Results 1,441-1,460 of 1,886 for speaker:Fergal Browne

Seanad: Health (Repayment Scheme) Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (7 Jun 2006)

Fergal Browne: A direct mail shot would be useful.

Seanad: Tax Code. (7 Jun 2006)

Fergal Browne: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I tabled a parliamentary question through Deputy Paul Keogh last March in respect of the tax relief available for people paying maintenance for their children. I highlighted a case involving a married individual who fathered a child outside marriage and pays maintenance for that child but does not receive tax relief. I am now confused because the...

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Jun 2006)

Fergal Browne: An maidin seo, níl ach dhá mhíle dhéag daltaí ag déanamh ardleibhéal sa Ghaeilge san ardteistiméireacht. Ag an am céanna, táceadúnas speisialta ón Roinn ag timpeall fiche míle daltaí gan Gaeilge a dhéanamh san ard leibhéal. Is léir ó na figúirí go bhfuil níos mó daltaí ag déanamh ardleibhéal sa Fhrancais ná sa Ghaeilge. Is rud scannalach é i mo thuairimse. Tá siad...

Seanad: Order of Business. (13 Jun 2006)

Fergal Browne: The cancer strategy was launched yesterday and I request a debate in the next couple of weeks on various aspects thereof. We have no idea of the cost or timescale for implementing the strategy. The Tánaiste made an announcement indicating the merger of cervical cancer screening and breast cancer screening, but we do not know the implications of such a move. Previous debates in the House have...

Seanad: Order of Business. (13 Jun 2006)

Fergal Browne: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Health (Repayment Scheme) Bill 2006: Committee Stage. (13 Jun 2006)

Fergal Browne: I move amendment No. 1: In page 3, lines 17 to 21, to delete subsection (3) and substitute the following: "(3) This Act shall come into operation immediately on its passing into law.". I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Seán Power, and his officials to the House. I understand my proposal that "This Act shall come into operation immediately on its passing into law" is the norm. I am not...

Seanad: Health (Repayment Scheme) Bill 2006: Committee Stage. (13 Jun 2006)

Fergal Browne: I, too, agree with the previous speakers. The Department of Agriculture and Food pays out enormous sums every week to farmers and the Department of Social and Family Affairs makes considerable payments every week as well. I query why we have to go outside the HSE or the Department of Health and Children for this payment. That is done already and we cannot undo matters. Senator Leyden is...

Seanad: Health (Repayment Scheme) Bill 2006: Committee Stage. (13 Jun 2006)

Fergal Browne: I know he asked before, but on today's date, he is somewhat late. I am very concerned, however——

Seanad: Health (Repayment Scheme) Bill 2006: Committee Stage. (13 Jun 2006)

Fergal Browne: Here we are in the House, a week later, and we still do not know who has got the contract and neither do we know how much it will cost. Can the Minister of State say what controls and checks are in play? Have we learnt anything from PPARS? Have we learnt anything from the redress board as regards a Bill that was originally to cost taxpayers €200 million and has now risen to €1.1 billion?...

Seanad: Health (Repayment Scheme) Bill 2006: Committee Stage. (13 Jun 2006)

Fergal Browne: If the firm has not completed the work after two years, will there be another tendering process? The Minister of State spoke about an open book but I am more confused than ever. This tendering process was advertised and 11 expressions of interest were received. These were short-listed to three but were not deemed to be suitable, so it was re-advertised. There was much suspicion about the...

Seanad: Health (Repayment Scheme) Bill 2006: Committee Stage. (13 Jun 2006)

Fergal Browne: Can I take it that under the two-year rule, the company awarded the contract must finish everything after two years? What happens if the work is not completed after two years? I put in an FOI request on this issue a month ago, but I have yet to receive any information on it. We are working in the dark and it is incredible how clandestine the operation has been. We do not know how much it...

Seanad: Health (Repayment Scheme) Bill 2006: Committee Stage. (13 Jun 2006)

Fergal Browne: Is there a penalty clause in the Bill in the event that the company does not deliver on the work within that timescale?

Seanad: Health (Repayment Scheme) Bill 2006: Committee Stage. (13 Jun 2006)

Fergal Browne: The same could be said about PPARS, which was supposed to save money in the long term.

Seanad: Health (Repayment Scheme) Bill 2006: Committee Stage. (13 Jun 2006)

Fergal Browne: I understand court cases are pending in regard to people who secured beds in private nursing homes who would have chosen a bed in a public nursing home but they were not available and a second choice or last resort was made whereby a son or daughter, for example, secured a bed for their mother or father in a private nursing home. We all know the result of a judgment in a court case being...

Seanad: Health (Repayment Scheme) Bill 2006: Committee Stage. (13 Jun 2006)

Fergal Browne: I move amendment No. 3: In page 7, before section 5, but in Part 2, to insert the following new section: "5.—Nothing in this Act shall be used to deny repayment of recoverable heath charges to any person who has received care in more than one long stay institution if that person would otherwise have been eligible for such repayment.". This amendment covers the right of people who have...

Seanad: Health (Repayment Scheme) Bill 2006: Committee Stage. (13 Jun 2006)

Fergal Browne: I move amendment No. 4: In page 9, but before section 8, to insert the following new section: "8.—Without prejudice to the generality of section 7, (a) a determination as to a person's eligibility for a repayment of recoverable health charges shall be made as soon as is reasonably possible and in each case no later than— (i) 28 days after an application has been lodged, or (ii) the...

Seanad: Health (Repayment Scheme) Bill 2006: Committee Stage. (13 Jun 2006)

Fergal Browne: One of the greatest crimes of which this Government is guilty is abuse of the English language, in phrases such as "shortly", "as quickly as possible", "imminently". We have all received replies containing these phrases and assume they refer to weeks or days yet months or years later we find ourselves waiting and realise we have been hoodwinked. While I accept the Minister of State's reply, I...

Seanad: Health (Repayment Scheme) Bill 2006: Committee Stage. (13 Jun 2006)

Fergal Browne: I move amendment No. 9: In page 13, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following new subsection: "(9) In all cases under this section, a full calculation of the amount of the repayment shall be given to an applicant under subsection (2) of this section, before he or she may give his or her written authorisation to the donation.". This amendment proposes that before a person gives his or...

Seanad: Health (Repayment Scheme) Bill 2006: Committee Stage. (13 Jun 2006)

Fergal Browne: I move amendment No. 11: In page 16, between line 23 and 24, to insert the following new subsection: "(5) Copies of particulars referred to in subsection (4)(f), showing how the amount falling due was calculated, shall be given to the relevant person referred to in subsection (4)(a) or his or her next of kin as appropriate.". This is similar to the previous amendment and while I will listen...

Seanad: Health (Repayment Scheme) Bill 2006: Committee Stage. (13 Jun 2006)

Fergal Browne: I move amendment No. 13: In page 19, before section 17, to insert the following new section: "17.—Before any appeal under section 16 shall be allowed, the appellant shall have the right to employ such local appeals process as are open to him or her.". That section is ambiguous on what a person is entitled to avail of in terms of appealing a decision which he or she believes was unfair....