Results 13,881-13,900 of 46,522 for speaker:Simon Harris
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues (11 Dec 2019)
Simon Harris: That is a great question. We are all trying to find extra capacity to deal with the immediate problems. We know we need to do better in terms of building more hospital capacity and more community capacity in the coming months and years. Basically, it is a call out to the system, and I echo that call again today. If a hospital manager or a hospital group manager believes that he or she can...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues (11 Dec 2019)
Simon Harris: I agree with the Deputy 100%, with the caveat that it has to be a matter of choice - I know the Deputy would agree with that too. We asked our group in the Department to bring together all the different units involved in this area in terms of eligibility and the likes as well as health and health policy. We published the report. My officials and others, including representatives of the...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues (11 Dec 2019)
Simon Harris: I did not hear the report but I am not surprised to hear that view. Let us consider what direct provision and emergency accommodation for people coming to our country are about. This is about people coming from what can be a highly traumatic environment and fleeing oppression to another country. We can all imagine the trauma of that. We can only begin to imagine the trauma of that for a...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues (11 Dec 2019)
Simon Harris: There are three parts to this. The Chairman raised the matter with me in the Dáil last week. The first part is to acknowledge that we need to train far more GPs. I am pleased to see that the number of GPs entering training is increasing. That is not a political statement. The Irish College of General Practitioners and others are welcoming this. We are now training more GPs than...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues (11 Dec 2019)
Simon Harris: People have an intimate relationship with the GP, and it is an important one.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues (11 Dec 2019)
Simon Harris: To the very best of my knowledge, my colleague, the Minister of State with responsibility for Bantry and mental health and older people-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues (11 Dec 2019)
Simon Harris: He is not here, but I note Deputy Murphy O'Mahony and the Minister of State are getting on far better these days since his announcement.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues (11 Dec 2019)
Simon Harris: The Deputy does not mind me saying these things - there is less sting in it. I will get the Deputy a written update on this, but to the best of my knowledge they are on track.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues (11 Dec 2019)
Simon Harris: Please do.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues (11 Dec 2019)
Simon Harris: I am.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues (11 Dec 2019)
Simon Harris: I must have missed that radio programme as well.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues (11 Dec 2019)
Simon Harris: I am passionately in favour of it, as is the Deputy. We passed this landmark legislation. A hell of a lot of people put a large number of obstacles in our way. Vested interests with deep pockets attempted to stop us passing the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018. I acknowledge that we passed it together with civic society and public health advocates. I thank people for their co-operation....
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues (11 Dec 2019)
Simon Harris: Alcohol cannot be advertised on children's clothing. Alcohol advertising in cinemas is severely restricted. Alcohol cannot be advertised near schools, crèches or playgrounds. It is good that some of the measures have come in.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues (11 Dec 2019)
Simon Harris: I want to bring in minimum unit pricing. I will explain why I do not buy into the baloney which suggests that we cannot bring it in until Northern Ireland does so. Scotland did it without waiting for England. It is about to be done in Wales, but the authorities in England are not about to do it. I remind the Deputy that we are talking about a certain type of alcohol. We are not talking...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues (11 Dec 2019)
Simon Harris: I would like to move on this very early in the new year.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues (11 Dec 2019)
Simon Harris: I am happy to work through the break. I have to leave at 1 p.m. When we come back, we should have enough time for members to ask any remaining questions.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues (11 Dec 2019)
Simon Harris: I am happy to take a break.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues (11 Dec 2019)
Simon Harris: I may have to ask the NTPF to compile it but we will write to the committee with that information.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues (11 Dec 2019)
Simon Harris: It was not from me, or if the Chairman has sought it from me, I apologise.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues (11 Dec 2019)
Simon Harris: We will certainly ask for that. It should be easy to provide the information because the benefit of the NTPF is that one can track the patient through his or her entire journey. It is not money that goes into an overall budget but is individually allocated to a patient. I assure the Chairman that there is a direct correlation between the significant increase in funding for reducing waiting...