Results 741-760 of 6,611 for speaker:Seán Kyne

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Nov 2023)

Seán Kyne: I again request a debate on matters regarding Inland Fisheries Ireland, IFI. I am sure the Leader is familiar with Aasleagh Lodge and the Erriff Fishery which is in a beautiful part of the world in south Mayo on the border with Galway. Up to 2016 it was a thriving tourist amenity in the area. In 2016, IFI decided to sell the lodge and cottages and retain a salmon fishery in State...

Seanad: Ban on Dumping New Products Bill 2022: Committee Stage (8 Nov 2023)

Seán Kyne: I thank Sinn Féin Senators for publishing this Bill and bringing it before the House. I have not bought second-hand clothes but I have been known to have clothes repaired, particularly suits and overcoats. That is important. They are expensive products and it is right they be repaired when it is possible to do so. A number of companies, such as Cartier and Burberry, were mentioned....

Seanad: Ban on Dumping New Products Bill 2022: Committee Stage (8 Nov 2023)

Seán Kyne: Tomorrow at 9.30 a.m.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Oct 2023)

Seán Kyne: I concur with Senator Lombard. There is an animal welfare issue and a moral issue there. The vast majority of farmers would not knowingly send an animal in calf to slaughter. If this is required under directives or nitrates derogations or for our carbon footprint, well it has to be reversed. We cannot allow that sort of thing to happen and farmers to be forced to send animals to slaughter...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (24 Oct 2023)

Seán Kyne: In yesterday's edition of the Irish Independent, its environment correspondent, Caroline O'Doherty, wrote about another monumental cock-up in Inland Fisheries Ireland, IFI, which will result in the failure of dozens of prosecutions for fisheries offences throughout the country. This follows on from the discovery of a similar mess-up a few years ago due to a flaw in the 2010 Act that set up...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Seán Kyne: I welcome Mr. Gloster, Mr. Watt and the teams to the meeting. I want to start with the briefing that was published on budget day. According to the little booklet, €1.3 billion has been allocated to respond to Covid-19. How much of that is part of the Department's funding health and is it included in the €22 billion budget? I know that money is being spent on vaccines. What...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Seán Kyne: That is fine. It is not for Covid per sebut, rather, the legacy of Covid and catch-up.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Seán Kyne: Perfect. All hospitals do important work but some are better than others, as Mr. Gloster would attest to. Waterford hospital has been mentioned in that regard. Is there a matrix, if you like, between the number of patients seen and the cost of running the hospital? Can hospital budgets and outputs be measured in order that they can be ranked?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Seán Kyne: Mr. Watt, in his opening statement, stated “Focusing on the past three years, we have added an additional 22,000 healthcare staff...” He mentioned 6,700 nurses, 3,100 social care professionals and 2,500 doctors and dentists. There were 9,700 other staff. What is the breakdown of those? There is security and cleaning staff, for example. Do we have a breakdown of those?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Seán Kyne: Referring to his opening statement again, Mr. Watt stated about 42% of the expenditure is on pay, so that is about €9.45 billion. Some €3.2 billion will be spent on pharma by the end of the year. Those figures account for about €12 billion of the €22 billion. Is there a breakdown of the remainder, for example, for pensions, perhaps under large heads?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Seán Kyne: It has been said, and the witnesses can dispute this or not, that part of the problem is that if the HSE gets an allocation for 200 particular posts and cannot fill those posts, it still spends the money on other staff. Is that the case? Does that happen or does the HSE go back to the Department for approval?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Seán Kyne: What does that mean in and of itself?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Seán Kyne: Does that mean retention is getting better?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Seán Kyne: Yes, I understand not getting down to that level of specifics but if the service has funding for 500 nurses and can only get 300, surely that money can be used for other staffing costs. I am trying to understand whether approval is sought or given in those circumstances or is it all kept within the HSE?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Seán Kyne: Is that something Mr. Watt agrees with?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Seán Kyne: Is there an actual strategy? Is there a physical document? The witnesses have used the term "pay and numbers strategy". Can we get a copy of that? Is it available?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Seán Kyne: On the first page of his submission, Mr. Watt refers to a 40% increase in WTEs, from 91,559 to 122,273. Were some of those moratorium posts from the last time? Was there a carry-over of staff who should have been in place in the period up to 2016?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Seán Kyne: Had the moratorium been fully lifted at that stage?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Seán Kyne: Perfect. An additional 178,000 patients have been treated to date this year. Extra patients obviously mean extra PPE, such as gowns and gloves, and more blood tests, X-rays and all of that. For the coming year, Mr. Watt expects for a 23% increase in expenditure on medical and surgical supplies and an 18% increase in heat and light costs, laboratory costs, X-ray imaging and the costs of...