Seanad Éireann

Vol. 241 Tuesday, No. 11 20 July 2015 DÍOSPÓIREACHTAÍ PARLAIMINTE PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES SEANAD ÉIREANN TUAIRISC OIFIGIÚIL—Neamhcheartaithe (OFFICIAL REPORT—Unrevised) Insert Date Here 20/07/2015A00100Order of Business 2 20/07/2015U00100Houses of the Oireachtas (Appointments to Certain Offices) Bill 2014: Committee Stage 20 20/07/2015CC00100Personal Insolvency (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages 28 20/07/2015HH00100Civil Debt (Procedures) Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages ��33 SEANAD ÉIREANN Dé Luain, 20 Iúil 2015 Monday, 20 July 2015 Chuaigh an Cathaoirleach i gceannas ar 12.30 p.m. Machnamh agus Paidir. Reflection and Prayer. 20/07/2015A00100Order of Business 20/07/2015B00200Senator Maurice Cummins: The Order of Business is No 1, Houses of the Oireachtas (Appointments to Certain Offices) Bill 2014 - Committee Stage, to be taken at 1.45 p.m. and adjourned not later than 2.45 p.m.; No. 2, Personal Insolvency (Amendment) Bill 2014 - Com- mittee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 2.45 p.m.; and No. 3 - Civil Debt (Procedures) Bill 2015 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at the conclusion of No. 2. 20/07/2015B00300Senator Darragh O’Brien: To clarify, will the debate on the Houses of the Oireachtas (Appointments to Certain Offices) Bill be adjourned at 2.45 p.m. if it does not finish before then? Does the Leader intend to carry over the Bill or does he wish to conclude the debate on it before that time? 20/07/2015B00400Senator Maurice Cummins: We will see. It should be finished by then. 20/07/2015B00500Senator Darragh O’Brien: I thank the Leader. I wish to raise a specific case with him. I would not do this on the Order of Business but for the severity of the case. A constituent has made contact with me about a matter that relates to the broader issue of health insurance, health insurance coverage and how health insurance companies such as Aviva deal with their custom- ers. The man’s name is Mr. Colm Callaghan. He has written to the Minister for Health----- 20/07/2015B00600An Cathaoirleach: The Senator should not name people in the House. 20/07/2015B00700Senator Darragh O’Brien: My apologies. He is well known because the case is public, but I apologise for naming him. However, my constituent requires life saving medical attention and an operation that is only available in Canada. This has been confirmed by St. Vincent’s University Hospital. A liver operation is required. What is galling is that this family has health insurance and the insurance policy document which I have with me clearly states “Yes” that the family is covered for benefit abroad for surgical procedures that are not available in Ireland. Obviously, the news the family received about this man’s liver cancer was devastating. They made contact with Aviva at the time and were told verbally that they were covered and that the 2 30 January 2008 matter would be dealt with, except for the cost of flights and accommodation. Then, a couple of weeks ago, Aviva came back to them to tell them that they were not covered and that they would be paid €22,000. The cost of the operation was €200,000. The man concerned has a young family who are distraught. I will be writing to Aviva as it is absolutely disgraceful. 20/07/2015C00200Senator Martin Conway: It is disgraceful. 20/07/2015C00400Senator Darragh O’Brien: I worked in the insurance industry and have the policy docu- ments. We have asked the Minister for Health, Deputy Leo Varadkar, to assist as best he can. The family wrote to him on 16 July. I will give the Leader the details afterwards and ask his office to take up the case with the Minister for Health who I am sure will be sympathetic. It may be that the State will have to step in, but Aviva cannot be let off the hook on this. The man concerned and his family have paid their premiums. It states on the policy document that they are covered and now Aviva is backsliding purely because of the cost. If the man concerned can raise the money, €200,000, he can have a lifesaving treatment in Canada that is not available in Irelan or elsewhere in Europe. It is groundbreaking surgery. Aviva needs to do the decent thing, admit the claim and allow the man concerned and his family to travel to Canada to receive the treatment and have the operation that will save his life. He is 47 years old. As the Leader knows, I do not generally raise specific health cases such as this. It is just the week that is in it because the Dáil is not sitting and we are. I will give him the details. I have written to the Minister, as have the family. I ask the Leader to take up the case with him. With the support of my colleagues, I intend to get on to the chief executive of Aviva and tell him of the Seanad’s disgust at the manner in which the man concerned and his family have been treated. I seek the support of colleagues from all sides of the House on the issue. 20/07/2015C01200Senator Ivana Bacik: In the light of what Senator Darragh O’Brien said about the awful circumstances of the case mentioned, I am sure we could agree a Seanad cross-party motion, although it is very late to do so. We would certainly have time to do it. We can all join in doing so. I welcome the announcement that the Cabinet will be approving the Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill tomorrow. It will give adopted children the right to access information on their birth identity, which is a welcome development. It has been promised for a long time and everyone in the House will be aware of the difficulties in drafting legislation of this kind. Col- leagues on both sides have worked on the issue, as have colleagues in the Dáil. I look forward to the eventual publication of the Bill. I also welcome the announcement that Máire Geoghegan-Quinn is to chair the Higher Edu- cation Authority gender equality review of third level institutions which is being conducted in the light of the Micheline Sheehy-Skeffington case. I know that other colleagues, including Senator Hildegarde Naughton, have been raising the case and have been concerned about issues around gender inequality following the Sheehy-Skeffington decision. I welcome the setting up of a panel to put forward what the head of the HEA has described as what he hopes will be “impactful” recommendations in the light of the review to ensure greater gender equality at third level. We have heard a great deal this term regarding children’s health and rising obesity levels. Senator Jillian van Turnhout has established a cross-party group, with the Irish Heart Founda- tion, to look at children’s health and efforts to tackle obesity, etc. It has been suggested to me that we might look to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to institute a bike to school 3 20/07/2015A00100Order of Business scheme, similar to the bike to work scheme instituted by the last Government, which has been so successful in encouraging higher levels of cycling among adults. The introduction of a scheme that would encourage higher levels of cycling among schoolchildren would be very welcome. It would be a really good initiative. I will be writing to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to suggest he take up this initiative, but I ask that the Leader to also support it. We might have a debate in September on how to improve children’s health and the health of the population generally through greater promotion of cycling. We have seen great things such as the dublinbikes scheme working to improve levels of cycling but having a bike to school scheme would also be a great idea. It is always hard for schoolchildren to see back-to-school things at this stage of the summer when September seems so far off, but “bike to school” would be a good play on the words “back to school” and a very welcome initiative for children and parents alike. 20/07/2015C01300Senator Katherine Zappone: I support that idea. I have two questions about the national economic dialogue which I was delighted to attend last week. I was the only Senator present and I am particularly grateful to the Leader for helping me to be there. I am not sure why I was the only Senator present. Perhaps it was because, even though we had things to say about money Bills, we did not have votes on them. As we said during the debate on Seanad reform, we have a great deal of expertise that feeds into how the country sets its budgets and its priorities in that regard. I suppose this leads me to my first question which relates to the issue of Seanad reform. I understand there was a meeting of Opposition leaders and the Taoiseach on the evening of the most recent debate on the Manning report. I heard about it. It seems that at this meeting there was a debate but no consensus. According to the newspapers, the report is going to go to the Dáil for debate and perhaps a Bill might be introduced on the basis of whatever consensus is achieved. I wonder whether this is the best way to do the business of achieving Seanad reform. Perhaps it is a way of doing business while ensuring the Seanad is not reformed.

Load more