Results 541-560 of 1,253 for speaker:John Crown

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Feb 2014)

John Crown: I am troubled by certain aspects of the emerging story of the intersection between the legislative branch that oversees the Garda and the various bodies that exist to ensure complaints from within and without the Garda can be handled and by the adequacy of the protection that the latter provide for whistleblowers. With this in mind, I will ask a question of the Deputy Leader, herself a...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Feb 2014)

John Crown: I will not go over old ground, but as someone who once found himself facing some very unusual reactions from public bodies in this country when I blew a whistle on a problem, I do not believe that the culture of the public service collectively has yet managed to transcend corporatism and self-loyalty and to understand that it works for the people. If individuals blow whistles about problems,...

Seanad: Mental Health Services Provision: Motion (19 Feb 2014)

John Crown: I thank Senator Mullen, who has graciously shared his time. I am not an instinctive "save our hospital" type. I understand that, sometimes, hospitals need to be closed and units rationalised. Nor am I anti-Roscommon. It is a matter of public record that I was staunch in my defence of an unfair closure of the emergency services in Roscommon in the face of data that were shown to be clearly...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Feb 2014)

John Crown: Will the Deputy Leader accept a point of information?

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Feb 2014)

John Crown: I am asking the Deputy Leader, when it is not yet set in stone, to bring it to their attention because we have grave reservations about it but it will be very hard to-----

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Feb 2014)

John Crown: I wish to seek clarification from the Government side with regard to an issue relating to the Order of Business for the next week or so. Last week we were promised that Report Stage of the Protection of Children's Health from Tobacco Smoke would be taken in the House. When I withdrew my amendment to last Tuesday's Order of Business, it was on the basis that Report Stage of the legislation...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Feb 2014)

John Crown: Yes, I accept the point from my learned colleague. This gagging clause should be withdrawn.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Feb 2014)

John Crown: The only people who can damage the name of any public body are those who work for such a body. When this matter is seen in the context of the other issued I have raised in recent weeks regarding a respected medical journalist who wrote an article in which he made the same criticisms which have continually made during the past year about the current policy on discretionary and...

Seanad: Political Reform: Motion (12 Feb 2014)

John Crown: I will gladly yield to my colleague and commend him on his introduction of the motion.

Seanad: Political Reform: Motion (12 Feb 2014)

John Crown: I thank Senator Cullinane for sharing time. This afternoon's proceedings, including the Government's amendment to the substantive motion, constitute a powerful argument in favour of emigration. This country desperately needs political reform. The disaster we faced over the last five years was not primarily due to bankers, builders or bureaucrats. Bankers and builders acted understandably,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Neurological Health Issues: Discussion (11 Feb 2014)

John Crown: We need to hold a special session to debate neurosurgical and neurotrauma services.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Neurological Health Issues: Discussion (11 Feb 2014)

John Crown: Could the witnesses respond to my concerns about acute neurosurgical emergency treatment and whether we are doing it correctly?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Neurological Health Issues: Discussion (11 Feb 2014)

John Crown: Invite him in. I will gladly hold the door open for him. I have no problem. I will buy him a cup of coffee and say it to his face. I have not mentioned him. It is wrong. The backbone of a democracy is a critical press and it should not happen that we cannot criticise public bodies because the public body has a newly-defined reputational right. Can one imagine if somebody was prevented...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Neurological Health Issues: Discussion (11 Feb 2014)

John Crown: I apologise. I was aware of that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Neurological Health Issues: Discussion (11 Feb 2014)

John Crown: I welcome my professional colleagues, other representatives and Mr. Lawless. I have a number of very focused questions. In common with most parts of the health service, neurological services such as neurosurgery, neurorehabilitation and neuropathology, are grotesquely understaffed by any international comparison. I will ask some specific questions on that. I do not want anybody to think...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Neurological Health Issues: Discussion (11 Feb 2014)

John Crown: Can it be said under the privilege that I have, that---

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Feb 2014)

John Crown: I withdraw the amendment.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Feb 2014)

John Crown: I propose an amendment to the Order of Business to request one of the health Ministers to come into the House today to comment on the discrepancy in the way health-related legislation is dealt with across the two sovereign jurisdictions on either side of the Irish Sea. Last night the British House of Commons passed an amendment to a Bill to ban smoking in cars when children are present....

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Feb 2014)

John Crown: Yes.

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Feb 2014)

John Crown: Will the Leader take the point of information please? It was not a public relations company, it was a public relations employed spokesman of the HSE.