Results 10,701-10,720 of 11,632 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Nov 2013)

Colm Burke: I join my colleagues in commenting on the issue of Newbridge credit union. While there is a need for a debate there is also a need to reassure the general public that credit unions are a good place in which to have investments. They have served local communities well down through the years and will continue to serve them. I do not want a situation to arise where there is scaremongering...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: End-of-Life Care: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Nov 2013)

Colm Burke: I want to come back to the area of care assistants, which I accept is a very specialised one. I was involved with a community hospital that wanted to take on people under the JobBridge programme but was told that regulations did not allow it. In fairness, the hospital wrote to the Minister, who changed the regulation. The whole reason the community hospital wanted to take on people under...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: End-of-Life Care: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Nov 2013)

Colm Burke: An issue I am dealing with is that of rare diseases, in which regard I had to write to 41 organisations. This is slightly different from the area in which the delegates are involved, but I am trying to co-ordinate them in order that they can work towards improving the services required. They have dealt comprehensively with how they co-ordinate their services, which is very welcome. That is...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Nov 2013)

Colm Burke: I would like to pick up on what Senator MacSharry had to say. I agree with him that there is a need for a major debate on the health sector. Over the last two months, discussions on health issues have been personalised by the focus on the Minister. I think there should be a focus on long-term planning and on the real issues. Even though over €2.5 billion has been cut from the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: End-of-Life Care: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2013)

Colm Burke: At our last meeting with Mr. Tony O'Brien we raised the possibility of providing a 12 month rather than six month emergency card.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: End-of-Life Care: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2013)

Colm Burke: Mr. O'Brien said he would consider it.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (5 Nov 2013)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister for the comprehensive way in which she has dealt with this matter. It is difficult to try to bring forward reform when dealing with this matter and to try to be fair but I believe the Minister has done a good job in this regard. I welcome the development on the issue of insurance. I do not believe taxpayers should be responsible for paying out wages and salaries in real...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (5 Nov 2013)

Colm Burke: I realise there have been some changes in respect of people aged 62 years, but I find that once people go over 55 years there is a problem. Anyway, I welcome the change for those aged 62 years. Another area I wish to touch on relates to a person who became unemployed and who was then in receipt of illness benefit for a period. The person is now keen to do a community employment scheme. A...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: End-of-Life Care: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2013)

Colm Burke: I thank each of the speakers for their presentations. I also thank them for the work they and their organisations are doing. Deputy Kelleher spoke about nurses prescribing. Nursing qualification has moved on and the vast majority of nurses now have an academic qualification. We have made some changes by giving them extra duties. What do we need to change to allow them to get into the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: End-of-Life Care: Discussion (24 Oct 2013)

Colm Burke: In regard to the whole area of home care and taking into account the problem of limited budgets, certainly for the next 12 months, what would the witnesses prioritise in terms of trying to improve the home care available? Is it a case of upskilling existing staff or are there other measures which could be taken to help to ensure the amount of home care available and the support needed is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: End-of-Life Care: Discussion (24 Oct 2013)

Colm Burke: I thank everyone who made presentations this morning, as they were highly informative. The Marymount hospice has opened in Cork this year and an additional 20 beds are being provided there. I understand the facility is recruiting an additional 36 staff and hopefully they are about to come on-stream, which would be welcome. I am a little concerned about the three areas in the country...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Medical Card Eligibility (23 Oct 2013)

Colm Burke: The Minister of State has said terminally ill patients in palliative care are an exception. In the case concerned, the person was deemed to be terminally ill. It took time to get the medical card and it was only valid for six months. Where it is clearly indicated that the person is terminally ill, I do not understand why a medical card would only be issued for six months because it is...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Medical Card Eligibility (23 Oct 2013)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I wish to raise a matter that was mentioned at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Health and Children last Thursday, which has been on my agenda for a while. It relates to emergency medical cards. The advantage of divisions being called in the Dáil during health committee meetings is that HSE and departmental officials are available to...

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Statements (23 Oct 2013)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Taoiseach to the House. A number of people have referred to EU legislation. I have spent a short number of years in the European Parliament. One of the things that struck me when I returned home was the lack of scrutiny that takes place in Ireland about what happens at European level. It was one of the matters that I raised at a Fine Gael parliamentary meeting about three or...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Oct 2013)

Colm Burke: Many of the problems relating to medical cards have arisen as result of incorrect information being given and a great deal of exaggeration. I highlight the fact that over 1.9 million people have medical cards and that 254,000 additional medical cards were issued in the past two years.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Oct 2013)

Colm Burke: I refer to an issue which has arisen with increasing frequency in the past four or five weeks. I have spoken to people who are considering running in the local elections, many of whom have asked me about the powers of local authorities. There is a general lack of knowledge of the real powers these authorities and the councillors who serve on them possess. It would be appropriate for the...

Seanad: The One Percent Difference National Giving Campaign: Statements (22 Oct 2013)

Colm Burke: At 10.30 a.m. tomorrow.

Seanad: The One Percent Difference National Giving Campaign: Statements (22 Oct 2013)

Colm Burke: It is a system used in many universities and something we should consider and encourage in universities in this country. Irish graduates are doing well, regardless of what part of the world they are in. It is a question of giving back and helping our institutions, especially in the area of research and development. With money coming into third level institutions, research and development...

Seanad: The One Percent Difference National Giving Campaign: Statements (22 Oct 2013)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister and thank him for the work done to date on this valuable proposal. It is important to develop this concept. Companies look for specific projects to sponsor rather than giving a set amount to a number of voluntary organisations. There is an interesting connection between expenditure and what it is used for. A member of my family works in Kenya where in a local school...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Oct 2013)

Colm Burke: The Senator should attend the meetings of the Joint Committee on Health and Children if he wants to obtain the relevant information.