Results 9,781-9,800 of 11,246 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I agree with what Senator Darragh O'Brien said about the whole area of home care. I do not think we are putting enough emphasis on the need to provide adequate support to people who are in their homes. There is a huge saving in real terms to the State when people are cared for in their own homes. The cost of nursing home care to the State is very significant at the moment. We need to help...

Seanad: HSE National Service Plan 2015: Statements (20 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister back to the House. He was here earlier dealing with the Commencement debates. I welcome the service plan that has been set out clearly for 2014. We are talking about a substantial budget of €12.131 billion. The service plan clearly outlines how that budget is to be spent over the next 12 months. It is important that we get value for money but also that...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I wish to refer to the debate in the media during the past two weeks regarding accident and emergency departments. There is a shortage of real information on the services provided by the dedicated staff in those departments. For instance, it is projected that there will be 451,000 emergency admissions in 2015. Information on what is happening should be made available. That figure equates...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: Yes, but it is important that we get the information out there and that we have a debate on this issue.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Medical Card Eligibility (20 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister for his reply. I am raising this matter in the context of what has occurred in recent weeks. Applications were made to the HSE's medical card office by people with serious illnesses, yet discretionary cards were not granted. There has been quite a lot of media comment on that. I fully accept what the Minister has said about Huntington's disease because I have dealt...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Medical Card Eligibility (20 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister to the House. The matter I raise relates to Huntington's disease. A presentation was made to the Joint Committee on Health and Children last Thursday by Dr. Niall Pender, principal clinical neuropsychologist with Beaumont Hospital. Huntington's disease is an inherited, progressive degenerative brain disease. There is currently no cure. In Ireland at present,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Developing a National Strategy for Coeliac Disease: Discussion (15 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I thank the witnesses for their detailed presentation and the documentation we have received. As regards the area of specialisation, how many specialists are working in this area and how are we doing in terms of the ratio of specialists to population? Is there a need for a lot more people in this area? The first point of contact people have is with their GP and a lot of GPs are working...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Developing a National Strategy for Coeliac Disease: Discussion (15 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: It relates to the use of dieticians and how we are not using them to the best effect in helping people. This goes back to the issue where 46.5% regarded their treatment as poor. How can we do a little more in relation to better co-ordination of services? What is the witnesses' recommendation in that area?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Developing a National Strategy for Coeliac Disease: Discussion (15 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: Perhaps Professor Kennedy would also deal with the issue of specialists.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Coping with Challenges of Huntington's Disease: Discussion (15 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I thank the witnesses for coming here to deal with this issue. Both presentations referred to a need to develop a facility in Cork. Has a consultation or discussion taken place? There are three hospitals in Cork city. Has a suitable unit been identified to deal with this matter on a long-term basis? Is a new unit just a proposal and no discussion has taken place? Can the proposal be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Coping with Challenges of Huntington's Disease: Discussion (15 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I also suggest the joint committee should write formally to the medical card centre to the effect that when someone is identified as having Huntington's disease, it should not be a long drawn-out process, as it is not a disease that goes away.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Coping with Challenges of Huntington's Disease: Discussion (15 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: The joint committee should write to the centre, in particular because the number of people affected is quite small in real terms.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Accident and Emergency Departments: Department of Health and Health Service Executive (15 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I thank the witnesses for the presentations. I have a question about the Bord Altranais agus Cnáimhseachais na hÉireann registration. A nurse who returned from the UK in early December and submitted an application has been advised that despite being due to start in a job on 1 January, the registration could not be completed until the end of January at the very earliest. Can...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Accident and Emergency Departments: Department of Health and Health Service Executive (15 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I do not understand why registration should take eight weeks. I have talked to people who have gone to New Zealand and Australia where, on average, it takes two weeks to register. I do not think it is acceptable that it takes eight weeks for health workers to be registered here when they come back home. It just does not make sense. Some representation should be made on the matter to see...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Dec 2014)

Colm Burke: I see where Senator Ó Clochartaigh is coming from. Where there is a health risk, Irish Water has a legal obligation to make full disclosure. In fairness, if it does not make a full disclosure, it walks a dangerous line because it must, at all times, keep and maintain records on water quality. These records must be made available if a person decides to enter litigation on a matter;...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Dec 2014)

Colm Burke: In fact, it would make it more confusing in terms of the definition of "householders". Someone might provide clarification because it is not defined in any section of the Bill. Should we now set out a definition of "householders" if we want to proceed with the amendment? On the contribution individuals are making to local government, there is a lack of knowledge of the contribution...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Dec 2014)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister to the House and thank him for being here. It is important for people to be constructive in this debate. In addition, those contributing should not be interrupted, as that is unhelpful. I welcome this section but do not agree with the amendment. Can someone give me a legal definition of "householder"? Does it have to be an owner, a tenant or just an occupier?...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Dec 2014)

Colm Burke: I join colleagues in wishing everyone a happy Christmas, including the staff, the Cathaoirleach and all Members. Regarding 2015, I hope we will not have to go through the process of an election until 2016. One of the issues that has come home to me in the debate on the water charges is the lack of information out there on the cost of running services in Ireland as evidenced in emails to me...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Prevention and Treatment of Lyme Disease: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Dec 2014)

Colm Burke: My apologies for not being present for the presentations, but I had to attend in the Seanad for votes. However, the delegates have given good responses to the questions put to them thus far. I would like to follow on from an issue highlighted by Deputy Billy Kelleher. There appears to be a huge difference of opinion on the diagnoses people are receiving from laboratories in Germany and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Regulation of Cosmetic Surgery: Discussion (18 Dec 2014)

Colm Burke: Given the total amount of cosmetic surgery done in Ireland, have we any idea of the number travelling abroad for cosmetic surgery? Are we coming across problems where persons have gone abroad for cosmetic surgery, come back into the system here and it has had to pick up on mistakes made?