Results 1,421-1,440 of 2,919 for speaker:Séamus Healy

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Information and Quality Authority Corporate Plan 2013-2015: Discussion (26 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: This is relevant to the corporate plan. A total of €3 billion has been cut from the health budget. I am aware of a hospital near my home which has lost 25% of its budget and almost 200 staff members. Surely these are issues that crop up when HIQA is carrying out inspections and checking standards across the board in various health care settings. Is it reasonable that HIQA reports...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Alteration of Eligibility Criteria) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: I support Deputy Billy Kelleher. These elderly persons have medical cards that are valid until 2020 and their applications were assessed and the cards granted by the HSE. At the time, officials obviously felt their circumstances would not change significantly in the next period of years, which was a reasonable and common-sense position to take. I question whether this is being done on a...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Alteration of Eligibility Criteria) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: I did not claim you said that.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Alteration of Eligibility Criteria) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: I am asking you to deal with the matter urgently.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Alteration of Eligibility Criteria) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: The Minister of State has been honest in his contribution by confirming that this Bill is all about cutbacks, savings and targeting elderly people for those savings. He indicated that he does not have any other options, but there are choices. This is a wealthy country, although some people would have us believe that it is broke. In October 2012, the Minister of State, Deputy Costello, told...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Alteration of Eligibility Criteria) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: The Bill is a short piece of legislation. It is essentially a legislative piece of hypocrisy at variance with all Government policy. It goes back to a 2008 decision by Fianna Fáil to introduce a similar regime. We all recall the current Minister’s position at the time. He used the term “terrorism” to describe the proposal by the Fianna Fáil and Green Party...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Alteration of Eligibility Criteria) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: It is an important issue.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Alteration of Eligibility Criteria) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: It is related.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Alteration of Eligibility Criteria) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: It is related to the Bill and the services that are available to holders of medical cards under the terms of the Bill.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Alteration of Eligibility Criteria) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (21 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: It started with charging for blood tests and there are now charges for dressings, minor surgery and letter writing. The Minister must take up those issues directly with the Irish Medical Organisation, IMO, and GPs. It appears that GPs are attempting to pass on cutbacks to medical card holders. It is not acceptable to say that medical card holders must complain directly to the HSE because...

Youth Employment: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (20 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: Despite commitments and promises during the general election campaign in 2011, the Government parties are continuing to pursue the programme of the Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government that preceded them. They were elected on a platform of ensuring the least well off and ordinary families across the State would be protected. They have reneged on that commitment and they are now targeting...

Government Decision on Exiting Programme of Financial Support: Motion (Resumed) (20 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: The mountain of debt heaped on the backs of Irish people over the past number of years is not our debt and we should not have been burdened with it. We certainly should not have had policies of austerity that were followed by this and the previous Government and which arose because of that debt. I have absolutely no confidence in this Government, particularly in any hope that it will give a...

Leaders' Questions (20 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: The policy being pursued in respect of the abolition of the CLÁR and RAPID programmes has directly contributed to the loss of 11,150 front-line jobs in the community and voluntary sector. The staff who occupied those jobs served deprived communities throughout the country. In 2012 Brian Harvey presented his report, "Downsizing the Community Sector" to the Irish Congress of Trade...

Leaders' Questions (20 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: -----the Government has given failed banks permission to pay their executives €500,000 per year.

Leaders' Questions (20 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: There appears to be a golden circle involving bank executives, Government advisers and chief executives of voluntary hospitals and, effectively, these individuals appear to be getting away scot free. As Christmas draws near and as increasing numbers of children go to school hungry, I ask the Taoiseach to cast off his role as Scrooge and reinstate funding for the RAPID and CLÁR...

Leaders' Questions (20 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: What about the over 11,000 jobs lost in the community and voluntary sector?

Leaders' Questions (20 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: The question I asked relates to disadvantaged communities.

Leaders' Questions (20 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: Since the Government came to power it has confirmed the termination of the Ceantair Laga Árd-Riachtanais, CLÁR, programme for high priority, weak rural areas. It has also continued to wind down the RAPID programme, leading to the effective abolition of the programme. The RAPID programme revitalises areas through planning, investment and development. The programmes were developed...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: EirGrid Grid25 Project: Discussion (20 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: I apologise but I have to leave as I am due to contribute on Leaders' Questions in the Dáil shortly. I raised this issue during Leaders' Questions last week, including the question of the suspending the project, and I will be available to support the groups into the future.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Job Initiatives (20 Nov 2013)

Séamus Healy: 123. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons participating in the job activation measures (details supplied) on 30 June 2011. [49777/13]