Results 10,541-10,560 of 11,255 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: EU Health Care Directive (29 May 2013)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. The EU directive on cross-border health care gives citizens of member states the right to travel to another member state if suitable health care is not available or is unduly delayed in their own member state. That directive was signed off as far back as February 2011 and the Government has 30 months in which to put it in place. The treatment...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: EU Health Care Directive (29 May 2013)

Colm Burke: I am a little concerned. My understanding is that the time will expire by the end of August 2013. This leaves quite a limited period of time in which to transpose the directive. I am concerned with regard to entitlements.

Seanad: Public Health (Tobacco)(Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (29 May 2013)

Colm Burke: I thank Senator Barrett for tabling the amendment. It is helpful to raise these matters in order that we can discuss them. In regard to smoking in cars, Senator Crown's proposal was to ban it where there are children in cars but that would be difficult to implement where, for instance, a 17 year old is driving a car and smoking. It would be very difficult to implement in the case of a 17...

Seanad: Public Health (Tobacco)(Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (29 May 2013)

Colm Burke: I would also like to welcome those from the school. I hope they are enjoying their day and I wish them every success in their studies. I welcome the Minister. In dealing with the Bill, I welcome the proposal by Senator Barrett. Obviously, the matter needs further attention. With regard to graphic images on packaging, which the Minister has pushed very much, my office has been involved in...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Ms Margareta Wahlström (29 May 2013)

Colm Burke: I welcome Ms Wahlström and thank her for the very valuable contribution she has made to date and which she will, doubtless, continue to make. My question relates to high-risk areas in particular. I was in Chad and the Sudanese border area in 2008. At that time there were over 500,000 people in refugee camps. In terms of bringing in food, the choice was to bring it through Libya to...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 May 2013)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister for Health for his announcement yesterday of a proposed €150 million investment for the new maternity hospital. Last week in the course of the hearings over the three days contributors raised the lack of support that had been given to the maternity services in recent years and the need for further investment in that area. I very much welcome the Minister's...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Update on Health Affairs: Discussion with Minister for Health and HSE (23 May 2013)

Colm Burke: We had three days of public hearings on maternity services and one of the issues which was raised related to the need to review maternity services. Can we place that on the agenda for the next quarterly meeting?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Update on Health Affairs: Discussion with Minister for Health and HSE (23 May 2013)

Colm Burke: Can we put it on the agenda of the quarterly meeting also?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Update on Health Affairs: Discussion with Minister for Health and HSE (23 May 2013)

Colm Burke: Can we set targets for the numbers on six-month contracts?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Update on Health Affairs: Discussion with Minister for Health and HSE (23 May 2013)

Colm Burke: Could we not set targets to reduce the numbers on six-month contracts? I got nothing out of the meeting.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Update on Health Affairs: Discussion with Minister for Health and HSE (23 May 2013)

Colm Burke: My question is for Mr. O’Brien and the Minister. The second issue I raised was about a forum on elderly care involving various groups. The question was not answered and I seek a response.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Update on Health Affairs: Discussion with Minister for Health and HSE (23 May 2013)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister and his officials for their presentations. The shortage of junior doctors is an issue I have been dealing with for the past two years. In the question I submitted for this morning's meeting, I referred to the fact that more than 4,000 junior doctors are on six-month contracts only. In 2011, we had a major crisis in regard to junior doctors. Two years later, however,...

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (22 May 2013)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State for his response. I need clarification on a few points but I know that he may not be able to provide that today. We should change the guidelines covering drugs that cost over €140 per month. The Danes have introduced a patient medication card system. The card is the size of a visa card and prescriptions no longer need to be handed out. A GP can access...

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (22 May 2013)

Colm Burke: When somebody comes into a hospital which has a budget for the purchase of drugs and it gives a prescription to the patient who is then required to go to the local pharmacist to purchase his or her drugs and go back into the hospital for treatment, that is an additional cost to the Department's budget and needs to be examined.

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (22 May 2013)

Colm Burke: I welcome the amendment. It is important when we are considering legislation that we take on board not only the person receiving the medication but also the wider view on the general public. This amendment is a welcome addition to the Bill.

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (22 May 2013)

Colm Burke: This legislation is long overdue. To comment generally on this matter, it is also interesting that the recent survey by the National Consumer Agency, NCA, is frightening in that there is a huge variation in what pharmacies are charging. In one case the lowest price for a drug was €16.62 while the highest price was €49.69 for the same quantity, a difference of 199%. There is...

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (22 May 2013)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for his explanation. It is extremely important that we move forward at a reasonably fast pace in dealing with the matter as we are already way behind the rest of Europe with the availability of generic drugs. The cost of medication and drugs has increased from €574 million in 2000 to more than €2 billion, which is all the more...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 May 2013)

Colm Burke: It is important that we come back to reality. We are paying out €50 million in social welfare every day. That is the reality. Since we started here this morning, €2.5 million has been paid out in social welfare.

Seanad: Order of Business (22 May 2013)

Colm Burke: It relates to Apple and the contribution the company has made. Apple is not only paying 12.5% corporation tax. It is also paying commercial rates, VAT and all of the other taxes. The company also pays ESB when it purchases electricity. It pays for the employment it provides. If Senators want to have a debate on this matter, let us have a debate but let us also take into account the...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 May 2013)

Colm Burke: -----rather than spending the time here discussing this issue.