Results 1,081-1,100 of 1,212 for speaker:Dara Murphy

Health Service Plan 2012: Statements (Resumed) (1 Feb 2012)

Dara Murphy: This was more or less the case from the time the HSE was established by Deputy Martin and in all subsequent Governments of which he was a member. Ironically, monitoring - dismissed by Fianna Fáil-led Governments - remains at the heart of the difference between this Minister and his immediate predecessors Cowen, Martin and Harney. He is targeting objectives and monitoring how these targets...

Health Service Plan 2012: Statements (Resumed) (1 Feb 2012)

Dara Murphy: These include the issuing of GP visiting cards to people with long-term illnesses. This is another step on the planned and monitored march towards free GP care for all, and ultimately the Government's stated objective of universal health insurance. While the Opposition will understandably focus on some perceived and indeed real reductions in services caused by the Government's obligation and...

Health Service Plan 2012: Statements (Resumed) (1 Feb 2012)

Dara Murphy: Furthermore, under the new targets, 95% of people should not wait for more than six hours for an emergency bed. While the Government agrees that no one should be on a trolley, if anyone believes the disastrous position that pertained in the health system over the past 14 years can be cleaned up and changed in one month, one year or even two years, he or she is seriously delusional. Steady...

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (31 Jan 2012)

Dara Murphy: Question 634: To ask the Minister for Health when proposals allowing medical card holders to use multiple general practitioners to avail of medical services will be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5415/12]

Inter-Country Adoption: Statements (26 Jan 2012)

Dara Murphy: Like other Members, I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. It is clearly a very emotional issue for everyone, but for the families involved, it is an all-consuming and life-determining matter. The Minister clearly has a huge interest in it. I accept Deputy Calleary's point, but it is welcome that the Government has given her a full Ministry in charge of looking after our...

Private Members' Business. Promissory Notes: Motion (24 Jan 2012)

Dara Murphy: I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Government's counter motion to yet another Opposition motion of this type. We are debating one of the most unwelcome realities of the support programme into which we have been forced. The ambition on all sides is that the programme will terminate at the end of 2013, which is less than 24 months away. At a time when the issue of money leaving the...

Private Members' Business. Promissory Notes: Motion (24 Jan 2012)

Dara Murphy: The Government has been here before. Were we to believe the Opposition, there was to have been no reduction in interest rates. A significant reduction followed, but the negotiations undertaken by the Government were deemed unworthy of credit. Our success will secure €10 billion in savings for the Exchequer. No matter where one wishes to lay the credit for this reduction, one fact is...

Private Members' Business. Promissory Notes: Motion (24 Jan 2012)

Dara Murphy: The proposers of the motion could have put if down last week.

Private Members' Business. Promissory Notes: Motion (24 Jan 2012)

Dara Murphy: That is the legacy of the Fianna Fáil Party.

Private Members' Business. Promissory Notes: Motion (24 Jan 2012)

Dara Murphy: The Deputy's party signed the deal but its Members intend to vote against the Government amendment tomorrow.

Private Members' Business. Promissory Notes: Motion (24 Jan 2012)

Dara Murphy: The legacy of Fianna Fáil.

Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Work) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (19 Jan 2012)

Dara Murphy: It is not fair having to share.

Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Work) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (19 Jan 2012)

Dara Murphy: That is fine. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this very important Bill. The EU directive on temporary agency workers, which was adopted almost four years ago, has as its objective the protection of such workers. It is important to note that they represent 2% of the workforce in our country, some 35,000 workers, which, by any definition, is a significant number of people. It is...

Written Answers — Agri-Food Industry: Agri-Food Industry (14 Dec 2011)

Dara Murphy: Question 25: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the role that agriculture and the agri-food sector can play in Ireland's economic recovery with particular regard to the Food Harvest 2020 report produced by him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38952/11]

Food Industry (14 Dec 2011)

Dara Murphy: Question 14: To ask the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine the targets agreed in Food Harvest 2020; the effect that changes made in Budget 2012 may have on Food Harvest 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38951/11]

Food Industry (14 Dec 2011)

Dara Murphy: I welcome the taxation measures announced in budget 2012. Does the Minister envisage further specific measures in the budgets for 2013 and 2014 to encourage farming as a career for young people, stimulate land sales and transfers and offer further encouragement regarding enterprise opportunities in farming?

Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (13 Dec 2011)

Dara Murphy: Like colleagues I also welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. I do not think any of us like being in the position of having to put in place charges on the people in our country. We have to look at the reality of where we are and the EU-IMF deal which we inherited from the last Government. A flat charge of €100 on households cannot be argued to be fair but the Minister has been...

Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (13 Dec 2011)

Dara Murphy: However, we must all agree that there are too many local authorities and that there is scope to reduce their number significantly by way of further mergers. Furthermore, we have too many politicians in general. I will not look across at those whom I might choose to discard; that would be a matter for the electorate. We will soon have a referendum on the abolition of the Seanad.

Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (13 Dec 2011)

Dara Murphy: There is considerable scope to give more powers and fund-raising capacity to fewer local politicians. Given the size of the State, there are simply too many of them. I strongly support the principle, evident in our policy on the provision of primary care, that the end-user should be brought as close as possible to the suppliers of services. That also applies to local government and services...

Health Insurance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (1 Dec 2011)

Dara Murphy: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Health Insurance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill. It is the main objective of the Bill and it is in the interests of society in general that the burden of costs of health insurance are shared between all people of the State, young and old. There is no doubt that as with all forms of insurance there is an obvious economic and business motivation for...