Results 27,601-27,620 of 46,267 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Health: HSE Reports (16 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Provision (16 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to reply to you directly.

National Children's Hospital Costs: Statements (17 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: In recent weeks there has been significant debate and discussion about the development of the new national children’s hospital and the increase in the cost of the project. These statements provide another opportunity to discuss the issue following the publication last week of the report of the independent review of the escalation in the national children’s hospital costs. Last...

National Children's Hospital Costs: Statements (17 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: I am glad Deputy Kelly could join us. He missed my opening statement.

National Children's Hospital Costs: Statements (17 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: Yes.

National Children's Hospital Costs: Statements (17 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: Deputy Donnelly has asked an important question. It is something on which we agree. I want to see all our stand-alone maternity hospitals co-located with acute adult hospitals. It is in the national maternity strategy. The hospital that has a large allocation this year is the National Maternity Hospital Holles Street which is moving to St. Vincent's. It is a project dear to both our...

National Children's Hospital Costs: Statements (17 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: I can commit to that. As I told the Select Committee on Health last week, companies will have contracts with the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board. Whether the Minister is me, Deputy Donnelly or someone else, those contracts will be legally placed with the National Paediatric Hospital Development board and the company. As I told the meeting, I intend to meet the chair of the...

National Children's Hospital Costs: Statements (17 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: I ask for a tiny bit of latitude as I have only 14 seconds available to answer those two questions. I did say that I would come back to the Deputy on the Private Members' motion. I understand that a vote took place on that on 28 March. The Deputy may recall that a Minister of State took the debate for me. The report was due on 29 March and was given a one-week extension for fact checking....

National Children's Hospital Costs: Statements (17 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: I confirm that Deputy O'Brien's analysis is correct and I apologise for suggesting to the contrary in error last week. I and the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, will bring proposals to Cabinet next month looking at the overall governance structures and how we can strengthen them. I expect there will be changes in those structures. We will take legal advice on whether that will require primary...

National Children's Hospital Costs: Statements (17 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: The boards and committees to which the Deputy referred are administrative so they were set up by way of a Government decision when we decided to proceed with the main construction works. They can be amended by a similar Government decision.

National Children's Hospital Costs: Statements (17 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: I am taking the other two questions the Deputy asked and will be brief because of the time restrictions. The Deputy asked a question about Professor Chris Fitzpatrick's testimony which I, too, read. He was kind enough to send it to me. I am satisfied that the current site can accommodate the maternity hospital, which was the subject of one of the professor's questions. It has been...

National Children's Hospital Costs: Statements (17 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, might comment. To the question related to McCann FitzGerald I truthfully do not know the answer, but I will ask that it be found for the Deputy and given to him directly. It is important to say, though, that PwC did not find that the procurement process, in using the good manufacturing practices, GMP, process was flawed. Importantly, what it found was that...

National Children's Hospital Costs: Statements (17 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: We will discuss it and revert to Deputy Wallace on that.

National Children's Hospital Costs: Statements (17 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: In response to Deputy Mattie McGrath's statement, I make the point that he has a view to which he is perfectly entitled that the hospital should have been built at a different location. The people's representatives in this House have voted on this three times, once in 2012, once in 2016 or 2017, shortly after I was first appointed Minister for Health, and there was another Private Members'...

National Children's Hospital Costs: Statements (17 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: I agree with Deputy McGrath, and accept his bona fides on the important and sensitive issue of how we look after some of the sickest babies born in our maternity hospitals. As the Deputy knows from the Government's capital plan and national maternity strategy, we have a plan and, indeed, funding in place to co-locate not just one of our standalone maternity hospitals but indeed all four of...

National Children's Hospital Costs: Statements (17 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: We will co-locate all four of the maternity hospitals, the Coombe to St. James's, the Rotunda to Connolly Hospital, the National Maternity Hospital to St. Vincent's, where planning permission and funding are in place, and the Limerick Maternity Hospital to University Hospital Limerick.

National Children's Hospital Costs: Statements (17 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: We will be co-locating. The Deputy asked what we are doing for the sickest children and I am telling him clearly that we will be co-locating all of them with acute adult hospitals-----

National Children's Hospital Costs: Statements (17 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: I will indeed. I have already stated, in response to Deputy Connolly, that Professor Chris Fitzpatrick has done incredible work for maternity services. He made a number of valid points before the Committee of Public Accounts last week and I agree with him about the importance of moving the Coombe to the St. James's site. That is in our development plan and there is funding in place to do...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Aids and Appliances Provision (17 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Treatment Purchase Fund Eligibility (17 Apr 2019)

Simon Harris: Reducing waiting time for patients for hospital operations and procedures is a key priority for Government. Budget 2019 announced that the Government has further increased investment in tackling waiting lists, with funding to the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) increasing from €55 million in 2018 to €75 million in 2019. The joint Department of Health/HSE/NTPF...