Results 1,461-1,480 of 11,255 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Medical Card Eligibility (20 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister to the House. The matter I raise relates to Huntington's disease. A presentation was made to the Joint Committee on Health and Children last Thursday by Dr. Niall Pender, principal clinical neuropsychologist with Beaumont Hospital. Huntington's disease is an inherited, progressive degenerative brain disease. There is currently no cure. In Ireland at present,...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Medical Card Eligibility (20 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister for his reply. I am raising this matter in the context of what has occurred in recent weeks. Applications were made to the HSE's medical card office by people with serious illnesses, yet discretionary cards were not granted. There has been quite a lot of media comment on that. I fully accept what the Minister has said about Huntington's disease because I have dealt...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I wish to refer to the debate in the media during the past two weeks regarding accident and emergency departments. There is a shortage of real information on the services provided by the dedicated staff in those departments. For instance, it is projected that there will be 451,000 emergency admissions in 2015. Information on what is happening should be made available. That figure equates...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: Yes, but it is important that we get the information out there and that we have a debate on this issue.

Seanad: HSE National Service Plan 2015: Statements (20 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister back to the House. He was here earlier dealing with the Commencement debates. I welcome the service plan that has been set out clearly for 2014. We are talking about a substantial budget of €12.131 billion. The service plan clearly outlines how that budget is to be spent over the next 12 months. It is important that we get value for money but also that...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I agree with what Senator Darragh O'Brien said about the whole area of home care. I do not think we are putting enough emphasis on the need to provide adequate support to people who are in their homes. There is a huge saving in real terms to the State when people are cared for in their own homes. The cost of nursing home care to the State is very significant at the moment. We need to help...

Seanad: Direct Provision: Statements (22 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for the work he is doing in this area. One of the big issues we need to approach is the question of the time delay in the processing of applications. Some 21% of those currently in direct provision are there for seven years or longer, while 13.1% are there for six to seven years and 10.6% are there for five to six years. Quite a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Medical Indemnity Insurance Costs: Discussion (22 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I thank the witnesses for attending and providing such comprehensive submissions. I disclose that I am a solicitor and I hope they will not hold that against me when replying to my questions. The witnesses have stated that at the end of 2014 there were 2,840 claims with the State Claims Agency at an estimated cost of €1.159 billion. Over what period is that likely to be paid out?...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Medical Indemnity Insurance Costs: Discussion (22 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I would like to ask the MPS about premiums increasing by 60% in the past two years. Does it believe this will happen again over the next two years? If that occurs, where does that leave the MPS within the Irish market? It is important that question is answered.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Medical Indemnity Insurance Costs: Discussion (22 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: If the capping levels are reduced-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Public Health and Food Safety: European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety (22 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Commissioner and wish him every success in his role in the coming five years. I thank him for his presentation. I will focus on the issue of tobacco and the changes required throughout Europe. The tobacco products directive went through on 20 May 2014 and member states have two years to transpose the new rules. What additional changes to existing directives and what new...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I agree with Senator Darragh O'Brien's points in relation to the sale of the State's 25.1% share in Aer Lingus. It should not be forgotten that the remaining 74.9% was sold off when Fianna Fáil was in government. Interestingly, yesterday a caller to an RTE radio show blamed this Government for the sale of Eircom. Senator Darragh O'Brien's party was responsible for the sale of that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Medical Indemnity Insurance Costs: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I apologise for missing some of the proceedings. I thank all the witnesses for their attendance and the comprehensive presentations they have provided on the issues. Ms Courtney's story about the difficulties she experienced was telling. I read the full report she provided, which highlights the difficulties people experience and the hurdles they must jump when dealing with issues of this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Medical Indemnity Insurance Costs: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I would like to ask a follow-up question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Medical Indemnity Insurance Costs: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: In terms of the rules of court, why has that not happened? What is stopping it from happening?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Medical Indemnity Insurance Costs: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: If the legislation went through in the morning, how long would it take? It is important we get clear answers.

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: We must be very careful about the requirement that a purchaser have a 20% deposit for purchasing a house. One of the current problems in this country is that a huge number of people in the 25 to 40 year old age group have not had the opportunity to acquire their own property. I accept the reason the Central Bank put forward this proposal of a 20% deposit once the property is over a certain...

Seanad: Universities (Development and Innovation) (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (28 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: The Minister is very welcome and I thank her for her very comprehensive response. This area is very important. When I was lord mayor of Cork I had the privilege of visiting Shanghai in China at the request of University College Cork, which wanted to establish a connection with Fudan University and Shanghai University. This brought home to me the need to grow and develop our universities...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: Senator Norris raised an interesting question relating to the costs of the Oireachtas. It is important that we set out clearly that if we abolished the Seanad and the Dáil in the morning, there would be a saving of €100 million, which in real terms is about two days of social welfare. At the moment, we are paying around €400 million a week in social welfare payments. It...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: It was a matter of concern that the HSE did not have an overall picture of where the vacancies existed. It is important for this issue to be prioritised and that we recruit the good people who are there to provide the service we require.