Results 3,001-3,020 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Order of Business. (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Harney: On Deputy Rabbitte's point, the Hanly report is essentially about creating regional autonomy and ensuring that consultants work on rosters in a team-like manner and discharge for each other. One hospital in Dublin, Blanchardstown Hospital, has already implemented the main recommendation of the report. It is Government policy to have regional self-sufficiency in so far as possible. On...

Order of Business. (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Harney: We will have regional self-sufficiency so people will not have to come to the Dublin area——

Order of Business. (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Harney: We will have——

Order of Business. (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Harney: We will have the consultant manpower at regional level to provide a service.

Order of Business. (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Harney: We have no service in some specialties in many of the regions, which is not good enough.

Order of Business. (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Harney: I am sorry. To respond to Deputy Rabbitte, when I informed the House there was legal advice, I was wrong. It was not legal advice but other advice. It was not actually the Attorney General's advice but official advice on the difficulties that would arise if the whistleblowing legislation applied to companies outside Ireland with a subsidiary in Ireland. I am told the Minister for Enterprise,...

Order of Business. (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Harney: The prompt payment legislation is relatively new and there are no plans to update it. There are penalties in place if payments are not made in the timeframe specified in the legislation.

Order of Business. (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Harney: I understand it will be in theautumn session.

Order of Business. (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Harney: Of this year.

Order of Business. (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Harney: On the National Aquatic Centre, it is important that we all know the difference between wind, hot air and tornadoes.

Order of Business. (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Harney: To be helpful regarding the last issue Deputy Kenny raised, I would like to talk to him privately thereon. I would be happy to make a public statement on the matter but a family is being spoken to today regarding the issue. I would appreciate if the Deputy understood that the sensitivities of the family must be respected before a public statement is made on the matter.

Order of Business. (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Harney: I will.

Health Insurance: Motions. (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Harney: I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following scheme in draft: Risk Equalisation (Amendment) Scheme, 2005, copies of which have been laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 15 June 2005. The purpose of the three sets of regulations is to bring greater clarity to the reporting arrangement required by the health authority regarding insurers. We discussed these matters at last week's...

Health Insurance: Motions. (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Harney: It has not adjudicated on it yet. It is before it at present.

Health Insurance: Motions. (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Harney: More and more people have taken out private health insurance. The fact that the figure now stands at 52% or 53% of the population, or 1.9 million taking into account the VHI, BUPA, VIVAS Health and ESB, Garda Síochána and prison officers' schemes, is good. It is a sign of increasing disposable income. That is mainly the reason more and more people have joined. Everybody, notwithstanding...

Health Insurance: Motions. (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Harney: It is happening. I increased it by 50% last year in the Estimates and it will be increased again this year. That will add to the cost of insurance, no doubt, but it is the right thing to do. The public hospital system should not have to subsidise private health insurance. It is disingenuous of Deputies to say we introduced legislation in the Oireachtas that said, in effect, if the market...

Health Insurance: Motions. (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Harney: That is not the case. The VHI has a derogation and is protected which is precisely what I seek to end. It will take some time to do so. I remain a strong fan of risk equalisation, without which one cannot have community rating. It is not a question of whether we will introduce it but when we will do so. I have considered all relevant issues, the submissions made by those affected, the advice...

Health Insurance: Motions. (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Harney: I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following regulations in draft: Health Insurance Act 1994 (Minimum Benefit) (Amendment) Regulations 2005, copies of which have been laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 15 June 2005.

Health Insurance: Motions. (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Harney: I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following regulations in draft: Health Insurance Act 2001 (Open Enrolment) Regulations 2005, copies of which have been laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 15 June 2005.

Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002: Motion. (30 Jun 2005)

Mary Harney: I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following draft order: Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002 (Additional Institutions) Order 2005, copies of which were laid before Dáil Éireann on 28 June 2005.