Results 4,821-4,840 of 11,255 for speaker:Colm Burke

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 3 - Central Government Funding of Local Authorities (23 Jun 2022)

Colm Burke: Over 500 plants in the country have not been taken over by Irish Water. We put in €3.5 billion last year to upgrade those facilities. We have 50 plants in Cork county that are not up to scratch and we are going nowhere with them. I need to know what we intend doing over the next 12 months. What are we doing to make sure local authorities follow through on planning compliance?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 3 - Central Government Funding of Local Authorities (23 Jun 2022)

Colm Burke: Making sure local authorities do so is within the remit of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I know of one estate in Cork city alongside which the Revenue Commissioners have their main office for the southern region. This estate was built 15 years ago but has still not been taken in charge by the local authority.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 3 - Central Government Funding of Local Authorities (23 Jun 2022)

Colm Burke: It would be helpful for the committee if we could find out the number of estates around the country that have not been taken in charge and what decisive action needs to be taken to make sure there is full compliance with planning and that local authorities are following it up because this is taxpayers' money. It is costing the taxpayer more money to bring these estates up to standard because...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 3 - Central Government Funding of Local Authorities (23 Jun 2022)

Colm Burke: May I ask Mr. Doyle about the collection of planning charges by local authorities? I have seen some estates where, for instance, up to €1 million is being paid in planning charges but the local authority does not then respond by providing services to that area. That money is not ring-fenced to the area in question, so one could come back five, ten or 15 years later and none of the...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General
Chapter 3 - Central Government Funding of Local Authorities (23 Jun 2022)

Colm Burke: Does Mr. Doyle not accept that we need a more robust system in order to ensure that local authorities deliver services as housing estates are developed? We do not seem to have a robust system.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Funding (23 Jun 2022)

Colm Burke: 11. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if funding to local authorities for the adaptation of homes for older persons and persons with disabilities will be reviewed given the rising costs of construction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32889/22]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (23 Jun 2022)

Colm Burke: 83. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the total number of social homes provided in County Cork in 2021; the way that the figure compares with the totals for each of the previous seven years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32890/22]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Renewable Energy Generation (22 Jun 2022)

Colm Burke: 35. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if community buildings will be included in the changes to planning rules making it easier to install solar panels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32885/22]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Rare Diseases: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2022)

Colm Burke: I thank Dr. De Block for giving her time this morning because I know she is very busy. I was looking at the figures and time periods for the BeNeLuxA agreement and there seems to be much variation in even within BeNeLuxA countries around the availability of drugs. For example, in the Netherlands, its average period is 213 days, whereas the period in Belgium is 440 days and in Ireland it is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Rare Diseases: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2022)

Colm Burke: If countries looked at the system in the Netherlands or Germany, where the period is 120 days, would we get a better result and drugs available at an earlier date than with current processes?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Rare Diseases: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2022)

Colm Burke: I want to come back in on the issue of the price negotiation with the Benelux countries. Germany is able to make drugs available within 120 days, although I know it is a different process. Obviously, Germany is a bigger country with more patients with a rare disease. In Ireland there may be as few as 20 people who need a particular treatment whereas in Germany there might be 2,000 such...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Rare Diseases: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2022)

Colm Burke: I thank our guests for making themselves available and for the presentation. I just want to go back to the national rare diseases plan. My understanding is that there is not any one person in the Department of Health who is in charge of national rare diseases at present. Is this causing its own problems for the HSE in regard to progressing the review of the national rare diseases plan?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Rare Diseases: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2022)

Colm Burke: However, there is no timeframe.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Rare Diseases: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2022)

Colm Burke: Would it not be helpful from the HSE’s point of view to now engage with the Department, first about trying to have a specific person who the HSE could engage with on a regular basis, and second, that there is a clear timeframe put in place about the review of the national plan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Rare Diseases: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2022)

Colm Burke: I wish to just touch on two other issues. One is the cystic fibrosis drug available for children. I think there are about 35 children in the country who require this particular medication and it is not being made available. What is the timeframe for coming to a decision on that particular drug? Second, a steering group for the development of a national genetics and genomics strategy was...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Rare Diseases: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2022)

Colm Burke: My understanding is there are 35 families in the country. They are writing to us and lobbying us very much on this drug being made available and it is not being made available. I ask that it be reviewed at the earliest possible date.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Rare Diseases: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2022)

Colm Burke: I appreciate that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Rare Diseases: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2022)

Colm Burke: I thank the Chair. Mr. Woods referred to the genomics issue stating that the committee is set up and so on. I understand we have one specialist in that area per 700,000 of population in the Republic whereas in Northern Ireland it is one per 285,000. This has a significant benefit for the health sector. If we are at that stage here, how long before we could get to a ratio of one to 285,000...