Results 1-20 of 122 for going forward speaker:Mary Butler

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Accommodation (7 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: ...school authority’s design team throughout the process. Therefore, the next stage is for that review by the Department’s professional and technical officers. As soon as that is completed, it will go back to the school. Again, I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I assure him that the Department of Education is committed to moving this project forward as quickly as...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing Homes (18 Jan 2024)

Mary Butler: Fair Deal was designed to protect and support vulnerable older people, to ensure equal access to nursing home care based on what they could afford. This gives certainty to people and families. Government funding for Fair Deal is to support vulnerable older people at a time in their lives where full-time care is essential. Funding to support people to access services in the sector...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Traveller Community (17 Jan 2024)

Mary Butler: ...and representatives on this task. Traveller representatives have also been invited to be part of the group. I welcome the increased focus in the area of Traveller mental health and I look forward to the progression of this workstream. Budget 2024 provided new funding to enhance Suicide Prevention and Postvention Services through the expansion of Suicide Bereavement Liaison Service;...

Seanad: Sex Offenders (Amendment) (Coercive Control) Bill 2023: Second Stage (6 Dec 2023)

Mary Butler: ...the right of a victim of coercive control to seek and obtain information about a person who has been convicted of the offence of coercive control. Earlier this week the Minister, Deputy McEntee, brought a memo to Government seeking approval not to oppose this Bill on Second Stage and I can confirm this was endorsed by the Cabinet. The Minister believes this Bill is well intentioned and...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Healthcare Policy (21 Nov 2023)

Mary Butler: ...to clarify that the decision made by the World Health Assembly on 27 May 2022 did not amend the regulations. Rather, it commenced the negotiation process to amend the regulations which is currently ongoing and is due to conclude by May 2024. The working group has been tasked with discussing targeted amendments to the IHR to address specific identified issues, challenges and gaps, which...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Mental Health Services (21 Nov 2023)

Mary Butler: I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I always look forward to coming to the Seanad and to any opportunity I can get to speak about mental heath and the fact that recovery is possible. Lived experience and what patients go through is something we have to listen to and learn from. That is important. The answer that has been presented to me relates to crisis resolution services but I...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mental Health Policy (14 Nov 2023)

Mary Butler: ...and representatives on this task. Traveller representatives have also been invited to be part of the group. I welcome the increased focus in the area of Traveller mental health and I look forward to the progression of this workstream. Budget 2024 provided new funding to enhance Suicide Prevention and Postvention Services through the expansion of Suicide Bereavement Liaison Service; and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Nursing Homes (9 Nov 2023)

Mary Butler: ...bed reconciliation exercise that validated its publicly-managed residential bed stock. The purpose of this exercise was to reconcile variances derived from the audit and agree particular bed data going forward, with a view to providing accurate information that would identify challenges and support future planning. I agree with the Deputy; this was important post Covid to see exactly how...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Departmental Priorities (9 Nov 2023)

Mary Butler: ...families are expected to benefit from this weekend service. Furthermore, in Budget 2024 I announced that a minimum of 18% of all new home support hours are now ringfenced for people with dementia. Going forward there will be a strong focus on dementia-specific services, which have developed in recent years, like the Memory Technology Resource Rooms and National Dementia Adviser...

Home Care Workers and Home Support Scheme: Motion [Private Members] (8 Nov 2023)

Mary Butler: I am glad that workforce is a focus of today's motion. The Government is committed to improving recruitment and retention. In March 2022, I established the strategic workforce advisory group on home carers and nursing home healthcare assistants. It set out to examine and, most importantly, propose solutions. The group was chaired by the Department of Health and comprised representatives...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Care Services (7 Nov 2023)

Mary Butler: In line with the on-going Sláintecare reform of the health and social care system, the Government is committed to supporting older persons to live independently in their homes and communities for as long as possible; to the provision of timely, high-quality, person-centred, integrated care in the most appropriate setting for all older persons; and to supporting positive ageing....

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mental Health Services (19 Oct 2023)

Mary Butler: ...x2019;s services are improved. Of course, any area that falls short of the high standards that young people and their families should rightly expect is an area of concern. However, I am reassured from the on-going and extensive engagement between my Department, the HSE, and the Commission regarding the findings of the Final Report, that care in individual cases has not been seriously...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Mental Health Services (11 Oct 2023)

Mary Butler: ...when a child attends a GP and a referral is made, there will be a no wrong door approach. Every child who is referred will be clinically assessed and it will be determined where that child should go. In some cases it may be Foróige, in some cases it may be a family resource centre, it might be Jigsaw, it might be Talk To Tom, it might be whatever services are available in the area....

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mental Health Services (4 Oct 2023)

Mary Butler: ...health National Clinical Programmes and Models of Care, which has led to significant service improvements. This includes full implementation of the specialist perinatal mental health network provided for as well as the on-going expansion of specialist mental health teams for Eating Disorders, ADHD in adults, and Dual Diagnosis. Key achievements in 2023 have included:For the first time in...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: General Practitioner Services (26 Sep 2023)

Mary Butler: ...to ensuring an equitable and fair distribution of patient assignments to individual GPs and across geographies, for example, not putting 30 with one and one with another. In addition to the foregoing, a joint HSE and IMO working group is being established to review the operation of the patient assignment protocol to ensure that it is framed and operating in a fair, equitable, patient-...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Disability Services (26 Sep 2023)

Mary Butler: .... As a final point, the HSE has developed a tender process for the delivery of assessment of need from private providers. This process has recently been completed and the Minister of State looks forward to its outcome so the next stages of dealing with the waiting times can be progressed. The Minister of State is fully committed to pursuing every avenue in order to improve access and...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mental Health Services (21 Sep 2023)

Mary Butler: ...to the HSE have been addressed as a matter of priority inclusive of open case reviews, individual care planning, corporate and clinical governance and risk management. In addition there has been on-going and extensive engagement between the Department of Health, the HSE, and the Mental Health Commission regarding the findings, and extensive collaboration continues to take place. In...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing Homes (20 Sep 2023)

Mary Butler: ...review. I recently held a roundtable discussion with private nursing home provider representative groups where the issue of continued support for the sector was on the agenda. I will continue to engage with them going forward. Discussions on next year’s Estimates and Budget 2024 are ongoing and a wide range of initiatives are under consideration. It should also be noted that the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Jul 2023)

Mary Butler: ...have reopened, 46 dementia-specific day services have also reopened and 56,000 people receive home care every day. I met with Safeguarding Ireland yesterday. We are moving ahead and will be going ahead to open consultation regarding the issue of safeguarding in September. The Law Reform Commission of Ireland is carrying out work for us on that matter at the moment. We are also...