Results 16,681-16,700 of 24,350 for speaker:Jerry Buttimer

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Sep 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: There is an obligation and duty not to talk down the health system and make it sound as if it is absolutely awful. It is not.I want us to have a health system that functions on behalf of patients and in which staff are rewarded and have good working conditions.

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Sep 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: Senator Tim Lombard referred to the Tidy Towns competition. I congratulate all of the winners. Listowel was the national winner, while Carrigaline in my area won a gold award. Bishopstown had its points increased. I also congratulate those involved in Ballincollig.

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Sep 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: I am delighted to hear that. It is important to recognise the voluntarism of the many thousands across the country who enhance and improve the public realm and without whom, many towns would be a poorer place in which to live. Senators Tim Lombard and Kevin Humphreys referred to the public school bus system. Senator Kevin Humphreys is correct that there is a need to look at the catchment...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Sep 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: I agree with Senator Paul Daly on the issue of telephone call charges, whether flat-rate calls or otherwise. The issue should be raised as a matter of urgency, perhaps by way of a Commencement catter, and addressed as a priority because the Senator is correct that calls to a variety of service providers often entail inordinate delays. I was recently left on hold for 48 minutes and when I...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Sep 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: No, I have no difficulty in that regard. When I got through, I asked to speak to a particular agent and was told that it was a matter for the supervisor. The supervisor came on the line and told me that it was not part of his or her brief. It was nearly an hour before I received any answer and even then I did not receive a complete answer. The point raised by the Senator should be taken...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Sep 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: I agree fully. To be fair, the Senator is not raising the matter to score a political point but, rather, because it affects everybody, in particular senior citizens, many of whom experience difficulty in that regard. I commend Senator Frank Feighan for his attendance at the conference of the British Labour Party in Liverpool. I congratulate Mr. Stephen Pound, MP, on his wonderful...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Sep 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: I am surprised that Senator Jennifer Murnane O'Connor did not blame the Minister for the rain, snow, storms and sunshine, but, thankfully, she did not. However, I accept her point about the plight of those suffering from Lyme disease. When I was Chairman of the Joint Committee on Health, we did a piece of work on the disease. Senator Colm Burke is a member of the current committee which...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (26 Sep 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: To be fair to Senator Bacik she had indicated.

Seanad: Inclusion in Sport: Motion (26 Sep 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for coming to the House. I commend Senator Conway on putting forward the motion and on the import of what he is trying to achieve. It is fair to say that all of us who are involved in sport recognise its universal importance. I come to the motion as somebody who is immersed in sport. One of my earliest memories of disability in sport is from...

Seanad: Inclusion in Sport: Motion (26 Sep 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: It is done. The Government intervened and allocated €30 million for one of the best stadia in the country.

Seanad: Inclusion in Sport: Motion (26 Sep 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: I will digress for one second. Yesterday was an extraordinary day in Cork, not because a game of soccer was played in Páirc Uí Chaoimh but because sport united the country, a city and the people.

Seanad: Inclusion in Sport: Motion (26 Sep 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: They were united.

Seanad: Inclusion in Sport: Motion (26 Sep 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: Sport brought people le chéile. Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin are moving le chéile.

Seanad: Inclusion in Sport: Motion (26 Sep 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: It brought people together.

Seanad: Inclusion in Sport: Motion (26 Sep 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: We rightly celebrate the successes of our Special Olympians and Paralympians, but we must also provide for the young boy or girl and school student with a disability who wants to participate. We must always promote the high profile events and have a strong policy of inclusion, but if we are to address inequality in sport, we must consider having a longer conversation on inclusion and...

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (26 Sep 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: As a matter of public information, could we ask that an amnesty be considered by Government? I know it was 2006 but public information awareness about the misuse of weapons, guns and illegal firearms could be provided. It might be worth considering.

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (26 Sep 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: I am not proposing a practical solution. I am looking for it to be considered. I know we do not have the full benefit of all the information here but given that the previous amnesty, which allowed for the surrender of significant numbers of firearms and offensive weapons, was a decade ago, would it be timely for An Garda Síochána and the Department to give that consideration?

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (26 Sep 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: Agreed.

Committee on Public Petitions: Nursing Home Casebook (Resumed): Minister of State at the Department of Health (26 Sep 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for being here. It is refreshing that we have a Minister of State who is coming in with an open mind and being proactive in his brief and does not come in saying it is his way or the highway. To be fair to him, he has brought innovative change. I welcome his proposition that he would have an open forum with Nursing Homes Ireland because,...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Gambling Legislation (27 Sep 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, to the House. I thank him for being here. The issue of loot boxes and gambling has grown into national and international prominence in recent months. Loot boxes could pose gambling risks for children and at-risk adults. They represent an area of huge and growing concern for parents and people prone to gambling addiction. I have raised the...