Results 6,181-6,200 of 21,128 for speaker:James Reilly

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (27 Sep 2011)

James Reilly: Dating back to the 1991 contract and earlier, consultants had an entitlement to rest days in lieu of extra days/hours worked. Consultant Contract 1997 provided for 'historic rest days' as a means of settling claims that consultants had not benefited from their full rest day entitlement. This allows them to take up to a year of such rest days – on full pay – prior to retirement and...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (27 Sep 2011)

James Reilly: All general service grades employed in my Department are paid in accordance with Department of Finance Circular 28/2009 Revision of Pay of Civil Servants. The following table details the current payscales by grade as requested by the Deputy. Grade Level Pay Scale Secretary General €215,590 (Non PPC) Chief Medical Officer €176,800 (PPC) Assistant Secretary €127,796 - €146,191 (Non...

Written Answers — Departmental Strategy Statements: Departmental Strategy Statements (27 Sep 2011)

James Reilly: My Department submitted a draft Statement of Strategy for the period 2011-2014 to me recently. It is my intention to publish the Statement of Strategy in due course, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Service Management Act 1997.

Written Answers — Thalidomide Survivors: Thalidomide Survivors (27 Sep 2011)

James Reilly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 577 to 579, inclusive, together. I outlined with my meeting with the Irish Thalidomide Survivors Society in July, my main focus is on addressing the health care issues of Irish thalidomide survivors. Discussions with the Health Service Executive (HSE) regarding health care issues have been ongoing. My officials will now seek to establish the parameters of...

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (27 Sep 2011)

James Reilly: During the period specified by the Deputy, having due regard to the tendering process, a total of 105 external reports were commissioned by the Department. Details of these reports are set out in the following tables. Health is an extremely complex environment involving a broad spectrum of primary and acute care services for the entire population, ranging from services for children and...

Leaders' Questions (28 Sep 2011)

James Reilly: What is the date?

Leaders' Questions (28 Sep 2011)

James Reilly: The Deputy's clothes are safe here.

Hospital Inspections (28 Sep 2011)

James Reilly: The control of health care associated infections, HCAIs, continues to be a policy priority for the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive, HSE. Maintaining hospital hygiene practice is an essential component of the drive to reduce HCAIs. Under section 8 of the Health Act 2007, the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, has statutory power to set standards on safety...

Hospital Inspections (28 Sep 2011)

James Reilly: HIQA is responsible for standards and inspections but that does not remove the obligation on the Health Service Executive, HSE, to maintain its standards and continue its own in-house inspections. That is currently the case. The position is clear from the reduction in antibiotic consumption since 2008 and also the continuing drop in cases of MRSA from 592 in 2006 to 536 in 2007, and to 439...

Hospital Inspections (28 Sep 2011)

James Reilly: I will make a number of points. In recent months the HSE has made great strides in getting its budget in order and many other innovations which will become more clear as the special delivery unit makes more recommendations, which I would expect the HSE to put in place. The Deputy is right, however. It is part of our policy that the HSE would be replaced by a different organisation. I will...

Vaccination Programme (28 Sep 2011)

James Reilly: It is estimated that approximately 250,000 Irish children and adolescents aged five to 19 received Pandemrix vaccine to protect them against pandemic, H1N1, swine flu. Thirty potential cases of narcolepsy have been identified, 16 of which have been confirmed by the Irish Medicines Board as having been vaccinated with Pandemrix. Of the 16 cases, 15 were under 18 years of age. The remainder...

Vaccination Programme (28 Sep 2011)

James Reilly: First, I reiterate that no link has been established as yet. It is interesting that some of the Nordic countries such as Finland and Sweden are concerned about large numbers of cases there, but other countries such as the UK and the US do not seem to have an issue. Like Deputy Ó Caoláin, I remain concerned about the matter. As a parent, I am concerned about the possible damage the...

Vaccination Programme (28 Sep 2011)

James Reilly: It is easy to forget the situation that pertained. The reality is that we were facing a swine flu epidemic.

Vaccination Programme (28 Sep 2011)

James Reilly: Excuse me. I did not interrupt the Deputy. We were dealing with an epidemic. I was not in charge at the time, but nonetheless I believe in fairness, and the Minister of the day was faced with this enormous threat to the wellbeing of the people, and to younger people in particular. Given the genetic make-up of the flu and the fact that it related somewhat to an epidemic that occurred years...

Cancer Screening Programme (28 Sep 2011)

James Reilly: International evidence does not support the introduction of a population-based screening programme for prostate cancer at this time. The Department and the HSE are keeping the emerging international evidence under review, including the results of randomised trials that are being conducted internationally. However, I am pleased that Deputy Halligan has raised the issue and the recent publicity...

Cancer Screening Programme (28 Sep 2011)

James Reilly: I have to accept what the medical experts tell me and they say at this moment in time, particularly when we have to make hard choices about where the limited resources we have are spent, decisions and responses must be informed. On many occasions since I entered office, I said our policy would be evidence-based and so it will be. The second part of the Deputy's question related to funding...

Cancer Screening Programme (28 Sep 2011)

James Reilly: I do not want to get into a debate on the sensitivities of the prostate specific antigen blood test, which is not 100% infallible and I accept the Deputy is passionate about this and he is trying to save lives and that is the business of my Department as well. In reality, however, it happens that patients who do not have symptoms are picked up in examinations for all conditions. That does...

Industrial Action (28 Sep 2011)

James Reilly: I do not believe that any useful purpose is served by this industrial action. I am concerned that a further stoppage has happened today and would urge the INMO to reflect on the impact which these actions have on the general public. The shared focus of all those working in the health service should be on safeguarding frontline care in the face of the continuing very serious economic...

Industrial Action (28 Sep 2011)

James Reilly: As a doctor and as Minister I fail to see how patient safety is improved by taking industrial action. In my view that endangers the very patients we are seeking to protect. I accept the right of the INMO to highlight the situation but it must acknowledge we are acutely aware of the situation. The special delivery unit was down there last week, I have its report and I am studying its...

Industrial Action (28 Sep 2011)

James Reilly: I fail to see how this improves the situation and in my view this could lead to more danger for patients, not less.