Results 35,741-35,760 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mortality Rates (2 Mar 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: The Department of Health does not produce estimates of excess mortality. However, the Department works closely with the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) and other stakeholders to monitor estimates of excess mortality. Excess mortality refers to the number of deaths from all causes during a period of time above and beyond what we would have normally expected to see. The...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (2 Mar 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: It is recognised that waiting times for many scheduled appointments and procedures were too long before and have been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic. While significant work continues to positively impact on waiting times and improve pathways to elective care, acute hospitals are still impacted by operational challenges arising from the pandemic and the current pressures on Emergency...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Primary Care Services (2 Mar 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Healthcare Policy (2 Mar 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: Prior to the 1st January 2021, UK pensioners residing in Ireland who had accessed healthcare under the EU Cross Border Directive were required to have their healthcare costs reimbursed by the UK as this was a requirement of the provisions of the EU Cross Border Directive. As a result of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, the provisions of the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products (2 Mar 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: The Health Technology Assessment was received by the HSE from the NCPE on February 9, 2023. The discussions between the HSE and Vertex Pharmaceuticals are at a sensitive stage, and the Minister is not in a position to make any comment at this time.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Charges (2 Mar 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: Hospitals that charge parking fees are very cognisant of the financial implications of parking costs for patients and their families, particularly for those with long-term illnesses. Consequently, many hospitals have introduced a maximum daily fixed parking charge and reduced rate parking for long-term patients and visitors for whom the payment of the full rate would cause hardship. The...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Healthcare Policy (2 Mar 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 297 and 298 together. The Government and I are fully committed to doing everything possible to assist people living with a rare disease. I intend to bring forward a successor plan to the National Rare Disease Plan 2014-2018. However, there is no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic slowed our progress up until now. Nonetheless, various actions have been...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Healthcare Policy (2 Mar 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: The Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe, published on 25 November 2020 is the second major building block of the new EU Health Union, and is fundamentally about ensuring safe, affordable medicines for all citizens and patients. The strategy has four key aims that are focussed on - ensuring access to affordable therapies for patients, and addressing unmet medical needs (in the areas of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (2 Mar 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible. 

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Charges (2 Mar 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible. 

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointments Status (2 Mar 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual. In relation to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products (2 Mar 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: The Health Service Executive (HSE) has statutory responsibility for medicine pricing and reimbursement decisions, in accordance with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013. In line with the 2013 Health Act and the national framework agreed with industry, a company must submit an application to the HSE to have a new medicine added to the reimbursement list. Reimbursement is...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (2 Mar 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 305 and 306 together. The National Immunisation Programme in Ireland, which includes the influenza immunisation programme, is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). The committee's recommendations are based on the prevalence of the relevant disease in Ireland and international best practice in relation to immunisation....

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (2 Mar 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Cards (2 Mar 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible. 

Written Answers — Department of Health: General Practitioner Services (2 Mar 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: GPs are self-employed practitioners and therefore may establish practices at a place of their own choosing. There is no prescribed ratio of GPs to patients and the State does not regulate the number of GPs that can set up in a town or community. Under the GMS scheme, the HSE contracts GPs to provide medical services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders....

Written Answers — Department of Health: EU Directives (2 Mar 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: My Department is working with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to draft legislation to transpose Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2022/2100.

Seanad: Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Bill 2019: Second Stage (7 Mar 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: We have a slightly unusual procedural situation as this is very comprehensive legislation with many sections. With any Bill I have ever seen introduced, the Minister obviously goes through all the sections. However, this would take over twice as long as the time I have for my opening statement so, with colleagues' agreement, I will speak very briefly to the totality of the Bill and start to...

Seanad: Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Bill 2019: Second Stage (7 Mar 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I will see if I can talk for an hour and 45 minutes. At this point, I probably do not need to read into the record the rest of the sections, given that colleagues have the full intended speech which covers all of that. We will go through the Bill section by section on Report Stage, if that is okay with colleagues. I would like to start with a few thank yous. I thank Senators for their...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Departmental Strategies (7 Mar 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: The new Child Poverty & Wellbeing Unit, which will take a whole of government approach to improving child poverty, will be established in the first quarter of 2023 in Department of the Taoiseach. The aim is to build on what has already been achieved and provide greater focus to improving the lives and wellbeing of all children in Ireland. I have been informed by the Department of...