Results 101-120 of 1,253 for speaker:John Crown

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Health Issues: Department of Health and Health Service Executive (14 May 2015)

John Crown: I know that I have the opportunity to talk about the Midlands Regional Hospital in Portlaoise, but looking at it from a clinician's perspective, it looks like the basic interchange between two entities, with one administrative organisation criticising the other for what its perceives as an inadequate administrative response. I do not think that is a high priority. The problem is not unique...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Health Issues: Department of Health and Health Service Executive (14 May 2015)

John Crown: On a point of information, as the position may have been misrepresented, the Mater hospital and St. Vincent's hospital currently provide daytime services for everyone except STEMI patients. It was proposed that consultants at the two hospitals do a joint rota at the Mater hospital site only in the evenings and on weekends. Consultants did not reject providing the service on two separate...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: HIQA Investigation into Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise: Health Information and Quality Authority (13 May 2015)

John Crown: I thank Mr. Quinn for his hard work on the report and for his presentation today. I mean no intrinsic disrespect when I say that the core recommendations seem to boil down to one group of administrative oversight, investigative staff in HIQA commenting on the generally inadequate administrative responses of another group of administrative staff, that is, the HSE and the staff on the ground...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 May 2015)

John Crown: I know that I am beginning to sound like a broken record and that the attention of many in the Oireachtas has been distracted by other events which will take place in the first quarter of 2016. However, we cannot lose sight of the fact that there is an unprecedented meltdown in the health service. Problems I identified 22 years ago when I first came back to the country are just as bad as or...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 May 2015)

John Crown: I am finishing.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 May 2015)

John Crown: I always seek a debate. Is the Cathaoirleach on for one? I have recently been informed about what happened with a post considered to be an extraordinarily sought after position. The post should have had Irish graduates lining up, dusting off their curricula vitae and promoting the fact that they had training in America, Boston, London or wherever. It should have enticed them to come back...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 May 2015)

John Crown: We need revolution and not reform in the health service. Will the Leader arrange a debate on the topic? I propose an amendment to the Order of Business in order that this emergency can be addressed by the Minister for Health, or one of his Ministers of State, today.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 May 2015)

John Crown: It is.

Seanad: Report of the Working Group on Seanad Reform 2015: Statements (5 May 2015)

John Crown: I welcome the report and the great effort our distinguished colleagues have made in this regard. As pointed out, the key problem in our democracy, the fruits of which we have seen recently, is that we have too many elected representatives whose sole focus is on local rather than national issues. We do not have a good mechanism for ensuring there is expertise in the halls of power to enable...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Apr 2015)

John Crown: I rise to raise again today an issue I have raised previously, and on which Senator White has proposed legislation, namely, mandatory retirement in the health service. I would like to bring to the attention of my colleagues that a critical person in a specialty in Ireland has reached the age of mandatory retirement and will retire in three weeks time. I had occasion recently to speak to...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Apr 2015)

John Crown: I thank the Cathaoirleach for his advice. This is a matter of which legislators need to be aware. This is not an arcane, theoretical issue of some far distant public policy. Three weeks from now this country will be down one critically important specialist who has not as yet been replaced. I take this opportunity to comment on the recent, sad loss of Dr. Mary Redmond, founder of the Irish...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Intellectual Disability and Ageing: Discussion (16 Apr 2015)

John Crown: The TILDA process is phenomenally great research. It is a credit to all involved that, unlike much research, it will provide useful data. Are the issues related to the increased prevalence of dementia in this population real or are they related to changes in diagnostic criteria or people taking the problem more seriously? Were assumptions made about folks who had intellectual disabilities...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Apr 2015)

John Crown: I ask the Leader for clarification from the Minister for Health on the circumstances of a somewhat troubling event that occurred in Cork in the South Lee mental health services over the past several weeks. One of the nursing staff is also a member of the Psychiatric Nurses' Association, Mr. Des McSweeney, and was part of an expert committee planning future services in the unit that was to be...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Apr 2015)

John Crown: I am not saying anything bad about the person; I am praising him.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Apr 2015)

John Crown: I am quite happy to take responsibility for naming Mr. McSweeney in the House.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Apr 2015)

John Crown: A member of staff, who was also a member of an expert committee which was planning services for the hospital, disagreed with some of the proposed developments. He gave a public interview about them and suddenly found himself suspended. I believe he has now been reinstated, but it is very troubling to me that the HSE elected that this gentleman be suspended from his duties pending an...

Seanad: Order of Business (31 Mar 2015)

John Crown: I call on the Leader to ask the Minister for Health, the Taoiseach and the Minister for Justice and Equality to consider some radical approaches to dealing with the tobacco industry in light of the disclosure that Japan Tobacco International intends mounting a serious, and I believe ultimately futile, legal challenge. It is worth looking into the context of this to consider what remedies are...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Mar 2015)

John Crown: I would like clarification from the Deputy Leader on a few issues. They are really the same issue, but they have different ramifications. As Members may remember, I introduced legislation earlier in this term which would have prevented Government agencies suing anybody, presumably including each other, in defence of their good name. My own belief is that in a democracy, where they are...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Mar 2015)

John Crown: I would also note in passing the final quote from the HSE to HIQA, which was that the apparent allegations which may or may not have been made by HIQA would have the appearance of shattering confidence in the ability of the HSE to deliver services. I certainly require a little reassurance on the competence of the HSE to deliver services.

Seanad: Children and Family Relationships Bill 2015: Committee Stage (26 Mar 2015)

John Crown: I move amendment No. 1: In page 11, to delete lines 35 and 36 and substitute the following:“(a) a child born in the State, as a result of a DAHR procedure which was carried out after the commencement of this section, or”.I welcome the Minister. Over the course of the day, we will find ourselves disagreeing a little on some issues and I know the Minister will not infer that I...