Results 181-200 of 704 for speaker:John Kelly

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Hospital Services (17 Oct 2012)

John Kelly: Before I was elected to the Seanad, apart from being a county councillor, I was a community welfare officer for 28 years, during which time I dealt with medical card assessments. I predicted that problems would arise with the centralisation of the medical card system to the primary care reimbursement service, PCRS, in Finglas. I cannot blame the Government for the centralisation decision...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Hospital Services (17 Oct 2012)

John Kelly: I do not doubt that the person who wrote the Minister's response has five years of experience in dealing with health related matters, but I have 28. I take the Minister's point that 1.8 million people have medical cards, but that does not mean someone should be refused a medical card if he or she is entitled to receive it. I do not want to see a repeat of the response often given to those...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Oct 2012)

John Kelly: Yesterday Senator Michael D'Arcy referred to the answers Senators received when they raised matters on the Adjournment. Yesterday evening I received a written reply to a health related matter I had raised. I guarantee that Senators who were not present for last night's debate would be unable to work out what the motion was about if they read the reply. Worse still, an official from the...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Sugar Beet Industry (18 Oct 2012)

John Kelly: Yesterday Senator Michael D'Arcy referred to the answers Senators received when they raised matters on the Adjournment. Yesterday evening I received a written reply to a health related matter I had raised. I guarantee that Senators who were not present for last night's debate would be unable to work out what the motion was about if they read the reply. Worse still, an official from the...

Seanad: National Dementia Strategy: Motion (24 Oct 2012)

John Kelly: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and congratulate him on his recent elevation as I have not yet had the opportunity to do so. I wish him well in his post. I am from County Roscommon, which has the highest rate of dementia per capita in the country. At a recent conference on dementia, it was estimated that 4,000 people in the country will be diagnosed every year with the...

Seanad: Social Protection: Statements (Resumed) (24 Oct 2012)

John Kelly: I welcome the Minister. I did not get an opportunity on the previous occasion she was in the House to speak on matters relating to social welfare and I am glad I have the opportunity to do so now. I was in the Mansion House today where the Free Legal Advice Centres, FLAC, introduced a proposal to reform the social welfare appeals system, which was launched by the Ombudsman, Ms Emily...

Seanad: National Dementia Strategy: Motion (24 Oct 2012)

John Kelly: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and congratulate him on his recent elevation as I have not yet had the opportunity to do so. I wish him well in his post. I am from County Roscommon, which has the highest rate of dementia per capita in the country. At a recent conference on dementia, it was estimated that 4,000 people in the country will be diagnosed every year with the...

Seanad: Social Protection: Statements (Resumed) (24 Oct 2012)

John Kelly: I welcome the Minister. I did not get an opportunity on the previous occasion she was in the House to speak on matters relating to social welfare and I am glad I have the opportunity to do so now. I was in the Mansion House today where the Free Legal Advice Centres, FLAC, introduced a proposal to reform the social welfare appeals system, which was launched by the Ombudsman, Ms Emily...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Nov 2012)

John Kelly: At the weekend, everyone woke up to newspaper headlines to the effect that the Minister for Finance cannot tamper with bankers' pay or pensions. These same bankers are benefiting from taxpayers' money which is propping up the banks, but it has also been propping up their individual pensions. If it is the case that the Minister is unable to deal with that issue, he should take time out to...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Nov 2012)

John Kelly: I have a question for the Leader. If the Minister's hands are tied, could Members of this House introduce legislation to give him the power to deal with the issue? It is as simple as that. Can we generate legislation to regulate the pensions and pay of these senior bankers?

Seanad: Social Welfare Appeals System: Motion (7 Nov 2012)

John Kelly: The Minister is again welcome to the House. This debate was due to take place at 5 p.m. and because it was delayed for half an hour I am sure it has thrown the Minister's arrangements out of kilter, as it has mine. As I have a delegation to meet at 6 p.m., I will try to be as fast as possible. I will and must support the Government amendment to the motion, although I agree with much of what...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Nov 2012)

John Kelly: I support my colleague, Senator Jim D'Arcy, with regard to the delays in processing third level grants. I can only describe it as scandalous that, at this stage, between 25% and 28% of the grants have been approved. What is annoying is that Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, is blaming the applicants, suggesting they did not dot the i's and cross the t's. As a result, SUSI kicks the...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Nov 2012)

John Kelly: I support calls by Senator Whelan to establish a commission of inquiry into the brutal murder of Fr. Niall Molloy. Fr. Molloy was a Roscommon man and was given the Person of the Year award in 1985, the year of his death. He was a regular caller to my home place.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Nov 2012)

John Kelly: I have a question for the Leader, but I have a few points I must make first.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Nov 2012)

John Kelly: As Fr. Molloy's father was a Senator in this House, we ought to give him justice. Prior to the general election Fine Gael and the Labour Party pledged to establish a commission of inquiry into his brutal murder and this must be honoured. This man was left to die for six hours following a wedding in Clara, County Offaly. He did not receive medical assistance in that time.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Nov 2012)

John Kelly: This man's life was ended following his attendance at a wedding. It is widely acknowledged that this was the biggest cover-up in the history of the State.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Nov 2012)

John Kelly: Let me summarise by complimenting Gemma Doherty on the untiring investigative work she has done on this case and on keeping it high on the agenda.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Nov 2012)

John Kelly: This is very well documented and is not something I am reinventing.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Nov 2012)

John Kelly: When something looks and smells like a rotten apple, it certainly is a rotten apple. The Minister for Justice and Equality should honour his pre-election pledge and establish a commission of inquiry into Fr. Molloy's death.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Nov 2012)

John Kelly: It must be independent and we cannot have gardaí investigating other gardaí in this case.