Results 10,561-10,580 of 11,632 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Mar 2014)

Colm Burke: My question for the Leader is to ask for a debate on the use of State assets. I raise this matter because in the past eight years only €8.3 million has been raised from the sale of lands held by the psychiatric services. A good deal of land owned by the HSE and by other State organisations is not being properly used. It is important we have a debate on the proper utilisation of...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Mar 2014)

Colm Burke: Does the Senator have any good tip?

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Schools Amalgamation (27 Feb 2014)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Although this issue is not directly connected to his Department, it is an extremely important matter in the north side of Cork city. There is a proposed amalgamation and reconfiguration of schools in the area and one is Scoil Mhuire Fatima, or North Mon. That school has 170 students and no infant classes; if it had a full complement, it would...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Schools Amalgamation (27 Feb 2014)

Colm Burke: There is some confusion about who is the patron. My understanding is that North Mon is owned by the Christian Brothers and they have decided to move the school. Will the Minister of State clarify who is the patron? If the legal owners decide that this is what they want and if the parents, teachers, board of management and principal of the school are not in favour of the proposal, where...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Schools Amalgamation (27 Feb 2014)

Colm Burke: That would be very much appreciated as there was confusion at the public meeting. It was alleged that one party was a patron but that party denied it. The issue should be clarified.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Rare Diseases Day: Discussion (27 Feb 2014)

Colm Burke: I thank all the speakers for their detailed presentations, with much work put into them and the organisations they work with. I have come across a number of cases that deal with treatment abroad. One example is of a person being dealt with in Dublin and it was obvious that a diagnosis had not been provided. When the person went to the treatment abroad fund about getting a referral to...

Seanad: Fines (Payment and Recovery) Bill 2013: Second Stage (26 Feb 2014)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State for stepping in for the Minister for Justice and Equality. I thank Senator O'Donovan for his constructive comments. He has experience of dealing with the District Court as a practising solicitor. I welcome the Bill, which is designed to increase the level of fines collection and to keep a number of people committed to prison for the non-payment of fines to an...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Feb 2014)

Colm Burke: I agree with Senator David Norris in respect of people not turning up for appointments. Having spoken recently with people working in hospitals even people who turn up knowing their appointment will take up half an hour of the time of doctors means there are people sitting around doing nothing. It is quite common for that to happen. A more proactive approach should be taken to ensure that...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Feb 2014)

Colm Burke: It may well be, but it is important the issue is dealt with. There has been no consultation with the boards of management or with the parents on the board of management. On the issue of the contract proposed for general practitioners, there has been a ruling by the Competition Authority that the Department cannot enter into negotiations with the IMO and the other body that acts for general...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Feb 2014)

Colm Burke: -----from negotiating on all issues, other than the issue of fees that are payable. Given that there are more than 2,500 general practitioners who provide a fantastic service they should not be left in limbo. I ask that the Minister intervene and that negotiations would commence to deal with the contact issue.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Ambulance Response Times: Discussion (25 Feb 2014)

Colm Burke: Could Dr. O'Donnell clarify the issue of hand-over of patients? Can we do something about expediting the hand-over of patients from the ambulance service to hospital staff? Has that been examined? Have units been identified where there are far higher delays in the taking over of patients from the ambulance staff, varying from one accident and emergency department to another?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Ambulance Response Times: Discussion (25 Feb 2014)

Colm Burke: I apologise for having missed quite a lot of today's meeting because I was in the Seanad. I want to welcome the witnesses and thank them for their presentation. I have one question concerning the 10% increase in emergency calls between January and December 2013. Has any reason been identified as to why there was such a substantial increase? Could we have a further similar increase this...

Seanad: Community Courts: Motion (25 Feb 2014)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I support the motion. It is time that we looked at how we deal with minor offences. I am someone who has briefly practised in the District Court in that area and found that one does not need to send people to prison to educate them about crime. All one needs to do is attend the District Court on any morning where one will see people learning...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Inter-Country Adoptions (20 Feb 2014)

Colm Burke: I presume it is a confined system. I welcome the proposed meeting with the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs on 3 March and I will convey that to the prospective adoptive parents who raised the issue with me. The reply is very detailed and I thank the Minister of State for it.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Inter-Country Adoptions (20 Feb 2014)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State for attending here to deal with this matter. I appreciate that the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs is not present as we had an early start at 9.30 a.m. for the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children meeting that dealt with the whole area of child care. I appreciate that Deputy O'Dowd has stepped in to represent her on this occasion. My...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Inter-Country Adoptions (20 Feb 2014)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State for his detailed reply but seek a clarification. He said that the accreditation of agencies to facilitate adoptions is solely a matter for the Adoption Authority under law. Earlier he stated that accreditation can only apply to the Indian special needs programme at this time. In other words, we are confining any adoptions from India to children with special...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Feb 2014)

Colm Burke: I congratulate Senator Mulcahy on his contribution yesterday and hope it leads to some change in that area. Speaking as a member of the legal profession who practised family law, as did the Leas-Chathaoirleach, I can say that sometimes even when one uses the courts system, abuse of it can take place, particularly in respect of the prolonging of litigation and proceedings. I have seen...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Feb 2014)

Colm Burke: His contribution to family law over the past 30 years should not be left unnoticed because he has been one of the biggest contributors to reform in that area. It is something we should not ignore. Major changes have been made in this area

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Feb 2014)

Colm Burke: As Minister for Justice and Equality, he has also brought forward many changes in that area, which we should not forget. It is important that this recognition is given. I believe domestic violence, particularly the number of serious incidents in private settings in the past two months, is frightening. The number of stabbings and murders is frightening and is something at which we need to...

Seanad: Mental Health Services Provision: Motion (19 Feb 2014)

Colm Burke: That will take years.