Results 3,001-3,020 of 3,871 for speaker:Catherine Byrne

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Free Travel Scheme Eligibility (28 Jun 2018)

Catherine Byrne: I thank the Senator for tabling this Commencement matter, to which I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Regina Doherty, who apologises for being unable to come to the Chamber. The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection provides a free travel scheme as a secondary benefit for older people and certain people with...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Free Travel Scheme Eligibility (28 Jun 2018)

Catherine Byrne: I have taken note of the Senator's concerns and will bring them back to the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly. I remind the Senator that I mentioned in my initial response that a supplementary travel benefit can be made available to people who find themselves under considerable stress because of the circumstances of their illness. Perhaps it might be possible for the Senator to look into...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Diaspora Issues (28 Jun 2018)

Catherine Byrne: On behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, I thank the Senator for raising this matter in the Seanad. The Minister is unavoidably absent as he in the Dáil Chamber dealing with Priority Questions and asked me to come in his place. The cost of contraception has often been cited as a factor in unintended pregnancies. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Eighth Amendment...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Diaspora Issues (28 Jun 2018)

Catherine Byrne: I shall return to the recommendation made by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution. On numerous occasions the Minister for Health has said he fully supports the recommendation made by the joint committee and its call for contraception to be made available free of charge. Work on the legislation is ongoing, particularly since the passing of the...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Disease Management (28 Jun 2018)

Catherine Byrne: I hope the Senator is interested in the response which is wide-ranging, but I will have some notes to add at the end. Chronic diseases are largely preventable diseases linked with a set of four common risk factors - tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity - and which can remain preventable until late in life. As described in the recent Sláintecare...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Disease Management (28 Jun 2018)

Catherine Byrne: I know that the Senator is passionate about this subject, as we all are. Obesity is becoming very prevalent, particularly among young children. I do not have a specific answer to the Commencement matter, about which I am disappointed. I was handed this note before I walked into the Chamber and will read it. The Minister and the Department of Health do not have a role in decisions on the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Obesity Strategy (3 Jul 2018)

Catherine Byrne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 303 and 304 together. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the development of a Roadmap for Reformulation by the Obesity Policy Oversight Implementation sub-group on reformulation is progressing its work within its terms of reference and plans to complete its work within one year. The sub-group has met on a number of occasions since its first meeting in...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Obesity Strategy (3 Jul 2018)

Catherine Byrne: My Department is developing an evaluation framework for the purposes of drafting a request for tenders to undertake an evaluation of the Sugar Sweetened Drinks Tax. This evaluation framework will firstly inform the process of identifying both the data and other requirements for such an evaluation. At this juncture it is envisaged that an evaluation will commence before the end of the year.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Food Labelling (3 Jul 2018)

Catherine Byrne: The European Commission convened a joint meeting on front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labelling between the Working Group of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed in the context of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers (FIC) and the Advisory Group on the Food chain, Animal and Plant Health on 22June 2018 in Brussels. The meeting mainly...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Data (3 Jul 2018)

Catherine Byrne: As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Drug Treatment Programmes Places (3 Jul 2018)

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: National Drugs Strategy (3 Jul 2018)

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: Gender Recognition (3 Jul 2018)

Catherine Byrne: On the 18 June 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued an updated international classification of diseases, ICD-11. In this new classification, "gender incongruence" is now categorised under conditions related to sexual health, instead of mental, behavioural or neurodevelopmental disorders. WHO said gender incongruence "is characterized by a marked and persistent incongruence...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Gender Recognition (3 Jul 2018)

Catherine Byrne: Transgender-specific guidelines have been developed by WPATH (World Professional Association for Transgender Health) and the Endocrine Society (who updated their guidelines in 2017) and were devised by experts in transgender healthcare, along with members of the International Transgender, Transsexual and LGBT community, and supported by the Transgender Equality Network of Ireland (TENI). A...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National LGBTI Strategy (4 Jul 2018)

Catherine Byrne: I understand the HSE is committed to developing an LGBTI+ Health Strategy this year and it is likely that intersexual children will be referenced in this Strategy.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Promotion (4 Jul 2018)

Catherine Byrne: The development of a National Framework for Healthy Workplaces is progressing under the Healthy Ireland agenda and is overseen by a sub-group co-chaired by the Department of Health and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation. This work primarily involves development of a framework across both the public and private sectors to encourage and support the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Data (10 Jul 2018)

Catherine Byrne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 445 to 447, inclusive, together. As this is a service matter, I have referred these 3 PQs to the HSE.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Data (10 Jul 2018)

Catherine Byrne: As this is a service matter, it is being submitted to the HSE.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mental Health Services Staff (10 Jul 2018)

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: Dietician Service Provision (10 Jul 2018)

Catherine Byrne: As this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply.