of the defective devices, a system know as RAPEX was set up under the toys directive, which provides that if a defective item is identified in a country, that country has an obligation to notify the other 27 member states. The RAPEX system is a fast-track procedure for ensuring the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (10 Dec 2013)

Colm Burke: Unannounced scrutiny has been set up, but where does that leave us in terms of imported products? I refer to products coming in from outside the European Union, for which we will not have the same powers of inspection. How will we control that area? If there is a lower level of scrutiny in non-European jurisdictions, does that cause problems from an industrial point of view for medical...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Dec 2013)

Colm Burke: The Minister will be dealing with the budget issue.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Dec 2013)

Colm Burke: The overall health budget is €13 billion. The amount we are talking about to balance the budget is very small in comparison. It is a budget that can be very variable. One cannot predict at the start of the year the demands on the budget by the end of the year. Is Senator MacSharry suggesting that we close down two or three hospitals to make up the budget? We have to provide a...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Dec 2013)

Colm Burke: As toys are purchased coming up to Christmas, an issue arises with regard to defective products. In 2008, the then European Commissioner went to China to make representations about the number of defective items coming from there. One problem was the use of lead paint in toys, which is dangerous for children. As a result of these representations, the Chinese authorities closed down more...

Seanad: Health (Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2013)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I wish to correct what has been said. This measure is not about removing medical cards from the over 70s. The impression has been given that we are removing medical cards for all over 70s. It is removing medical cards in respect of a particular category.

Seanad: Health (Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2013)

Colm Burke: The category is that of people who live on their own and have an income of more than €26,000 per annum and married couples whose income exceeds €47,000. However, they will still get a GP card. It is important to note that where a person pays more than €144 per month for medication the cost is borne by the State. Senator David Cullinane gave the impression that the...

Seanad: Health (Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2013)

Colm Burke: We did not promise to give out an additional 254,000 medical cards.

Seanad: Health (Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2013)

Colm Burke: The Senator can table amendments to the Finance Bill.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Non-Consultant Hospital Doctors Recruitment (11 Dec 2013)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to take this matter. This matter relates to the junior doctor issue, a matter I have dealing with over the past two years. I am very concerned about the issue because of the 4,900 doctors employed in the health service, some 2,000 are on six-month only contracts. I eventually extracted this information from the HSE after approximately...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Non-Consultant Hospital Doctors Recruitment (11 Dec 2013)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State for the reply and I appreciate the work being done by the Minister in the Department. I am a little concerned the final report will not be published until June 2014 and that an interim report will be published. Nothing really seems to have changed for 2014. While I accept that implementing the working time directive is necessary and fundamental for the health...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Dec 2013)

Colm Burke: Following on from the meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts yesterday on the organisations which are getting State funding, I raised this issue in the Joint Committee on Health and Children on 17 October where there was an acceptance by the HSE and the Department of Health that there were irregularities in their three-page reply to me. Of the Health budget of €13.3 billion,...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (12 Dec 2013)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister. It is always difficult to introduce changes such as this, but we must respond to what the market requires and provide equal access to health insurance. This is, unfortunately, the way it has to be dealt with. More than 530,000 people are aged over 65 years, many of whom, thankfully, have health insurance. That cohort will continue to increase in the coming years...

Seanad: Pyrite Resolution Bill 2013: Second Stage (16 Dec 2013)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister and thank him for bringing forward this legislation. The problem of pyrite is one of the most frightening things for any family to encounter. I have worked in the legal profession and acted for builders where subsidence has occurred. In addition, I have worked for householders. Identifying and dealing with subsidence is one problem, but pyrite is a far more complex...