Results 61-80 of 704 for speaker:John Kelly

Seanad: Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Statements, Questions and Answers (5 Oct 2011)

John Kelly: I welcome the Minister to the House. I have a number of concerns and issues which I wish to raise with the Minister. The first issue relates to the warmer homes scheme. This scheme is working very well. I do not have information on how it is being operated in other counties but in my county of Roscommon the people who had their attics insulated in 2009 and 2010 were promised, where...

Seanad: Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Statements, Questions and Answers (5 Oct 2011)

John Kelly: -----instead of Deputy Pat Rabbitte because Conor Lenihan granted the licence to explore in the Lough Allen basin. I ask the Minister to introduce a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in the Republic of Ireland until the completion of a study of the potential impact of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources by the United States environmental protection agency. This study commenced...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Oct 2011)

John Kelly: I raise the issue of commercial rates. Yesterday, in Buswells hotel we met a delegation from Irish employers for affordable rates. To say that the retailers this group represents are struggling is an understatement. I have raised this issue on numerous occasions, including with the Minister for Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation, Deputy Bruton, and the Minister of State at the Department of...

Seanad: Report by Interdepartmental Working Group on Mortgage Arrears: Statements (Resumed) (25 Oct 2011)

John Kelly: I welcome the Minister of State. I am eagerly awaiting the outcome of the referendum on Thursday to see whether Oireachtas Members will be given powers of investigation. The sub-prime lenders must be investigated to determine how they operated their businesses. I fully accept there was reckless borrowing throughout the Celtic tiger years, mainly driven by a political belief that the good...

Seanad: Health Services: Statements, Questions and Answers (27 Oct 2011)

John Kelly: I acknowledge that we are going through a financial crisis but there is one good deed the Minister could achieve in the forthcoming budget. It would not cost much. He should grant medical cards to cancer patients without their having to go through a rigorous means test. From years of experience as a community welfare officer I know that general practitioners wrongly advise cancer patients...

Seanad: Community and Voluntary Sector: Statements, Questions and Answers (9 Nov 2011)

John Kelly: I welcome the Minister to the House. I was late so I ask to be forgiven if my questions were already put. I heard the Minister mention the Leader company in Senator Ó Clochartaigh's neck of the woods. When will that company be replaced? Is there any inter-measure in place at present for community groups that may have received approval under the old Leader company and are now not in a...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Nov 2011)

John Kelly: There is a serious and potentially dangerous situation unfolding in County Roscommon as we speak. Yesterday, 14 firemen were taken off the payroll of Roscommon County Council for failing to attend a breathing apparatus refresher course. Every year they attend this course but there is a national proposal that the course would be done on the basis of a pass or fail mechanism although this has...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Nov 2011)

John Kelly: I will speak briefly about rumours that a €50 charge may be introduced for the issuing of medical cards. I informed the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, that if he were considering this option, he should first examine general practitioner contracts and bear in mind that GPs are well paid for patients they accept on their panel who may be an elderly person who attends the GP clinic daily...

Seanad: Fire Services (23 Nov 2011)

John Kelly: It is 12.15 a.m. I much appreciate the fact that the Minister has taken time out to be present to deal with the serious, urgent and potentially dangerous situation that is unfolding in County Roscommon. On Monday, 14 firefighters were dismissed for failure to attend a breathing apparatus refresher course. The reason they refused to attend it is because the national proposal on the matter...

Seanad: Fire Services (23 Nov 2011)

John Kelly: I appreciate the Minister's reply, which came about as a result of the Labour Relations Commission sitting to deal with this matter yesterday. There are a couple of issues to which I must refer. A number of fire chiefs throughout the country have failed the breathing apparatus course and some were obliged to travel to the UK in order to obtain accreditation so that they might remain on the...

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

John Kelly: May I share my time with Senator Moloney?

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

John Kelly: We would like four minutes each, if the Cathaoirleach will allow us.

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

John Kelly: How much time do I have? Five minutes? Then we will take three minutes and two minutes. I thought it was interesting, when Senator O'Brien was speaking, that it appeared to be such a struggle for him to find enough fault with the budget that he spent the first few minutes of his eight cracking a few jokes. He had little to say. We are all concerned about the disability allowance. It is...

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

John Kelly: I was listening to a lady on the radio today who had Parkinson's disease. She was a very positive woman, and she made the point that people with a disability should focus on their ability rather than their disability. That might be a way of moving forward in a lot of cases.

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

John Kelly: I have worn a path to the door of the office of the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, asking that there be no cuts either to the basic-rate or half-rate carer's allowance or to the respite care grant. In fairness, she has honoured that. This is an acceptance of the great work that carers do, and I am delighted about it. We in Government have protected the basic rates of social...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2011)

John Kelly: Like everybody else I support calls for a review of any proposed cuts in disability payments. I supported Senator O'Brien yesterday on that issue. However, I reiterate my point that situations have arisen over the past years in which 16 year-olds in second level going on to third level were receiving a disability allowance and were graduating with a degree and obtaining employment. This...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2011)

John Kelly: Since April I have repeatedly raised the issue of commercial rates. The Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy John Perry, gave a commitment in the House to a full review in this regard, but nothing has happened. A friend recently told me that a ridiculous practice is happening throughout the country where, if a local authority is finding it difficult...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011: Second Stage (8 Dec 2011)

John Kelly: I agree with Senator Bradford on the cost of health care. Last week in the Seanad, I brought up the same issue. It is wrong a GP can charge €50 for stamping a medical card application form. It is wrong a GP can charge €50 to write a letter stating a medical cardholder has backache. It is wrong a GP should charge €30 to take a medical cardholder's blood. It is wrong a GP will take...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Dec 2011)

John Kelly: I have been in touch with the Irish Road Haulage Association, IRHA, which has contacted the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport about a pressing matter, namely, fuel costs. The IRHA has surveyed 897 of Ireland's 4,238 haulage companies. The question asked was where did these companies buy their fuel. Some 21% buy it abroad. The amount bought in Ireland and abroad is 200 million...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2011: Second Stage (13 Dec 2011)

John Kelly: I welcome the Minister to the House. Of late, I enjoy it when Senator Mooney rises to speak.