Results 2,521-2,540 of 3,871 for speaker:Catherine Byrne

Written Answers — Department of Health: Drug Treatment Programmes Funding (13 Jul 2017)

Catherine Byrne: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Early Childhood Care and Education Funding (13 Jul 2017)

Catherine Byrne: I apologise, but I will be talking all four Commencement matters.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Early Childhood Care and Education Funding (13 Jul 2017)

Catherine Byrne: I thank the Senator. Some of the issues she has raised do not relate to the question that was submitted, so I may not have the answers here, but I will comment on some afterwards. On behalf of the Minister, Deputy Katherine Zappone, I am very pleased to provide an update on the measures which are being put in place to make child care more affordable for families from September. I will also...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Early Childhood Care and Education Funding (13 Jul 2017)

Catherine Byrne: The Senator raised other issues which were not mentioned in the matter submitted but I have taken note of them, in particular the question about the system. I will raise the matter of the review of child care to the Minister's office straight away when I leave here. There is, as the Senator said, a substantial amount of funding being put in place over the next number of years for child...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: School Curriculum (13 Jul 2017)

Catherine Byrne: I thank Senator Warfield for his remarks. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills, who cannot be here this morning. I thank the Senator for providing this opportunity to outline to the House the position on the teaching of the LGBT+ aspects of the social, personal and health education, SPHE, and the relationships and sexuality education, RSE, curriculums...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: School Curriculum (13 Jul 2017)

Catherine Byrne: The Senator has spoken on a personal basis about what it is to be different from other people, or to identify as different from other people. My thoughts on it are very clear. Anybody who lives in a country and any child who goes to school has the right to be educated on all sexual relationships, no matter what relationship that is. We are living in a very different country from that in...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: School Curriculum (13 Jul 2017)

Catherine Byrne: I will be taking this matter on behalf of Minister, Deputy Harris. The issue of orphan medicines, with very small patient populations, and the price barriers for health systems in supplying them to patients, is worldwide. Orphan product manufacturers have exclusive patents and are monopoly suppliers. They can, and frequently do, seek extraordinary prices for these products. The HSE seeks,...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: School Curriculum (13 Jul 2017)

Catherine Byrne: I agree with Senator Colm Burke that if somebody can have medication that will keep him or her out of hospital and be less of a cost to the State, that needs to looked at as well. As I stated in the reply, there are currently nine products under consideration, with a five year cost of €120 million, of which eight were referred since May. The Minister, Deputy Harris, expects that the...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: School Curriculum (13 Jul 2017)

Catherine Byrne: I apologise for the Minister, Deputy Harris, who could not be here. I commend those carers who are over 66 years of age and, indeed, all carers who are caring for loved ones at home. This 24-7 duty of care is one that faces many families throughout the country and I understand the difficulties carers face financially, physically and emotionally, particularly for those who are older carers....

Seanad: Commencement Matters: School Curriculum (13 Jul 2017)

Catherine Byrne: I have great sympathy for the issue Senator Byrne has raised. I know what it was like when my two brothers looked after my Mam, who had dementia and other ailments, before she passed away. It is unconditional love - that is the only way of putting it. They were not paid for their services but they did it because she was their mother and they were able to have her at home and give her as...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Charitable and Voluntary Organisations (26 Jul 2017)

Catherine Byrne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 679 and 680 together. The Department of Health does not undertake investments of any sort, either pension or other investment funds. I have contacted the HSE regarding, the HSE funded section 39 charitable organisations that are regulated by the Charities Regulatory Authority in relation to whether they held investments in the tobacco industry through the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Food Industry Data (26 Jul 2017)

Catherine Byrne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 772 to 774, inclusive, together as they all relate to the FDI/Creme Global Reformulation Project Report. The food industry body, Food Drink Ireland (FDI) have been providing verbal updates to the Special Action Group on Obesity (SAGO) on their reformulation work regularly over the years. In November 2015, they presented the draft FDI/Creme Global...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Obesity Strategy (26 Jul 2017)

Catherine Byrne: The National Obesity Policy and Action Plan covers a ten year period up to 2025 and aims to reverse obesity trends, prevent health complications and reduce the overall burden for individuals, families, the health system, and the wider society and economy. Every sector of our society has a role in reducing obesity levels and the Policy clearly acknowledges this. The National Obesity...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Maternity Services (26 Jul 2017)

Catherine Byrne: Increasing the rates of breastfeeding in Ireland is an important national health policy objective and is emphasised in the Healthy Ireland Framework, the National Maternity Strategy 2016-2026, the National Obesity Policy and Action Plan 2016-2025, and the recently published National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026. The HSE Breastfeeding Action Plan, Breast Feeding in a Healthy Ireland, 2016...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Drugs Strategy Budget (26 Jul 2017)

Catherine Byrne: The Department of Health allocated an additional €3m to the HSE for drugs-related measures in 2017. It is intended that this additional funding will be used to: - establish a pilot supervised injecting facility in Dublin city centre during 2017; - increase access to buprenorphine/naloxone and buprenorphine products as an alternative treatment for the identified cohorts of patients...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Electronic Cigarettes (26 Jul 2017)

Catherine Byrne: Vaping is a relatively new occurrence. While the market share for electronic cigarettes and refill containers is growing, the long-term effects of vaping on public health are not yet known. Electronic cigarettes are regulated by the European Union (Manufacture, Presentation and Sale of Tobacco and Related Products) Regulations 2016. These Regulations transposed the European Tobacco...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Sexually Transmitted Infections (26 Jul 2017)

Catherine Byrne: One of the priority actions identified under the Sexual Health Strategy 2015-2020 was to 'prioritise, develop and implement guidance to support clinical decision making for STI testing, screening and treatment and on the appropriate use of antiretroviral therapy in HIV prevention’. As part of this action, a multisectoral PrEP (HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis) working group, with a...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Sexually Transmitted Infections (26 Jul 2017)

Catherine Byrne: As the Deputy will appreciate, I cannot comment on matters that are before the courts.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Drug Treatment Programmes (26 Jul 2017)

Catherine Byrne: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Tobacco Free Campus Policy (26 Jul 2017)

Catherine Byrne: As the number of residential disability services that have implemented the tobacco free campus policy is a matter for the Health Service Executive (HSE), this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a reply within fifteen working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow-up on the matter with the HSE.