Results 681-700 of 1,886 for speaker:Fergal Browne

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Report and Final Stages. (8 Dec 2005)

Fergal Browne: I thank Senators, the Minister of State and his officials for facilitating the passage of the Bill through the House. I must record my deep unhappiness about the Bill in general, however. When the Bill was first presented I thought it was quite a simple and uncomplicated measure, but it has turned out to be somewhat different than planned. I am not happy with the Government's approach to...

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Report and Final Stages. (8 Dec 2005)

Fergal Browne: I wish I had the ability to listen to a Minister reading out a one-page answer about a Government amendment and take it all in, but I cannot. The lack of briefing notes means that I am failing in my job on behalf of the electorate. I compliment Senator Minihan who informed us on Tuesday that pharmacists in the North are able to prescribe. That information was not given to us beforehand,...

Seanad: School Accommodation. (8 Dec 2005)

Fergal Browne: This matter, unlike the previous Bill, is quite uncomplicated. It concerns Nurney national school in County Carlow. Nurney is a very picturesque village perhaps five or six miles outside Carlow town. It is currently a two-teacher school, and it is in urgent need of a devolved grant. I understand that it applied for such a grant in 2000 and that it has requested an update. In classroom one,...

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Report and Final Stages. (8 Dec 2005)

Fergal Browne: I move amendment No. 1: In page 6, between lines 6 and 7, to insert the following: "2.—The Minister may, upon the coming into effect of this section, having regard to— (a) changes in the value of money generally in the State since the passing of this Act or the last previous exercise of the power under this section, and (b) the need to ensure the continued effectiveness of the fines under...

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Report and Final Stages. (8 Dec 2005)

Fergal Browne: Senator White was obviously vindicated. This amendment refers to the collection of fines that may arise from the illegal importation of drugs into the State.

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Report and Final Stages. (8 Dec 2005)

Fergal Browne: I move amendment No. 2: In page 6, between lines 36 and 37, to insert the following: "(iii) registered pharmacists, who are members of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland,". On Committee Stage on Tuesday, Senator Minihan informed the House that pharmacists in the North will shortly be allowed to prescribe certain drugs over the counter. This amendment recognises such a provision and...

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Report and Final Stages. (8 Dec 2005)

Fergal Browne: I move amendment No. 3: In page 6, between lines 36 and 37, to insert the following: "(iii) paramedical staff, who— (a) are in the employ of the State, either directly or indirectly through the Health Services Executive or a Local Authority, and (b) whose position could be described as one that would require the ability to prescribe medicinal products from time to time, and (c) who have...

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Report and Final Stages. (8 Dec 2005)

Fergal Browne: I move amendment No. 4: In page 29, between lines 42 and 43, to insert the following: "18.—(1) It shall be an offence— (a) for any person or body corporate to send or cause to be sent by use of the postal service, any medicinal product, where the sale of such a medicinal product is concerned, or where there is financial reward for the person or body corporate body so sending the medicinal...

Seanad: Oncology Services: Statements. (8 Dec 2005)

Fergal Browne: I welcome the Minister of State and his officials to the House. He is a frequent visitor and is due back this afternoon. I compliment the former Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin. Although I have disagreed with him on many issues, his contribution to future cancer reduction through the ban on smoking in the workplace will be seen as a turning point. From that episode we learned...

Seanad: Oncology Services: Statements. (8 Dec 2005)

Fergal Browne: I can be ruled out. Deputy O'Connor is the third socialist. Although there is a requirement for privatised health care, and the private sector should be involved in health care delivery, there is a difficult balance to be maintained. We should not have a case where a public hospital has a private hospital beside it, with consultants working in both. Such consultants would earn far more in the...

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Dec 2005)

Fergal Browne: On the points raised by Members about the ESB, last year the amount of electricity produced in Ardnacrusha is the amount needed now to sustain the demand caused by the Christmas lights throughout the country. There is pressure on the national grid. I ask the Leader for a debate on the sugar beet industry in light of the changes in biofuels made in the budget yesterday. The farming...

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage (Resumed). (6 Dec 2005)

Fergal Browne: I will raise a general point which I always put forward on legislation. Why is the amount of money imposed in fines not index linked? In a few years the fines stipulated in this legislation will be completely out of date. I receive the same answer on this issue from different Ministers that the Attorney General is not in favour of it. However, it would make sense in making legislation to put...

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage (Resumed). (6 Dec 2005)

Fergal Browne: We had an interesting discussion last week about the sale of drugs over the Internet. Senator Ryan made a comment about boosting his love life. As I understand it, if a company in Ireland sends spam e-mail, it is breaking the law and can be prosecuted. However, the majority of spam e-mail comes from abroad. It has been stated that the Bahamas, where we have no jurisdiction, is the main source...

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage (Resumed). (6 Dec 2005)

Fergal Browne: If a person purchases an antibiotic, which must be prescribed by a doctor in this country, from a pharmacist in Northern Ireland and brings it over the Border, he or she is, strictly speaking, illegally importing a drug into this country. According to our laws, he or she should have gone to a doctor for a prescription. When people are sick they are desperate and will do anything to get...

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage (Resumed). (6 Dec 2005)

Fergal Browne: That is my point. In a recent debate on MRSA at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children the main issue was the over-prescription of, and over-reliance on, antibiotics. When people do not finish courses of antibiotics they build up more resistance later. This is a major factor in the MRSA epidemic. The Government Members say they would not like to see this happening. That does...

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage (Resumed). (6 Dec 2005)

Fergal Browne: That is only the tip of the iceberg.

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage (Resumed). (6 Dec 2005)

Fergal Browne: While I am not a smoker, if I was, I would feel hard done by. The fine for smoking in a public place is approximately €3,000. However, the fines in this amendment are only €500. We seem to heavily penalise smokers but go lightly on offenders in other areas of health. Is the smoking fine too high or are the fines in this case too low? Someone who is involved in endangering someone's health...

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage (Resumed). (6 Dec 2005)

Fergal Browne: While I welcome this initiative, is it possible to extend the scheme to post-primary schoolchildren? Children would normally get orthodontic work done after they have left primary school. However, a problem appears to arise with regard to children aged between 14 and 16 years, even those who hold a medical card. This group falls between two stools as it is not covered for the costs of...

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage (Resumed). (6 Dec 2005)

Fergal Browne: Two issues arise in this regard. Some parents experience major difficulties obtaining an appointment to see an orthodontist and, once they obtain an appointment, they find they are liable to pay considerable amounts of money for the treatment, in some cases amounting to thousands of euro. In addition, medical card holders are not covered. This anomaly needs to be addressed.

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage (Resumed). (6 Dec 2005)

Fergal Browne: I am astonished by the Minister of State's explanation. Does this mean people are legally entitled to free dental care, although this was not the intention in the original legislation? Is this a rehash of the recent episode involving nursing home charges when the relevant legislation was found to be faulty, with the result that nursing home charges must be fully repaid? Do we have another...