Results 31,981-32,000 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (14 Jun 2005)

Richard Bruton: Offaly nerves are somewhat frayed at present.

Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (14 Jun 2005)

Richard Bruton: I support the amendments. If we are extending new powers such as these, it is even more important that we have proper power to protect whistleblowers, as clearly set out in both amendments, when they report to agencies with clear responsibility in the relevant matter. The proposal does not relate to idle whistleblowing for no purpose but to the reporting of concerns to an authority appointed...

Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (14 Jun 2005)

Richard Bruton: Expeditiously, one might say.

Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (14 Jun 2005)

Richard Bruton: Fair procedure is essential and I expect it to occur in all cases. These amendments are reasonable and will not do any damage to the Bill. There is the expectation that fair procedure will always be applied in public service decisions. To ensure that these rights are protected, it should be provided, as proposed in these amendments, in law.

Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (14 Jun 2005)

Richard Bruton: I move amendment No. 10a: In page 12, line 5, after "offer" to insert the following: "and if the person is dissatisfied with the decision reached, that person may seek independent review of the decision". I suspect that this amendment will suffer the same fate as the previous two amendments. There ought to be a provision that where someone is dissatisfied with a decision, he or she should...

Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (14 Jun 2005)

Richard Bruton: I move amendment No. 1a: "4.—The Principal Act is amended by inserting the following new section after section 4: '4A.—The Minister for Finance shall on 31 March 2005 and annually thereafter, cause a report relating to modernisation and human resource management in the public service to be laid before each House of the Oireachtas detailing— (a) the progress in delegating responsibility...

Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (14 Jun 2005)

Richard Bruton: When he was president of the IFA, did the Minister of State ever think he would come in here and give a "Sir Humphrey" answer of the nature of the one he just read out? He has informed us that being accountable to democratically elected people here would be burdensome and inflexible and would put the public service into a straitjacket. Where is the great zeal he had in the past for demanding...

Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (14 Jun 2005)

Richard Bruton: The Minister's approach is extremely disappointing. He is praising the systems which were described as not working in a recent report he presented to us. The report stated that the roll out of the management information system is still at a relatively early stage and that the link between financial analysis and decision making remains relatively weak. If we want to support public servants who...

Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (14 Jun 2005)

Richard Bruton: That is not the experience of someone who deals with the health service. I do not have any farmers in my constituency any more. I used to have one, but the family probably died out, so I do not know what is happening in the Department of Agriculture and Food. I do know it has put much effort into reforming its IT system. However, that is not enough. The Government is accepting too little when...

Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (14 Jun 2005)

Richard Bruton: I move amendment No. 5a: In page 10, between lines 19 and 20, to insert the following: "(3) The Minister shall, by regulation, outline procedures which are to be applied where a person is being engaged on contract for a specified time or for the duration of a specified project, and these procedures shall, inter alia, provide for documentation of— (a) the criteria for deciding whether to...

Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (14 Jun 2005)

Richard Bruton: Amendment No. 5a is a direct result of the report of Mr. Quigley on the appointment of a PR person in the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Having exposed a number of features of the appointments system as unsatisfactory, the report of the former Revenue Commissioner set out a number of recommendations on how to deal with circumstances where a person is brought in...

Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report Stage. (14 Jun 2005)

Richard Bruton: I would have expected the Minister of State to have rallied to the aid of his constituency colleague.

Written Answers — National Treatment Purchase Fund: National Treatment Purchase Fund (2 Jun 2005)

Richard Bruton: Question 111: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the 14 hospitals from which patients on the outpatient waiting lists will have access to the national treatment purchase fund; if the initiative is confined to certain specialties; if there is a waiting period after which patients in these hospitals will make an application to the fund; and if she will make a statement on...

Written Answers — Inter-country Adoptions: Inter-country Adoptions (2 Jun 2005)

Richard Bruton: Question 112: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if the Government is making efforts to have an independent representative appointed to protect the rights of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18834/05]

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (2 Jun 2005)

Richard Bruton: Question 117: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of persons covered by medical cards; the percentage which this represents; and the number of prescriptions issued in 2003, 2004 and to date in 2005. [18891/05]

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (2 Jun 2005)

Richard Bruton: Question 119: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of patient visits, prescriptions issued and population cover under the medical card scheme in each of the years 1998 to 2005. [18893/05]

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (2 Jun 2005)

Richard Bruton: Question 118: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of persons with medical card cover aged 70 and over in 2000, 2004 and to date in 2005; and the average cost of medical card cover for persons aged 70 and over compared to those aged under 70 in each of the respective years. [18892/05]

Written Answers — General Medical Services Scheme: General Medical Services Scheme (2 Jun 2005)

Richard Bruton: Question 120: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the breakdown of the capitation rates paid to general practitioners based on the age, gender and distance from the surgery of the patients on their GMS panels in each of the years 1997 to 2005; the way in which this payment is calculated if it bears no relation to the number of consultations. [18894/05]

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (2 Jun 2005)

Richard Bruton: Question 121: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of inpatient admissions in hospital in 2003, 2004 and to date in 2005; the number of day cases; and the total inpatient and day care capacity in each year. [18895/05]

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (2 Jun 2005)

Richard Bruton: Question 123: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of accident and emergency attendances and of out patient attendances in 2003, 2004 and to date in 2005. [18897/05]