Archive for June 2010
Missing files and delays beset medical card applications
Posted on July 01, 2010
Motion on the Adjournment 1st July 2010
"The need for the Minister for Health and Children to explain why so many applications for renewal of medical cards are being refused under the new system and particularly in the constituency of Dublin Central".
Sick, old and disabled people are suffering because the Minister for Health and the HSE imposed a system to process medical card applications on top of a system designed to process the Primary Care Reimbursement Service.
The result is long delays, files gone missing and general chaos.
In the last analysis the most vulnerable people in our society suffer because of the Minister's mismanagement and insensitivity.
Social Welfare Bill is austerity measure by Government
Posted on June 21, 2010
The Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2010 before us today is more of the Government’s austerity measures for the unemployed and less well off in their approach to resolving the economic crisis.
It follows on two budgets, a pension’s levy and two social welfare acts in 2009, all of which targeted those at the bottom end of the scale struggling to subsist.
This Bill was published on the 28th May 2010 and it will be guillotined by the Government today the 17th June 2010.
Head Shop Legislation needs to go further
Posted on June 21, 2010
Once again today the Minister for Justice has announced his proposals for tackling “legal highs” and putting Head Shops out of business.
What the Minister published today was not the actual legislation but the “Heads of Legislation” or a general scheme of proposals.
It could still take months for the draughtsmen in the Department of Justice to finesse the proposals and have the legislation ready for publication.
This is very disappointing as it took Mary Harney, Minister for Health, over 12 months to produce a Statutory Instrument which is a simple amendment of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations to add certain drugs to the list of banned substances under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1997.
Israeli Enquiry into Flotilla Attack not good enough
Posted on June 21, 2010
The decision by the Israeli Government to establish an internal enquiry into the circumstances surrounding the Israeli hijacking of the flotilla of humanitarian aid ships bound for Gaza is a whitewash and totally unacceptable.
The ships were boarded in international waters by the Israeli army, 9 people were shot by the Israeli soldiers, the ships were compelled to go to an Israeli port, remain in Israel custody and their crews and aid activists deported.
These are the uncontested facts of Israeli involvement in an extremely serious incident. An internal Israeli enquiry into such an international incident with such profound Israeli involvement is quite simply ridiculous.
Address to Meeting about Gaza in the Mansion House June 5th 2010
Posted on June 21, 2010
The blockade of Gaza which was put in place by the Israeli authorities in 2007 when Hamas came to power there, is the reason for the present fatal attack on the convoy of ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. Israel has justified its actions on the grounds that the Israeli Defence Forces were acting in self defence and that there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Both those justifications are patently false.
Israel must now face the facts and deal with the reality on the ground- not the virtual reality of their own propaganda.
Gaza Flotilla Statement
Posted on June 21, 2010
The events of last week are unprecedented; Israel engaged in an act of piracy on the high seas, killed and injured a large number of people then kidnapped 600, forced them to go to Israel before deporting them. Israel is operating as a rogue state in flagrant breach of international law. It is a law unto itself.
ELECTORAL REPRESENTATION (AMENDMENT) BILL (2010)
Posted on June 21, 2010
The speech by the Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, in the Dáil last night shows that Minister Gormley has gone native - that is native Fianna Fáil.
He said that he was “giving consideration to establishing an electoral commission on a non-statutory basis to report on the electoral reform agenda set out in the Renewed Programme for Government”.
Even Fianna Fáil would have to admire that powerful kick to touch.
The great Green giants of democracy certainly won’t precipitate a local or general election. Principles were alright when they were in opposition but now they are in the Fianna Fáil tent and like Groucho Marx they have access to a whole different set of principles.
