Results 7,481-7,500 of 11,979 for speaker:Billy Kelleher

Written Answers — Department of Health: Departmental Expenditure (12 Mar 2013)

Billy Kelleher: To ask the Minister for Health the savings that will accrue to his Department, the Health Service Executive and any other organisation under his remit as a result of the recent Public Service Agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12672/13]

Other Questions: School Staffing (7 Mar 2013)

Billy Kelleher: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason 153 retired teachers were on the payroll of his Department in December 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11979/13]

Water Services Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages (7 Mar 2013)

Billy Kelleher: Another chance for the Seanad to save itself.

Leaders' Questions (7 Mar 2013)

Billy Kelleher: How can the Government make savings if there is no cut?

Leaders' Questions (7 Mar 2013)

Billy Kelleher: There is no saving so.

Leaders' Questions (7 Mar 2013)

Billy Kelleher: The Labour Party encouraged people to vote for it because there was not going to be a property tax.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Service Executive Service Plan 2013: Discussion with HSE (7 Mar 2013)

Billy Kelleher: That money is centrally held.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Service Executive Service Plan 2013: Discussion with HSE (7 Mar 2013)

Billy Kelleher: I welcome the delegation from the HSE. This will be a challenging year. If one looks at the budget overrun last year and the deficit that has been carried forward it certainly puts the HSE in a difficult position. While we are basing budgets on estimates, there are a number of key issues that we do not know anything about. I do not see anything about the smaller hospital framework and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Service Executive Service Plan 2013: Discussion with HSE (7 Mar 2013)

Billy Kelleher: Mr. O'Brien refers in his opening statement to policy change reducing eligibility for approximately 40,000 people who have a medical card. Will somebody outline the policy change in respect of eligibility? The key question is whether the change in eligibility will impact on 40,000 or is that the minimum number of people on whom it will impact? While the policy change may withdraw medical...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Service Executive Service Plan 2013: Discussion with HSE (7 Mar 2013)

Billy Kelleher: It does not involve Cork. I can raise it at another stage. I wish to raise in general terms the policy in respect of the smaller hospitals framework.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Service Executive Service Plan 2013: Discussion with HSE (7 Mar 2013)

Billy Kelleher: The smaller hospitals framework document will be published at some stage this year. The hospital groupings will be published as well. We have been told previously by the HSE and the Minister for Health that they are linked and they will form a central policy. Having read Mr. O'Brien's speech and looked at the estimates for the budgets, are some of the savings identified in this national...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Fire Service Issues (7 Mar 2013)

Billy Kelleher: To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide the detailed data and risk assessment that his Department used to base its finding for Keeping Communities Safe document; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12050/13]

Health Insurance: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (6 Mar 2013)

Billy Kelleher: It is an awful lot of money.

Health Insurance: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (6 Mar 2013)

Billy Kelleher: I hope the Deputy was listening as opposed to watching. There is now a cohort of people in this country who are finding it very difficult to live on a daily basis, pay bills, fund themselves, put their children through school and all that goes with it.

Health Insurance: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (6 Mar 2013)

Billy Kelleher: They are primarily people on the lower pay scale. The budget that was passed last year, for example, was a direct attack on people on lower rates of pay. No effort was made by this Government to help them. This was confirmed by the ESRI which said that the last two budgets were regressive. In other words, those who had least paid most. The Minister knows that Labour should have insisted...

Health Insurance: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (6 Mar 2013)

Billy Kelleher: The Labour Party threatened to walk out of Government because the universal social charge was not increased, yet they walked back in and it still has not been increased, so what has changed? I commend this motion to the House. I ask the Government to consider our proposals in full and, more important, to understand the pressure that families are under on a daily basis in trying to retain...

Health Insurance: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (6 Mar 2013)

Billy Kelleher: -----but we still do not know what the Minister proposes. Fine Gael and the Labour Party had a great debate about whether it would be a social insurance model and now we find it will be a private universal health care model. This is what seems to be emanating. Officials have gone to Germany and the United States and done the rounds.

Health Insurance: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (6 Mar 2013)

Billy Kelleher: We will publish a policy document, which will be fair and equitable and will not be an amalgam of two parties with varying views and pre-election promises cobbled together in a programme for Government. We will publish something fair and equitable and based on people being able to access health care at the point of need without hindrance. In the meantime, what the Government is doing in its...

Health Insurance: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (6 Mar 2013)

Billy Kelleher: The Government is going into its third year and in six months time it will be halfway through its mandate.

Health Insurance: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (6 Mar 2013)

Billy Kelleher: Perhaps I would do as well as the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The Government will not have published universal health insurance proposals until halfway through the mandated term.