Results 2,301-2,320 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Nursing Home Charges: Nursing Home Charges (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: The HSE has reported that where it has been authorised to act as the patient's agent in relation to dealing with the patient's pension payments, weekly spending money is paid to each patient and the balance of such patient's pension is lodged to his-her patient private property account, from where it is accessible to the patient. With regard to the matter of the return of the pension book to...

Written Answers — Nursing Education: Nursing Education (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: I presume the Deputy is referring to the health care assistant grade which supports the work of nurses-midwives and acts under their supervision. This is not a nursing grade, however. Health care assistants are part of the nursing team and make a valuable contribution to the care of patients. Health care assistants and similar grades such as nurse's aide and ward attendant have been a feature...

Written Answers — Nursing Home Charges: Nursing Home Charges (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: The letter and briefing documents in the file the Deputy refers to were sent to the Attorney General last October at my request, following the issue being raised in the House. The original file drawn up in January 2004 containing these documents was not found in the Department despite an extensive search undertaken in January and February this year to facilitate the work of Mr. John Travers...

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 154 together. The Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, which was established on 1 January 2005. Under the Act, the executive has the responsibility to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. This includes responsibility for the provision of hospital services. Accordingly,...

Written Answers — Tuberculosis Incidence: Tuberculosis Incidence (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: The Health Act 1947 and the Infectious Diseases Regulations 1981, as amended, provide the legislative basis for the control of infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, TB, in Ireland. My Department's strategy in relation to the prevention and treatment of TB is guided by the recommendations of the Report of the Working Party on Tuberculosis, 1996, which covers a wide range of issues...

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 99, 110 and 117 together. The Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, which was established on 1 January 2005. Under the Act, the executive has the responsibility to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Accordingly, my Department has requested the chief executive officer of the...

Written Answers — Influenza Vaccines: Influenza Vaccines (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: Vaccination is the principal measure for preventing influenza and reducing the impact of epidemics. It will be the primary public health intervention in the event of an influenza pandemic. However, the production of a vaccine tailored to a pandemic influenza strain could take six to nine months. Developments are under way at international level seeking to expedite this process. Pending the...

Written Answers — General Practitioner Co-operatives: General Practitioner Co-operatives (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: The Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, which was established on 1 January 2005. Under the Act, the executive has the responsibility to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. That includes responsibility for the development, implementation and monitoring of GP out-of-hours co-operatives. Since the first GP...

Written Answers — Nursing Home Charges: Nursing Home Charges (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: A memorandum for Government, regarding the repayment scheme for charges for residential long-term care, was brought before Cabinet for consideration, and the Government has agreed the key elements of a scheme for the repayment of long-stay charges. All those who were charged and are alive, and the estates of all those who were charged and died in the six years prior to 9 December 2004, will...

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 104, 113, 124 and 137 together. The Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, which was established on 1 January 2005. Under the Act, the executive has the responsibility to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered, on its behalf, health and personal social services. That will include responsibility for the determination of eligibility...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: I am aware of many issues raised at the recent IMO conference, which I attended, including the question of investment in new acute beds. On foot of the commitment in the health strategy, funding has been provided to open an additional 900 inpatient beds and day places in acute hospitals. Health agencies have informed my Department that, on 6 May 2005, 780 beds were in place. The Health...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 106 and 178 together. My Department carried out a detailed study of acute hospital bed requirements up to 2011, and published Acute Hospitals Bed Capacity — a National Review in January 2002. The study examined current bed capacity and activity in acute hospitals and developed a framework for estimating future acute hospital capacity requirements. The study...

Written Answers — Community Care: Community Care (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: Work has been under way in my Department on the proposal to deliver 850 community nursing unit beds through a public private partnership, or PPP, and the work that has been done so far has helped to clarify several issues. My Department has been examining other procurement options with a view to finding the approach that will deliver the best services and value for money to the Exchequer. In...

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: The 2005 employment ceiling for the health service is currently 97,550 in whole-time equivalent terms. Below that national ceiling, there is no specific cap on the number of medical personnel who may be employed. Under the Health Act 2004, responsibility for the management of the health sector employment ceiling rests with the Health Service Executive, which took over full operational...

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: The Health and Safety Authority recommended that the Health Service Executive determine, on a hospital-by-hospital basis after undertaking the necessary risk assessment and staff consultation, whether extra capacity can be achieved within existing units. The National Hospitals Office has asked hospital managers to examine the potential for using the total hospital capacity, including...

Written Answers — Hospital Staff: Hospital Staff (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: As the Deputy will be aware, it is over 12 months since preliminary talks were held between management and the medical organisations to discuss the commencement of negotiations on a new contract for hospital consultants. Unfortunately, the opposition of those organisations to the extension of the clinical indemnity scheme to cover claims against consultants has led to a decision by the Irish...

Written Answers — Water Fluoridation: Water Fluoridation (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: The statutory basis for the fluoridation of public piped water supplies is the Health (Fluoridation of Water Supplies) Act 1960, 46 of 1960, and various regulations made under the Act. The Act provides for the making by health authorities of arrangements for the fluoridation of water supplied by sanitary authorities through pipes. The Act also provides that the amount of fluorine added to a...

Written Answers — Cancer Screening Programme: Cancer Screening Programme (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 114, 142, 166 and 169 together. I am confident the target date of 2007 for the commencement of the rollout of BreastCheck to the west, north west, south and south west will be met. The national roll-out of the programme is a major priority in the development of cancer services. This will ensure all women in the relevant age group of 50 to 64 years in every...

Written Answers — Accident and Emergency Services: Accident and Emergency Services (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: The Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, which was established on 1 January 2005. Under the Act, the executive has the responsibility to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Accordingly, my Department has requested the chief executive officer of the Health Service Executive to reply to the Deputy directly.

Written Answers — Health Capital Programme: Health Capital Programme (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 118 and 143 together. The Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, established on 1 January 2005, to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. This includes responsibility for progressing the bulk of the health capital programme in 2005 and in future years. The HSE service plan for 2005...