Results 13,221-13,240 of 46,522 for speaker:Simon Harris

Health (Covid-19): Statements (16 Apr 2020)

Simon Harris: We support the WHO and I hope and believe there is a political consensus in this House in that regard. The Tánaiste, Deputy Coveney, today announced that we are quadrupling our normal annual financial contribution to the WHO this year to €9.5 million. That is right and proper. It is the very least we can do. It is a global pandemic. The WHO is doing incredible work. Our own...

Health (Covid-19): Statements (16 Apr 2020)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for his question and for his public service in agreeing to go back to the front line, though we hope there is no surge. Before I address the Be On Call For Ireland initiative, I should point out that we are hiring people in other ways. More than 4,000 student nurses have now been given offers of paid employment as healthcare assistants, which will be a huge help to those...

Health (Covid-19): Statements (16 Apr 2020)

Simon Harris: There is absolutely no doubt that this virus does not discriminate in terms of age, gender or where someone lives in our country. However, we know that it has a significant impact on people of a certain age. Very sadly, nine out of ten deaths in our country, some 91%, have been people over the age of 65. Roughly two thirds of deaths have been people with underlying health conditions. This...

Health (Covid-19): Statements (16 Apr 2020)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy. I dealt with the question of the Chief Medical Officer's comments on restrictions from Deputy McNamara earlier but it is important to say that, when putting widespread national restrictions in place, it comes from the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, and from our clinicians. I stand by the judgment of the Chief Medical Officer. To be clear, he never said...

Health (Covid-19): Statements (16 Apr 2020)

Simon Harris: I am sorry. On the issue of swabs, to be clear, I have asked the HSE and it is my understanding from the HSE that swabs do not expire and were not discarded. The backlog, as the Deputy knows, has been processed with the assistance of a German laboratory and additional laboratory capacity here. We are now seeing, on average, 1,200 swab requests per day from our GPs. That does not include...

Health (Covid-19): Statements (16 Apr 2020)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Butler for her questions and the work she has done on this. The HSE informs me there are approximately 1,250 PPE deliveries to nursing homes and residential units every week and that the deliveries consist of 2,500 to 3,000 cartons and pallets, providing in excess of 1 million pieces of PPE per week to nursing homes and residential units. The Deputy is right to highlight an...

Health (Covid-19): Statements (16 Apr 2020)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for those questions. I will try to deal with them sequentially. Regarding the mortality rate, the first point I would make is that, in a pandemic, one can often see its flattening lagging behind some of the other indicators. We are now beginning to see our ICU and hospital admissions and our growth rate beginning to go in the right way, but our mortality rate is not....

Health (Covid-19): Statements (16 Apr 2020)

Simon Harris: The Deputy is kind of cutting across me.

Health (Covid-19): Statements (16 Apr 2020)

Simon Harris: I am not sure I am happy to have important issues raised that I do not respond to on the record of the House. I will be brief, but we cannot raise important questions and then not seek the answers for the public watching.

Health (Covid-19): Statements (16 Apr 2020)

Simon Harris: That is the purpose of this session. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked an important question about the current R number. I do not want to take Deputy Butler's time. Professor Philip Nolan will provide an update this evening, but I would like to share with the House that we now have four different methods for estimating R. The epidemiological modelling group is suggesting that the R number...

Health (Covid-19): Statements (16 Apr 2020)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy McNamara for bringing this issue to my attention and that of the House. I will raise it with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and his Department and ask that they link back in with the Deputy directly.

Health (Covid-19): Statements (16 Apr 2020)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Pringle. I note the Deputy has some other questions to ask me later as well, which I will endeavour to answer. On the community health organisations, I do not have details in relation to specific risk assessments that were carried out but I will certainly check, get that detail and revert to Deputy Pringle today in respect of it. What I can tell the Deputy is that HIQA is...

Health (Covid-19): Statements (16 Apr 2020)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy McNamara for the question. First, I take the point the Deputy makes in relation to young people but it is my duty to put on the record of this House that this is a virus which can be particularly severe for older people but to which young people are not immune. Indeed, yesterday in our country we had a 23 year old pass away from this condition. I know we all extend our...

Health (Covid-19): Statements (16 Apr 2020)

Simon Harris: The virus will not understand our brevity.

Health (Covid-19): Statements (16 Apr 2020)

Simon Harris: I could try to take those questions.

Health (Covid-19): Statements (16 Apr 2020)

Simon Harris: I hope they are health questions.

Health (Covid-19): Statements (2 Apr 2020)

Simon Harris: Ordinarily, I welcome any opportunity to update the House but today I cannot do so. We are living in extraordinary times and what we ordinarily do is no longer a choice we can freely make. On this day, World Autism Day, I think in particular of those who most depend on routine in their lives now finding a way to cope with their families in what are very strange and difficult days as they...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (2 Apr 2020)

Simon Harris: First, I acknowledge the huge cross-party and cross-grouping support, interest and work in respect of this issue. I think there are ten groupings in this House between parties and groupings of Independents. The co-operation, collaboration and support from each and every one of those groupings is at the level that I think the Irish people would expect. The Irish people are not expecting us...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (2 Apr 2020)

Simon Harris: Officials who are working extraordinarily hard seven days a week and who have not seen their families in weeks are working and making themselves available, as they want to and should, to brief Deputies and keep them up to date. They are doing a superb job and they deserve our support. In addition to that, myself and the Taoiseach will again brief leaders of all groupings in this House today...

An Bille um Bearta Éigeandála ar mhaithe le Leas an Phobail (Covid-19), 2020: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha - Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (26 Mar 2020)

Simon Harris: Deputy O'Reilly is entirely correct. As part of this amending legislation, we will be producing information booklets and the like for patients, particularly those in mental health services. It is important we protect their rights in this regard. I am happy to provide further briefings and meetings with the commission on this matter. It is now preparing protocols and guidance on the issue...