Results 41-60 of 1,253 for speaker:John Crown

Seanad: Mobile Phones: Motion (13 Jul 2011)

John Crown: Given that I am a cancer expert, I feel obliged to say a few words in discussing a potential carcinogenesis. I was impressed with Senators' grasp of the confusing scientific literature. Obviously, people have thought this through and I want to reassure them by saying the medical profession is as confused as any other. The data are not clear that there is a risk. There is a sound first...

Seanad: Smoking Ban (13 Jul 2011)

John Crown: I will take about 20 seconds of the four minutes allocated to me to state I am very supportive of Senator Cullinane's Adjournment matter. There is an extraordinary team of doctors working in oncology in Waterford Regional Hospital, and it has three of the hardest working oncologists. Those women are incredibly well trained and have done a wonderful job with routine care and the involvement...

Seanad: Smoking Ban (13 Jul 2011)

John Crown: I understand how legislative priorities can vary. Any delay in this regard would lead to real and quantifiable health problems for individuals. I suggested the other day that it would be easy to amend the original 2002 Act by including two one-line paragraphs. The first paragraph would ban smoking in vehicles in the presence of children, which is the conservative position. The second...

Seanad: A Vision for Change: Statements (Resumed) (14 Jul 2011)

John Crown: I thank the Minister of State. Without sounding like a broken record, it is very welcome to have a person in her position with such a commitment to the cause of reform in this area where reform is greatly needed. I was moved by Senator Moran's contribution. As she was speaking, I did a very sad mental inventory and I could think immediately of eight medical students, doctors or nurses I...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2011)

John Crown: Will the Leader ask the Minister for Health to come to the House to explain to us in the context of lengthy briefings he will give us on matters we wish to bring his attention what is the current status and the health of the VHI? I was giving this some thought recently. The single biggest catastrophe that could happen to the public health system would be if anything were to happen to the...

Seanad: Residential Institutions (Redress) Bill 2011: Second Stage (19 Jul 2011)

John Crown: I do not want to sound corny but believe it is great pleasure to have the opportunity to serve in the same Oireachtas as the Minister, Deputy Quinn. I have regarded him for some time as the perfect model of the modern social democrat and have great confidence in his ability to implement an important agenda. I hope he will not think me unduly personal in saying the skill and great energy he...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jul 2011)

John Crown: I wish to inform the House that an important person in Irish medicine passed away this morning. Professor James Fennelly was the first medical oncologist, founder of cancer medicine in Ireland, who I am sure treated the relatives of many Members of this House. Not only was he the first but for 15 years he was the only medical oncologist in the Republic of Ireland. I could not let the...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Jul 2011)

John Crown: I want to wish all of my colleagues who do not have day jobs a very nice summer recess. I will have a little time off in the coming weeks but I suspect that my day job will take precedence. I would have thought that with the decamping of the "junior" House to Ballybrit, the temporary fatwa the press corps has imposed on the Seanad Éireann might have been lifted today. Judging by the...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Jul 2011)

John Crown: On a point of order, this is way down the list on the scale of things in my life about which I am embarrassed.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation Report into the Catholic Diocese of Cloyne: Motion (27 Jul 2011)

John Crown: I really do not want to trivialise this debate. On a point of order, could the Acting Chairman clarify for me whether we are allowed to read speeches verbatim from scripts?

Seanad: Commission of Investigation Report into the Catholic Diocese of Cloyne: Motion (27 Jul 2011)

John Crown: It is a matter of convention and not of Standing Orders.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation Report into the Catholic Diocese of Cloyne: Motion (27 Jul 2011)

John Crown: To answer Senator Ó'Domhnaill's query, the reason I raised it is that when I started in the House, I was informed we were not supposed to read prepared scripts. I noticed Senator Mullen's eloquent, powerful-----

Seanad: Commission of Investigation Report into the Catholic Diocese of Cloyne: Motion (27 Jul 2011)

John Crown: I am being courteous to Senator Ó Domhnaill who asked a question of me. Senator Mullen read a densely typed script. I will put my cards on the table. I was raised a Catholic, I served as an altar boy and I was a member of the Legion of Mary. I received a wonderful education from the Sisters of St. Joseph in New York, the Irish Christian Brothers and Carmelite priests. I never once...

Seanad: Family Home Bill 2011: Second Stage (27 Jul 2011)

John Crown: I support the proposals put forward by Senators Marc MacSharry and Thomas Byrne. The key message that must go out from this House is that, collectively, the body politic understands the effect, at a micro level, of what has happened at the macro-economic level. We must demonstrate an understanding that decisions made at high levels which led to major economic problems have had serious...

Seanad: Order of Business. (14 Sep 2011)

John Crown: Prior to the recess, Senators were summoned to consider emergency legislation to deal with the shortage of medical person power which had emerged, despite the country having the highest number of medical schools per head of population of any western or OECD country. The House was compelled to pass urgent legislation in order that we would be able to recruit or, as some would say, plunder...

Seanad: Order of Business. (14 Sep 2011)

John Crown: Will the Leader request that the Minister come to the House and report to us on the status of the young doctors that we discussed and the number of beds available for the upcoming flu season compared to last year. Is it a desperate warning sign that in the month in which we need medical services the least, they are already breaking all records for under-supply and lack of resources? There...

Seanad: Order of Business. (14 Sep 2011)

John Crown: Their constituencies are either the universities, the panels or the Taoiseach, but they are not geographically defined. This is not the waiting room for the next Dáil comhairle ceantair selection committee.

Seanad: Reporting of Lobbying in Criminal Legal Cases Bill 2011 - Order for Second Stage (21 Sep 2011)

John Crown: I move: "That Second Stage be taken today."

Seanad: Reporting of Lobbying in Criminal Legal Cases Bill 2011: Second Stage (21 Sep 2011)

John Crown: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." It cannot have escaped the attention of the House that over the past few months there has been an inappropriate level of public and media attention and concern focused on what appears to be a fairly widespread practice, sometimes gentle and other times not so gentle, of interference by parliamentarians in the workings of the judicial process,...

Seanad: Reporting of Lobbying in Criminal Legal Cases Bill 2011: Second Stage (21 Sep 2011)

John Crown: I thank almost the entire Government for attending the debate. My mother would be proud that so many distinguished Ministers attended. I also thank my colleagues for the courteous way in which the debate has been conducted and, in particular, the Minister of State, Deputy Lynch, and her officials for a detailed and vigorous defence of their position and critique of the Bill. I am grateful...