Results 10,041-10,060 of 11,255 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Drugs Payment Scheme Coverage (17 Jun 2014)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister for his comprehensive reply. I fully understand the position of the HSE and the Department on this issue and accept that pricing is important in the context of drugs being accepted for inclusion in the community drug schemes. In this case the drug has already received approval in a number of other European countries and evidence to support its effectiveness is...

Seanad: Public Health (Standardised Packaging of Tobacco) Bill 2014: Second Stage (17 Jun 2014)

Colm Burke: At 2.15 p.m. on Thursday.

Seanad: Public Health (Standardised Packaging of Tobacco) Bill 2014: Second Stage (17 Jun 2014)

Colm Burke: The introduction of this Bill is welcome and long overdue. The Minister has already outlined the difficulties faced in this country and, along with my colleague, Senator Daly, pointed out that tobacco kills some 5,200 Irish citizens and 700,000 European citizens every year. It is amazing that these figures neither deter people from starting smoking nor encourage them to stop. The death of...

Seanad: Public Health (Standardised Packaging of Tobacco) Bill 2014: Order for Second Stage (17 Jun 2014)

Colm Burke: I move: "That Second Stage be taken today."

Seanad: Public Health (Sunbeds) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (17 Jun 2014)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister for Health for bringing forward this Bill. I thank the departmental officials and all who were involved in pushing forward this legislation. I join the Minister in thanking the Irish Cancer Society and all the organisations involved in promoting the need to be careful about our health. What has happened in the past 25 years is that conditions are being diagnosed much...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jun 2014)

Colm Burke: I welcome the decision to reverse the decision on the removal of discretionary medical cards. It is important to understand that since January 2011 the number of people with medical cards has increased from 1.733 million to over 1.95 million. In fact, once the discretionary cards are restored we will probably exceed 2 million medical cards, which means that more than 43% of the population...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jun 2014)

Colm Burke: Then the Senator came into this debate and started alleging-----

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jun 2014)

Colm Burke: We have not dealt with this issue.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jun 2014)

Colm Burke: There is.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jun 2014)

Colm Burke: Yes; there is a crisis.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jun 2014)

Colm Burke: The reason the crisis-----

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jun 2014)

Colm Burke: I fully support the call for a debate on this matter.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jun 2014)

Colm Burke: It is important.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jun 2014)

Colm Burke: In any future housing policy we must clearly stick to a certain percentage of local authority houses.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Revised Implementation Measures under Haddington Road Agreement: INMO (17 Jun 2014)

Colm Burke: I had a question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Revised Implementation Measures under Haddington Road Agreement: INMO (17 Jun 2014)

Colm Burke: My apologies for being late. Unfortunately, I had a prior engagement which was arranged more than two months ago and I could not get out of it. I apologise for missing Mr. Doran's presentation. Following on from his replies to earlier questions, on the management structure in the HSE, we have seen it happen in the private sector during the past two to three years where, for example, one...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Revised Implementation Measures under Haddington Road Agreement: INMO (17 Jun 2014)

Colm Burke: Will the spend in 2014 be €84 million?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: European Commission Country Specific Recommendations for Ireland: Minister of State at Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (12 Jun 2014)

Colm Burke: I apologise to the Minister of State for leaving earlier but I had to attend a vote in the Seanad. Like Deputy Crowe, I would like to comment on the drugs cost issue. The cost of drugs in this country has been allowed to increase from €560 million in 2000 to €2 billion by 2010, which is an almost 300% increase in a short time. The legislation in relation to generic drugs has...

Seanad: Order Of Business (12 Jun 2014)

Colm Burke: Calm is needed on this matter. We are engaging in a blame game. I am not part of this.

Seanad: Order Of Business (12 Jun 2014)

Colm Burke: My attitude is that the banking inquiry must find out how decisions were made and ensure that similar decisions are never made again. The inquiry is about ensuring taxpayers-----