Results 12,021-12,040 of 14,090 for speaker:Marc MacSharry
- Seanad: Maternity Services: Motion (28 May 2014)
Marc MacSharry: The Minister is now saying something that is extremely serious. In distancing himself from the report, he was saying he had nothing to do with it but clearly somebody commissioned the report. I wish to know who did so. Was it Mr. Bill Maher, the chief executive officer of the hospital group which wasted the public's money on a report that has no status? In response to Senator Henry, I...
- Seanad: Maternity Services: Motion (28 May 2014)
Marc MacSharry: In fairness, I am entitled to use privilege from time to time and when it comes to someone who was responsible for many billions of euro of the public's money and wasting it, I will use his or her name as often as is necessary. I have no apology to make to anybody for bringing into the public domain a report that has implications for the women of Ireland. Senator O'Keeffe stated, in a heckle...
- Seanad: Maternity Services: Motion (28 May 2014)
Marc MacSharry: Does the Senator think this report would have seen the light of day? Do Senators Mullins, O'Keeffe or Henry think its existence would have been brought to their attention at their respective parliamentary party meetings, had I not brought it out into the public domain? No chance. The Members opposite were caught this time.
- Seanad: Maternity Services: Motion (28 May 2014)
Marc MacSharry: Now they are blaming someone in the hospital group.
- Seanad: Maternity Services: Motion (28 May 2014)
Marc MacSharry: While someone within the hospital group is being blamed, I want to know his or her name. How much did the Health Partnership group get for this report that has no status but which scares the people of the north west? Of course it scares us all and we are distraught to think that in secret, had it not been brought out by Fianna Fáil, somebody under the Minister's control commissioned a...
- Seanad: Maternity Services: Motion (28 May 2014)
Marc MacSharry: I am just concluding-----
- Seanad: Maternity Services: Motion (28 May 2014)
Marc MacSharry: The people-----
- Seanad: Maternity Services: Motion (28 May 2014)
Marc MacSharry: I think the Senator has spoken already.
- Seanad: Maternity Services: Motion (28 May 2014)
Marc MacSharry: To conclude this debate, the Minister's speech, the contribution of his colleagues and this amendment fall short of an assurance that each of these centres will continue to have obstetrician-led maternity services. The people of the north west of the country are entitled to better and as I stated in response to another Minister lately on a different issue, members of the Government need to...
- Seanad: Maternity Services: Motion (28 May 2014)
Marc MacSharry: I can multi-task.
- Seanad: Maternity Services: Motion (28 May 2014)
Marc MacSharry: The chief executive of this hospital group, Mr. Bill Maher, has stated that people are very concerned and upset about this issue. That is correct, although people are not upset that a report labelled as private and confidential was exposed by me. They are concerned that in secret the Government is considering plans to downgrade maternity services. They have expressed anger in this regard...
- Seanad: Maternity Services: Motion (28 May 2014)
Marc MacSharry: I am using this report, which has no status. It indicates we have the lowest number of obstetricians-----
- Seanad: Maternity Services: Motion (28 May 2014)
Marc MacSharry: The Minister will get his opportunity to speak. With that in mind, we can consider how services function within the obligations under the working time directive and, arguably, the new consultant contract, as well as competition from abroad and elsewhere. More lucrative medical disciplines can be chosen, meaning further pressure may come to bear. Our concern is that the Government, as it...
- Seanad: Maternity Services: Motion (28 May 2014)
Marc MacSharry: I would like the person in Ballyshannon to be able to have a baby delivered with the same access to obstetrician services as the people in Dublin. They are entitled to that. As it stands under the policy driven by the Minister, if a person has a heart attack in those locations, his or her chance of surviving is less than that of people elsewhere. The Minister may laugh all he likes. He...
- Seanad: Maternity Services: Motion (28 May 2014)
Marc MacSharry: It proposes to downgrade these services. The people are entitled to be consulted and know what is being secretly planned by the Minister. I will speak again later.
- Seanad: Maternity Services: Motion (28 May 2014)
Marc MacSharry: I move: That Seanad Éireann - noting – - the deep disquiet about the proposed reconfiguration of obstetrician-led maternity services in the West and North West hospital group following the emergence of a private and confidential Health Service Executive (HSE) report on the matter prepared by Health Consultants Health Partnership in February of this year; - that there are clear...
- Seanad: Order of Business (28 May 2014)
Marc MacSharry: I agree with the point about the medical cards issue made by our leader, Senator O'Brien. While I appreciate that the Minister, Deputy Reilly, is coming to the House today to deal with another issue, we want to discuss this issue with him. We commend the Minister because unlike some of his colleagues he always makes himself available for debates in this House. That is not an issue but we...
- Seanad: Order of Business (28 May 2014)
Marc MacSharry: I did not interrupt Senator Burke. The good reason I was not there is that we passed an all-party motion in this House that the Order of Business takes precedence over any committee work. That is the rule I followed. I ask the Leader to remind his junior colleague that the Order of Business takes precedence and on that day we were raising very important issues, one of which will be dealt...
- Seanad: Central Bank Bill 2014: Second Stage (15 May 2014)
Marc MacSharry: I hope he will be equally amused if we manage to secure some of this funding back. It is one thing to be the lapdog of our German masters, but we must secure a deal for the Irish people. I do not think our masters have been fair to us, quite frankly, in terms of the payments that have to be made. The effect of the actions taken by the Minister for Finance, his predecessor and others was to...
- Seanad: Central Bank Bill 2014: Second Stage (15 May 2014)
Marc MacSharry: I welcome the Minister and wish him well in all his endeavours on our behalf. Fianna Fáil will not be opposing the Bill, which relates to the sale of ICS and to Greece recouping the profits the ECB made on its bonds. The point was made in the Lower House that these two issues are unrelated and that, as a result, this is something of a miscellaneous provisions Bill. It should have been...