Results 12,141-12,160 of 14,090 for speaker:Marc MacSharry
- Seanad: Order of Business (15 Apr 2014)
Marc MacSharry: I ask the Leader for a debate on the north west and the Border region in particular. Considering the impact of the recession, the contribution of various Governments to the regions has not been what it should be. Some recent research which has come to my attention is worth putting on the record. The Border and north west region has the lowest rate of employment, at 52%. It has the highest...
- Seanad: Order of Business (15 Apr 2014)
Marc MacSharry: Transfer altogether.
- Seanad: Care of the Elderly: Motion (9 Apr 2014)
Marc MacSharry: The reality is the Minister of State said she would meet these people. When did she last meet, for example, Nursing Homes Ireland or Third Age, whose representatives are present?
- Seanad: Care of the Elderly: Motion (9 Apr 2014)
Marc MacSharry: When was it? Was it last week, last month, last year or has she met them since the formation of the Government? It is a simple question. I will take her silence to mean that she has not met them yet.
- Seanad: Care of the Elderly: Motion (9 Apr 2014)
Marc MacSharry: I did not interrupt anybody.
- Seanad: Care of the Elderly: Motion (9 Apr 2014)
Marc MacSharry: I took a quick convenience break. I hope the Senator did not time it. I apologise to Senator Noone for the 30 seconds for which I was absent but I am sure she will forgive me for that.
- Seanad: Care of the Elderly: Motion (9 Apr 2014)
Marc MacSharry: I was commended by Members one after another for bringing up this issue.
- Seanad: Care of the Elderly: Motion (9 Apr 2014)
Marc MacSharry: I am making a suggestion, which is my right in closing the debate, that the Minister of State has not met the organisations or engaged in the level of dialogue required. She is so out of touch that the HSE is saying one thing regarding a crisis in long-term stay beds while she is saying something completely different. BDO, the experts in the field, are shouting from the rooftops that there...
- Seanad: Care of the Elderly: Motion (9 Apr 2014)
Marc MacSharry: Yes.
- Seanad: Care of the Elderly: Motion (9 Apr 2014)
Marc MacSharry: I am disappointed that more speakers from all sides did not participate in the debate. I am not here for commendation from anyone. In fact, I hate it. However, I thank Senators. I have a couple of points of rebuttal. Senator Burke said we are putting in €23 million, but that is being specifically taken out of the fair deal scheme. That leads to 700 fewer beds. The Minister of...
- Seanad: Care of the Elderly: Motion (9 Apr 2014)
Marc MacSharry: The Labour Party manifesto of 2011. It was a good proposal which the party did not manage to push over the line in the programme for Government with Fine Gael.
- Seanad: Care of the Elderly: Motion (9 Apr 2014)
Marc MacSharry: Those are some general points. Senator Burke said he commended me on raising the matter and keeping the debate going. I am sick of keeping the debate going. Let us keep it on the agenda. The Minister of State said the elderly formed a neglected part of her portfolio.
- Seanad: Care of the Elderly: Motion (9 Apr 2014)
Marc MacSharry: Her entire Department is neglected. She said there was too great a focus on mental health.
- Seanad: Care of the Elderly: Motion (9 Apr 2014)
Marc MacSharry: Her entire Department is neglected in terms of underfunding and the lip service it is paid. While there are similarities between the motion and the Fine Gael amendment, there is no question of us not calling a vote. To fail to call a vote would be to suggest there was no problem. There is a very serious problem. While we can choose at a point in time to take refuge in the circumstantial...
- Seanad: Care of the Elderly: Motion (9 Apr 2014)
Marc MacSharry: If we are waiting for these organisations, the Minister of State says: "Let us not have a forum because Governments must make policy."
- Seanad: Care of the Elderly: Motion (9 Apr 2014)
Marc MacSharry: The Minister of State said she did not want to answer. It is either a "Yes" or a "No".
- Seanad: Care of the Elderly: Motion (9 Apr 2014)
Marc MacSharry: The Senator was not listening.
- Seanad: Care of the Elderly: Motion (9 Apr 2014)
Marc MacSharry: The Senator was not listening.
- Seanad: Care of the Elderly: Motion (9 Apr 2014)
Marc MacSharry: The Senator is listening, fair play to him.
- Seanad: Care of the Elderly: Motion (9 Apr 2014)
Marc MacSharry: I will proceed. I am sure we are all aware of Health's Ageing Crisis: Time For Action, A Future Strategy for Ireland's Long-Term Residential Care Sector, prepared by BDO, which predicts that we will have a deficit of approximately 8,000 beds by 2021. It will probably be half of that by 2016 and we took 700 out this year. This is the HSE's position. The Centre for Ageing Research and...