Results 27,141-27,160 of 46,267 for speaker:Simon Harris

Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (3 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: I move:In page 9, to delete lines 10 and 11 and substitute the following:“(c) 9 ordinary members.”. These amendments arise from discussions on and an amendment accepted on Committee Stage to provide that ordinary members of the HSE board must include a patient advocate, a financial expert and two clinical experts. I acknowledge these were amendments from Deputy Donnelly. There...

Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (3 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: I am not in disagreement with what Deputies Donnelly and O'Reilly are trying to do here. However, I must tell the House, in all sincerity and in the hope that the Deputies accept my bona fides in this regard, that I have consulted the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel on this matter and its advice, which is therefore my advice to the House, is that the Bill, as currently written is -...

Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (3 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: It is not a view that is new to colleagues on the Opposition benches tonight that we must ensure the Bill is legally robust. We have spoken much about cervical cancer in these Houses, as well as the Scally report and recommendations. I accepted an amendment put to me in the Seanad and redrafted it to ensure we could implement the Scally recommendations. This relates to section 16N(2)(b) of...

Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (3 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: Yes, and such a financial expert. I am suggesting that we accept my amendments but at the next available opportunity I will make that change. There is an opportunity on the legislative list this year and I will work with the Opposition to further refine membership of the board if it is the view of the House that there should be an additional seat for clinical expertise and a ring-fenced...

Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (3 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: It may not happen very quickly. We can assume it will happen quickly.

Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (3 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: I will try to be helpful. Based on what Deputy Donnelly is endeavouring to achieve and the Leas-Cheann Comhairle has said, if the House passes an amendment at this stage, the Seanad can amend that amendment.

Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (3 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: I can give my commitment to amending those amendments in Seanad Éireann to include two people with clinical expertise and a financial expert. Could we then pass my amendments tonight? The Deputies will have their parties represented in the Seanad anyway when I go back there with the Bill. We could then amend my amendment in Seanad Éireann if that is in order.

Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (3 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: I move amendment No. 2:In page 9, line 12, to delete "paragraph (b)" and substitute "paragraphs (b) and (c)".

Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (3 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: I move amendment No. 3:In page 9, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following:"(c) At least one of the persons appointed under paragraph (a) shall be a person who is practicing, or has practiced, as a member of a health profession, whether in or outside the State.".

Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (3 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: A discussion of our ideologies could be interesting. I want to make it very clear, as I think I did on previous Stages in the Seanad, that I certainly do not doubt that a person nominated by ICTU could well have all the qualities and experience needed to be an effective member of the HSE board. Based on my interactions with the trade union movement, I have no doubt about the calibre or...

Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (3 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: I move amendment No. 5:In page 9, line 35, to delete "4 members" and substitute "5 members".

Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (3 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: I move amendment No. 6:In page 10, between lines 13 and 14, to insert the following: "(12) For the purpose of this section, "health profession" means any of the following professions:(a) dentist; (b) a designated profession within the meaning of section 3 of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005; (c) medical practitioner; (d) midwife; (e) nurse; (f) pharmacist.".

Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (3 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: We already have guidelines on appointments to State boards that set out the confirmation process for chairperson. In fact, I think the chair designate of the HSE board offered to go before the Joint Committee on Health and the committee decided it did not need to meet with him. Persons being proposed by the Minister for appointment as chairpersons of State boards or agencies are required to...

Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (3 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: I had different views on this because we strengthened this legislation compared with the Health Act 2004, which did not suggest that the CEO would have to seek board approval for any other office, employment, business or the like. However, I am persuaded by the argument put forward by Deputy O'Reilly and am happy to accept the amendment.

Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (3 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: I am disappointed by the position being adopted because I think it means it is likely that the amendment might pass. I need to put on the record of the House my concerns in this regard. The first point is that this is the law today, so when Deputies were at the health committee meeting this morning discussing CervicalCheck, this was the law and has been the law in the Health Act since...

Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (3 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: While Deputy O'Reilly has been a very robust opponent, I have never found her to behave in any way that is not decent. I acknowledge that.

Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (3 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: I hope that is something we can say about every Member of this House now and into the future. I understand the arithmetic of the House and I do not intend to divide the House on this. I accept the bona fides of what Deputy O'Reilly is endeavouring to do. I have cautioned the House regarding this matter. The record of the House will show that.

Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (3 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: I move amendment No. 10:In page 21, line 13, to delete “the person referred to” and substitute “a person referred to in”. This is a technical amendment to section 14 of the Bill to replace the words “the person referred to” with “a person referred to in”.

Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (3 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: I move amendment No. 10a:In page 24, line 36, to delete "an audit committee" and substitute "the audit committee". This amendment is a typographical correction to change the wording from "an audit committee" to "the audit committee".

Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Report Stage (3 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: I move amendment No. 11:In page 30, line 38, to delete “Board authorised” and substitute “Executive authorised”. This is a technical correction to Schedule 2 of the Health Act 2004 and provides for the authentication of the seal. The current reference is an employee of the board and this should be to an employee of the HSE.