Results 9,781-9,800 of 11,271 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Business of Seanad (11 Feb 2015)

Colm Burke: I am concerned because this matter has been ongoing for seven years and I find I am going from a Minister to a local authority and from a local authority to a Minister. I have a family with a child who has a physical and intellectual disability where urgent work needs to be done on the house for it to be adapted and I am not getting answers. This has been ongoing for over six months and I...

Seanad: Business of Seanad (11 Feb 2015)

Colm Burke: I will resubmit it on Tuesday. That is appreciated and I thank the Cathaoirleach.

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Feb 2015)

Colm Burke: I will follow up Senator Whelan's comments and there was a welcome development yesterday on the matter. The Senator is correct in that the cost went from €560 million or €570 million in 2000 to more than €2 billion by 2010. The good news comes from more recent figures. In the past year or perhaps 2013 - I an awaiting clarification on that - the cost has decreased from...

Seanad: Overseas Development: Statements (4 Feb 2015)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for the work he is doing in this area, which is extremely important. A total of €600 million will be spent in 2015. In recent years we have had very good value for money for this expenditure, and we will continue to do so because the money allocated is very carefully managed and delivers very good results. The key areas where Ireland...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Feb 2015)

Colm Burke: I refer to the issue of attendance in accident and emergency departments, which was raised by a number of colleagues. That is one issue but collection of attendance fees is another. My understanding is more than €2 million still has not been collected for 2013. This matter should be dealt with and it is important to get a response from the Minister regarding what action is being...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Accident and Emergency Departments (4 Feb 2015)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State for her comprehensive response. The nursing homes represent the private sector. As the Minister of State has said, unions are represented on the task force, which is extremely important. Around 22,000 beds are provided by the private sector and, therefore, it plays a major part in dealing with the issues involved. It would be interesting to discuss the...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Accident and Emergency Departments (4 Feb 2015)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister to the House and thank her for dealing with this matter. I welcome the decision by the Minister and the Minister of State in dealing with the emergency that has arisen in recent weeks with regard to the overcrowding in accident and emergency departments, with the large numbers increasing. As I said to someone recently, if we take the figures for last year we see that,...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Feb 2015)

Colm Burke: I join Senator Bacik in her remarks regarding the sale of Aer Lingus. From Cork's point of view, it is important that the connection to Heathrow would not disappear. No matter what agreement is reached, we will have no control over that connection if we no longer hold the 25.1% shareholding.

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Feb 2015)

Colm Burke: Even with 25.1% we do not control Aer Lingus, but our chances of retaining that connection will be considerably reduced if the 25.1% is sold. Following the sale of Irish Sugar to Greencore, the country lost its sugar quota and an entire industry disappeared. I hope that the same will not happen in terms of Aer Lingus. I wish to raise a further matter of concern to me, namely, the...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: Senator Norris raised an interesting question relating to the costs of the Oireachtas. It is important that we set out clearly that if we abolished the Seanad and the Dáil in the morning, there would be a saving of €100 million, which in real terms is about two days of social welfare. At the moment, we are paying around €400 million a week in social welfare payments. It...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: It was a matter of concern that the HSE did not have an overall picture of where the vacancies existed. It is important for this issue to be prioritised and that we recruit the good people who are there to provide the service we require.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Seventh Report on Child Protection 2014: Discussion (29 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I thank Dr. Shannon for his comprehensive report. In respect of care orders and the birth of the child, is there any analysis as to the number of children being born where there is clear evidence that the mother is using drugs? I remember how in the 1990s, the figures I got from one hospital showed that in any one day, ten babies were suffering from withdrawal symptoms. That did not mean...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Seventh Report on Child Protection 2014: Discussion (29 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: On the issue of care orders before birth, this is a very difficult area with which to deal. I fully accept that Dr. Shannon has examined all aspects of it. The big problem that will also arise is that if a care order is in place before birth, a partner who may have the same problem as the mother may intervene. The latter can give rise to a number of difficulties for medical and nursing...

Seanad: Universities (Development and Innovation) (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (28 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: The Minister is very welcome and I thank her for her very comprehensive response. This area is very important. When I was lord mayor of Cork I had the privilege of visiting Shanghai in China at the request of University College Cork, which wanted to establish a connection with Fudan University and Shanghai University. This brought home to me the need to grow and develop our universities...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: We must be very careful about the requirement that a purchaser have a 20% deposit for purchasing a house. One of the current problems in this country is that a huge number of people in the 25 to 40 year old age group have not had the opportunity to acquire their own property. I accept the reason the Central Bank put forward this proposal of a 20% deposit once the property is over a certain...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Medical Indemnity Insurance Costs: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I apologise for missing some of the proceedings. I thank all the witnesses for their attendance and the comprehensive presentations they have provided on the issues. Ms Courtney's story about the difficulties she experienced was telling. I read the full report she provided, which highlights the difficulties people experience and the hurdles they must jump when dealing with issues of this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Medical Indemnity Insurance Costs: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I would like to ask a follow-up question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Medical Indemnity Insurance Costs: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: In terms of the rules of court, why has that not happened? What is stopping it from happening?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Medical Indemnity Insurance Costs: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: If the legislation went through in the morning, how long would it take? It is important we get clear answers.

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I agree with Senator Darragh O'Brien's points in relation to the sale of the State's 25.1% share in Aer Lingus. It should not be forgotten that the remaining 74.9% was sold off when Fianna Fáil was in government. Interestingly, yesterday a caller to an RTE radio show blamed this Government for the sale of Eircom. Senator Darragh O'Brien's party was responsible for the sale of that...