Results 1,021-1,040 of 1,966 for speaker:Mary Henry

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (2 Feb 2005)

Mary Henry: She is absolutely right — the child care situation here is appalling. It is more difficult for people to bring up their children in this country than anywhere else. When one considers that we have always placed such emphasis on the child within the family, it is extraordinary that we should be in this deplorable situation. I salute Senator White's courage in raising this matter. I hope the...

Seanad: Tsunami Disaster: Statements. (2 Feb 2005)

Mary Henry: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I welcome some of the points in his speech. It is very important that the delivery of aid will be monitored by the UN and that we will give assistance in this respect. While promises were certainly made regarding the Iranian earthquake in Bam, apparently only one fifth of the money promised turned up. I am extremely glad that the Government did...

Seanad: Tsunami Disaster: Statements. (2 Feb 2005)

Mary Henry: No one would want that idea to become accepted. I would prefer it if we could try to get back to our original aim. When the reconstruction of tourist resorts takes place, could we remind those involved that the destruction of the ecosystem in parts of Thailand where tourist resorts are built may have contributed to the devastation in such areas? Mangrove swamps have been completely removed...

Seanad: Tsunami Disaster: Statements. (2 Feb 2005)

Mary Henry: I wish to share my time with Senator Norris.

Seanad: Mental Health Services. (26 Jan 2005)

Mary Henry: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Tim O'Malley, of whose interest in the area of mental health I am aware. The Minister for Health and Children has made a resolution of the chaotic situation in accident and emergency departments a major objective of her term of office. However, this problem is caused by a lack of staff, beds and funding in other areas. Too frequently we focus on...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Bill 2002: Second Stage. (26 Jan 2005)

Mary Henry: I welcome the Minister and the Bill to the House. Any reservations I had about the Bill were greatly assuaged by the Minister's speech in which he stated that he would be most unhappy if legitimate protests were to be considered terrorist acts when that is not the case. It is most important that our reactions to terrorist threats do not impinge on our civil rights. America's homeland security...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Bill 2002: Second Stage. (26 Jan 2005)

Mary Henry: The strength of this legislation is in its ratification.

Seanad: Order of Business. (26 Jan 2005)

Mary Henry: Will the Leader arrange a debate on the Mental Health Commission report for 2003, published before Christmas? Could she also find out about an extraordinary omission from the legislative programme which the Chief Whip, Deputy Tom Kitt, sent to Senators? There is an EU directive on the safety of blood from the transmission of disease to donors and recipients. This directive was issued three...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (17 Dec 2004)

Mary Henry: Virtually everything that needed to be said has already been said. There is just one matter that I would like to raise that has not yet been mentioned. One of the serious difficulties with such issues that the Department of Health and Children, the hospital services board, and primary continuing community care have when planning health services is the lack of knowledge on patient numbers,...

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Motion for Earlier Signature. (16 Dec 2004)

Mary Henry: I congratulate the Minister of State and his officials on the manner in which they have brought the Bill through the House. I wish there had been more time to debate all aspects of the legislation. However, all Members wish for its successful implementation. It is incredibly important that the significant amount of money devoted to the health service should be spent properly for the benefit...

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (16 Dec 2004)

Mary Henry: I support the amendment. The executive will have a staggering budget of €11 billion. Although Senators know there are many developments taking place in the health sector, they constantly ask where the money is going. When I looked at the details we received to date on the mental health services, for example, I could not fully work out where the money allocated to that sector was going. It...

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (16 Dec 2004)

Mary Henry: The amendment is very important. It would be advisable to provide that the Minister must state why advisers are engaged. Frequently, one considers the advice given by external advisers and wonders whether an official in the Department could not have done the job just as well.

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (16 Dec 2004)

Mary Henry: If an employee of the executive is a member of the medical profession and is not in a position to disclose confidential information if it is to the benefit of patient care he or she is in a very serious position regarding medical ethics. I am pleased that Senator Feeney, who is a distinguished former member of the Medical Council, is present. The Minister of State will recall that the...

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (16 Dec 2004)

Mary Henry: I second the amendment. It is a good idea that the Minister accepts these amendments, since it is always better to rely on the facts rather than rumours, which are always far worse. I accept the reasoning behind Senator O'Meara's amendment. It is not necessary to go through all the stages of each plan, but generally it is preferable to have people discussing the facts rather than rumours.

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (16 Dec 2004)

Mary Henry: I second the amendment. Like Senator O'Meara I am alarmed at the way the Bill is being rushed through the House. Ultimately, it will be of no help to the Government. If mistakes are found after a Bill is taken properly with every section considered, we can all be blamed for not spotting mistakes. In this case less than a quarter of the Bill has been considered. I am very disappointed with...

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (16 Dec 2004)

Mary Henry: It seems to be a doubling up of complaints against doctors.

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (16 Dec 2004)

Mary Henry: On a point of clarification, I am familiar with Schedule 5.4 but the provision therein is not very clear. The Bill states that complaints, if they solely relate to clinical judgment, will be excluded. However, there is a feeling abroad that matters relating in any way to the exercise of clinical judgment should be excluded.

Seanad: Order of Business. (16 Dec 2004)

Mary Henry: I support Senator Kitt and Senator Ulick Burke in asking for an early debate on the EPA report on water supplies. Every year the public supplies come out very well, yet, despite a large amount of money being spent on private supplies, 25% of them are still contaminated by human faeces, which is disgusting. We should add to that debate the influence of the non-enforcement of regulations...

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2004)

Mary Henry: It is essential to have something which informs us and the general public of the suitability and expertise of those appointed to the board. The medical profession is disappointed there is no specific provision to appoint one or more members of the profession, particularly since the Department of Health and Children made such an issue of getting consultants involved in clinical and general...

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2004)

Mary Henry: I must support the amendment. If the complaint was in the public interest, it would be essential that a medical practitioner under his or her code of ethics would have to object. The subsection strikes me as vaguely ridiculous.