Results 2,401-2,420 of 11,975 for speaker:Mary Butler

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Transport (6 Dec 2023)

Mary Butler: As a mother who always depended on school transport, I can hear the frustration in Senator O’Reilly’s voice. It depends where you live. People in large towns and cities do not realise how important school transport is until their children need it. For 18 years, I have been putting my youngsters on a school bus. They would not have secondary school only for that. I...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Transport (6 Dec 2023)

Mary Butler: I understand the Senator's frustration. It must be acknowledged that 149,000 children travelled to school on a school bus last year. Many of them had additional needs and were accompanied on the bus. It is an enormous logistical operation. As the country is at full employment, there are issues with getting home care and the same applies with getting bus drivers. We often hear reference...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Hospital Services (6 Dec 2023)

Mary Butler: I thank the Senator for the opportunity to address the House on this important matter. I listened to what he had to say, and I read the response I am about to read yesterday evening. I suppose both of us could write the response at this stage. We have been invested in this with many of our colleagues for a long time. I commend the campaign groups, especially those with lived experience...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Hospital Services (6 Dec 2023)

Mary Butler: It is important to reiterate those 24. For the second cath lab or any lab to open, you have to staff it. Twenty-four staff were funded. They are in place, 22 permanent and two agency, which is fantastic. We are seeing the fruits of that. Both cath labs are open five days per week and the additional hours this provides mean the waiting list for elective procedures in the cath labs is one...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second and Subsequent Stages (6 Dec 2023)

Mary Butler: I am pleased to have this opportunity to address the House on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, on Second Stage of the Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2023. The Bill was published on 16 November and concluded its passage through the Dáil on 29 November. This is an annual, technical Bill, comprising seven sections, all of which are focused on specific areas...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second and Subsequent Stages (6 Dec 2023)

Mary Butler: I thank all the Senators for coming in and, as they do every year, supporting this Bill. It is a technical but important Bill, and it has to be done. A high proportion of the population holds health insurance, 47%, while the Government continues to maintain the community-rated private health insurance market. I highlight the fact that 1.6 million people have access to a medical card or a...

Seanad: Human Tissue (Transplantation, Post-Mortem, Anatomical Examination and Public Display) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2023)

Mary Butler: On behalf of the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, I cannot accept this amendment. It is not necessary to include a requirement for an annual report on organ donation and transplantation activity in primary legislation. The HSE’s Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland already publishes an annual report on organ donation and transplantation activity. I have asked my officials to...

Seanad: Sex Offenders (Amendment) (Coercive Control) Bill 2023: Second Stage (6 Dec 2023)

Mary Butler: I am pleased to have the opportunity to address the Seanad on behalf of the Minister, Deputy McEntee. She has asked me to thank Senators O'Loughlin and Clifford Lee for introducing this important Private Members' Bill, which is on Second Stage today. I also acknowledge the eloquent contributions made by all speakers. I am also pleased to have the opportunity to be here in my own right to...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Employment Rights (6 Dec 2023)

Mary Butler: I accept the thrust of the Deputy’s question. It probably does not only sit, as he said, with the Department of Education. It is an example of it. The Department of Social Protection has determined home tutors are engaged under a contract for service and are therefore self-employed and subject to PRSI class 7. The Department of Education continues to keep all these issues under...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Employment Rights (6 Dec 2023)

Mary Butler: I thank the Deputy on behalf of the Department of Education for the question and for giving me the opportunity to provide the House with an outline of the home tuition scheme, which is an important resource for a small number of children who require this particular support. The home tuition scheme is one of the many ways in which the Department of Education and the National Council for...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Transfers (6 Dec 2023)

Mary Butler: As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible. As the Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday, 6 October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Departmental Funding (6 Dec 2023)

Mary Butler: This new scheme is designed to target and support structural improvements in nursing homes under the standards published by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) for Regulation 27 (Protection against infection) and Regulation 28 (Fire precautions). This scheme aims to improve the nursing homes standards under both these Regulations and assist them to meet their compliance...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mental Health Services (6 Dec 2023)

Mary Butler: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible. As the Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday, 6 October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political forums or...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing Homes (6 Dec 2023)

Mary Butler: As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible. As the Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday, 6 October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political...

Confidence in the Minister for Justice: Motion (5 Dec 2023)

Mary Butler: The party of political opportunism strikes again. Those in Sinn Féin were not so opportunistic back in 2020 when they had the chance to go into government. They chose instead to avoid the responsibility and leave the job of leading the country through a pandemic to someone else, thankfully. Sinn Féin decided they would take the course that benefited them most. They chose to sit...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Dec 2023)

Mary Butler: I thank the Deputy for his question. It is good to see you back in good health again.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Dec 2023)

Mary Butler: The HSE is actively working with Traveller organisations, providing a variety of supports. I recently met the National Traveller Mental Health Network. I was outside to meet those who were outside. I also met Patrick's parents. I have to commend the bravery of Patrick's parents, Michelle and Pat McDonagh, who allowed the cameras into their home and showed the distress and anxiety that...

Seanad: Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (5 Dec 2023)

Mary Butler: I thank all of the Senators for their valuable contributions to the debate on this important Bill. Data from the Global Burden of Disease study shows that the smoking of combustible products remains the biggest single cause of disability and death in Ireland. We have made important progress with this Bill to further reduce those harms with the introduction of a licensing system and the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Primary Care Centres (5 Dec 2023)

Mary Butler: As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible. As the Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday, 6 October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Departmental Data (5 Dec 2023)

Mary Butler: As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible. As the Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday, 6 October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political...