Results 5,661-5,680 of 11,580 for speaker:Colm Burke

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 41 - Policing Authority (7 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: The other issue that needs to be taken into account is the cost issue. For instance, when I was chair of the board, I remember having to spend a lot of money that I did not have and being rapped on the knuckles for spending it. It was costing us approximately £600,000 at the time to provide services for about 50 young people. If four of them were in custody, that £600,000 would...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Oversight of Sláintecare: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: Will Mr. Watt reply while the Deputy’s time remains?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Oversight of Sláintecare: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: At our next meeting, we need to decide about bringing Mr. Reid and Mr. Watt back in-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Oversight of Sláintecare: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: In fairness, there are other people who want to come in as well, so perhaps the Deputy could come in at the end.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Oversight of Sláintecare: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: I will just move on-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Oversight of Sláintecare: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: I am next on the list to ask questions. I will be very brief. My first question relates to Sláintecare and the implementation of it at a regional level. On the replacement of the independent chair for the consultant contract negotiations, that person retired back in December because they were appointed at High Court. A new chair has not been appointed. We now have a scenario where...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Oversight of Sláintecare: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: There was to be a chair of this independent group. There was to be a chair and the person who retired offered to compile a report to the new person appointed. We are four months down the road-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Oversight of Sláintecare: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: Is Mr. Watt saying there will not be a chair appointed?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Oversight of Sláintecare: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: This is not what was said to the medical organisations. This is the first that they heard that a new chair will not be appointed. Will a chair be appointed or not?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Oversight of Sláintecare: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: We have moved to a situation in four major medical facilities, namely, Donegal, Sligo, Mayo and Kerry, where they cannot get applicants for jobs. Many of the consultant posts are now one in two. What is Mr. Watt's answer for dealing with that issue? We were talking about Sláintecare in the context of having access to services, no matter what part of the country someone is in....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Oversight of Sláintecare: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: But it is not happening. There are no applicants for many of the positions now advertised.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Oversight of Sláintecare: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: No. There are no applicants in respect of a large number of position.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Oversight of Sláintecare: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: What I am saying is that there is no-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Oversight of Sláintecare: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: However, it is not working. There was an independent chair. Now Mr. Watt is telling us he will not appoint an independent chair to deal with this issue.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Oversight of Sláintecare: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: It has been four months since the chair. This is the first they have heard that a chair will not be appointed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Oversight of Sláintecare: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: When we have 838 vacant positions, why does it take four months to talk about a new process, without even talking about-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Oversight of Sláintecare: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: What do we do in the meantime, when we have no consultants, we cannot get surgery done and we cannot get people seen? We will push them all into the major centres like Galway, Limerick, Cork and Dublin.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Oversight of Sláintecare: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: Can I just ask----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Oversight of Sláintecare: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: Can we set a target date so that we will have some progress made on this matter?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Oversight of Sláintecare: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Apr 2022)

Colm Burke: Is Mr. Watt quite happy to leave 838 posts vacant?