Results 1,861-1,880 of 4,810 for speaker:Liam Twomey

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Second Stage (12 Dec 2008)

Liam Twomey: Consistency is what we are talking about.

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Second Stage (12 Dec 2008)

Liam Twomey: By overpaying ourselves.

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Second Stage (12 Dec 2008)

Liam Twomey: There will be a vote on this.

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Liam Twomey: The Minister of State should accept the amendment because those over the age of 70 are vulnerable to changes in prescribing practice. Although this area comes within the remit of HIQA, it is relevant to the Bill before us because of the specific implications for free health care. HIQA's mandate is similar to that of NICE in the UK in that it can legally restrict medication for people over...

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Liam Twomey: I have a quick question. If somebody is divorced, how would they be assessed?

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Liam Twomey: What about a separated person?

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Liam Twomey: If there is a judicial separation, the people would be assessed as a couple. If a couple is divorced, they are assessed as individuals.

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Liam Twomey: For a divorce.

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Liam Twomey: If a judicial separation is involved, the people are not divorced. Would a person in such a case be considered single?

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Liam Twomey: The new scheme does not apply.

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Liam Twomey: Will the Minister of State explain how these figures are reached? Why is she picking the figures of €700 and €1,400 per week? Are they just arbitrary? Another issue arises as to how this legislation may affect people. Some people who were issued with medical cards since the budget were told that their cards were valid only until the end of December. Does that mean those individuals...

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Liam Twomey: That is the guarantee that only 5% of the population will not get medical cards?

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Liam Twomey: This legislation, therefore, will not come into effect on 1 January.

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Liam Twomey: There is some confusion here. There must be a three-month period before the old contracts are over. Is that true or not?

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Liam Twomey: We should try to be more sensible in dealing with this issue. Terminally ill patients still have to go through the wringer to get medical cards. Likewise, cancer patients have to give all their information to the HSE. It is not that the HSE wants to be bolshy about it, but it is covered by legislation which requires it make such people jump through a number of hoops to get a medical card....

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Liam Twomey: When former Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, announced in 2001 that there would be medical cards for everybody over the age of 70, the one point that he got dramatically wrong was the actual number of people in this category. The Minister of State, Deputy Hoctor, stated the reason she is fixed on the figures of €600 and €1,200 is because the Revenue Commissioners have...

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Liam Twomey: It is arbitrary to state 95% of people over 70 will have free medical cards while 5% will not. This is a funny way of doing business at the best of times. Our amendment seeks to ensure that we get it right. If we notice that many people over 70 are losing their medical cards at a quite dramatic rate and it is indicated that the Department's figures could be wrong, there will be a need to...

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Liam Twomey: I move amendment No. 13: In page 7, before section 9, but in Part 3, to insert the following new section: "9.—The Minister shall lay before the Houses of the Oireachtas a report on the amount deferred both by those persons over 70 that hold a medical card and those that do not.". This amendment might be a bit difficult to understand but it concerns the health levy. It goes without saying...

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Liam Twomey: Is the Minister of State opposed to making the information available?

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2008)

Liam Twomey: I would not want to see the Senator's tax returns or anybody else's. We are simply seeking the gross figures in the same way that all those who availed of tax loopholes in recent years must now include the relevant figures in their tax returns, which they did not have to do for very many years.