Results 2,221-2,240 of 4,399 for speaker:Martin Browne

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee
Consideration of Public Petition on Saving the Services of the Owenacurra Centre in Cork: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Sep 2022)

Martin Browne: I ask Deputy Buckley to withdraw the word "coercion" or reword it.

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee
Consideration of Public Petition on Saving the Services of the Owenacurra Centre in Cork: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Sep 2022)

Martin Browne: A quick one, Deputy.

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee
Consideration of Public Petition on Saving the Services of the Owenacurra Centre in Cork: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Sep 2022)

Martin Browne: I wish to come back to 2019 and the possible sale of Owenacurra Centre reported in the newspapers. The response from the HSE at the time was that it was being looked at because it is a stand-alone building. Three other buildings, Carraig Mór in Cork, Mount Alvernia Hospital in north Cork and old Caherina House in Tralee, are also stand-alone buildings, yet for some reason they were not...

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee
Consideration of Public Petition on Saving the Services of the Owenacurra Centre in Cork: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Sep 2022)

Martin Browne: I hope you do not mind my saying, Mr. Fitzgerald, that I find it very hard to believe that the sale of Owenacurra Centre came up for discussion twice and no one decided to find out how much money could be raised by its sale. If I am selling or buying something at home, I go on DoneDeal and start looking for different prices. Mr. Fitzgerald is trying to tell me that a meeting took place...

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee
Consideration of Public Petition on Saving the Services of the Owenacurra Centre in Cork: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Sep 2022)

Martin Browne: The sale of Owenacurra Centre came up twice in meetings, though, in 2019.

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee
Consideration of Public Petition on Saving the Services of the Owenacurra Centre in Cork: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Sep 2022)

Martin Browne: The HSE has a policy document on services for people with severe and enduring mental illness that includes this sentence: "To successfully live in their chosen community, it is recognised that a small cohort of service users will need the on-going support and structure of a community residence which is geared towards continuing care." Under the HSE's plans for east Cork, continuing care...

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee
Consideration of Public Petition on Saving the Services of the Owenacurra Centre in Cork: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Sep 2022)

Martin Browne: I am not sure. I will come back to one of the first things I asked the witnesses about, the meetings of which there were no reports. None of the witnesses answered that. Do they consider it best practice to have meetings that affect people's lives and communities all across this State at which no one takes minutes? I am involved in a residents' association. If we talk about putting...

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee
Consideration of Public Petition on Saving the Services of the Owenacurra Centre in Cork: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Sep 2022)

Martin Browne: I appreciate that Mr. Fitzgerald made decisions. Can he give a ballpark figure for how much it cost to close down the Owenacurra Centre and move its residents elsewhere? Did it cost €1 million or €2 million?

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee
Consideration of Public Petition on Saving the Services of the Owenacurra Centre in Cork: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Sep 2022)

Martin Browne: Mr. Fitzgerald has said that he made the decision but I still cannot comprehend that no records were kept at meetings of decisions concerning large sums of public moneys. We know that these decisions were made at meetings and no records were kept but I find it strange that decisions were not recorded. We are all involved with different committees and the first thing one does is hand someone...

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee
Consideration of Public Petition on Saving the Services of the Owenacurra Centre in Cork: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Sep 2022)

Martin Browne: I have no doubt that the decision was hard. I have no issue with Mr. Fitzgerald making his decision but find it strange that these decisions were not recorded. We invited representatives of the Mental Health Commission to attend this meeting and they informed us that they could not. Did the HSE inform the commission when it was moving residents and had the commission concerns about any...

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee
Consideration of Public Petition on Saving the Services of the Owenacurra Centre in Cork: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Sep 2022)

Martin Browne: Did the commission object to any of the placements?

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee
Consideration of Public Petition on Saving the Services of the Owenacurra Centre in Cork: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Sep 2022)

Martin Browne: No other members have indicated. I thank Mr. Fitzgerald, Dr. O'Brien, Mr. Ryan, and Mr. O'Connell. Would Mr. Fitzgerald like to make any closing comments?

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee
Consideration of Public Petition on Saving the Services of the Owenacurra Centre in Cork: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Sep 2022)

Martin Browne: Thank you Mr. Fitzgerald. It has been very informative for the committee. We thank the witnesses for coming in. We will suspend the sitting to allow our guests to leave.

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petitions Received (15 Sep 2022)

Martin Browne: We have 12 petitions for consideration. Petition No. 2 of 2022, "Homelessness is a Cancer ... blocked-up houses are not a cure", is from Mr. Eamon Broughan. The committee recommends that the response on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage be sent to the petitioner for comment within 14 days; that the response on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local...

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petitions Received (15 Sep 2022)

Martin Browne: I agree that the amount of work done by the secretariat in dealing with these petitions is astronomical. I thank the clerk, Ms Maggie Semple, and all of the staff of the secretariat for their efforts. Petition No. 36 of 2022 regarding the reopening of emergency departments at Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's Hospital, Limerick, is from Ms. Noeleen Moran. The committee recommends that the...

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petitions Received (15 Sep 2022)

Martin Browne: We will have to check whether the Joint Committee on Health has any plans to address this issue. If not, I am happy to accept Deputy Quinlivan's suggestion that we invite the Minister before this committee. It was only a matter of time before a petition such as this one came before this committee or the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health. I thank the petitioners for submitting it because...

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petitions Received (15 Sep 2022)

Martin Browne: We need to find out if the health committee intends to deal with it. We do not want both committees dealing with the same issue at the same time. If the health committee is not going to deal with it, I will back the Deputy's call that we invite the Minister before us.

Committee on Public Petitions: Consideration of Public Petitions Received (15 Sep 2022)

Martin Browne: Is that agreed? Agreed. Petition No. 37 regarding the introduction of a procedure for recalling Members of the European Parliament, MEPs, is from Mr. Maksym Ignatenko. The committee recommends that the petitioner be advised that the petition cannot be progressed because MEPs are protected by privilege, that the relevant information on privilege and the code of conduct for MEPs be forwarded...

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee
Consideration of Public Petition on Saving the Services of the Owenacurra Centre in Cork: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Sep 2022)

Martin Browne: I will read the first couple of words again - "ro successfully live in their chosen community". The HSE is not giving them that option at Owenacurra Centre - and not just at Owenacurra Centre, because we have been involved with St. Brigid's Hospital, in Carrick-on-Suir. How many other centres like Owenacurra Centre and St. Brigid's Hospital has the HSE earmarked to close down? It just...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Martin Browne: I welcome the guests. Most of the questions I was going to ask have been answered already. I know the ICMSA has been raising this during the summer with the Department and, as has been said, the economic consequences for rural Ireland can be huge. Have all the changes in the Department led to some of the confusion that has been described so far in the meeting? Could the witnesses speak...