Results 1,141-1,160 of 1,966 for speaker:Mary Henry

Seanad: Order of Business. (21 Apr 2005)

Mary Henry: I support Senator Ryan's call for a debate on roads and on heavy vehicles in particular. We should also address road surfaces, which are heavily potholed in some areas. In a recent case involving a car accident where a woman lost her unborn child, the driver was found not guilty of dangerous driving because he lost control of his car due to the poor surface of the road. I am familiar with the...

Seanad: Accident and Emergency Services: Statements. (21 Apr 2005)

Mary Henry: They seem to be going to Australia.

Seanad: Accident and Emergency Services: Statements. (21 Apr 2005)

Mary Henry: I welcome the Tánaiste to the House. As she knows, I feel she should be given a purple heart for courage, for having taken on her current job.

Seanad: Accident and Emergency Services: Statements. (21 Apr 2005)

Mary Henry: I very much agree with the Tánaiste that the accident and emergency services situation is not in itself a problem; there is just an obvious manifestation of problems in the health service. We are spending an enormous amount of money on the health service. Sometimes, I wonder where on earth the money is going. I know that most of it has gone on pay for those working in the service, and their...

Seanad: Order of Business. (26 Apr 2005)

Mary Henry: I support the call by Senator Ross for a debate on the Minister's hopes for the universities. I hope that the institutes of technology are addressed. The newspaper reports of the Minister's comments do not seem to cover these institutes, but the recent OECD report stated that they had a very important role to play in education. We debated problems in accident and emergency departments last...

Seanad: Order of Business. (26 Apr 2005)

Mary Henry: Surely Defence Forces personnel are entitled to the best of treatment. Approximately €1 million was spent recently on rewiring the hospital and on improving wheelchair access. What is going on? Can the Minister for Defence explain to us why this money was spent, yet the place is apparently unsuitable for the treatment of patients?

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (27 Apr 2005)

Mary Henry: I move amendment No. 1: In page 9, line 3, to delete "chiropodist" and substitute "podiatrist". I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Seán Power, to the House to discuss this important Bill. The reason I want the word "podiatrist" substituted for "chiropodist" is that the professionals referred to in the Bill are required to have degrees in...

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (27 Apr 2005)

Mary Henry: I regret this very much because I do not believe that the 70% of chiropodists, represented by the body mentioned by the Minister of State, are those with university qualifications in podiatry. As the Minister of State knows, we are enthusiastic supporters of the Bologna process, which tries to ensure reciprocity of degrees across Europe. Some 40 countries now subscribe to this and Ireland was...

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (27 Apr 2005)

Mary Henry: I second the amendment. Like Senator Ryan, I feel Senator Browne's amendment is more precise and that it would be the better amendment for us to accept. I return to the Bologna process. What consultation has the Minister had with the officials of the Department of Education and Science about that process and its implications on this Bill? The situation is serious. The document that issued...

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (27 Apr 2005)

Mary Henry: It is very relevant because it is to do with comparability of degrees and the fact that confusion can be caused if we are not careful in the matter. This is the problem here because one qualification involves a university degree whereas the other does not appear to be linked to any third level institution in this country. On the adoption of a system of easily readable and comparable degrees,...

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (27 Apr 2005)

Mary Henry: That is right. It is one of the problems.

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (27 Apr 2005)

Mary Henry: On a point of information, the Minister of State did not answer my question and say whether the Department of Health and Children had discussed the Bologna process with the Department of Education and Science when it was introducing this legislation.

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (27 Apr 2005)

Mary Henry: I second the amendment. I am glad Senator Glynn is present because he has a great deal of experience in the psychiatric area. He understands that the damage done to people who are treated by unregulated practitioners is often not just physical. Serious emotional and psychological damage can also be done in such circumstances. That the various groups, many of which have contacted Senators,...

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (27 Apr 2005)

Mary Henry: I move amendment No. 4: In page 12, line 21, to delete "not". It is foolish to dictate that "a registrant is not eligible to be appointed chairperson", as a registrant may transpire to be the best person for the job. We are always ruling people out of jobs. In this instance, we are deciding that a registrant may not be considered for the role of chairperson. I have proposed this amendment...

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (27 Apr 2005)

Mary Henry: I never suggested putting forward a registrant with a spine like a begonia. I think it is a pity to rule out people in this way. One might find just the right person for the job and he or she could be ruled out because of this stipulation.

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (27 Apr 2005)

Mary Henry: I move amendment No. 10: In page 20, line 38 to delete "fostering" and substitute "assuring". As I said when tabling a similar amendment on Committee Stage, we must do more than foster high standards. Registration boards must ensure high standards. The word "fostering" does not place a sufficient onus on them to do so.

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (27 Apr 2005)

Mary Henry: I do not accept the Minister for State's explanation. This section refers to the object, function and powers of the registration boards. It is stated that the objective is to protect the public, which should require more than fostering high standards of professional conduct and professional education, training and competence among the registrants. That is insufficient assurance for the...

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (27 Apr 2005)

Mary Henry: I move amendment No. 11: In page 22, lines 22 and 23, to delete "who are engaged in the practice of the designated profession" and substitute "who hold the qualification as indicated in Schedule 3 of the relevant profession". The wording as it stands is too loose. It implies that no professional qualifications might be required. It is not specified that a person must possess professional...

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (27 Apr 2005)

Mary Henry: I move amendment No. 12: In page 22, line 28, after "profession" to insert "or where there is no such institution in the State, a person engaged in the education and training of persons with respect to the practice of the designated profession in another Member State of the European Union". It is important that the Minister examine this amendment because there is no training institution in...

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (27 Apr 2005)

Mary Henry: I am very disappointed because it would appear it is better to have no representation from education than to have someone from a country which is aspiring to have the same academic qualifications in that discipline. Again, I go back to the Bologna process and ask if the Department of Education and Science was consulted about this legislation because it has a major bearing on it. We are...