Results 581-600 of 1,371 for speaker:Máire Hoctor

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (22 Apr 2008)

Máire Hoctor: Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services was assigned to the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular case raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter...

Seanad: School Accommodation (22 Apr 2008)

Máire Hoctor: I thank Senator Alex White for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the House the position on the delivery of a building project to provide two new state-of-the-art buildings to accommodate the schools in Dublin 16. By way of background, the current enrolment in the junior element of the school is 673 pupils. Its staffing comprises a principal, deputy...

Seanad: Pharmacy Services (22 Apr 2008)

Máire Hoctor: I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney. I thank Senator de Búrca for raising this matter as it provides me with an opportunity to outline the current position on this issue. The Health Service Executive has operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services under...

Seanad: Pharmacy Services (22 Apr 2008)

Máire Hoctor: I share Senator de Búrca's concern. We have made this known to the Minister and to the HSE. We are very anxious to see positive negotiation and discussion take place between the IPU and the HSE. I assure the Senator I will keep her informed of developments.

Written Answers — Services for People with Disabilities: Services for People with Disabilities (23 Apr 2008)

Máire Hoctor: Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services was assigned to the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular case raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter...

Health Services. (24 Apr 2008)

Máire Hoctor: I will take this matter on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Mary Harney, Minister for Health and Children. I thank Deputy Tuffy for raising this issue and giving me the opportunity to outline the current situation regarding speech and language therapy services. I wish to advise the House that the recruitment pause put in place in September 2007 was initiated as part of the HSE financial...

Health Services. (24 Apr 2008)

Máire Hoctor: I reiterate that I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf my colleague, Deputy Mary Harney, Minister for Health and Children. I thank Deputy Shatter for raising the issue as it provides me with the opportunity to reaffirm the Government's commitment to services for older people generally, and in particular to the important area of developing day and respite care. Government policy is to...

Health Services. (24 Apr 2008)

Máire Hoctor: I have much time to give to it and I will read it again for the Deputy if he so wishes.

Health Services. (24 Apr 2008)

Máire Hoctor: As a statutory body, the provision of these services, including the delivery of services by agreement with voluntary and community organisations, is a matter for the HSE. Leopardstown Park Hospital provides care for approximately 200 patients in south County Dublin. The majority of the beds are long-stay beds for older people and there are also respite beds and dedicated beds for patients of...

Schools Building Projects. (24 Apr 2008)

Máire Hoctor: I thank Deputy Deenihan for raising this matter because it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the House the position regarding the provision of a new school building for the school to which he refers at Blennerville, Tralee, County Kerry. The school in question is a co-educational facility with a current enrolment of 157 pupils, which represents a 26% increase in the past five...

Local Authority Housing. (24 Apr 2008)

Máire Hoctor: I thank Deputy Chris Andrews for raising this matter which I am taking on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of State with responsibility for housing, urban renewal and developing areas, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe. I am happy to set out for the information of the House, the work being undertaken to extend the opportunity for home ownership to more social housing tenants in a way that protects...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (24 Apr 2008)

Máire Hoctor: As I indicated to the Deputy in my reply of 17 April last, the management and delivery of services at St Oliver Plunkett's Hospital for Older People is a matter for the H.S.E. The Deputy's question also related to the cases of specifically named individuals. Arising from this recent question, I asked the H.S.E. to reply directly to the Deputy in this matter. The Deputy will be aware that...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (24 Apr 2008)

Máire Hoctor: Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services was assigned to the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular case raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter...

Nursing Home Support Scheme. (29 Apr 2008)

Máire Hoctor: I propose to take Questions Nos. 14, 33, 53, 71 and 87 together. The Bill providing for the new nursing home support scheme, A Fair Deal, is currently being finalised by the Office of the Attorney General and will be published when it has been approved by Government. Details of the fair deal were announced in December 2006 to facilitate full consultation with the social partners and other...

Nursing Home Support Scheme. (29 Apr 2008)

Máire Hoctor: I wish to point out to Deputy Reilly that I attempted to answer a number of questions in my reply to Deputies who are not present. However, I will answer the question put to me, that is, when the fair deal legislation will come before the House. We all acknowledge, right across the board, that this is complex legislation. Much consideration has been given to it. The Deputy will recall...

Nursing Home Support Scheme. (29 Apr 2008)

Máire Hoctor: We appreciate the length of time it has taken to publish the Bill. It was never anticipated that it would take this long. We looked to 1 January. Unfortunately, we were unable to reach that target due to the legal implications. I stated in my reply that the implications were more legal than constitutional.

Nursing Home Support Scheme. (29 Apr 2008)

Máire Hoctor: I would like to be able to say today we will have it next week, but we are not certain. We must have robust legislation in this area. It is important legislation for families. We intend to have it finalised before the summer. On the issue of costs, again I refer to 1 January when we did not anticipate this would be an issue because we believed the fair deal scheme would be up and running....

Nursing Home Support Scheme. (29 Apr 2008)

Máire Hoctor: The role of the National Treatment Purchase Fund is to negotiate and meet with the nursing home providers on the issue of costs and to assess cost needs. If a patient opts for the fair deal, a care-needs assessment will be carried out but not by the National Treatment Purchase Fund.

Nursing Home Support Scheme. (29 Apr 2008)

Máire Hoctor: It is in the interests of older people, often the most vulnerable in society, that we protect them with the strongest and most robust legislation possible. I am aware of the groups who met at that particular time. Those same groups also engaged in the stakeholders discussion at Fairleigh House with the Minister, Deputy Harney, some months earlier. It is not in the absence of consultation...

Nursing Home Support Scheme. (29 Apr 2008)

Máire Hoctor: The €110 million has been ring-fenced for the provision of the fair deal scheme. However, 200 beds have been allocated from that fund, obviously with the approval of my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Harney, since January 2008 to meet the demand spoken of in the House. We intend to have the fair deal legislation before the House in the summer. The stakeholders will be informed of it...