Results 9,381-9,400 of 11,271 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Jun 2016)

Colm Burke: I support my colleague Senator Tim Lombard in his call for the reorganisation of local authorities in the Cork area. I know he has served on Cork County Council, but I have served on Cork City Council. I believe there is a need for a comprehensive review of the areas covered by local authorities. There has been a debate on whether there should be just one local authority or whether we...

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (30 Jun 2016)

Colm Burke: I support the Minister of State in bringing forward the Bill and I believe the amendments will cause complications in the legal process in terms of prosecuting pushers. The Minister of State has taken advice and, as I understand it, the Government will not be accepting the amendments as they are drafted. In fairness, the Minister of State outlined yesterday that there is a proposal to...

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (30 Jun 2016)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State for introducing the Bill, which is only a small part of what needs to be done in this area. All Senators who spoke made constructive contributions. The Senators who tabled amendments hold genuine beliefs, and their views must be taken on board, albeit not in this Bill. I agree with them that the issue they have raised must be addressed expeditiously and I hope...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jun 2016)

Colm Burke: I agree with Senator Landy on the number of items being raised during the Order of Business. It would be far more practical if we stuck to one item. I wish to mention an issue raised by the retailers' group RGDATA. This concerns the report from the Data Commissioner on the use of CCTV footage to prevent crime in retail units. Retailers have now been advised that they cannot share this...

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2016)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House and introducing the legislation. It is important that it be enacted at the earliest possible date. It is important also that we take account of the amendments tabled, but not in the sense of incorporating them in this legislation. Instead, they might be incorporated into a more comprehensive Bill, which I understand will be introduced...

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2016)

Colm Burke: The Fine Gael group is supporting the Minister and will not support the amendments. It is important we debate the matter but that these things are taken into account in future legislation.

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2016)

Colm Burke: I also commend the Minister of State on her contribution, but I advise my colleagues that there is a legal aspect to the issue as well in terms of the interpretation the courts can give. The amendments tabled will cause problems in terms of taking action against any pusher if the amendments, as tabled, are adopted. I am coming purely from a legal perspective. If accepted, the amendments...

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2016)

Colm Burke: Tomorrow.

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Jun 2016)

Colm Burke: I join with colleagues in congratulating the Irish team and all the people involved in its performance in the championship. They did the country proud, as did the supporters in the way they behaved, in that they put forward a very positive message for Ireland. An issue that is coming up more and more in rural areas is that community groups and sporting organisations require people to work...

Seanad: United Kingdom Referendum on European Union Membership: Statements (28 Jun 2016)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister for giving of his time today to debate this important matter. One of the views that has been expressed is that England did not plan for this decision, which may be a misreading of the facts. There has been some work done in the UK with regard to how it would manage this exit. I have in my possession a report from the House of Lords which was sent for printing on 28...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Care of the Elderly (23 Jun 2016)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State and thank her for taking this matter which concerns long-term planning. The Minister has set out clearly the need for a ten-year strategy on palliative care. However, we need to consider the HSE's 2015 annual report and the emphasis placed in it on the need for urgency in dealing with demographic influences. Let us consider the figures. In this regard, the...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Care of the Elderly (23 Jun 2016)

Colm Burke: I have a question on home care. One of the big problems in rural areas is finding suitably qualified people to look after elderly people. Can we develop a new initiative in that area? It is now a fundamental issue. I am dealing with a case where someone is on dialysis three days a week and is living in a rural area. That person needs that additional support but in a rural area it is...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Jun 2016)

Colm Burke: I, too, congratulate both Irish teams. It is a great achievement for the Irish soccer team to reach the final 16 of Euro 2016. I say "Well done" to everyone concerned, the management, players and their back-up support. I wish to refer to an important Supreme Court decision that was issued in the past few days as it concerns checks and balances. I advise everyone to read the decision. I...

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016: Order for Second Stage (23 Jun 2016)

Colm Burke: I move: "That Second Stage be taken today."

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (23 Jun 2016)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State. I congratulate her on her appointment and wish her every success in her new role.I welcome the Bill. Earlier, on the Order of Business, I referred to the Supreme Court judgment which set aside the Court of Criminal Appeal judgment. The reason I referred to that matter was the delegation of powers in respect of bringing in regulations or statutory...

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (23 Jun 2016)

Colm Burke: At 2.30 p.m. next Tuesday.

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Jun 2016)

Colm Burke: I wish to raise the issue of obesity, on which matter there has been much discussion. Someone approached me recently with a concern about vending machines in hospitals. In one case, the machine was within a short distance of a children's unit. Available in it were all sorts of chocolates, sweets, etc. The message on obesity that we hope to send, in health care facilities in particular, is...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Jun 2016)

Colm Burke: Senator Leyden raised the important issue of increased insurance costs, but he did not refer to the profits of insurance companies. We got rid of the jury system for deciding on the level of damages a number of years ago because we thought such a move would lead to cheaper insurance. We then set up the Personal Injuries Assessment Board because we thought it would result in cuts in legal...

Seanad: Health: Statements (21 Jun 2016)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister to the House. I am delighted that he is here with us dealing with the health programme, in particular the need for a ten-year development plan for health. It is extremely important. One of the things that concerns me regarding the whole health care area is why every issue that comes up in the media seems to be very negative in its content, whereas there are a lot of...

Seanad: Health: Statements (21 Jun 2016)

Colm Burke: At 10.30 a.m. tomorrow.