Results 2,921-2,940 of 4,414 for speaker:Sean Barrett

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the confirmation by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Pat Rabbitte, of the appointment of Mr. John O'Connor as chairman of EirGrid. I attended the Oireachtas committee meeting at which Mr. O'Connor remarked that he himself would not like to live close to a pylon. I hope he brings that approach to the affairs of EirGrid. My correspondence in...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (17 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 6: In page 5, lines 8 and 9, to delete “a registered” and substitute “an”.The purpose of amendment No. 6 pertains to the definition "a registered undertaking". Some undertakings which provided health insurance were not registered. I believe one referred to the ESB and the other to the Garda Síochána. It always appeared strange to...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (17 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 7: In page 6, line 23, to delete “referred to in subsection (1), (2) or (3) that it has carried out”.Again, the background to the McLoughlin report is that evaluation and analysis is required in respect of how costs here compare internationally and the reason this excessively high cost system has developed. In tabling the amendments, I did not know how much...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (17 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 1: In page 4, line 5, after "January"." to insert the following:"This section shall not apply in the case of registered undertakings who wish to increase the benefits payable under a type of health insurance contract or to reduce the price of a health insurance contract.".Would we not welcome it if they wanted to achieve the goal the Minister and I share and increase...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (17 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: No.

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (17 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 2: In page 4, line 12, to delete "The Authority" and substitute "The Central Bank of Ireland".I referred earlier to the Central Bank's views on this. Health insurance is a financial service and the European Court of Justice decided on 29 September 2011 that it was to become such. Ireland had to pay the costs in the case. The court found against Ireland for failing to...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (17 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: On 25 January 2007, the Commission sent a letter of formal notice to Ireland drawing attention to the fact that the continuing exemption of VHI from the application of EU legislation on direct insurance other than life insurance was contrary to the requirements of the first directive, despite considerable changes made to the capacity of that body since 1973. I hope that is implemented soon....

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (17 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 5: In page 5, line 5, after "(4)", to insert the following:"and international and other cost data on average length of stay in hospital, cost efficiencies in the health service including drug costs, and the publication of the observations of the Health Information and Quality Authority on such data".As we are moving towards this model of leaving the issue of older people...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (17 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I thank the Minister. I assure the Leas-Chathaoirleach that I support the timetable he described and I will, of course, comply. We are trying to get some competition to reduce costs and I support what Senator Colm Burke and the Minister have said. We have a system based on the risk equalisation subsidy to older people, and the VHI, which has the majority of them, gets most of the money....

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (17 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: A hospital bed in publicly funded hospital is being substituted for private hospital accommodation. I believe this happens anyway. Will we get a price reduction as a consequence? Nobody knows what semi-private means. Does it mean there are four other people in the room or 14 other people in the room? It puts the consumer into a public hospital bed when he or she has paid for private...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (17 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister to the House. The theme of our debate on this issue was continued in The Irish Times summary yesterday on the McLoughlin report which urged health care insurers to query bills. The Minister has said this so many times. This is a sector in respect of which premiums have increased rapidly. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, stated here last week that premiums...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I note the McLoughlin report on health insurance recommends exactly what we have been saying on all sides of this House for the past two years, namely, the health insurers should query costs, which have not been the emphasis. While I know this comes up later today, it is interesting that Mr. McLoughlin, as reported in The Irish Times yesterday, says exactly what we have been saying here. As...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: On the section, I wish to express my misgivings about the Minister funding both Irish Water and the commission itself. The section states "The Minister may, for the purposes of this Act and subject to such conditions as he or she may determine, make grants out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas to ... Irish Water, or ... the Commission". My concern is that the commission is meant to be...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I thank the Minister of State.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 57: In page 21, between lines 14 and 15, to insert the following:"(g) the published capital project appraisal procedures of the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.".This week, the Government will publish its medium-term strategy. I hope that one of the strategy's elements will be to secure the proper evaluation of large public capital...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I thank the Minister of State for informing me that he is already in touch with the Minister concerned. It is reassuring and I am indebted to him for his clarification.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: No. The Minister of State has addressed it adequately.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: The items in this section are all consumer items, as Senator Cullinane said. It deals with the billing, payments, information, complaints, codes of practice and so forth. I sought to involve the National Consumer Agency, but that is not acceptable to the Minister of State. We are not sure of the position with freedom of information. I was struck by Senator Keane's remark about writing...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I tabled an amendment, which the Minister of State rejected. It was to include the National Consumer Agency. Individuals or individual members of committees must have some legal basis on which they can take on these powerful monopolies. That is why I tabled amendment No. 50. I would like there to be some protection for the isolated individuals who will be obliged to face up to this huge...