Results 9,801-9,820 of 11,271 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Direct Provision: Statements (22 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for the work he is doing in this area. One of the big issues we need to approach is the question of the time delay in the processing of applications. Some 21% of those currently in direct provision are there for seven years or longer, while 13.1% are there for six to seven years and 10.6% are there for five to six years. Quite a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Medical Indemnity Insurance Costs: Discussion (22 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I thank the witnesses for attending and providing such comprehensive submissions. I disclose that I am a solicitor and I hope they will not hold that against me when replying to my questions. The witnesses have stated that at the end of 2014 there were 2,840 claims with the State Claims Agency at an estimated cost of €1.159 billion. Over what period is that likely to be paid out?...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Medical Indemnity Insurance Costs: Discussion (22 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I would like to ask the MPS about premiums increasing by 60% in the past two years. Does it believe this will happen again over the next two years? If that occurs, where does that leave the MPS within the Irish market? It is important that question is answered.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Medical Indemnity Insurance Costs: Discussion (22 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: If the capping levels are reduced-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Public Health and Food Safety: European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety (22 Jan 2015)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Commissioner and wish him every success in his role in the coming five years. I thank him for his presentation. I will focus on the issue of tobacco and the changes required throughout Europe. The tobacco products directive went through on 20 May 2014 and member states have two years to transpose the new rules. What additional changes to existing directives and what new...

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;...