Results 161-180 of 309 for speaker:Keith Swanick

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2017)

Keith Swanick: I move amendment No. 43:In page 21, line 23, to delete "one year" and substitute "two years".

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2017)

Keith Swanick: As I have said previously, any legislative measures to curb alcohol abuse and excessive consumption are to be welcomed. This Bill unfairly penalises responsible consumers and puts smaller stores at a competitive disadvantage. Fianna Fáil is proposing these amendments with responsible retailers and small retailers in mind. They will require the part of a premises where alcohol is being...

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2017)

Keith Swanick: Yes.

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2017)

Keith Swanick: I indicated that that was my intention.

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2017)

Keith Swanick: Vótáil.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2017)

Keith Swanick: Yesterday was United Nations Day, an event which is celebrated globally and serves as a reminder of the benefits of multilateralism. Since joining the UN in 1955, Ireland has played an important role in that organisation, from the pioneering work of the late Deputy Frank Aiken, as Minister for External Affairs, on nuclear non-proliferation to the efforts of Defence Forces personnel in the...

Seanad: Driving Test Waiting Times: Statements (25 Oct 2017)

Keith Swanick: My party colleague, Deputy Eugene Murphy, raised this issue a couple of weeks back as a result of the excessive waiting times faced by those in County Roscommon where there is an almost 17 week waiting time to take a driving test. As he said, many of these people may be waiting for a full licence for employment purposes, or a job application may be hingeing on them having a full licence,...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Emergency Planning (18 Oct 2017)

Keith Swanick: First, I extend my condolences to the families of Clare O'Neill, Michael Pyke and Fintan Goss who lost their lives in Storm Ophelia. The loss of their lives is a fitting reminder of the dangers that extreme weather events can cause. We must all pay tribute to the phenomenal emergency services workers who went to work as usual on Monday, leaving their own families behind to ensure the safety...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Emergency Planning (18 Oct 2017)

Keith Swanick: I welcome the potential for an all-party solution. Those of us who work in the emergency services respond when the bleep goes off. We treat the patient who presents in front of us. We deal with the fire and do our best. It is not the time to examine the causes during the emergency, but in the cold light of day one often thinks about what is called contributory negligence. Surely if a...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Oct 2017)

Keith Swanick: I congratulate all involved in the report on children's mental health, particularly the parents who bravely recounted their stories to the committee. Tomorrow, 19 October, marks the 18th anniversary of the release of the Guildford Four by the Court of Appeal in London. Their release in 1989 after 15 years imprisonment brought an end to what was considered one of the biggest miscarriages of...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Oct 2017)

Keith Swanick: The Birmingham Six soon followed and the campaign for their freedom was vindicated. Due in part to their innocence, compelling evidence about prison conditions began to be discussed. The depiction by Daniel Day Lewis of Gerry Conlon in the film "In the Name of the Father" illustrated this for us all. According to the Irish Penal Reform Trust there are 60 people currently in prison who are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update On Health Issues: Discussion (18 Oct 2017)

Keith Swanick: I would like to echo what my colleague, Deputy Murphy O'Mahony, said regarding district hospitals. The Minister knows that I am a fan of the district hospital network and that I believe that it has a vital role to play in modern-day health service delivery. District hospitals should not be seen as a relic of a bygone era because, with adequate investment, they can prevent or reduce...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Oct 2017)

Keith Swanick: I applaud all those people who visited their elderly neighbours yesterday and who asked them whether they needed any groceries from the shop before the storm hit, who helped them secure their homes and who ensured they had torches or candles at hand should the power fail. These are small actions which made an enormous difference. It is unfortunate that it takes something such as a major...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Post Office Network (4 Oct 2017)

Keith Swanick: I welcome the Minister, Deputy Naughten, to the House. I thank him for coming in to discuss this very important and worrying issue. Senator Conway raised this same issue during yesterday's Order of Business, which shows that there is cross-party support for immediate action in this regard. As the Minister will know, there are 1,100 post offices throughout the State and reports have claimed...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Post Office Network (4 Oct 2017)

Keith Swanick: I thank the Minister for his comprehensive answer. As he said, An Post lost €13.7 million. The more services we provide in the post office, the more profitable it will be. At the end of the day, we are about serving communities and people who may not have a voice. It saddens me to think that elderly people are being disenfranchised because of the long distances. I acknowledge the...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Post Office Network (4 Oct 2017)

Keith Swanick: When does the Minister think the review will be complete?

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2017)

Keith Swanick: All Senators will have heard me talk of investments of public moneys in the tobacco industry. It is something I have raised time and time again. For over a year I have been working with Deputy Seán Fleming, who has done great work with me to expose this hypocrisy. Colleagues here have unanimously passed motions on this topic and I thank them for doing so. Last year, through Deputy...

Seanad: Mental Health Services: Motion (4 Oct 2017)

Keith Swanick: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, to the House. I congratulate Senator Freeman on her election as Chair of the Joint Committee on the Future of Mental Health Care and I commend her on bringing this motion before the House. It is unfortunate that she has had to introduce a motion asking the Government to spend money that has been allocated for vital and often lifesaving...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Adult Safeguarding: Discussion (4 Oct 2017)

Keith Swanick: I will be brief because I have tabled a Commencement matter in the Seanad. My colleague will remain to hear the answer to my question. I commend Senator Kelleher for the legislation, which is excellent. Mr. Taylor mentioned elderly people being shoehorned into nursing homes and I totally agree with him. From my own experience as a GP, I think there is a widespread practice of what we call...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Oct 2017)

Keith Swanick: I think we are all in agreement that homelessness is destroying lives in Ireland. As many as 3,000 children now live in emergency accommodation, which is profoundly shocking because we have been told that resources are not an issue for this crisis. As a physician I have considered the human cost of this crisis, including research from Harvard University. I have learned that the type of...