Results 5,361-5,380 of 10,833 for speaker:Anne Rabbitte

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Irish Sign Language (14 Oct 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: Yet again, I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Anybody who is listing to the debate this evening might not realise the relevance of the Irish Sign Language Act that was signed into law 2017 and the commencement order that we brought forward in December 2020. It was not just one Department, however. It was a whole-of-government approach across all Departments and all public...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Early Childhood Care and Education (14 Oct 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank the Deputy for raising the matter and compliment him on the videos he has produced in the past number of weeks. They are simple and snappy. I also thank him for his comments on the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and his Department and the work he has put in for the past number of months to support all our parties that have made this happen. There has been a step change in the past...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Early Childhood Care and Education (14 Oct 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: Well-being has to be at the core of anything we do with the childcare model. We have the well-being of our children at the centre, along with the well-being of the staff, and the well-being of the families. It has to be embedded in the community. The Deputy mentioned disadvantaged areas. It is not embedded within our county development plan in rural Ireland. The city and county childcare...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Ambulance Service (14 Oct 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: This is the second time I have had to reply about ambulance service in the House. The last time I replied to Deputy Ó Cuív and his colleagues. I am glad to report that they have since received their ambulance in Connemara. We have, therefore, made a little progress on ambulances. I am going to read a script on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. I will...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Ambulance Service (14 Oct 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: Absolutely.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Ambulance Service (14 Oct 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: Exactly. It is important for us to understand what we are talking about and where some of the gaps in the service are. This model represents international best practice and has been highlighted by the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, as a way to improve response times and NAS performance generally. Using this model does mean that non-serious or non-life-threatening calls...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Ambulance Service (14 Oct 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: I assure the House that the Government is committed to the strategic reform of the National Ambulance Service. I will take on board everything the Deputy has said. Let us have action and meet with the HSE and CHO 4 to see what plans they have to ensure that there are not repeated instances of what the Deputy has spoken about today. I know that Deputy MacSharry was also originally to be a...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Disability Services (14 Oct 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: Day services re-opened at 39% capacity at service locations throughout August and early September of 2020, and by end of January 2021 this had increased to 51%. The combination of supports in the location, outreach supports, and remote supports provides an overall quantum of support to service users of over 60% at the end of January. The increase in day service capacity was supported by...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (14 Oct 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: As the issue raised is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (19 Oct 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: I am delighted to have the opportunity to answer this question. I will break it down as quickly as I can. The first €50 million is for the existing level of services. Another €55 million is for new developments. These new developments will be made up of a suite measures in different areas. I want to talk about therapy posts and administrative work. Approximately €9...

Seanad: Sláintecare Implementation: Statements (19 Oct 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: I will split my time. I will spend eight minutes delivering the Minister's speech and I will then take two minutes to address some of the issues that have arisen. I thank all of those who have contributed to this evening's debate. As the Minister said in his opening remarks, access to high-quality healthcare when it is needed must be available to every girl, boy, woman and man if we are to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (19 Oct 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: The disability capacity review was written in 2018. Since then, €530 million has been allocated to the disability sector and €240 million has been invested in new developments. Given the difference between €240 million and €350 million, the Deputy can see exactly what we are short. This gives the House a guideline as to what my framework document is aiming for...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Disability Services (19 Oct 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: I am not waiting for the HSE service plan next March to tell me what its priorities are. I am outlining on the floor of the Dáil right now what the priorities are. I am indicating to the various CHO managers that they should start planning now and not to wait until next March. I am telling the HSE that we always need to be planning. I do not have a multi-annual budget. If I had one...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Health Services (19 Oct 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank the Deputy for raising the question and for the opportunity to answer it. In August 2020, additional Sláintecare funding of €7.8 million was provided to the HSE to address the issue of overdue assessments of need. The funding was provided on a once-off and strictly time bound basis to eliminate all assessments of need overdue by 30 June 2020. While the number of overdue...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Health Services (19 Oct 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: Let us be very clear. In budget 2021, I secured 100 therapy posts and halfway through the year, because of the way the progressing disability services model, PDS, was rolling out, I was fortunate, along with the Minister, to secure an additional 85 therapists posts. Coming out of budget 2022, we have secured 190 therapist and administrative staff. They will be added to the 91 teams and we...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Health Services (19 Oct 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: I am a stickler for timelines. Key performance indicators will be set. Let there be no doubt about this. I will know exactly how many are on each team. I will know what the caseload is and I will meet with HSE officials on a monthly basis, with each of the CHOs and out of that, I will have the team leads and they will tell me exactly what they are delivering in respect of occupational...

Autism Spectrum Disorder Bill 2017 [Seanad]: Second Stage [Private Members] (20 Oct 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after “That” and substitute the following: “Dáil Éireann resolves that the Autism Spectrum Disorder Bill 2017 [Seanad] be deemed to be read a second time this day twelve months to allow time for development and implementation of a national Autism Innovation Strategy, in line with commitments under the Programme...

Autism Spectrum Disorder Bill 2017 [Seanad]: Second Stage [Private Members] (20 Oct 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: That was changed.

Autism Spectrum Disorder Bill 2017 [Seanad]: Second Stage [Private Members] (20 Oct 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: Absolutely not. Closest to home and closest to the school is part of the rules and regulations of the HSE.

Autism Spectrum Disorder Bill 2017 [Seanad]: Second Stage [Private Members] (20 Oct 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: Let us call that what it is: a lack of action on the part of the special educational needs organiser, SENO, in that particular area. That should not be happening.