Results 1,121-1,140 of 1,253 for speaker:John Crown

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Jan 2012)

John Crown: Dublin will be the European City of Science for 2012, with a major symposium in July with a focus on scientific achievement in this country. I was pleased to note recently that Ireland has now been ranked third in the world for immunology, which is a burgeoning and critically important area of human biomedical science. It is also ranked eighth in the world for field of material science. We...

Seanad: Water Services: Statements (25 Jan 2012)

John Crown: I wish to address the broad philosophy of how we are addressing the water problem. There is a certain consistency across the public service that the way to solve real world, practical problems is to develop another bureaucracy. I am not saying that we do not need to have officialdom and regulatory oversight. The health service had the lowest number of specialists per head of population in...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Jan 2012)

John Crown: I also welcome the news that Ms Louise Bayliss was reinstated. I speak with some personal authority on the issue of whistleblowing in the health service. This is a major problem at a time the service faces constraint. There will be problems and if we cannot depend on people who know what they are talking about, such as my old friend and colleague Dr. Gerry Burke who spoke out earlier,...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Jan 2012)

John Crown: Will the Leader bring to the Minister's attention my extreme concern that he makes right decision? Apparently, the decision has been handed to him regarding the approval of the use of this drug in the treatment of patients with malignant melanoma. A recent expert committee, comprising four oncologists and three bureaucrats, convened on this and the oncologists all said the drug needed to be...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jan 2012)

John Crown: I ask the Leader to consider the holding of a formal debate in this House, with appropriate ministerial presence, on the critical importance, future and threat to the biopharmaceutical manufacturing sector in this country, which is an extraordinarily important part of our economy that gives us a set of international comparators which are in the superlative range in terms of where we are in...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jan 2012)

John Crown: My question was posed at the outset of my contribution. I ask that we schedule a debate on the future of the biopharmaceutical sector and its industrial base. We will discuss the issue in more detail on Thursday when we have a debate on job creation, but this specific sector is of critical importance.

Seanad: Suicide Prevention: Statements (12 Jan 2012)

John Crown: I thank the Minister of State for turning her attention and considerable skills to this troubling area. I am 54 years old and have personally known 14 people who committed suicide, including nine health care professionals and people who in some cases were known to suffer from mental illness. This is clearly a major problem and anybody who does this sad calculation will realise a...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Jan 2012)

John Crown: I also welcome all my colleagues back. I want to start by briefly paying a personal tribute to the late Ms Mary Raftery, who I have known, off and on, since I was a teenage student in University College Dublin. Her body of work speaks for itself and all I can say is if all lives were lived so well, the world would be a better place. I want to follow up briefly on the reference to Archbishop...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Jan 2012)

John Crown: Yes. I ask the Leader to ask the Minister for Health to clarify the situation. I believe he was honestly misinformed. We now know that the 20% versus 5% figure is wholly unsafe. Dr. Jennifer Martin of the Department of Health, at the Joint Committee on Health and Children on 8 December, stated that they had originally, while looking at HIPE data - which are not data designed to assess the...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Jan 2012)

John Crown: -----to close 24 hour services in Roscommon, but it is not right to make a promise before an election and not to keep it, and certainly not right to do it using figures which are not safe. Dr. Paddy McHugh, the nurses and the doctors of Roscommon hospital-----

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Jan 2012)

John Crown: I ask that the Minister, who, I believe, was honestly misinformed, would clarify this for the sake of the reputation of the good staff of Roscommon hospital.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Jan 2012)

John Crown: On a point of order. The record needs to be corrected, however. Something was stated in the other House which is incorrect.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Dec 2011)

John Crown: I propose that the Order of Business be amended in order that the Taoiseach might come before the House to discuss the future of democracy in this country. I do not wish to be overly dramatic but the Taoiseach is a member of a party which prides itself on having — with some small exceptions during its history — a great adherence to democracy. It was one of the first parties to hand over...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Dec 2011)

John Crown: This is the third occasion on which I have suggested that the Taoiseach should come before the House. I have voiced major objections to people using the voting procedures of the Seanad in order to delay its proceedings. Today, however, I will press for a full vote on my amendment——

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Dec 2011)

John Crown: ——because people on both sides of the House must indicate what they believe to be the future of the Seanad and the say we should have in respect of it. In spirit, the Seanad is supposed to be different to the Dáil. I intend no disrespect to full-time politicians but the original idea was that individuals of a different skill set would become Members of this House. One of the reasons...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Dec 2011)

John Crown: That is why I have quite a clear conscience in the context of requiring everyone to vote on my amendment. I know the Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, is a busy man but perhaps if he has nothing better to do, he might come before the House during the sos in order to outline his future plans for our national Parliament.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Dec 2011)

John Crown: The Cathaoirleach should note that I am making a formal proposal in this regard.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Dec 2011)

John Crown: Yes.

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Dec 2011)

John Crown: The human brain varies enormously. Some work extremely quickly, others a little less so and some can process huge amounts of information in short periods. I often have the privilege of rubbing shoulders with some of the international greats of science and stand in awe of what they are capable of achieving. Members may ask what is the relevance of this to the Seanad, all Members of which...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Dec 2011)

John Crown: Reducing from three items to one-----