Results 221-240 of 2,629 for speaker:Tim O'Malley

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (2 Nov 2004)

Tim O'Malley: My Department is in regular contact with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment regarding the mainstreaming of community employment scheme participants engaged in the provision of assistance to people with disabilities. However, as the Deputy will appreciate, I cannot at this stage give specific commitments in relation to levels of expenditure in 2005 for any particular service as...

Written Answers — Services for People with Disabilities: Services for People with Disabilities (2 Nov 2004)

Tim O'Malley: One of the key priorities for my Department is to progress as quickly as possible the development of purpose-built residential and day facilities on the campus referred to by the Deputy. My Department has been working with the Eastern Regional Health Authority to progress the programme to provide more appropriate accommodation and to maximise the outcome from the capital resources available...

Written Answers — State Property: State Property (2 Nov 2004)

Tim O'Malley: I am informed by the Mid-Western Health Board that the sale of the property was conducted in adherence with best practice and policy protocols at the time and with the involvement of the Valuation Office. The Mid-Western Health Board agreed the sale of the hospital in 1998 for £2.444 million, or €3.1 million, and the actual closure of the hospital took place in September 2001.

Seanad: Flood Relief (3 Nov 2004)

Tim O'Malley: Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil le Seanadóirí Mansergh agus Ó Murchú as an cheist seo a ardú. I am delighted to be able to outline the Government's position to the House and apologise for the absence of my colleague, Deputy Parlon, Minister of State at the Department of Finance who is abroad at an EU ministerial meeting. Following severe flooding in Clonmel in the late 1990s a...

Seanad: Cancer Treatment Services. (3 Nov 2004)

Tim O'Malley: I thank Senator McHugh for having raised this matter on the Adjournment. I welcome the opportunity to address the issues raised about the delivery of cancer services at Letterkenny General Hospital. Currently, patients under active cancer treatment at the hospital are encouraged in the first instance to contact the oncology day case unit. During normal working hours from Monday to Friday,...

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (10 Nov 2004)

Tim O'Malley: The Senator should apologise.

Written Answers — Job Protection: Job Protection (16 Nov 2004)

Tim O'Malley: A working group will shortly be established to consider options for Blindcraft and its employees and to make a recommendation on its future to the Tánaiste and the board of Blindcraft. The working group will include representation from my Department, the board of Blindcraft, the unions, the workforce, Enterprise Ireland and FÁS.

Written Answers — Services for People with Disabilities: Services for People with Disabilities (16 Nov 2004)

Tim O'Malley: Responsibility for the provision of services, including diagnostic and therapy services, for persons with an intellectual disability and those with autism in the Kildare area is a matter, in the first instance, for the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has asked the regional chief executive of the authority to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and reply directly to him.

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 Nov 2004)

Tim O'Malley: I apologise for coming here but the Minister of State, Deputy Power, had a prior engagement in a Dublin hospital. He is speaking at a function at 4 p.m. so he could not be here. I understand that four professional bodies represent chiropodists in Ireland, none of which approached the Department to change the title to podiatrist. However, I will contact the professional bodies concerned to...

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 Nov 2004)

Tim O'Malley: I did not signal that.

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 Nov 2004)

Tim O'Malley: What I said is that none of the four professional bodies has been in contact with the Department of Health and Children and that we will now contact them as well as acting upon the suggestion of Senator Maurice Hayes regarding the situation in Northern Ireland. We will then be better briefed to come back to the issue.

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 Nov 2004)

Tim O'Malley: As I understand it, it has not been suggested that practitioners describing themselves as "physical therapists" are seeking to mislead the public. Rather a situation has arisen over a long period whereby a significant number of persons are currently practising in this State and earning a livelihood providing services to the public using the title "physical therapist", which in other countries...

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 Nov 2004)

Tim O'Malley: I would be willing to consult the representatives of physiotherapists and physical therapists in an effort to come up with another title for physical therapists. I fully understand what everyone has said about the confusion in this country compared with other countries where the two qualifications are synonymous. The titles are not synonymous in Ireland because there are different educational...

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 Nov 2004)

Tim O'Malley: I thank Senator Ryan and other speakers for drawing attention to this important area, including counsellors and psychotherapists. I agree that many of those who practise as counsellors and therapists do an excellent job but, unfortunately, that cannot be said for all of them. There is a big problem there. Given my responsibility for mental health, I have met many of these groups. I agree that...

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 Nov 2004)

Tim O'Malley: My understanding is that most professionals have become regulated through a process of discussion with all the groups involved to try to reach a consensus. I have met many counsellors' and psychotherapists' groups and have asked them to come up with proposals which we can consider. I want to do what the Senator has suggested but it would be extremely difficult to do so at the moment. One...

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 Nov 2004)

Tim O'Malley: I am delighted we have had this discussion. I agree with what has been said and will follow up on what Senator Ryan has said. I agree these people need to be regulated and I will do everything to drive forward the message to them.

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 Nov 2004)

Tim O'Malley: Changing the words could have the effect of excluding people. Substituting "or" with "and" would inappropriately restrict the definition of a health or social care profession. By leaving the word "or" in place a health or social care profession can be a profession in which a person exercises skill or judgment relating to the diagnosis, treatment or care of those who are injured, sick,...

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 Nov 2004)

Tim O'Malley: It would be extremely difficult for me to speak about turf wars down the road in the medical profession. There were turf wars in the past and there will more in the future.

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 Nov 2004)

Tim O'Malley: All professions are. The legislation does not prescribe the regulation of the scope of practice for any profession. It would be open to any designated profession to define the scope of its practice as part of its code of professional conduct and ethics. Endangering the public by operating outside the scope of practice would be grounds for complaint against a registered practitioner. It is...

Seanad: Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 Nov 2004)

Tim O'Malley: I understand Senator Ryan's point. All professions must change and one of the major problems I face is getting people to understand what team work means. That is a major challenge for all of us who want to achieve a better health service. Senator Glynn mentioned the co-operatives. I was at the Shannondoc co-op in Limerick, where doctors work together on a team basis. Although a small number...