Results 5,701-5,720 of 11,187 for speaker:Colm Burke

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Hospital Services (15 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: I agree we need long-term planning. One of the things about long-term planning is making sure we do not identify a small site and then say we do not have adequate space in five or ten years’ time. It is important we identify a site and get on with the planning process. The planning process is going to take us a minimum of 18 months. This is now a priority. There is not sufficient...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Hospital Services (15 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: 78. To ask the Minister for Health when it is proposed to announce the site of the proposed elective hospital in Cork; if a site been identified; when planning will be applied for and construction work will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7678/22]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Healthcare Infrastructure Provision (15 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: 93. To ask the Minister for Health the current status of all projects involving hospital extensions in the Cork area in view of the large increase in population and the lack of an adequate number of hospital beds in the region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7679/22]

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (15 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: 399. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the total number of passports issued for each month from 1 January 2021 to 31 January 2022, by the number of passport renewals and the number of new passports for each month; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7698/22]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Disease Management (15 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: 695. To ask the Minister for Health his views on the benefits of the participation of five Irish hospitals in the European Reference Network on Rare Diseases; if participation will help further national plans to support persons with rare diseases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7647/22]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (15 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: 698. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to make the long-acting antibody treatment Evusheld available for the prevention of Covid-19 in immunocompromised patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7672/22]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2019: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: I thank Mr. Connolly for his presentation and for the constructive way he has set out the issues. I very much welcome his contribution. One of the issues that is being raised with us by the Irish Heart Foundation and the Irish Cancer Society is the increase in the number of young people who are vaping. In 2015, 23% of teenagers used e-cigarettes and by 2019, it was up to 37%, and we are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2019: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: These are the figures they are quoting. They are quoting figures and they are producing figures from the research that is available to them. They are saying it increased from 23% in 2015 to 37% in 2019. That is a huge increase in the number using e-cigarettes. The figures from the research also showed that people are more likely to use cigarettes if they have been vaping. I know we have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2019: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: Is Mr. Connolly saying the Irish Heart Foundation and the Irish Cancer Society are quoting inaccurate figures?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2019: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: The figures have gone up. There is also the issue of flavouring and three states have already decided to ban flavouring. What is Mr. Connolly's view on that, given it looks like this is going to happen across Europe? Some states have already decided this is the way forward. What is Mr. Connolly's view on that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2019: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: I accept they are not aimed at children but between 2012 and 2015 there were 343 incidents of e-liquid poisoning, of which 42.7% were among children. There were 343 incidents of such poisonings in a three-year period across Europe. These products are not aimed at children, but children have ended up using them. We need to be careful in how we deal with the issue. I accept what Mr....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2019: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: It was a study of 1,173,000 adults in the US aged between 18 and 50. The result was 34% were more likely to suffer from visual impairments, compared to those who had never tried e-cigarettes. It is an extensive study. I accept and think everyone here accepts that vaping has helped people to move away from cigarettes but we need to make sure there is adequate regulation because there are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2019: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: Everyone would agree with that but it is a case of making sure we have adequate precautions so we do not have an increased number of young people using e-cigarettes and moving on to cigarettes. That is what we need to be careful about in drafting this legislation.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: I thank our guests for their presentations. I know some people have already touched on our existing system from Eir, and I would like to as well. I am in Cork North-Central and we have a huge number of areas that will not receive an NBI service until 2026. I have one area where the pole is physically on the person's property, but Eir is not allowed to connect because the property is in the...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: The point they are making to us is they are saying that they are not allowed to connect because it is under the NBP and therefore the other providers would not get the appropriate remuneration for doing that connection.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: Eir has advised us that it does not have capacity. On cost, the property it has connected is at a far greater distance than the property on which the pole is situated. In other words, the pole is situated at the entrance to the farmyard, but Eir will not connect the farmhouse. Yet, it can run the cable 200 yd down the road to connect another house. The argument consistently coming back to...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: To take the example I spoke about, has NBI done an assessment of the number of properties that are in that scenario? Have we an estimate? In my experience, it would appear there are quite a large number within the amber area where there is capacity from existing providers.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: What is the timescale for when there will be some agreement with some of these providers?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: When Mr. Hendrick talks about doing a pilot, is he talking about a specific county or town? Are we talking about ten or 100 houses in a pilot scheme?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications
National Broadband Plan Expenditure and Related Matters (10 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: Okay. I will move on to another issue. It relates to the workforce and the availability of people to carry out the work that needs to be carried out. Is NBI facing challenges in that area at present, in view of the fact that the whole construction industry is going at full speed and many other areas are having difficulties in getting people for jobs that are available? In looking at that...