Results 3,481-3,500 of 11,979 for speaker:Billy Kelleher

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Primary Care Centres Provision (27 Sep 2012)

Billy Kelleher: I am not the only one who fails to understand this; the former Minister of State with special responsibility for primary care and some of the Minister's Cabinet colleagues also failed to understand it. It is not that Billy Kelleher is the only person in this House who cannot understand the criteria the Minister decided to use to select certain sites for primary care centres that were outside...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Waiting Lists (27 Sep 2012)

Billy Kelleher: To ask the Minister for Health the date on which he received the July performance report from the Health Service Executive; his views on the fact that the number of patients waiting to be seen at an outpatient clinic for the first time has almost doubled to 340,000 compared with figures released in April; if he will provide information on the true extent of the outpatient figures with some...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Waiting Lists (27 Sep 2012)

Billy Kelleher: I thank the Minister for his reply. The figure to which he referred is alarming. He has stated the data are being collated in order to ensure efficiencies can be achieved and that pinch areas relating to waiting lists for outpatient appointments can be identified. It is disturbing that 360,000 people are waiting for outpatient appointments. I am not trying to pin the blame on the Minister...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Waiting Lists (27 Sep 2012)

Billy Kelleher: The Minister will agree that I do not castigate but I hold him to account. I welcome his reply. He referred to physiotherapy services being used in the assessment of patients in Cork and this scheme has worked quite effectively. I welcome the Minister's commitment in this area and I hope to see some movement in this regard. The key issue is whether services can be maintained in the next...

Other Questions: Mental Health Services Provision (27 Sep 2012)

Billy Kelleher: Up to €24 million of the €35 million allocated was to be used for recruitment of psychologists, occupational therapists and social workers. Instead, that funding has been put towards the budget deficit. While the recruitment process is ongoing, those people already recruited will not take up their posts until December 2012 or early January 2013. In the meantime, there is a...

Written Answers — Department of Health: General Practitioner Services (27 Sep 2012)

Billy Kelleher: To ask the Minister for Health the reason he has yet to begin negotiations with the IMO in relation to the roll out of free general practitioner care; when these negotiations are expected to begin; his views on whether promises made in relation to the roll out of free GP care are impossible until agreement is reached with GPs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40957/12]

Written Answers — Department of Health: General Practitioner Services (27 Sep 2012)

Billy Kelleher: To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the roll out of free general practitioner care; the expected date for the roll out of free GP care to those with long term illnesses; the way these delays will impact upon the delivery of universal primary care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41084/12]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Business of Joint Committee (27 Sep 2012)

Billy Kelleher: I would like to be associated with the Chairman's remarks. In particular, I hope the committee will pursue the agenda in respect of the work she did on alcohol.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Business of Joint Committee (27 Sep 2012)

Billy Kelleher: I consent to that. There was an error on my behalf but we fully endorse it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Role and Functions: Discussion with Irish Medicines Board (27 Sep 2012)

Billy Kelleher: I welcome the witnesses to the committee. It is evident that we have a difficulty with regard to the cost of medicines, both wholesale and retail, in Ireland. I was disturbed to read in the IMB report that it has established a consultative panel to examine the status of certain medicines as over-the-counter or prescription-only. I did a quick check and discovered that the IMB almost never...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Role and Functions: Discussion with Irish Medicines Board (27 Sep 2012)

Billy Kelleher: Of course. I am talking about the role of the Government-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Role and Functions: Discussion with Irish Medicines Board (27 Sep 2012)

Billy Kelleher: My questions relate to Government policy in regard to what pharmacists are permitted to do. There is undoubtedly an issue in this regard. There was great reluctance, for example, to permit pharmacists to administer the flu vaccine, despite such services being an obvious area of involvement for them. My point is that the Government seems concerned with seeking to limit their role.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Role and Functions: Discussion with Irish Medicines Board (27 Sep 2012)

Billy Kelleher: I thank the Chairman.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Role and Functions: Discussion with Irish Medicines Board (27 Sep 2012)

Billy Kelleher: I stated that the IMB is slow to delist rather than that it never delists.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Role and Functions: Discussion with Irish Medicines Board (27 Sep 2012)

Billy Kelleher: I want to get to the bottom of an issue. Mr. O'Mahony said that a company would apply for a drug to be changed from having a prescription-only to an over-the-counter classification. In the interests of being proactive, is it not within the remit of the IMB to say that medicine X or medicine Y could be available over the counter? I was not trying to be facetious earlier when I spoke about...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Role and Functions: Discussion with Irish Medicines Board (27 Sep 2012)

Billy Kelleher: That is the kernel of the issue. If a prescription-only medicine that is recommended by a GP becomes an over-the-counter medicine, surely people on medical cards should still be reimbursed for it? That would be the logical conclusion. I accept it is a policy issue, but that is the kernel of it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Role and Functions: Discussion with Irish Medicines Board (27 Sep 2012)

Billy Kelleher: That is why the role of the pharmacist should be expanded to include the prescription of certain medicines to ensure that large amounts are not bought morning, noon and night, and that there are controls in place. We must move to such a system because it can be expensive for families to go to GPs.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Role and Functions: Discussion with Irish Medicines Board (27 Sep 2012)

Billy Kelleher: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Role and Functions: Discussion with Irish Medicines Board (27 Sep 2012)

Billy Kelleher: Does the IMB have the resources available to deal with generic substitution or will it require further resources?

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Official Engagements (2 Oct 2012)

Billy Kelleher: Does the Taoiseach speak to them?