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Seanad
‹ Order of Business (Resumed)

Government plan for GP care

Summary

Leader Cummins says the Government remains committed to phased universal GP care and rejects the opposition’s amendment, while also responding to requests concerning domestic violence, ovarian cancer and the Defence Forces.

Senators Byrne, MacSharry and others spoke on free GP care and the promises that were made. I assure the Members on the other side of the House that they have a flawed line of attack because the Minister of State at the Department of Health with responsibility for primary care, Deputy White, has said there is no change to the plan to deliver GP care in the lifetime of this Government. He also said he would deliver a phased plan before this summer on how to achieve this. I am very sorry to disappoint the Senators. That is the clarity the Minister has provided, and that is the situation.

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The Government will honour the commitment given. That will disappoint those on that side of the House and throw a spanner into the works of their amendment to the Order of Business, but they are the facts as enunciated by the Minister of State, Deputy White, no later than today.

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The promises have been broken.

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I am very sorry to disappoint the Senators on that.

Senator Bacik asked for a debate on domestic violence and we will have a debate on that issue during Private Members' business in approximately 20 minutes' time. She also raised, along with Senator Noone, the question of ovarian cancer and the need to highlight and raise awareness of this issue. It is a very important issue about which awareness needs to be created. I applaud both Senators for raising that matter on the Order of Business.

I will accede to Senator Quinn's request for an amendment to the Order of Business to allow him to print his Bill and have it published. I note his points on the timing of school holidays and perhaps we can discuss that when we have the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn, in the House, hopefully soon.

Senator Paul Coghlan raised the worrying issue of the drifting of deposits from the country. He also mentioned the fact that some banks are handing in their licences. I will endeavour to have the Minister for Finance or the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, in the House to discuss that matter soon. We have had a number of debates on the whole issue of banking and perhaps we can have further ones in the future. We all note Senator Paul Coghlan's points on the whitetailed sea eagles in Killarney and his invitation for anyone who wishes to go down there.

Senators Daly and Walsh raised the Army presence at Arbour Hill. There was no diminution of the Army presence at Arbour Hill.

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The Army, as usual, carried out its duties in an exemplary manner in Arbour Hill, for those who were there at the ceremony. After last year's ceremony a review was undertaken by the Department of Defence as to how it could improve the ceremony. We had a ceremony with a guard of honour from the Army going up in Arbour Hill this morning, and it was done in a very dignified manner as we would always expect of our Defence Forces. There was also a significant number of Defence Forces personnel in the church and most of the celebrants of the mass were Army clerics so I cannot accept those ludicrous suggestions that have been made about the diminution of the Defence Forces in the celebrations this morning.

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David P.B. Norris Senator David Norris Independent

Hear, hear. Well said, Leader.

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