Results 19,241-19,260 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (23 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, that time be given for a debate as to how front-line services in Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, have been affected by cutbacks. This morning I spent a couple of hours in Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, as I also did last week. I went there this morning with the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children, which had a...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is disgraceful.

Seanad: Death of former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: On behalf of the Fine Gael Party and as leader of the Fine Gael Seanad group, I pay tribute to our former party colleague, the late Senator Michael Howard, a true gentleman of striking appearance who hailed from north Clare, the heart of the Burren. I acknowledge the presence of many of Michael's family members with us in the Seanad today as we speak about him and his contribution to this...

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I move amendment No. 4: In page 12, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following subsection: "(6) The Minister shall provide a report to the Houses of the Oireachtas on the funds made available for the Nursing Home State Support Scheme.". This issue of how the elderly will get support if they need residential care is one of the critical issues we in society must face at present. As the...

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank the Minister of State, but her response does not reassure me and I will tell her why. In the past year mental health funding was supposed to be ring-fenced but it has disappeared into a black hole and has not been used for mental health. There is a number of other examples. The idea that there is a subhead where this money should be spent is not enough. The fact that it is in the...

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes.

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I move amendment No. 5: In page 13, subsection (4), line 2, after "possible," to insert "not to exceed a period of six weeks". This amendment is about the assessment. The Bill accepts there should be a care assessment. Section 7(4) states: "Upon receipt of an application for a care needs assessment, the Executive shall, as soon as reasonably possible ....". Instead of as soon as is...

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I welcome the fact that the Minister intends to publish guidelines, which will be helpful. I take it they will be published shortly.

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: That will be helpful. I ask the Minister of State to bear in mind the difficulties that will arise if those guidelines are not rigorous and detailed in regard to when this assessment should be done, again bearing in mind the high dependency people we are in general talking about. The Minister of State used the statistic of 79%. Almost 80% is not a bad statistic with regard to the completion...

Seanad: SCHEDULE 1. (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I move amendment No. 37: In page 65, lines 4 to 16, to delete paragraph 8. Question, "That the words proposed to be deleted stand", put and declared carried.

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Section 41 provides that arrangements are made to publish the cost of approved nursing homes with no corresponding provision in respect of public nursing homes, which is an interesting point. What is the cost of public nursing homes and how do they compare? I ask the Minister of State to consider, in the interests of transparency, publication of the cost of public provision. Section...

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: That is not very likely.

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: The implication of the Minister of State's reply to amendment No. 33 is that an arbitration system should never be developed in case people decide to use it. The point of such a system, however, is that people can use it. That is the reason arbitration is used for labour relations and other areas. It is basic justice to allow arbitration in disputes. I do not think one should assume that...

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Minister said there will be publication of the cost of a bed in public nursing homes. Section 41(1)(b)(ii) refers to arrangements to publish the cost of a bed in approved nursing homes but there is no corresponding provision in the legislation in respect of public nursing homes. Is that not correct?

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Minister is saying that the cost of the public bed will be made known but she is making arrangements for the private nursing home to publish the cost. She is saying it will be provided but there is an imbalance in that one is in the legislation and the other is not, as things stand in the published legislation.

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: By way of what?

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Would the Minister explain that?

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jun 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: In that case it makes perfect sense to put it into the legislation. In terms of relying on a Minister to ask the HSE to provide information, we have seen the difficulties that has led to in a range of areas in the past number of years where information has been very slow coming from the HSE. It has been very difficult to get accurate information and the health committee has frequently tried...