Results 141-160 of 10,586 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Jan 2012)

Colm Burke: Last Friday I had the privilege of attending the Cork Person of the Year ceremony. A monthly award is given and, at the end of the year, one of the 12 is picked. For instance, Maureen O'Hara was selected as Cork Person of the Month. However, Liam Casey won the annual award. He is from Cork but he works in China and employs more than 1,200 people. He made two points at the presentation....

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Jan 2012)

Colm Burke: When we debate health issues, we should examine the issue of education in the context of health care. In some areas, the number of deaths from a particular condition is much higher than others and this reflects how people live their lives. Education programmes could be undertaken and, in Cork city, the university, the hospitals and the HSE are working together. This should be taken on...

Seanad: Water Services: Statements (25 Jan 2012)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State. When I was Lord Mayor of Cork a number of years ago, I had to take a trip to Kenya. I visited a hospital 125 miles south of Nairobi, which did not have a water supply. The only water staff had to use was collected from the hospital roof during the two weeks of the year it rained, which was pumped into ten 50,000 l tanks. That was the hospital's water...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Jan 2012)

Colm Burke: I wish to add to what my colleague Senator Cáit Keane had to say on the JobBridge programme. When it was introduced, a public nursing home applied to be included in the programme, but it was advised it could not be part of it. However, representations having been made to the Minister, she changed the regulation so that now people who want to get experience of working with elderly people...

Seanad: Counterfeit Pesticides (26 Jan 2012)

Colm Burke: My question is about the sale of pesticides. While I know there is comprehensive legislation dealing with this matter, I would like to ask about counterfeit pesticides. My understanding is that there is a major trade in counterfeit pesticides across Europe, although the authorities are working hard to combat this problem. A loophole has been identified. It is illegal to sell counterfeit...

Seanad: Counterfeit Pesticides (26 Jan 2012)

Colm Burke: My understanding is that there is adequate legislation but the problem is the impounding of products. There is concern that the EU regulations, which we have followed very carefully, involve a technicality about the impounding of counterfeit pesticide. The issue has been raised at European level. I do not know whether there is a proposal to introduce amending regulations to deal with it....

Seanad: Counterfeit Pesticides (26 Jan 2012)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister.

Seanad: Order of Business (31 Jan 2012)

Colm Burke: I support Senator O'Brien's proposal that if a decision is taken and we must await the decision of the Attorney General about a referendum, the indications are that it is not something that can be decided overnight. It is a complex legal issue on which the Attorney General must give definite advice to the Government but if the Attorney General decides there is not a need for a referendum, I...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Feb 2012)

Colm Burke: I am mesmerised by the enthusiasm of the other side for a referendum, given, in particular, the lack of public meetings held by Senator Daly's party in south Kerry during the previous two referendums. By way of information, when I met a sitting Fianna Fáil Deputy at a referendum count and said to him that I had not seen him campaigning on the referendum his response was that his colleague...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Feb 2012)

Colm Burke: There appears to be a great deal of misunderstanding about what is done with money collected through taxation here. I attended a meeting last night which provided information on health care, which cost €13.4 billion last year despite that only €13.317 billion in income tax was collected. Every cent taken in through income tax was spent on health care. While there is much information...

Seanad: Priorities in Foreign Affairs: Statements (2 Feb 2012)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Tánaiste to the House. I refer to the issue of Palestine. I was in Gaza three years ago, four weeks after the bombing by Israel. In that three years nothing has changed. I may be open to correction but I understand Israel is one of the fourth biggest exporters of arms and munitions, yet it imported €1.6 billion worth of arms and munitions over a period of four years. The...

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Feb 2012)

Colm Burke: I raise an issue which has received a fair bit of coverage over the past few days, which relates to an audit report from Cork County VEC. It has been shown that teachers have been paid for 1,070 hours that were not worked and over €60,000 has been paid. A person was hired to drive children to a Youthreach project despite having been convicted of rape in the UK, as there was no background...

Seanad: EU Fiscal Compact Treaty: Statements, Questions and Answers (7 Feb 2012)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State for again coming to the House to keep us fully advised of what is going on at European level. My question relates to Article 3.3 and the right of a contracting party to deviate. I raise this in the context of what has happened in Ireland. When the building industry was doing very well, from every €100,000 a builder got in, some €44,000 would have come in...

Seanad: Private Residential Tenancies Board (7 Feb 2012)

Colm Burke: I, too, welcome the Minister of State and wish him well in office. The issue I raise is in respect of the failure of a large number of landlords to register properties with the Private Residential Tenancies Board. This information has emerged as a result of a survey of a large number of properties carried out by Cork University Residents Forum. The survey found that up to 60% of private...

Seanad: Private Residential Tenancies Board (7 Feb 2012)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State. I note he referred to the second quarter of 2011 and the figure of 18%. The survey carried by the Cork university residents' forum was done in December 2011-January 2012 and its results are from that period. Its information is quite up to date. I am a bit concerned that the Minister of State's figures are for the second quarter of 2011, which is up to...

Seanad: Private Residential Tenancies Board (7 Feb 2012)

Colm Burke: The survey was done between the end of December 2011 and early January 2012. Has there been a fall-off in registration since the second quarter of 2011? Does that need to be looked at?

Seanad: Private Residential Tenancies Board (7 Feb 2012)

Colm Burke: I can give the Minister of State a copy of the survey and the roads involved.

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Feb 2012)

Colm Burke: I compliment Senator Coghlan for never missing an opportunity. It reminds me of when Cork became European capital of culture and it was decided by those in Kerry that they would celebrate 250 years of tourism in Kerry. They never miss an opportunity. I agree with Senator O'Brien on the issue of European legislation and directives. I have already suggested that we set aside two days a...

Seanad: Health (Provision of General Practitioner Services) Bill 2011: Second Stage (8 Feb 2012)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister to the House. I also welcome the students who have joined us in the Visitors' Gallery. I hope the debate relates to their careers and that in the not too distant future we will see some of them as part of the medical profession here, able to practise in this country. This new Bill gives the right to practise to those who meet the required criteria. The restrictions...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2012)

Colm Burke: The Taoiseach has made clear his position on extending an invitation to the Pope. An invitation will be made available once the appropriate indications are given to the Government. Yesterday, we discussed medical matters and the prospect of allowing qualified individuals to open GP practices. More than one third of junior hospital doctors come from outside Ireland and 24% are from outside...