Results 721-740 of 1,886 for speaker:Fergal Browne

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (30 Nov 2005)

Fergal Browne: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (30 Nov 2005)

Fergal Browne: I share Senator Ryan's view. I am very uncomfortable with this. I have never seen anything like it before in the three years I have been in the Seanad. I am also concerned the Minister of State may have a conflict of interests in his role as a former pharmacist. It is regrettable the Ministers of State, Deputies Seán Power or Brian Lenihan——

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (30 Nov 2005)

Fergal Browne: I am being fair to him. It is regrettable that neither Deputy Seán Power nor Deputy Brian Lenihan, who are also Ministers of State in the Department, was sent here today because it puts the Minister of State, Deputy Tim O'Malley, in a very awkward position dealing with this area as a member of the pharmacy profession. I do not make any apology for saying that. I say it out of respect for the...

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (30 Nov 2005)

Fergal Browne: I do not expect the Minister of State to apologise. The Department of Health and Children has three Ministers of State. It would have been preferable if the Minister of State with a pharmacy background did not take the Bill. I do not apologise for that.

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (30 Nov 2005)

Fergal Browne: This Bill expands the number of people that can write prescriptions. This has the potential to lead to increased business for pharmacists. We see major commercialisation of pharmacies, with health centres built around the country, complete with in-house pharmacies. There are more and more commercial features. I will withdraw my comment and I did not intend to be personally unfair to the...

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (30 Nov 2005)

Fergal Browne: I did not apologise.

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (30 Nov 2005)

Fergal Browne: I move amendment No. 8: In page 6, to delete lines 31 to 33, and substitute the following: "(b) in the case of a body corporate, the Chief Executive Officer of that body.". This amendment refers to accountability because there seems to be no accountability at the head of the organisation. Fine Gael is concerned that the circumstances raised by Senator Ryan could arise, whereby an individual...

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (30 Nov 2005)

Fergal Browne: I move amendment No. 10: In page 7, line 16, to delete "accordingly."." and substitute "accordingly." This amendment corrects a typographical error.

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (30 Nov 2005)

Fergal Browne: The main point of amendments Nos. 11 to 13, inclusive, is to ensure that nurses undergo training. While a nurse may be registered, medicine is constantly evolving and new drug treatments come on stream regularly. In that context, it is important that nurses be required to undergo additional training on a regular basis to update their skills. That is the simple point Fine Gael is making with...

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (30 Nov 2005)

Fergal Browne: I move amendment No. 11: In page 7, between lines 16 and 17, to insert the following: "(4) The Minister may grant limited licences, permits or authorisations, to a registered nurse, who has undergone such training as is specified from time to time by the Minister, to prescribe certain specified medication.".

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (30 Nov 2005)

Fergal Browne: I move amendment No. 12: In page 7, between lines 16 and 17, to insert the following: "(4) The Minister may grant limited licences, permits or authorisations, to certain paramedical staff, who have undergone such training as is specified from time to time by the Minister, to prescribe certain specified medication.".

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (30 Nov 2005)

Fergal Browne: I move amendment No. 13: In page 7, between lines 16 and 17, to insert the following: "(4) It shall be the responsibility of the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital to which a staff member is attached, to ensure that that staff member has received the requisite training and education, to allow him or her to fulfil his or her duties in accordance with the terms of this Act.".

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (30 Nov 2005)

Fergal Browne: This is another example of the Government moving accountability away from the Department of Health and Children to an independent body. I have no objection in this case but there seems to be a trend for this Government to continually take powers away from the Department. The downside to this is a lack of accountability. In future if people ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and...

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (30 Nov 2005)

Fergal Browne: Senator Ryan's point is valid and it strikes me as similar to the Health Insurance Authority, set up to advise the Minister but whose advice on risk equalisation the present Minister has rejected. The Minister of State did not answer my question on accountability. I become more confused every day as to the exact role of the Department of Health and Children. A huge amount of power has been...

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (30 Nov 2005)

Fergal Browne: They are the words in the explanatory memorandum.

Seanad: Order of Business. (30 Nov 2005)

Fergal Browne: I support calls for a debate on the sugar industry. In October 2004, when the Minister had just been appointed, she was warned in this House about the dangers facing the sugar beet industry. We tabled a Private Members' motion in January and she paid it no heed. She was told three days before the closure of the factory in Carlow what would happen but the Department did nothing to prevent its...

Seanad: Order of Business. (30 Nov 2005)

Fergal Browne: Warlords in South America are clearing rainforests and abusing workers, who will not gain anything. Greencore has walked off the pitch in Ireland, taken the football and locked the gate ensuring nobody else can play. It is a disgrace. An urgent debate on this issue is needed. I do not have confidence in the Minister on this issue. She has been an unmitigated disaster since she took up office.

Seanad: Order of Business. (30 Nov 2005)

Fergal Browne: She never had it in the first place.

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (30 Nov 2005)

Fergal Browne: There are many typographical errors in the Bill which would back up the claim by Senator Ryan about it being a bit rushed and badly thought-out. What are the implications of typographical errors? I have never seen a Bill with so many missing full stops, inverted commas, etc. Are there any implications apart from grammar? Perhaps the Minister of State will expand on amendment No. 38.

Seanad: Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (30 Nov 2005)

Fergal Browne: It is unusual to see so many typographical errors. One normally sees one or two in a Bill.