Results 9,581-9,600 of 11,271 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Hospitals Building Programme (24 Jun 2015)

Colm Burke: I wish to raise an issue I have raised previously in regard to identifying a site in Cork for a new hospital. We have three main hospitals in Cork, the South Infirmary, the Mercy University Hospital and Cork University Hospital. It is accepted that both the Mercy hospital and the South Infirmary have little space to expand to provide additional services and there is a need to identify a new...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Hospitals Building Programme (24 Jun 2015)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State for the reply and dealing with the matter in detail. I am concerned that the Minister and the Department would not have a direct role. The Minister is the person who develops policy. We are discussing reconfiguring the Mercy University Hospital and the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, which is accepted by everybody. However, we also need to...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jun 2015)

Colm Burke: I wish to raise two matters. Following on from Senator Bradford's contribution about nursing homes, the annual cost for the fair deal scheme is €993 million or very close to €1 billion. I have highlighted this issue previously in the House. We face major long-term challenges in this regard. Every year more than 20,000 people will reach the age of 65 and the number of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Country Specific Recommendations 2015 (Ireland): Discussion (18 Jun 2015)

Colm Burke: I thank Mr. Coffey for his presentation. He referred in his presentation to the cost of pharmaceutical products, which increased from €570 million a year in 2000 to €2 billion by 2010, a huge increase. No checks and balances seem to have been applied. Legislation on the use of generic drugs has been introduced and we are moving closer to the same usage ratio as in the UK....

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Jury Service (18 Jun 2015)

Colm Burke: I have been asked to raise this matter by a prosecuting counsel who works for the State in criminal cases. It relates to jury service and the difficulties in some areas where the required number of jurors is not available. What has caused concern are two recent cases which took a great deal of time to run; the Ian Bailey and Graham Dwyer cases. In one case, the jurors sat for more than 60...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Jury Service (18 Jun 2015)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State. He might clarify whether there is any timeframe for the juries Bill. Will we see it before the end of the Government's term or will it be published in the next Government's term?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Affordable High-Quality Child Care: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Jun 2015)

Colm Burke: I welcome the witnesses and thank them for their comprehensive presentations. I apologise for having to leave for a time to participate in a Commencement debate in the Seanad. One of the points that struck me when listening to the presentations is that what is lacking in this area is long-term planning. We need to set out a five-year and ten-year programme showing where we are at and where...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jun 2015)

Colm Burke: I think we should have a debate on the report on the cost of medical indemnity insurance, in relation to the medical profession, which was launched by the Joint Committee on Health and Children this morning. The major problems being faced by people who are working in the private health care sector in this country mean that some positions cannot be filled. The annual professional indemnity...

Seanad: Tackling Obesity in Ireland: Statements (17 Jun 2015)

Colm Burke: We are facing major problems in this country and I agree with what the Minister had to say about the World Health Organization. We have a growing problem and, while we seem to have been able to get to grips with the health problems caused by smoking, obesity is now our most serious problem. It has moved ahead of smoking as an issue. Some 61% of Irish adults are overweight or obese and one...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2015)

Colm Burke: I join colleagues in conveying condolences to the families who have lost a son or daughter. I also express my condolences to those who have suffered serious injury and to their parents and families. I thank the Department of Foreign Affairs for being so proactive in helping the families. It is extremely important that families get every possible support at this time. I join Senator Bacik...

Seanad: Health (General Practitioner Service) Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Jun 2015)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank her for bringing forward this Bill to introduce GP cards for the over-70s who are beneath a certain income level, which is €36,400 per annum. That is substantial income and the threshold for a couple would be €72,000. Some 36,000 people will benefit from the introduction of this Bill. The scheme will also be rolled out...

Seanad: Health (General Practitioner Service) Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Jun 2015)

Colm Burke: Next Tuesday.

Seanad: Health (General Practitioner Service) Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Jun 2015)

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

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Affordable High-Quality Child Care: Discussion (11 Jun 2015)

Colm Burke: I thank the witnesses for their very comprehensive presentations. Having been in the private sector for many years, I am well aware of the issues associated with running any business. Ms Michele Akerlind referred to rates of €13,000 per annum. That works out at €250 per week, which is quite a lot of money. With regard to the cost of providing services, I am not looking for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Dublin Dental University Hospital: Chairman Designate (11 Jun 2015)

Colm Burke: I thank Mr. Nolan for his presentation and congratulate him on his appointment. I wish him every success in it. Can I flag up two issues with him in view of his presentation? If I am out of order the Chairman may say so. In his submission, Mr. Nolan said it is important to ensure that there is equivalence of treatment for all those eligible for health service-provided dental care in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: St. James's Hospital, Dublin: Chairman Designate (11 Jun 2015)

Colm Burke: I thank Mr. Donnelly for his detailed submission. His curriculum vitae is highly impressive. I congratulate him on his achievements to date and wish him well in his new role. I will raise two issues of great relevance to the health service. Mr. Donnelly has acquired considerable experience in technology, an area in which health service has not been heavily involved. I understand, for...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jun 2015)

Colm Burke: I support Senator O’Donovan’s point on hospital waiting lists. There is now a major problem in that regard. Part of the problem is due to the lack of long-term planning, in particular from 2003 on when we did not employ enough consultants. The last time I inquired about the matter when the HSE attended the Committee on Health and Children, it was confirmed that more than 325...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Organ Donation (9 Jun 2015)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister to the House. This is a short Commencement matter relating to living donors of kidney transplants. The issue of giving assistance to donors was raised at the health committee some months ago. If a person is a living donor he or she will obviously be out of work for a period. My understanding is that it can be anything up to three months. The entire cost of dialysis...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Organ Donation (9 Jun 2015)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister for a comprehensive reply. The only other question I have in respect of the kidney donation issue relates to the current position on the number of consultants we require. I realise it was not part of my question. Anyway, we have over 1,800 people on dialysis. Let us compare this to Norway, which has a population of 4.8 million. It has only approximately 370 or 380...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jun 2015)

Colm Burke: I support Senator Michael Mullins's call for tax incentive for doctors, particularly those who have given up jobs and gone back to college under the graduate entry programme. If I was to borrow money in the morning to set up a business, I would be entitled to write off the interest on those borrowings against the profits I make in the business. On the other hand, if I were to give up my job...