Results 581-600 of 1,886 for speaker:Fergal Browne

Seanad: Lourdes Hospital Inquiry: Statements. (9 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: I welcome the Minister of State and his officials to the House. I thank Senator Tuffy for sharing time with me. While I will not go over what has already been said, this report is truly shocking. This week on Vincent Browne's radio programme, there were readings from transcripts of real life cases, which brought the matter home to us all. Yesterday's "Five Seven Live" programme also played...

Seanad: Order of Business. (9 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: I agree with Senator Moylan's call for a debate on the recent excellent report on sudden adult deaths. All Members will recall the tragic death of Cormac McAnallen, the former Tyrone football captain. The excellent news is that 30% of people who experience cardiac arrests can be saved by defibrillators. This equates to thousands of people in Ireland every year. These machines are small and...

Seanad: Order of Business. (9 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: ——to move 29% of patients in nursing homes back to their homes. How many of these patients have returned home as a result of the introduction of the home care package? I imagine the figure is nothing like that which she promised. Members will have noticed the fiasco regarding the medical cards, where only 5%——

Seanad: Order of Business. (9 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: I am aware of that. However, I am trying to make the point that the Tánaiste has not been successful in the heath portfolio. While she has made many promises, she has not delivered on them.

Seanad: Order of Business. (9 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: The House will debate the Lourdes hospital report shortly. Last night however, although the Government had an opportunity to back the Whistleblowers Protection Bill in the Dáil, it failed to so do. This is another example of stating one thing and doing the opposite.

Seanad: Decentralisation Programme: Statements. (8 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: It was the 1977 election manifesto that bankrupted the country.

Seanad: Decentralisation Programme: Statements. (8 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: The manifesto bankrupted the country.

Seanad: Decentralisation Programme: Statements. (8 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: I will not bring up the issue of the salmon and the River Nore today. This is a similar fiasco and the Minister of State's fingerprints are all over it. Senator Mansergh spoke about the significant public support for decentralisation, at more than 80%, as reported in The Irish Times. The real opinion poll, however, was the local elections. Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats lost...

Seanad: Decentralisation Programme: Statements. (8 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: The Minister has been wrong in many things too. People are not opposed to decentralisation but they are not stupid. They realise this is a sham. First, the programme should never have been announced in a budget speech. It had nothing to do with the budget. It just highlighted how empty the budget was of any news that the former Minister, Charlie McCreevy, had to include it in his Budget...

Seanad: Decentralisation Programme: Statements. (8 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: It shows how disingenuous the Government was and continues to be. It should not have been included in that speech. Thankfully, however, it came back to haunt the Minister later because the civil servants who were being decentralised used it as a precedent. There was a compensation package involved in the Teagasc case. People had no difficulty with the proposal to move Teagasc headquarters to...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: I refer to the need for additional staff in An Bord Pleanála and in the planning departments of local authorities. Senator Burke made sense when he commented on the need for forward planning. If we plan adequately and properly ahead, many of the problems that arise currently could be eliminated. For example, Ballon, County Carlow, is crying out for a bypass to the east of the town. I was...

Seanad: Matter raised under Standing Order 30. (8 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: In the past number of weeks I was approached in my office by a parent whose son has autism. He was assigned to a school in Athy and unfortunately it did not work out for him in so far as he was not able to cope in the school in question. That has been backed up by reports from the principal of the school, psychologists, the special needs assistant, the bus driver and the parents themselves....

Seanad: Mental Health Services. (7 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: The Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Seán Power, is well acquainted with Myshall as his uncle lives in Newtown. The matter I raise has had a chequered history although, thankfully, it is now going in the right direction. The house for the centre is on the outskirts of Myshall village and was bought by the OPW in 2000 to be used as a refugee centre. That did...

Seanad: Mental Health Services. (7 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: Some people were deterred from giving expressions of interest, as they were required to have a proven record in the area. While many people would be interested in getting such a facility operational using Dunfirth as a model, they would not have a proven record in the area. Not having a proven record in the area should not debar applicants. It is more important that they show a commitment to...

Seanad: Mental Health Services. (7 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: Exactly.

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: I suggest that the register of electors should be put on-line to allow people to check whether they are on the register. People often think they are registered and discover afterwards they are not. If the register were on-line, it might help resolve the problem. We should also have an on-line application facility to allow those discovering they are not on the register to apply. At lunchtime I...

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: Some 100,000 fewer people have medical cards now than in 1997, a fact that is also omitted from the website. It would be far better if the Government parties were honest with the electorate, reminding it of broken promises in the area and carrying out genuine work in allocating medical cards for longer than the six months for which some people are getting them. Those with long-term illnesses...

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: I meant full medical cards.

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: That is rubbish. It is a reflection on the guidelines.

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: The problem is with 200,000 full cards.