Results 23,341-23,360 of 26,610 for speaker:David Cullinane

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 1: In page 6, to delete lines 7 to 9.As they amendments are similar, we have no difficulty with their being grouped. On Second Stage, we flagged the fact that we were opposed to section 3 and outlined the reasons that was the case. We indicated that we would table amendments on Committee Stage and have done so. Earlier in the year the Dáil engaged in a very...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: The Minister cannot-----

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: In the first instance, the Minister should not pretend to know what I think. Pensioners and other social welfare recipients are more concerned about what she has done to them than anything which my party or I might do to them.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: We will see about that. The reality is that Deputy Joan Burton is the Minister who reduced social welfare payments by €1.5 billion and has made the lives of many pensioners and those in receipt of lone parent's and carer's allowance a misery. I do not believe they will be at all touched by her concern for them in the context of anything I might have to say. She has engaged in a...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: The Minister can rubbish the Grant Thornton report if she so desires and is entitled to do so. I am merely reciting what was contained in it. It stated there was potential for 557 of the 1,150 post offices to close if the social welfare contract was removed from An Post. The figures in this regard may not be correct, but there is absolutely no doubt that if the contract were to be removed,...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Hospital Waiting Lists (1 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: I have raised this issue several times with the Minister for Health in respect of the orthopaedic unit at University Hospital Waterford, what was Waterford Regional Hospital. There are two issues, the trauma aspect and the matter of elective surgeries. Let us consider trauma first. We have the busiest trauma unit in the State at University Hospital Waterford but we only have one trauma...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Hospital Waiting Lists (1 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: The response from the Minister of State on behalf of the Minister for Health only reaffirms my fear because the Minister of State accepts that 1,870 patient referrals were sent from Waterford to Cappagh. Furthermore, the Minister of State has accepted that there was an agreement that Cappagh would complete the episode of care. That did not happen. The Minister of State then indicated that...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (1 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: They are deemed to be adequately housed. I have read the legislation and I know what it means. I have seen examples already where those people in the RAS scheme have been told they are adequately housed. They might be on the housing list but have no chance of getting a local authority house. As far as the local authority is concern, the people are adequately housed. That is where this...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (1 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: I will finish on this point. There must be an element of choice. One cannot force people into the private rented sector if that is not their preference. It might suit some people but it does not suit everybody. It certainly suits the developers and the people who want to buy multiple homes to make money, but it does not suit the people who may have to live there temporarily and then are...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (1 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: I welcome the positive elements in the Bill, most notably the measures on anti-social behaviour. There ought to be strong sanctions for those who engage in anti-social behaviour, be it in a local authority housing estate or rented accommodation attracting the rent supplement or any subsidy from the State. If they are involved in very extreme forms of anti-social behaviour, which...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: In the past few weeks several calls have been made for a debate on health care with the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly. We were told by the Leader that the Minister would be in last week----

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: -----which he was, to take a debate on Senator Feargal Quinn's Bill on private health insurance. Any issue that was raised by a Senator on any side of the House, which was outside the scope of the Bill, was ruled out of order. The debate on that Bill was not the appropriate time to have a proper debate with the Minister for Health on the wide range of issues that are affecting health care....

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: I take the opportunity this morning to welcome the announcement by the vice president of Bausch & Lomb, who is in the Visitors Gallery, of a capital investment in its plant in Waterford. A number of weeks ago, workers were presented with a fait accompliof 200 redundancies and pay cuts of up to 20%. Since then there have been intensive negotiations between the two trade unions...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Reform) Bill 2014: Second Stage (25 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: I do not doubt Senator Quinn's sincerity in introducing the Bill, on which I commend him. He has been a pioneer in introducing legislation in this House, but I do not see how the Bill fits into the vision of a fair, equitable and efficient health-care system that I would like to see in this State. The reality is that people are dispensing with private health insurance in droves because of...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Reform) Bill 2014: Second Stage (25 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: It is linked to the debate and I will get to that. In the Minister's vision for health care - if we could call it that - he wants to open health care to the private health insurance market completely. He promised free-GP care for all - it was one of his core commitments as Minister for Health. What did he deliver? He delivered fewer medical cards for people - people who need them, people...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Reform) Bill 2014: Second Stage (25 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: That is because people have more medical cards-----

Seanad: Health Insurance (Reform) Bill 2014: Second Stage (25 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: I can speak on whatever issue I want; I have six minutes. It is a Second Stage speech and we are talking about health care.

Seanad: Health Insurance (Reform) Bill 2014: Second Stage (25 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: We are talking about health care and-----

Seanad: Health Insurance (Reform) Bill 2014: Second Stage (25 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: -----the private health insurance market. I will speak to whatever I want to speak to, with respect.

Seanad: Health Insurance (Reform) Bill 2014: Second Stage (25 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: You can rule me out of order all you want -----