Results 501-520 of 1,095 for speaker:Jimmy Devins

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (30 Jan 2008)

Jimmy Devins: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have these matters investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Services for People with Disabilities: Services for People with Disabilities (30 Jan 2008)

Jimmy Devins: I propose to take Questions Nos. 502 and 503 together. As part of the Multi-Annual Investment Programme 2006-2009 under the Disability Strategy, the Government provided the Health Service Executive with an additional €75m in both 2006 and 2007. This funding included monies to provide new and enhanced services for people with disabilities, to implement Part 2 of the Disability Act 2005,...

Mental Health Services. (31 Jan 2008)

Jimmy Devins: The report of the expert group on mental health policy, A Vision for Change, which was launched in January 2006, provides a framework for action to develop modern, high quality mental health services over a seven to ten-year period. The Government has accepted the report as the basis for the future development of mental health services. The Health Service Executive has primary...

Mental Health Services. (31 Jan 2008)

Jimmy Devins: I would be delighted to respond. Obviously, we do not have enough time to go into all of the questions. On the child and adolescent services, Deputy Reilly correctly stated that there are 12 beds at present. In the past two weeks I have visited St. Vincent's in Fairview and St. Anne's in Galway and the beds in St. Anne's are ready to be opened while construction is under way in St....

Hospitals Building Programme. (31 Jan 2008)

Jimmy Devins: The National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire is a 120-bed hospital which provides treatment and rehabilitation for patients with spinal cord injuries, head injuries, amputation, traumatic and non-traumatic brain injury, strokes, neurological disorders, children's disabilities and spina bifida. It also provides wheelchair and mobility aids assessment, pre-vocational and vocational...

Hospitals Building Programme. (31 Jan 2008)

Jimmy Devins: The Department is currently considering the development of a formal policy on rehabilitation. A number of issues must be considered, including a needs assessment on a population health basis, the structure of the service provision, the location of the facilities and the nature of the facilities, that is, whether they are hospital, step-down or preparation for independent living. In other...

Hospitals Building Programme. (31 Jan 2008)

Jimmy Devins: I reject the last allegation. We are at the races——

Hospitals Building Programme. (31 Jan 2008)

Jimmy Devins: ——and the service provided by the National Rehabilitation Hospital is of the highest quality.

Hospitals Building Programme. (31 Jan 2008)

Jimmy Devins: Perhaps the Deputy would give me an opportunity to reply. With regard to location, there are a number of places in addition to Cork that are considering providing some sort of rehabilitation, be it——

Hospitals Building Programme. (31 Jan 2008)

Jimmy Devins: The Deputy should listen. It could be an acute, semi-acute or step-down service. There are various types of rehabilitation. On that basis, we are examining the development of a formal policy in the Department.

Hospitals Building Programme. (31 Jan 2008)

Jimmy Devins: I agree it is important that acute beds are released for acute cases. As Deputy Reilly mentioned, before Christmas provision was made to allow patients to be discharged from the National Rehabilitation Hospital. I agree that stroke units have a better outcome in the immediate situation. Obviously, rehabilitation is a different and complex area and, as such, the development of...

Office for Disability and Mental Health. (31 Jan 2008)

Jimmy Devins: The establishment of the office for disability and mental health was announced by the Taoiseach on Wednesday, 30 January 2008. The office will support me as the Minister of State for disability and mental health at the Department of Health and Children in exercising my responsibilities in four Government Departments, namely, the Departments of Health and Children, Justice, Equality and Law...

Office for Disability and Mental Health. (31 Jan 2008)

Jimmy Devins: The office will be built around the existing Department of Health and Children staff who deal with disability and mental health. An existing director at the Department of Health and Children, Ms Bairbre nic Aonghusa, has been appointed to head up the new office and she has already taken her place so the office is operational. I intend to visit, and have visited, various voluntary bodies,...

Office for Disability and Mental Health. (31 Jan 2008)

Jimmy Devins: As the Deputy knows, the NDA is within the remit of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Those functions have been delegated to the new office of disability and mental health. The office's budget will be the budget for disability and mental health given by the Department of Health and Children to the HSE and we will closely track how that money is disbursed to the various...

Services for People with Disabilities. (31 Jan 2008)

Jimmy Devins: I am dealing with this issue on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney.

Services for People with Disabilities. (31 Jan 2008)

Jimmy Devins: I am pleased to take this opportunity to address the important issues raised by the Deputy. I wish to emphasise the Government's commitment to providing a high quality service to all people with a disability. This commitment is illustrated by the substantial investment we have been making in disability services over the last number of years. The National Disability Strategy, which was...

Services for People with Disabilities. (31 Jan 2008)

Jimmy Devins: The Health Service Executive, which has statutory responsibility for the provision of services to individuals, states that it recognises that waiting lists exist for many services. It is a reality that these lists are managed in different ways by different services. Therapies divide their waiting lists into priority categories so that immediate need is first dealt with, followed by urgent...

Health Services. (31 Jan 2008)

Jimmy Devins: I will be taking the Adjournment on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. The Minister acknowledges the need to improve services to persons with cystic fibrosis. The negative experience recounted recently by a number of young patients is a matter of much concern. I join Deputy O'Sullivan and others in acknowledging their courage. The Minister...

Grant Payments. (31 Jan 2008)

Jimmy Devins: The main conditions for receipt of the respite care grant are that the person or persons in respect of whom the application is made must require full-time care and attention and that the applicant must be providing that care. The legislation provides that a person is regarded as requiring full-time care and attention where they require continual supervision and frequent assistance throughout...

Schools Building Projects. (31 Jan 2008)

Jimmy Devins: I thank the Deputy for raising the matter as it affords me the opportunity to outline to the House the Government's strategy for capital investment in education projects and also to outline the position regarding Gaelscoil Mainistir na Corann. Modernising facilities in our 3,200 primary and 750 post-primary schools is not an easy task, given the legacy of decades of underinvestment in this...