Results 2,881-2,900 of 11,187 for speaker:Colm Burke

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (11 May 2023)

Colm Burke: There is also an issue where they were sold at the time because local authorities did not want to get involved in developing new sewage treatment facilities and they allowed the contractors to do it. The contractors got purchasers to sign agreements that they would take responsibility for the management of the estates and of the sewage treatment, but those agreements were never followed through.

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (11 May 2023)

Colm Burke: It is now a mess.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Risk Management (11 May 2023)

Colm Burke: 36. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when it is proposed to release the Environmental Impact Statement which has now been completed with regard to the Blackpool flood relief scheme, and which is required to be made available for public consultation before the project can proceed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21897/23]

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (11 May 2023)

Colm Burke: 105. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the current waiting times for the processing of general employment permits; the number of permits issued per month since 1 January 2023 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22145/23]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (11 May 2023)

Colm Burke: 196. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when the new regulations will come into place which will allow local authorities and approved housing bodies to enter into negotiations with builders for the building of new apartment complexes which will qualify for the incentives under the cost rental scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22217/23]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health Information Bill 2023: Department of Health (10 May 2023)

Colm Burke: I thank the witnesses for their presentation. I will return to what Deputy Shortall said about aligning the PPS number and the client identifier number. I am concerned about that and about the timescale. I will give a simple example that happened with me yesterday. Someone had a PPS number that was the same as their husband's, but with the letter "W" added to it. A new PPS number had...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health Information Bill 2023: Department of Health (10 May 2023)

Colm Burke: In this case the person was working for a State agency, and the State agency was not given the new PPS number at any stage. I have looked at the payslips for the past five years. Even though this PPS number had been allocated to this person, their employer, which is a State agency, was not made aware of it. I am concerned about how we are now talking about putting client identifier numbers...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health Information Bill 2023: Department of Health (10 May 2023)

Colm Burke: In this case the person was an employee of the HSE.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health Information Bill 2023: Department of Health (10 May 2023)

Colm Burke: The Department of Social Protection and the Revenue are dealing with this issue and they had not even put their numbers together. The Department has client identifier numbers and is now talking about PPS numbers. I am concerned about the timeframe for getting that done. Are clear targets going to be set out?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health Information Bill 2023: Department of Health (10 May 2023)

Colm Burke: I have a question about maternity services. Four of the maternity hospitals are now totally computerised, as regards patient admission and the whole of patient management. That is in place for the past five years. We are now talking about doing another hospital this year. There are only 19 units across the country. Why can that not be expedited for the remaining units, because at least...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health Information Bill 2023: Department of Health (10 May 2023)

Colm Burke: It is in four.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health Information Bill 2023: Department of Health (10 May 2023)

Colm Burke: Is there a set target for all 19 units to be electronic? The reason it is important is that, for example, there may be a patient in Letterkenny who has to be transferred to Dublin for care. There is that connectivity between the 19 units.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health Information Bill 2023: Department of Health (10 May 2023)

Colm Burke: If one has the electronic records and the other does not, that complicates the issue as well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health Information Bill 2023: Department of Health (10 May 2023)

Colm Burke: Can we set targets for that area as a prime example? The structure is already there in a number of units, therefore it should be easy to implement in the remaining units.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health Information Bill 2023: Department of Health (10 May 2023)

Colm Burke: The second point I want to raise is the issue relating to the private healthcare sector. How will that be tied in, because a lot of them are already electronic? What about a situation where, for example, someone is in CUH today and then in a private setting in 12 months' time and back into CUH 12 months after that? How are we going to tie all that in?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health Information Bill 2023: Department of Health (10 May 2023)

Colm Burke: I may be wrong about this but at one stage we had something like 1,700 different types of computer systems in the health service. I am not sure what that number is now but that was five years ago. I am sure it has changed somewhat. I keep raising this issue. Denmark started in 1996. About four or five years ago they had 25 different systems and they are working towards having five. If...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health Information Bill 2023: Department of Health (10 May 2023)

Colm Burke: I raised the issue of the maternity units and setting targets already. Is that not also important? It seems to be very much drifting without any clear targets, such as a two-year target, a three-year target or a five-year target. I am just wondering whether that can be done in the plan. In fairness to other State agencies, the Department of Social Protection, for example, issued 305,000...