Results 8,161-8,180 of 11,246 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (28 May 2019)

Colm Burke: Now.

Seanad: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (28 May 2019)

Colm Burke: At 10.30 a.m. tomorrow.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Road Network (16 May 2019)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State. My issue is that, as the Minister of State is aware, there is a long-standing proposal to build the new Cork to Limerick motorway. It is back on the books and a new contract was signed recently to start the initial process of identifying the route and delivering a motorway between Cork and Limerick, or as people in Limerick would say, the Limerick to Cork...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Road Network (16 May 2019)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State for her contribution. It concerns the one area where road infrastructure needs to be built. The reason I suggest the eastern section should be done first is the western section is complicated because of the landscape. If there is a decision to work on all parts of the north ring road together, one will keep hearing the project is expensive and that the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (16 May 2019)

Colm Burke: My colleague on the opposite side of the House raised the issue of housing. The Central Statistics Office, CSO, has released figures today for house and apartment completions in the first quarter of 2019. The total number is 4,275.This is very welcome news. It shows that every effort is being made by the Government to encourage the building of new houses and apartments, as well as making...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 May 2019)

Colm Burke: I thank the House for its support for a Private Members' Bill that has passed through the Seanad and is now going through the Dáil. The Cabinet approved a money message for the Bill in question yesterday. This means the Bill can go through the Dáil and be enacted. We hope this will happen by July of this year. The Bill is important for the families of missing persons. I...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 May 2019)

Colm Burke: I am reading with concern about the appointments that may be made in the Football Association of Ireland, FAI, and about how some influence might be brought to bear by what are perceived to be Government agencies, if not by the Government itself. It is important that every organisation in the country maintain its independence. I am not saying there is interference, but I understand some...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Second Stage (14 May 2019)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister for the work that he is doing. Dealing with the housing market is a major challenge. The big change that we have seen is the increase in employment. We have many more people coming into the country than ever before. Instead of leaving the country, people are staying here. As a result, we have higher demand for accommodation. The demand for housing poses major...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Second Stage (14 May 2019)

Colm Burke: Their circumstances have changed. I came across a situation where someone let out their own house following a bereavement in the family. That person went to rent an alternative house in a different location, but when they wanted to move back into their own home, it took 14 months to get possession of their own house. When the person got possession, they got no rent for the 14 months and...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2018: Second Stage (14 May 2019)

Colm Burke: We have seen where tenants have abused their situation and just moved into a new property because there are no checks and balances in the system. We need to be careful about this. I have always had a strong view about this. I have no problem with investors investing in the property market here. It is welcome. I keep raising the issue of long-term tenancies and making the tenant...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Free Travel Scheme (8 May 2019)

Colm Burke: My question relates to a person who receives money from the Office of Wards of Court arising from compensation for a road traffic accident. The person has a disability and attends a service every day, by bus, which ensures they are not confined to a home for the rest of their lives. Their medical condition is so serious that they will never drive again so they have to use public transport...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Free Travel Scheme (8 May 2019)

Colm Burke: This is a genuine case in which a person is travelling every day to attend a service for people with disabilities.This person has a serious disability. They appear not to have the same rights as other people because they are in receipt of moneys from the Office of Wards of Court, and if they, for instance, went to apply for disability allowance in the morning, they would qualify for a...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 May 2019)

Colm Burke: All we have at the moment is negative coverage. Last Wednesday in Cork the Taoiseach opened a new primary care centre. It is 62,000 sq. ft. in size and the largest in the country. There are 12 general practitioners, GPs, physiotherapists, mental health teams and dieticians in this brand new centre, but not one square inch of coverage was given to it by any of the media outlets, even though...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (16 Apr 2019)

Colm Burke: I am concerned about the charges imposed by local authorities on voluntary organisations, especially sports clubs, in developing new facilities. Where a club seeks planning permission for the development of playing pitches or a clubhouse, charges are imposed on it. Local authorities now seem to be requiring sports clubs to complete roadworks on the public road. In a pre-planning meeting...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Fibromyalgia Support Services (11 Apr 2019)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I wish to raise the issue of fibromyalgia and the need for an improved medical service in this area. As the Minister of State will know, this condition involves nerve dysfunction and causes chronic pain and fatigue. People who have the condition suffer a lot from migraine. Restless leg syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and difficulty in...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Fibromyalgia Support Services (11 Apr 2019)

Colm Burke: As the Minister of State is aware and dealt with in her reply, this is a complicated issue. It is difficult because the condition presents in different ways but enough research has now been done to clearly show that this illness is long term and does not resolve. There are 15 different conditions recognised under the long-term illness scheme. We should be trying to take a more planned...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Apr 2019)

Colm Burke: I wish to raise the issue of overall care in the private hospital sector. It is interesting that in the UK, a person was convicted in the past few weeks with regard to carrying out unnecessary operations. It has been established that unnecessary mastectomies were carried out and that over 750 patients must now be compensated. This issue concerns accountability in the health service. While...

Seanad: An Bille um an Ochtú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Scaoileadh ar Phósadh) 2016: An Dara Céim - Thirty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution (Dissolution of Marriage) Bill 2016: Second Stage (9 Apr 2019)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister for bringing forward this proposed amendment to the Constitution. It is a change which is required. I will raise some points for consideration based on my experience of dealing with the family law courts. Some people have used the courts system to delay the process of separation and divorce. For instance, I am aware of one case which has been ongoing for 18 years....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services Provision (4 Apr 2019)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, to the House. This morning I wish to raise the need for treatment services for persons with lymphoedema. As the Minister of State is aware lymphoedema is a condition of painful swelling in body tissue. It can affect any part of the body but usually develops in the arms and-or legs. Once lymphoedema has developed it is a lifelong...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services Provision (4 Apr 2019)

Colm Burke: I welcome the decision by the Department. The Minister of State will be aware that the model of care has been published. Lymphoedema Ireland has worked hard to get it to this stage. It is important that what happened to the GPs in terms of the hard work they did to introduce new ways of dealing with issues to reduce costs does not happen in this regard. This is about saving money and,...