Results 6,121-6,140 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Select Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (20 Feb 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: Will the Minister of State outline when a health needs assessment would be used? Subsection (2) of the new section introduced by amendment No. 4 provides that without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), the specific requirements referred to may include a series of matters which are then listed. Why have these matters been selected? Are they advisory in the sense of being matters...

Select Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (20 Feb 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: The health needs assessment is an annual analysis.

Select Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (20 Feb 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: It feeds in to the HSE service plan. Is that right?

Select Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (20 Feb 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: Does such an assessment currently include the matters listed in subsection (2) of the proposed new section?

Select Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (20 Feb 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: What is not done?

Select Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (20 Feb 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: A health needs assessment is not done.

Select Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (20 Feb 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: Health needs assessments do not exist.

Select Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (20 Feb 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: When will they exist?

Select Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (20 Feb 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: Will that be under new legislation?

Select Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (20 Feb 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: Are the matters listed in subsection (2) mandatory or suggested considerations? The text provides that these considerations "may" be included rather than that they "shall" be included.

Select Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (20 Feb 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: Are they mandatory or advisory?

Select Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (20 Feb 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: Is it mandatory for the Minister to include these considerations? Is it mandatory that the matters listed be included in the health needs assessment?

Select Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (20 Feb 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: It seems that it is advisory. The word "may" rather than "shall" is used. If it is advisory, what is the point? Perhaps it is not advisory, but that is my reading of the section.

Select Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (20 Feb 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: That is fair enough. I do not fully understand the implication. Subsection (1) of the new section 10AA provides that a direction to carry out a health needs assessment will be given under section 10(2)(c).

Select Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (20 Feb 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: The Minister directs that a health needs assessment be conducted. Subsection (2) then provides that without prejudice to that, the specific requirements of that subsection may include a series of matters. Is that a list of items for the Minister to consider? It does not seem that there is any obligation on the Minister to include them in the directive or on the HSE to carry them out.

Select Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (20 Feb 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: Perhaps I do not fully understand. I still do not know whether the list is mandatory. Is it an advisory list? If it is not, should the word "may" be replaced by "shall"?

Select Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (20 Feb 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: In that case, it is somewhat redundant. If I understand the Minister of State correctly, the amendment provides that the Minister will issue a directive to the HSE to conduct an annual health needs assessment - which sounds sensible - and these are some matters which the Minister may decide to include in that directive. If that is a correct understanding, then subsection (2) seems...

Select Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (20 Feb 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: We will not fall out over it, but it seems somewhat redundant. It is almost a by-the-way suggestion that these are some things which the Minister may consider. Primary legislation is not the place for that. The idea of an annual health needs assessment is welcome. However, it is not currently carried out by the HSE and, therefore, it will require very significant new capabilities. The...

Select Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (20 Feb 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: That does not fill me with confidence. Has the HSE identified how many people it needs to hire or what kind of skill sets will be required? If we pass this into law, the HSE will be obliged to do it. It is not a simple desktop exercise. It is very complex for any healthcare system to begin doing this and to do it right. Have any staff been hired thus far? What total complement will be...

Select Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (20 Feb 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: That is all the information the Minister of State has.