Results 1,761-1,780 of 11,255 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Oct 2015)

Colm Burke: The Senator said we were giving medical cards.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Oct 2015)

Colm Burke: It is GP cards we are talking about.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Oct 2015)

Colm Burke: What I am saying to the Senator is that it is an important step in providing health care for our young people and it is all part of our programme to move eventually towards GP cards for people up to 18 years of age. It is important to note that the budget is a balanced one. I was talking to one person yesterday who is on an old-age pension, as is his wife. He is caring for her because she...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Oct 2015)

Colm Burke: An article in today's edition of The Irish Timesregarding drink driving convictions states that in some parts of the country the conviction rate is below 20% and in others the average conviction rate is higher than 68%. This raises very serious questions about how summonses are prosecuted, including whether there is a defect in the manner in which they are presented by the Garda, whether...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health and Social Care Professionals Act Regulations: Minister for Health (20 Oct 2015)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister and thank him for his presentation. I agree with Deputy Kelleher's point and while it does not relate directly to the regulation, and while it is always very important that regulations are properly scrutinised and implemented, an issue has been brought to our attention by the Irish Association of Physical Therapists. It is concerned that physical therapists do not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Leopardstown Park Hospital: Chairperson Designate (20 Oct 2015)

Colm Burke: I thank the witness for the work he has done in the past six and a half years. It has not been an period for anybody in the health care sector. As a person who has been involved in the elderly care area for the past ten years, I am very much aware of the particular difficulties the witness would have experienced. How many beds are currently occupied under the fail deal scheme?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Leopardstown Park Hospital: Chairperson Designate (20 Oct 2015)

Colm Burke: So that is over 170 beds that are occupied under fair deal.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Leopardstown Park Hospital: Chairperson Designate (20 Oct 2015)

Colm Burke: I thank the witness for that clarification. In the context of a future development cost of €20 million, is it envisaged that capacity would increase? Given that the number of people over the age of 65 will increase by 20,000 every year, for argument's sake, by the time those who enter government in 2016 serve out their term of office, there will be an additional 100,000 people over...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Leopardstown Park Hospital: Chairperson Designate (20 Oct 2015)

Colm Burke: I wish Mr. Magee every success in the next five years.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Disabled Drivers Grant Eligibility (21 Oct 2015)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State. I am raising this issue as a result of a family coming to me about their 52 year old daughter who has an intellectual disability. The family is the main carer for their daughter. Every morning, for the past 35 years, the family has been driving her to a Cope Foundation facility in Cork, and collecting her every evening. The family applied for the disabled...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Disabled Drivers Grant Eligibility (21 Oct 2015)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State for the reply. I am not sure whether I agree with its contents fully. However, on the issue I have raised about intellectual disability, where there is huge discrimination, I referred to a case in which the parents are elderly but still are on the road each day to look after their daughter and were the State to provide full-time care, there would be a huge cost...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Disabled Drivers Grant Eligibility (21 Oct 2015)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State.

Seanad: United Nations Principles for Older Persons: Motion (21 Oct 2015)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I thank my colleagues for bringing forward this Private Members' motion. We face a major challenge in this country over the next number of years to how we develop policy in this area. Just because someone reaches a certain age does not mean that there is suddenly a dependency. One lady who lives in my area is 99 years of age and still drives a...

Seanad: United Nations Principles for Older Persons: Motion (21 Oct 2015)

Colm Burke: That is an important issue that needs to be looked at.I do not in any way criticise what has occurred, but in fairness, in recent years we have more debates and discussions on the matter and many positive things have been done. For example, we had the national positive ageing strategy, which was a plan for an ageing society from 2011 to 2016. The strategy is now up for review. Other plans...

Seanad: United Nations Principles for Older Persons: Motion (21 Oct 2015)

Colm Burke: At 10.30 tomorrow morning.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: General Scheme of Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2015: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Oct 2015)

Colm Burke: I thank Dr. Shannon for his comprehensive presentation. I wish to touch on one issue, namely, illegal adoptions and whether we have any real idea of the numbers involved. I understand the number of legal adoptions between 1953 and 2014 is greater than 44,000. Unfortunately, I was obliged to deal with one such illegal adoption case a number of years ago, in respect of which I spent four...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Nov 2015)

Colm Burke: I want to return to what Senator Craughwell has said about the Web Summit. It is important that we make every effort to bring back the Web Summit, which will not be hosted in Ireland next year. However, we have to put the matter in context. On the radio this morning, severe and unjustified criticism was levelled at IDA Ireland. All the State agencies have worked very hard to bring new...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Nov 2015)

Colm Burke: I agree with Senator Darragh O'Brien on accident and emergency departments, but we need to examine how we deal with them. I spoke to a junior doctor who is now based in Perth where the system for dealing with accidents and emergencies appears to be totally different. Another person I spoke to recently was admitted to hospital through an accident and emergency department. The person was in...

Seanad: Medical Practitioners (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Nov 2015)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister for coming to the House. As he is aware, I have been involved in the Bill and the previous Minister, Deputy James Reilly, introduced a Private Members' Bill on this matter back in 2009 or 2010. At the time a commitment was given to him by the Department that this would be brought forward. The Bill concerns the necessity for professional indemnity insurance. In 2012 I...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Eligibility (5 Nov 2015)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, and thank her for the work she has done on the fair deal scheme. Last year, in particular, when there was a substantial backlog associated with the discharging of people from hospitals, she and the Minister got involved and came up with additional funding. As a result, the waiting time for admittance to nursing homes has been reduced...