Results 961-980 of 1,966 for speaker:Mary Henry

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: I thank the Minister for clarifying this.

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: I support Senator Dardis on this matter. Naturally the Minister would never interfere in such a way but I am thinking of her successors.

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: I move amendment No. 6: In page 15, subsection (1)(c), line 42, to delete "who is not eligible to be so registered, but". A mode of thinking exists that the professions cannot be relied on to regulate themselves. However, it is somewhat harsh to rule a vet out of Veterinary Council membership if he or she is already heavily involved in an animal welfare organisation. If the head of the donkey...

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: The purpose of my amendment was not to increase the critical mass of vets. I am grateful that the Minister has tabled her own amendment to do so. As Senator Quinn said, this person will be appointed by the Minister. While some excellent people without veterinary qualifications work in the animal welfare area, if the best person for the position was a registered veterinary practitioner he or...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2005 [Certified Money Bill]: Second Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I will not take up too much of his time by praising him for all the great things he did because many Senators have heaped praise on him. I was pleased to see the improvements in payments and conditions for foster care. There is a serious shortage of foster parents and it is extremely important that we make it appear sufficiently attractive for...

Seanad: Order of Business. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: I join Senators O'Toole, Ryan and Higgins in expressing concern about the deportation of the young Nigerian boy three months before he was due to sit the leaving certificate. Will the Leader express our concern to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and request that he allow the boy to return? I ask this for two reasons, the first of which relates to the boy's welfare. It would...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: I welcome the introduction of medical cards of any description. I think my colleagues in general practice are glad to see that those who are genuinely deserving will receive these cards. The Minister of State is correct in saying that advice and reassurance is frequently all that is needed. It is not a case of there being a pill for every ill. However, advice and reassurance take far longer...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: I do not expect the Minister to answer me immediately as the information may not be available to him, but our constituents are concerned about whether these cards will be phased in or all arrive on the same day.

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: I think the House has heard enough from me for the moment.

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: I am anxious that a spouse who may not have been seen for years may be used as a measure of assessment but I will not repeat my previous comments. Section 5(3) provides that "a choice of medical practitioner shall be offered under the general practitioner medical and surgical service made available under this section" wherever it is considered practicable by the Health Service Executive. I...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: It is nice to have support from the Government side of the House and I am sure the Minister knows this is an urgent problem that must be addressed.

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Report and Final Stages. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: I move amendment No. 1: In page 3, line 17, after "spouse," to insert "unless they be separated for more than five years,". I will not delay the House as I already raised my concerns about this on Committee Stage. It is quite common here that people who parted after a very short time of marriage did not get a divorce because there was no divorce in this country. We must also take into account...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Report and Final Stages. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: If the Minister of State has legal advice, I hope it is right. I also hope that if it is right, it is taken. We have had a lot of trouble over legal advice that was or was not taken recently. I hate to see legislation being passed that I think will put some people in a difficult situation in the future. These people are the very ones who will not be in a position to take legal advice because...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Report and Final Stages. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: I thank the Minister of State for his time and consideration. I hope my fears about this do not come to pass. The doctor-only medical card could be useful because it might decrease our reliance on pharmaceuticals. This is a double-edged sword because we rely so heavily on the pharmaceutical industry for employment that we pay some of the highest prices in Europe for pharmaceutical products....

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: Planning ahead is always a good idea and the amendment suggests this should happen. I have one concern which I am sure the Minister will address. There is a dichotomy in this situation. The Department of Health and Children is in charge of policy and this matter is a policy issue regarding the care of the elderly in public and private nursing homes. However, the accounting and auditing of the...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: Section 1 allows a great deal of discretion regarding what might happen to people because of the clause "including the means of the spouse, if any, of that person in addition to the person's own means". If a couple had been separated for decades, would the legislation take account of that? I presume there are clauses in the legislation to ensure that huge sums of money cannot be transferred...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: That is what I said could happen but it could also happen the other way round.

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: Flexibility has got us into the mess we are in.

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: The other case mentioned by the Minister of State brings up exactly what I meant when I said that one could have a situation where all funds were transferred to the name of the other spouse so that the person would seem incredibly poor. It is also necessary to consider the other side of the coin, where one could have people who have been separated for a very long time. One such person could...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (10 Mar 2005)

Mary Henry: One hears constant complaints that we are supposed to be legislators but just come in here to act as messenger boys or girls. If I see an aspect of a law that I believe may cause injustice, I must point it out.