Results 981-1,000 of 4,399 for speaker:Martin Browne

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Strategies (10 Oct 2023)

Martin Browne: 467. To ask the Minister for Health the progress made to date in the urgent and emergency care operational plan for 2023 at University Hospital Limerick; the progress made to date in immediately addressing the overcrowding and capacity issues at University Hospital Limerick ahead of a further increase due to winter demand; if further use will be made of Nenagh, Ennis and St. John's hospitals...

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee (5 Oct 2023)

Martin Browne: I welcome everyone to the meeting. Apologies have been received from Deputies Buckley and O'Donoghue and Senators Warfield and Lombard. Approval of the minutes of our previous meeting is being deferred until 18 October. I remind members of the constitutional requirement that members must be physically present within the confines of the place at which Parliament has chosen to sit, namely,...

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Martin Browne: Our next business is engagement with Mr. Joe Ryan and his colleagues at the HSE regarding the closure of vital health services in counties Galway, Cork and Tipperary, which relates to Nos. P00020/23, P00042/21 and P00048/21. Members of Loughrea concerned citizens group for the Seven Springs day centre, along with members of St. Brigid's action group and Ms Joanna Curtis for the Owenacurra...

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Martin Browne: I thank Mr. Ryan. Several Deputies who are not members of the committee are joining us today, including Deputies Canney, Hourigan and Mattie McGrath. Some of them have indicated they are in a rush. Is it acceptable to skip the usual procedure of letting committee members speak first?

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Martin Browne: Deputy Mattie McGrath has indicated he wants to contribute. I will let Deputies Canney and Hourigan contribute after him.

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Martin Browne: I, too, want to raise a few issues concerning St. Brigid's, which is in my constituency. The last time the delegates were in, they were asked for documentation on the decisions to close St. Brigid's and other places. Nothing was received but a redacted document that was an insult to members of this committee and others who asked for the information. Of perhaps five or six pages, you could...

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Martin Browne: It had not flooded in 200 years. Exactly. On the last occasion, we asked whether there was an estimate for the refurbishment of St. Brigid's to keep it open and to retain the palliative care beds there. To the best of my knowledge, we have not got that. I do not know why this committee keeps asking for information when it is being totally ignored. It is not committee members but...

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Martin Browne: Another issue arose there, regarding the building programme for Clonmel and Thomastown. Are those projects still on track to be completed in 2024? Do any other members wish to come in on St. Brigid’s?

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Martin Browne: On that, any time we have asked about documentation, we have been told to go to the HIQA report. The HIQA report did not at any stage recommend the closure of St. Brigid's Hospital, so I do not know why the HSE keeps telling us to go to the HIQA report.

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Martin Browne: I appreciate that but this is maybe the fourth or fifth time we have got these assurances that documentation will be given to members of our committee or members of the public, and the only thing we have got back is a redacted document. We could see about a dozen lines out of six pages and everything else was redacted.

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Martin Browne: I appreciate that but-----

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Martin Browne: Representatives of the HSE have again come before an Oireachtas committee. Surely they knew documentation was going to be looked for again. Why has it not been made available, even before the meeting, given they knew it was going to be asked for? All we are looking for is the likes of the minutes. As I said to Mr. Ryan on the previous occasion, everybody has an opinion. I might have an...

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Martin Browne: On the last question I asked concerning the beds in Clonmel and Thomastown, is a commitment being given that they will be opened in 2024?

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Martin Browne: Right. I call Deputy Canney.

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Martin Browne: I call Deputy Hourigan.

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Martin Browne: Does Mr. Ryan want to come back in?

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Martin Browne: Before I let Senator Craughwell in, I will ask a question. I welcome the re-examination of the position relating to Seven Springs, but no one like Mr. Fitzmaurice seems to have come on board to re-examine decisions made about Owenacurra and St. Brigid's. Why was it decided to re-examine only one of the three? As I have said, I totally welcome the decision regarding Seven Springs but each...

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Martin Browne: As I said, that was the wrong wording. It was not that one was pitted against the others but there was a decision made to re-examine-----

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Martin Browne: I will ask about one other thing. The last time the witnesses were in, there was mention of the old workhouse possibly being refurbished but this was not mentioned in the opening statement. Is that now off the table?

Committee on Public Petitions: Closure of Vital Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2023)

Martin Browne: Is Deputy Canney happy?