Results 1,381-1,400 of 11,255 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Availability of Certain Medication: Statements (26 Nov 2014)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister for Health, Deputy Leo Varadkar, for giving a comprehensive reply to this matter. Like Senator Darragh O’Brien, I have been in contact with many MS sufferers for whom the drug was successful. In one case I know, the pharmacy is providing the drug at cost to the MS sufferer. When I raised this matter on the Adjournment on 17 June, I was advised that a new...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Drugs Payment Scheme Coverage (26 Nov 2014)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister for State for coming to the House to deal with this Adjournment matter which concerns the medication, Selincro Nalmefene, an innovative treatment which was found to be cost effective and the subject of a positive recommendation from the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics on 8 April. It was announced today that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Drugs Payment Scheme Coverage (26 Nov 2014)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State for her comprehensive reply and fully agree with her. We discussed with the Minister for Health earlier how the cost of medications in the ten year period 2000 to 2010 had increased from €570 million to €2 billion. We need to be conscious of this, but there would be many advantages in introducing this drug. I also accept that back-up support...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Drugs Payment Scheme Coverage (26 Nov 2014)

Colm Burke: It is not.

Seanad: Flood Management: Statements (27 Nov 2014)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State. I welcomed the report published in July on the lower Lee-Cork city flood relief scheme, which is long overdue. The report deals with the recent history of flooding in Cork city. In 1986 the Macroom, Ballincollig, Blarney and Cork city areas were badly hit. In November 2000 the same happened, as it did two years later. In October 2004 there was tidal...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: HIV in Ireland: Discussion (27 Nov 2014)

Colm Burke: I thank the panel for their very detailed presentations and all the information it has been given this morning. I wish to touch on a few items that were raised. Ms Seery stated that over half of people are diagnosed late. What is meant by "diagnosed late"? It is important that we get clarification on the matter. Mr. Brady referred to the need for a campaign. How, in the delegates'...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: HIV in Ireland: Discussion (27 Nov 2014)

Colm Burke: Will Ms Seery clarify the levels about which she is talking? Members of the public who are listening to these proceedings may not be aware of this issue and she might clarify the specific CD4 levels.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: HIV in Ireland: Discussion (27 Nov 2014)

Colm Burke: I apologise; I was wondering.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: HIV in Ireland: Discussion (27 Nov 2014)

Colm Burke: On the 100,000 HIV cases, are there figures on Ireland? It is important that we have the correct information. What, in real terms, are the figures in Ireland?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: HIV in Ireland: Discussion (27 Nov 2014)

Colm Burke: Do those figures refer to HIV?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: HIV in Ireland: Discussion (27 Nov 2014)

Colm Burke: On the figure of 7,000, is Ms Seery saying that technically there are another 2,000 or 2,500 people who have not been diagnosed but who may very well have HIV?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: HIV in Ireland: Discussion (27 Nov 2014)

Colm Burke: That is the figure we are discussing, that is, approximately 2,000 to 2,500 people.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Ambulance Service Review: Health Information and Quality Authority (2 Dec 2014)

Colm Burke: I welcome Mr. Quinn and thank him for his presentation. We wish him every success in his new role. I am a little frightened by the report which states that many managers outlined that they had changed roles with the service in recent times. It said some of these staff reported that they did not have formal job descriptions which outlined the specifics of their roles and the aligned...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Ambulance Service Review: Health Information and Quality Authority (2 Dec 2014)

Colm Burke: I am dealing with the ambulance service because this is now a replica of that issue. We now appear to have people-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Ambulance Service Review: Health Information and Quality Authority (2 Dec 2014)

Colm Burke: I accept that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Ambulance Service Review: Health Information and Quality Authority (2 Dec 2014)

Colm Burke: Is Mr. Quinn saying that from his evidence, people have been slotted into positions who are not qualified to hold them? That is what the report seems to be indicating. If that is the position, I am saying that the people who put them in there should resign or be fired. It is outrageous that we are slotting people into positions who do not have the technical know-how. Someone has to be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Ambulance Service Review: Health Information and Quality Authority (2 Dec 2014)

Colm Burke: It is off. There is another issue I want to identify. In the last week, it has come to my knowledge that staff who were working with the ambulance service have not been redeployed or retrained in the roles they previously had. Some of them are now sitting in offices without any responsibility of any description. I wonder if, in preparing this report, Mr. Quinn was aware of that. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Ambulance Service Review: Health Information and Quality Authority (2 Dec 2014)

Colm Burke: Was it identified that people had been appointed without interview? It has been mentioned that people were moved rather than interviewed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Ambulance Service Review: Health Information and Quality Authority (2 Dec 2014)

Colm Burke: I refer to the issue I have highlighted. While I acknowledge it is a separate issue, it is the crunch issue whereby people are being promoted without interview. This is a huge issue.

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Dec 2014)

Colm Burke: I welcome yesterday's report on the ambulance service by the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, to the Joint Committee on Health and Children. I agree with Senator Darragh O'Brien that people who work in the ambulance service provide an excellent service and are extremely committed and dedicated to their jobs. In this regard, I would like to read into the record of this House...