Results 21,841-21,860 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2021: Motion (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: -----to debate this legislation because it is very serious. I will try to address some of the questions Deputies asked. Deputy Ward asked a reasonable question about the mental health provisions. That power is due to expire on 9 November. The Mental Health Commission is not looking for it to be extended and I am not recommending that it be extended. That power will be extinguished on...

Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2021: Motion (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: We are talking about extending a safety net for about 11 weeks on the advice of Chief Medical Officer and I believe all of us will agree that he has advised us well. A reasonable argument has been made by colleagues that if this is needed, Deputies could come back to the House and legislate. I want to take us back to what happened in the week before Christmas last year to show how quickly...

Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2021: Motion (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I ask Deputies to consider their position on the proposal. It is a safety net.

Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2021: Motion (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: It is a safety net lasting for about 11 weeks and it is being done on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer.

Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2021: Motion (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: If we had another situation, such as the one we had on the Friday evening of the week before Christmas, this would allow us to move quickly. That is all it is. The measure only applies to hospitality and indoor hospitality were it to be invoked. I ask Deputies to reflect on that. If the majority of us were to vote for and support this proposal, it would send another message of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: General Practitioner Services (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 541 and 599 together. Under the terms of the current GMS contract, GPs are required to provide eligible patients with ''all proper and necessary treatment of a kind usually undertaken by a general practitioner and not requiring special skill or experience of a degree or kind which general practitioners cannot reasonably be expected to possess.". Persons...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Staff (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: There are now two types of employment permits available for Non-Consultant Hospital Doctors (NCHDs). These are a General Employment Permit (GEP) and a Critical Skills Permit (CSEP). A critical skills permit may now be granted to an NCHD where an employer is offering employment for two years. Either permit can now be issued on a multi-site basis if required, subject to relevant conditions...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Information and Communications Technology (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: Improved IT security measures have been put in place within my Department. A complete security review of the infrastructure was undertaken and specialised software has been installed to mitigate against malicious software, and to provide early warning notifications of same. The system is fully monitored, providing for a rapid response to any notified incidents. Going forward, my...

Written Answers — Department of Health: General Practitioner Services (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 547 and 559 together. The GMS contract requires that, where a participating medical practitioner retires or resigns from the GMS scheme, the Health Service Executive will notify each GMS patient of the name of the new doctor and inform each patient that their records are being transferred to this doctor. As the issues raised are service matters, I have asked...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing Homes (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: As the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointments Status (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) works with public hospitals, as opposed to with patients directly, to offer and provide the funding for treatment to clinically suitable long waiting patients who are on an inpatient/day case waiting list for surgery, having been referred on to such a list following clinical assessment by a consultant/specialist at an outpatient clinic. The key...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Ambulance Service (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointments Status (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual. In relation to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Dental Services (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) provides dental care, free of charge to medical card holders aged 16 and over. I am aware that there has been a reduction in the numbers of dentists participating in the DTSS since the beginning of the current COVID-19 pandemic and that some people are experiencing problems in accessing a service close to their home. I am assured by the HSE that...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Dental Services (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Home Care Packages (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: Enabling people with care-needs to continue to live independently at home for as long as possible is a priority for the Government. To advance this, the Government is committed to establishing a new, statutory scheme for the financing and regulation of home-support services, which the Department of Health is currently developing. It is intended that the new scheme will provide equitable and...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Treatment Purchase Fund (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: In relation to the particular query raised by the Deputy regarding the level of activity during the most recent 12 months, the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) has provided a summary of the treatments and appointments arranged from September 2020 to August 2021 in the attached table. The NTPF has also provided accompanying tables showing the breakdown of treatments arranged by...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Charges (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The Government’s policy is that the core function of the public hospital system is to provide equitable access to hospital services for public patients. In that context, all persons ordinarily resident in Ireland are eligible for public hospital services. In addition, patients may opt for private in-patient care in public hospitals subject to the requirement that the proportion of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.