Results 61-80 of 704 for speaker:John Kelly

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Nursing Staff Recruitment (16 Jun 2015)

John Kelly: I welcome the Minister to the House. We have a serious problem within the nursing home sector in retaining and recruiting nursing staff. This has been brought about by the current Health Service Executive, HSE, recruitment plan drive. As we know, nursing homes are central to our health service and in one nursing home last October they had 12 nursing staff. Six of them have now left, two...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Nursing Staff Recruitment (16 Jun 2015)

John Kelly: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. The issue is the speed at which we deal with adaptations and visa applications and it is speed which is crucial for solving this problem. I appreciate the answer which has given me hope that something might be done by the end of the year but I remind the Minister of State that this is an urgent crisis, as we speak.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jun 2015)

John Kelly: I seek a debate on the centralisation of services brought about by the previous Government. This is something we need to revisit as centralisation has proven to be a disaster over recent years. What was wrong with the operation of the medical card system under the health boards? There was nothing wrong with it and it worked very well. It is now a disaster. I know a mature student in...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 May 2015)

John Kelly: I raise an issue related to the Private Residential Tenancies Board, PRTB. Landlords sign up every new tenancy with the PRTB but do not receive any protection. When a landlord has an issue with a new tenant he or she is given the run-around from the PRTB for 18 months and is eventually forced to employ a solicitor to have the tenant removed from his or her property. We hear horror stories...

Seanad: National Minimum Wage (Low Pay Commission) Bill 2015: Second Stage (27 May 2015)

John Kelly: I welcome the Minister of State and compliment him on this initiative. The Low Pay Commission will prioritise work and fairness as the economy improves. Employment is rising rapidly and unemployment is falling. As the Minister of State pointed out, more than 100,000 jobs have been created since the crisis, which is 3,300 jobs every month, and unemployment is now below 10%, at 9.9%....

Seanad: Order of Business (14 May 2015)

John Kelly: I call on the Leader to arrange an urgent debate with the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. We need to find out why the Government is pursuing a wind-only policy to reach the 2020 renewable energy targets. We know there are alternatives, one of which is to convert Moneypoint coal-fired power station and other power stations to sustainable biomass. The cost factor...

Seanad: Cultural Institutions: Motion (13 May 2015)

John Kelly: I second the motion. I welcome the Minister to the House. Senator John Whelan has covered much of the topic from a national perspective, but I will stick to local issues in County Roscommon, where the spend on arts, culture and heritage is €640,000 annually. Many arts festivals receive funding from Roscommon County Council, such as the Boyle Arts Festival, and festivals based on...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 May 2015)

John Kelly: Along with my colleagues, I call for an urgent debate on the demise of rural towns. Towns with a population of 2,000 to 3,000 are dying in rural Ireland. There is no question that we can see recovery in the cities, and it is welcome that the numbers on the live register are decreasing, but small towns are dying. Businesses cannot afford the rates and they cannot compete with the...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 May 2015)

John Kelly: It is not often that I agree with my colleague, Senator Terry Leyden. However, I agree with him on how the business of the House is run, particularly Commencement matters. When we table specific Commencement matters, we want the specific Minister in charge to come to the House and deal with the matter. Over the past four years I have been totally frustrated to have health issues that I...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 May 2015)

John Kelly: The attendance of the relevant Minister would allow us to debate the issues.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 May 2015)

John Kelly: That is the first time ever.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 May 2015)

John Kelly: I seek a debate on the issue of online gambling and betting as a number of young people are in serious debt as a result of this facility being available to them. The betting companies do not care how much money a person loses or how much debt he or she gets into. On the other hand, if a person was to win a large amount of money online, they could shut down his or her account but do not mind...

Seanad: Action Plan for Jobs: Motion (29 Apr 2015)

John Kelly: I, too, welcome the Minister to the House and compliment him on all the good work that has been done in this area by him and the Government. As previously stated, while the detractor said it could not be done, unemployment has been reduced from in excess of 15% to under 10%. It is hoped this figure will be further reduced through the use of schemes as JobsPlus, JobBridge and so on. I do...

Seanad: Sport Ireland Bill 2014: Second Stage (22 Apr 2015)

John Kelly: The Minister of State is welcome again to the House. I will be supporting the Bill, which is very simple. It is about the establishment of Sport Ireland and the dissolution of the Irish Sports Council and the National Sports Campus Development Authority, which is in line with Government policy to reduce the number of quangos. The function of Sport Ireland is to develop strategies for...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Mental Health Services Provision (21 Apr 2015)

John Kelly: I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Michael Ring. While I have great respect for the Minister of State, there is something fundamentally wrong when we table a Commencement debate directed at the Minister for Health only for it to be taken by a different Minister who may not be familiar with the issues involved. We should change the way...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Mental Health Services Provision (21 Apr 2015)

John Kelly: The word "reconfigure" has been bandied about by the HSE for some years. It was bandied about during the term of the last Government and we are still hearing it. Of course, the reality of reconfiguration in County Roscommon was that we lost an emergency department. The Minister of State has referred to investment made in mental health services and the additional staff appointed in County...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Apr 2015)

John Kelly: I was out of the country when the findings of Dominic McGinn SC were brought to Cabinet in respect of the murder of Fr. Niall Molloy. I am disappointed at his recommendation. Having said that, I am not surprised, because the only remit Dominic McGinn was given was to review a botched Garda investigation file. In his findings he said there were serious shortcomings in that investigation....

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Apr 2015)

John Kelly: I ask the Minister for Justice and Equality to initiate a full commission of inquiry into the murder of Fr. Niall Molloy to bring closure, fairness and justice to the Molloy family, because to date this has not happened.

Seanad: Roads Bill 2014: Second Stage (16 Apr 2015)

John Kelly: I welcome the Minister to the House. I support the Bill. There is little one can contribute to this debate that has not been said already. Like Senator O'Neill I agree that the merger of two agencies which do similar jobs is a move in the right direction. I believe the NRA is doing a good job and will manage the merger well. As is the norm in this House when we get a Minister in, we tend...

Seanad: Roads Bill 2014: Second Stage (16 Apr 2015)

John Kelly: I know. Something needs to be done to assist these people. It is not the case that they will ever obtain a full licence if they have to undergo a theory test. I am sure most people in this House, including myself, would not pass a theory test. The only people who can pass them are 17 year olds who study for them. I would like if the Minister would consider an amnesty for these people and...