Results 5,601-5,620 of 11,979 for speaker:Billy Kelleher

Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (28 Nov 2013)

Billy Kelleher: The Deputy should get on to his constituency colleague.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Anti-Poverty Strategy (28 Nov 2013)

Billy Kelleher: 20. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her views on whether the official measurements of poverty give sufficient consideration of the extra costs of having a disability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50611/13]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Discussion (28 Nov 2013)

Billy Kelleher: I welcome the various health insurers. Not much has changed since we last spoke to the insurance companies; circumstances have just become progressively worse. I will say again today everything I have said publicly. If one were to visit this country and examine the policies of the Government, and the Department of Health, in particular, one would assume they are trying to dismantle private...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Discussion (28 Nov 2013)

Billy Kelleher: The Deputy’s point is totally irrelevant.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Discussion (28 Nov 2013)

Billy Kelleher: I must apologise but I must leave the meeting to attend Leaders' Questions in the Dáil. All of my staff members, however, will be listening into these proceedings, so I would appreciate if all my questions were answered.

Written Answers — Department of Health: EU Issues (3 Dec 2013)

Billy Kelleher: 414. To ask the Minister for Health if he supports amendments Nos. 30, 191, 193, 250 and 253 to the European legislation on clinical trials on medical products for human consumption; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51532/13]

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Treasury Management Agency Reports (3 Dec 2013)

Billy Kelleher: 434. To ask the Minister for Health the reason the National Treatment Purchase Fund will no longer publish waiting lists at a time separate from the publication of Health Service Executive monthly reports; if this will result in significant delays in publication of timely and up-to-date information in view of the fact that publication of National Treatment Purchase Fund figures for September...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Data (3 Dec 2013)

Billy Kelleher: 439. To ask the Minister for Health the number of new discretionary medical cards that have issued to date in 2013; the number of new discretionary GP cards that have issued to date in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51727/13]

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Billy Kelleher: I ask the Minister for clarity in regard to this section, but if I have made an error and am raising the wrong issue, let me know and I will finish. The Health Insurance Authority did an assessment, as did some other independent people, regarding the amount of money that would be raised by charging private patients the full cost of a public bed. Is this the section that redefines beds?

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Billy Kelleher: What is this section about?

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Billy Kelleher: That would help me a lot.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Billy Kelleher: This is returned to insurers, is it?

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Billy Kelleher: I move amendment No. 3: In page 4, line 15, to delete "12 per cent" and substitute "10 per cent".The purpose of this amendment is to reduce the relevant figure from 12% to 10%. The rationale behind it is quite simple. Under the provision in the Bill, VHI can make up to 12% profit on its equity before it is deemed to be over-compensated by the fund. Any analysis of the equity and return on...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Billy Kelleher: Central to the principle of intergenerational solidarity is community rating and risk equalisation. It is obvious from the statistics that insurers are cherry-picking the newer entrants to the markets. One of the reasons for the choice of 260 policies arises from a Bill on advanced and non-advanced health care products. We were told at one stage that a substantial number of existing...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Billy Kelleher: My amendment is straightforward and central to ensuring the VHI will not be over-compensated once it hits a 10% return on its equity. I did not see the advice from the HIA, but the Minister has more often than not rejected and ignored the recommendations of the HIA.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Billy Kelleher: On a point of information, they do not insist on a figure of 12%.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Billy Kelleher: Yes.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Billy Kelleher: To be clear, Article 106(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union clarifies whether risk equalisation constitutes a state aid. It does not include a reference to whether the relevant figure should be 8%, 9% or 10%. According to the Minister, the figure is determined by the HIA on the basis of its assessment of what would be a reasonable profit rate return on equity. If we...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Billy Kelleher: No.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Billy Kelleher: I am not being argumentative. We get the history lesson every time. I was making a very reasonable point. It has nothing to do with lectures but a simple principle. I am not saying VHI is making excessive profits. It would be great if it was making a profit. The difficulty we have is that it would put more fat into the system if VHI was obligated to have a 10% return on equity. This...