Results 5,441-5,460 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney
- Written Answers — Cancer Screening Programme: Cancer Screening Programme (2 Mar 2006)
Mary Harney: I recently met with representatives of BreastCheck and they are fully aware of my wish to have the programme rolled out nationally as quickly as possible. For this to happen, essential elements of the roll-out must be in place including adequate staffing, effective training and quality assurance programmes. I have made additional revenue funding of â¬2.3 million available to BreastCheck this...
- Written Answers — Health Service Executive Accounts: Health Service Executive Accounts (2 Mar 2006)
Mary Harney: In compliance with the Department of Finance reporting requirements, the Health Service Executive, HSE, provided its best estimate of the end year forecast of Exchequer issues for 2005 on 22 December 2005. This indicated a projected saving of nearly â¬12 million on non-capital spending and a projected saving of just over â¬56 million on capital spending. The projected capital saving had...
- Written Answers — Medical Education: Medical Education (2 Mar 2006)
Mary Harney: On 1 February I announced, together with the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Mary Hanafin, details of a major reform programme in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education and training, based on the recommendations in the Report of the Working Group on Undergraduate Medical Education and Training, chaired by Professor Pat Fottrell, and the Report of the Postgraduate Medical...
- Written Answers — Consultants' Contracts: Consultants' Contracts (2 Mar 2006)
Mary Harney: Proposals for a new employment contract for consultants working in the public health system were recently tabled by the management side in the context of the consultants' contract negotiations. The new contract will be a first step towards the introduction of a consultant-provided service and the appointment of large numbers of dedicated public hospital and community based consultants,...
- Written Answers — Medical Inquiry: Medical Inquiry (2 Mar 2006)
Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 22, 30, 80 and 82 together. The report of the Lourdes Hospital inquiry, chaired by Judge Maureen Harding Clark, was published on Tuesday last. The inquiry was established by the Government in 2004 following the decision of the Medical Council to remove Dr. Michael Neary from the Register of Medical Practitioners after finding him guilty of professional...
- Written Answers — Nursing Home Accommodation: Nursing Home Accommodation (2 Mar 2006)
Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 and 78 together. In accordance with the Nursing Homes (Care and Welfare) Regulations 1993, a provider must undertake a contract of care in regard to each dependent person and-or a person acting on his-her behalf. This is set out in paragraphs 7.1 to 7.3 of the nursing home regulations. Also, under the Code of Practice for Nursing Homes published by the...
- Written Answers — Ambulance Service: Ambulance Service (2 Mar 2006)
Mary Harney: The Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council, PHECC, is responsible for the development of professional and performance standards for the ambulance services and for the accreditation of institutions providing training for ambulance personnel. The council conducts national examinations to determine if individuals have achieved the emergency medical technician-paramedic standard suitable for the...
- Written Answers — Vaccination Programme: Vaccination Programme (2 Mar 2006)
Mary Harney: I do not understand the Deputy's reference to this House or the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children not being informed about the purchase of H5N1 vaccine. On 31 January last in reply to parliamentary questions, I stated that arrangements to procure a stockpile of H5N1 vaccine for key health care workers and other essential workers were in train. Officials from my Department and...
- Written Answers — Accident and Emergency Services: Accident and Emergency Services (2 Mar 2006)
Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 26 and 114 together. My Department is in ongoing discussions with the Health Service Executive with regard to the need for improvement in accident and emergency services, with a particular focus on reducing the numbers on trolleys and the waiting times for patients in individual hospitals. There is a need to build on the existing action plan for accident and...
- Written Answers — Cancer Screening Programme: Cancer Screening Programme (2 Mar 2006)
Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 27, 51, 64, 68, 86 and 111 together. I am fully committed to the national roll-out of a cervical screening programme in line with international best practice to reduce incidence and mortality from cervical cancer. My Department is in detailed discussions with the Health Service Executive in relation to the most efficient and cost effective way to deliver a...
- Written Answers — Health Care Strategy: Health Care Strategy (2 Mar 2006)
Mary Harney: Implementation of the primary care strategy requires the development of new ways of working and reorganisation of the resources already available to the health service, as well as additional investment in order to provide extra capacity. This whole-system approach to implementation means change will be required in many sectors in the health service, and not solely within primary care itself....
- Written Answers — General Practitioner Services: General Practitioner Services (2 Mar 2006)
Mary Harney: Section 58 of the Health Act 1970 provides that the Health Service Executive, HSE, shall make available without charge general practitioner services to persons with full eligibility under the Act and to persons with limited eligibility for whom, in the opinion of the executive, it would be unduly burdensome to arrange such services for themselves and their dependants. In accordance with...
- Written Answers — Consultants' Contracts: Consultants' Contracts (2 Mar 2006)
Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 33 and 79 together. It will be recalled that both medical organisations â the Irish Medical Organisation, IMO, and the Irish Hospital Consultants Association, IHCA â would not participate in contract negotiations until the extension of the clinical indemnity scheme, CIS, to consultants was resolved. Talks on a new contract commenced on 24 November 2005...
- Written Answers — Medical Inquiry: Medical Inquiry (2 Mar 2006)
Mary Harney: Following the death of Mr. Patrick Walsh in Monaghan Hospital on 14 October 2005, the Health Service Executive commissioned Mr. Declan Carey, a consultant surgeon at Belfast City Hospital and an honorary senior lecturer at Queen's University, and Professor John Monson, Professor of Surgery, University of Hull, to carry out an independent and external review. The executive has advised my...
- Written Answers — Nursing Staff: Nursing Staff (2 Mar 2006)
Mary Harney: The Irish Nurses Organisation and the Psychiatric Nurses Association have recently lodged a number of claims for increases in pay and changes to working conditions. The unions concerned have signed up to the current national agreement â Sustaining Progress. A management team led by the Health Service Executive employers agency met the unions on 10 February 2006. They reminded the unions...
- Written Answers — Accident and Emergency Services: Accident and Emergency Services (2 Mar 2006)
Mary Harney: My Department is in ongoing discussions with the Health Service Executive with regard to the need for improvement in the accident and emergency services, with a particular focus on reducing the numbers on trolleys and the waiting times for patients in individual hospitals. There is a need to build on the existing action plan for accident and emergency services and, in particular, to adopt a...
- Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (2 Mar 2006)
Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 38, 46 and 110 together. The Health Services Executive's National Service Plan 2006 which has been laid before the Houses of Oireachtas, states that there are 53 public acute hospitals with a total of 13,771 beds, inpatient and day places, at October 2005. An Agreed Programme for Government includes a commitment to expand public hospital beds in line with the...
- Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (2 Mar 2006)
Mary Harney: My Department has been advised by the Health Service Executive that it is currently engaged in a procurement process to select a consultancy that will examine acute hospital services in the north eastern region. The terms of reference will include the determination, with reference to international best practice of the optimal configuration of hospital services and consultant staffing for the...
- Written Answers — General Practitioner Co-operatives: General Practitioner Co-operatives (2 Mar 2006)
Mary Harney: The established and agreed policy on general practitioner out of hours co-operative services is outlined in the national health strategy Quality and Fairness A Health System for You, which commits to further development of this area. The GP co-operatives provide the means for all patients, both medical card and private, to access appropriate qualified medical care out of hours, including...
- Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (2 Mar 2006)
Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 41 and 56 together. The Government is fully committed to the implementation of the principles contained in the primary care strategy, which provides a template for the reform and development of primary care services over a period of ten to 15 years. The chief executive officer of the Health Service Executive has also emphasised the importance of developing...