Results 521-540 of 10,258 for speaker:Mary Butler

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Cancer Services (7 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: General Practitioner Services (7 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: If the Acting Chair might indulge me at the start, I wish to say the following. I know Senators will all join me as today, we think of former Taoiseach John Bruton's wife Finola, his family, colleagues, friends and those in the Fine Gael Party. Like anyone who was Taoiseach in our Parliament over the past 100 years, it is important to send that message out to his family today.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: General Practitioner Services (7 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: I thank Senator Cummins for raising this issue. It is something I am very familiar with myself. We come from the same constituency. As the Senator is aware, GPs are self-employed practitioners, and accordingly, they may establish practices at a place of their own choosing. The HSE fulfils its obligation under the Health Act 1970 in providing GP services to patients who hold a medical card...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: General Practitioner Services (7 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: I will follow up on those two cases. I agree there must be a common-sense approach and that people must have options. When a list is frozen, which happens for a myriad of reasons, people may not be in a position to move. Health issues are challenging enough without causing further distress to people. The number of doctors entering GP training has increased by 80% between 2015 and 2023....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Northern Ireland (7 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: I thank Senator Currie for raising this important matter and for her sustained engagement on issues of North-South co-operation. I am taking this question on behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, who is away on Government business at the moment. Like others I welcome the restoration of the power-sharing institutions in Northern Ireland. Saturday was a great day, a...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Northern Ireland (7 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: I thank the Senator for her response. I have taken note of her remarks on this important issue. She is right about the potential. It is absolutely massive. She has spoken about tourism, energy and infrastructure. The Government is fully committed to supporting economic growth across the island of Ireland. We will continue to promote the benefits of this island for trade, tourism and...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Accommodation (7 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: I thank the Senator for raising what is a very important issue for CBS High School, Clonmel. I am familiar with the school. My son taught there for a while so I know the school and its bordering counties. I thank the Senator on behalf of the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, for giving me the opportunity to update the House on the current position regarding the additional school...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Accommodation (7 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: I thank the Senator. The design team for the school has submitted a stage 2a report to the Department and this is currently under review by the Department’s professional and technical officers. Once this review is completed, its outcome will be shared with the school authority. The Department will continue to provide practical support and assistance to the school authority’s...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Wildlife Protection (7 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: I thank Senator Boylan for raising this really important issue. I am responding on behalf of the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Noonan. It is not an area in which I have huge expertise but I come from a rural area and am well equipped to know what wildlife crime means. It is a widespread issue that poses a serious threat to our...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Wildlife Protection (7 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: I will bring back those questions to the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan. His office is directly opposite mine on the corridor. I have no doubt he will also engage with this Oxfam-led initiative. Adherence to environmental rules is a safeguard for preserving biodiversity health and sustainable progress over time. It is difficult to process the drivers for the loss of biodiversity through...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Wildlife Protection (7 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: I am multitasking.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Cancer Services (7 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: I thank the Senator for raising this serious issue. I wish his daughter the best of health. It cannot have been easy for her over the past 24 years. I had my own brush with cancer last year with skin cancer. It is not easy when one is going through it. I am taking this debate on behalf of the Minister for Health. I thank the Senator for opportunity to address the issue of funding for...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Cancer Services (7 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: I again thank Senator Craughwell. I assure the House that the Government is committed to the implementation of the national cancer strategy, as evidenced by significant investment in recent years. Cancer survival rates continue to improve, with around 215,000 patients living after an invasive cancer diagnosis, which is equivalent to one in 23 people in Ireland.We really welcome that. There...