Results 3,761-3,780 of 3,998 for speaker:Michael Harty
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Business of Joint Committee (27 Nov 2019)
Michael Harty: With regard to a meeting we are proposing to have on the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, RCOG, review, we have received a letter from the Secretary General of the Department of Health, Mr. Jim Breslin, to say that they would be available to meet the committee on 17 or 18 December.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Business of Joint Committee (27 Nov 2019)
Michael Harty: Does Deputy Kelly have some comment on that?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Business of Joint Committee (27 Nov 2019)
Michael Harty: The committee will carry out scrutiny of this report. If it takes more than one session, we will certainly do that. We are at the mercy of the Department and RCOG regarding when they can come to give evidence. When the representatives come to the committee, we will give them every opportunity, and members will have every opportunity to interrogate the report. If we do not get satisfaction...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Business of Joint Committee (27 Nov 2019)
Michael Harty: We will also have the Minister before the committee on 11 December.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Business of Joint Committee (27 Nov 2019)
Michael Harty: Okay. Is that agreed?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Business of Joint Committee (27 Nov 2019)
Michael Harty: I thank the Deputy. I am sure Dr. Scally has a view.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Business of Joint Committee (27 Nov 2019)
Michael Harty: Is that agreed?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Business of Joint Committee (27 Nov 2019)
Michael Harty: That is our schedule of meetings until the end of the year as best we can manage it. If there are no other issues that members wish to raise, we will begin the first session of today's meeting. We will suspend for a few moments to allow our witnesses to take their seats.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Working Group on Access to Contraception: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)
Michael Harty: During our first session this morning, the committee will consider the report of the Working Group on Access to Contraception. We are joined by Mr. Andrew Conlon, who is the chair of the working group; Ms Kate O'Flaherty, who is the head of health and well-being in the Department of Health; Ms Maeve O'Brien, who is the acting programme head of the HSE sexual health and crisis pregnancy...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Working Group on Access to Contraception: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)
Michael Harty: I thank Mr. Conlon. I invite Dr. Henchion and Dr. Short to make their opening statements. I believe they are sharing time.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Working Group on Access to Contraception: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)
Michael Harty: I thank Dr. Short and Dr. Henchion. I call Deputy Stephen Donnelly.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Working Group on Access to Contraception: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)
Michael Harty: Let us get some responses.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Working Group on Access to Contraception: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)
Michael Harty: Be very quick.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Working Group on Access to Contraception: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)
Michael Harty: I thank Deputy Donnelly and Mr. Conlon.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Working Group on Access to Contraception: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)
Michael Harty: I call Deputy Alan Kelly.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Working Group on Access to Contraception: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)
Michael Harty: I have some comments and questions. At the start of the meeting, Deputy Donnelly said it makes no sense to provide free abortion if one does not provide free contraception. This time last year we were in the middle of a very emotive and intense debate on the legislation that would underpin the repeal of the eighth amendment. At every opportunity the Minister emphasised the fact that not...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Working Group on Access to Contraception: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)
Michael Harty: Cost appears to be one of the fundamental barriers to rolling out a scheme. There was no cost barrier to rolling out free access to termination of pregnancy, but there seems to be a cost barrier to rolling out free access to contraception. There is no argument in principle about the availability of free contraception. It seems to be about cost.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Working Group on Access to Contraception: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)
Michael Harty: To return to the point, the Minister in his enthusiasm to deliver termination of pregnancy emphasised, on delivering it, that free contraception would be made available to the population. However, the Department is not delivering on that purely because of cost.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Working Group on Access to Contraception: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)
Michael Harty: I will turn to more practical matters. Deputy O'Reilly raised the issue of practice nurses being involved in the delivery of contraceptive services. Increasingly, practice nurses are playing an expanded role in general practice. It is often the practice nurse who would have a consultation with women about contraception, perhaps more than the general practitioner. If it is a male general...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Working Group on Access to Contraception: Discussion (27 Nov 2019)
Michael Harty: With regard to nurses having a nurse prescriber role, is that through the college or through other agencies?