Results 981-1,000 of 1,966 for speaker:Mary Henry

Seanad: Waste Management: Statements. (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: I welcome the Minister to the House. He will be aware of my interest in the subject of waste management and I welcome what he had to say in his contribution. I am a great believer in the policies that have been put forward for reducing and recycling waste but the House should make an effort to implement the policies it is suggesting to individuals outside the House. It is the effort of so...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: It is nice to hear sympathetic words from the Government side regarding single mothers. They received very poor press recently thanks to some electrical engineer who could do with a lesson in sociology before making pronouncements. I am glad the Minister has rowed back on some of the restrictions introduced in the last budget, particularly those regarding lone parents. Previously, if they...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (9 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: It was a wise move for the Cathaoirleach to call me. While I realise that the Department of Health and Children is very busy and complex, we have seen an example of the most extraordinary maladministration within the Department. If one could feel that this was the only area in which there was the problem, I would not be quite so concerned. One could consider that this was one specific topic...

Seanad: Order of Business. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: I too support Senator O'Toole's suggestion that we have a debate on the correlation between increased alcohol consumption and increased levels of suicide. That correlation is well known and all the moaning and groaning about any drop in the consumption of alcohol in pubs due to the smoking ban is fairly shabby because the ban is welcome. Senator Norris and I frequently raise the issue of the...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: Planning ahead is always a good idea and the amendment suggests this should happen. I have one concern which I am sure the Minister will address. There is a dichotomy in this situation. The Department of Health and Children is in charge of policy and this matter is a policy issue regarding the care of the elderly in public and private nursing homes. However, the accounting and auditing of the...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: Section 1 allows a great deal of discretion regarding what might happen to people because of the clause "including the means of the spouse, if any, of that person in addition to the person's own means". If a couple had been separated for decades, would the legislation take account of that? I presume there are clauses in the legislation to ensure that huge sums of money cannot be transferred...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: That is what I said could happen but it could also happen the other way round.

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: Flexibility has got us into the mess we are in.

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: The other case mentioned by the Minister of State brings up exactly what I meant when I said that one could have a situation where all funds were transferred to the name of the other spouse so that the person would seem incredibly poor. It is also necessary to consider the other side of the coin, where one could have people who have been separated for a very long time. One such person could...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: One hears constant complaints that we are supposed to be legislators but just come in here to act as messenger boys or girls. If I see an aspect of a law that I believe may cause injustice, I must point it out.

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: I will consider putting down an amendment on Report Stage.

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: I do not wish to prolong the point but I am only too aware that a euro can only be spent once. However, I feel that some people who in the past may have been very unjustly treated by a partner may now be unjustly treated by the State by being obliged to pay up for this person. I intend to put down an amendment on Report Stage and we will consider it then.

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: I welcome the introduction of medical cards of any description. I think my colleagues in general practice are glad to see that those who are genuinely deserving will receive these cards. The Minister of State is correct in saying that advice and reassurance is frequently all that is needed. It is not a case of there being a pill for every ill. However, advice and reassurance take far longer...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: I do not expect the Minister to answer me immediately as the information may not be available to him, but our constituents are concerned about whether these cards will be phased in or all arrive on the same day.

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: I think the House has heard enough from me for the moment.

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: I am anxious that a spouse who may not have been seen for years may be used as a measure of assessment but I will not repeat my previous comments. Section 5(3) provides that "a choice of medical practitioner shall be offered under the general practitioner medical and surgical service made available under this section" wherever it is considered practicable by the Health Service Executive. I...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: It is nice to have support from the Government side of the House and I am sure the Minister knows this is an urgent problem that must be addressed.

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Report and Final Stages. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: I move amendment No. 1: In page 3, line 17, after "spouse," to insert "unless they be separated for more than five years,". I will not delay the House as I already raised my concerns about this on Committee Stage. It is quite common here that people who parted after a very short time of marriage did not get a divorce because there was no divorce in this country. We must also take into account...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Report and Final Stages. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: If the Minister of State has legal advice, I hope it is right. I also hope that if it is right, it is taken. We have had a lot of trouble over legal advice that was or was not taken recently. I hate to see legislation being passed that I think will put some people in a difficult situation in the future. These people are the very ones who will not be in a position to take legal advice because...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Report and Final Stages. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: I thank the Minister of State for his time and consideration. I hope my fears about this do not come to pass. The doctor-only medical card could be useful because it might decrease our reliance on pharmaceuticals. This is a double-edged sword because we rely so heavily on the pharmaceutical industry for employment that we pay some of the highest prices in Europe for pharmaceutical products....