Results 6,661-6,680 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: The inspectors will have powers to inspect on a frequent basis. Currently the rule is that each home should be inspected twice. I am not certain we should focus on the number of inspections per year. It may well be the case that some nursing homes require more frequent inspections than others and those which operate to a high standard may only require an inspection once every year or 18...

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: I am sorry Deputy Twomey is in such bad form today. He is in an angry mood and has alleged that replies are abysmal. I am not inventing policy as I go along. A considerable amount of work has been carried out in respect of care of the elderly. One of the most senior, respected and experienced officials in my Department has responsibility for this area, work which has been under way in my...

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: The law concerning eligibility has not been changed since the early 1970s. As the Deputy is aware, the Government is working on eligibility and entitlement legislation, which will clarify which individuals are entitled to which services because greater clarity is needed in this area.

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: I am not skirting any issue. The issue of whether everyone over 70 is entitled to a bed funded by the State and if a bed in a public facility is not available, whether the State must fund a bed in a private nursing home is being tested in the courts. As we know from the 29-year-old issue concerning charges, no legislation we introduced could be retrospective. I do not know how this will be...

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: I informed Deputy Twomey that this is being challenged in the courts.

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: It is unreasonable and unsustainable to stipulate that everyone is entitled to everything, regardless of their resources and family circumstances. If such a system were sustainable and the courts ruled in its favour, we would be forced to legislate in that area because it is not affordable. It is unfair that very wealthy people would be entitled to the same level of services as people who are...

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: That is separate legislation which is under way and has been committed to for some time. It is a major task.

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: In respect of Deputy Ó Caoláin's earlier intervention, the same standards must apply wherever older people reside, irrespective of whether it is in a public or private facility. Deputy Twomey said that I saw terrible standards in facilities I visited but I saw no terrible standards of care anywhere. The standards of care in all the facilities I visited were very high. However, I have seen...

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: The residents of the Cootehill centre should not be put at a disadvantage vis-À-vis residents elsewhere, nor are they as far as I am aware. I want the facilities for senior citizens there to be used to their full potential.

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: I will have the matter examined for the Deputy.

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: I understand the HSE is working on plans for the provision of additional capacity in this area. Several years ago, my Department proposed to provide 850 beds by way of a public private partnership. However, this proposal never advanced, as it ran into difficulties with the Departments of Health and Children and Finance in respect of costings and so on. Instead, capacity was purchased in the...

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: The HSE board will consider the report today, which I have not seen. It will make a recommendation to the Government.

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: It will be in Dublin.

Nursing Homes Inspectorate. (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: It will not go to Cootehill.

Written Answers — Organ Donation: Organ Donation (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: There is a declining trend over recent years in Europe and worldwide in relation to donor numbers, due in part to improved systems in Intensive Care Units which reduce the number of potential donors. It is therefore essential that we examine the practices and procedures within individual hospitals which deal with potential donors to ensure that the potential for organ donation is being...

Written Answers — National Health Strategy: National Health Strategy (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: The Health Strategy (2001) contained a commitment to increase the number of acute hospital beds by a total of 3000 over a ten year period. The Strategy did not set a mid-way target or a target of beds to be provided by year. In 2001, the year of the publication of Health Strategy, the average number of in-patient beds and day places available for treatment of patients in public acute...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Patients requiring treatment for chronic pain are seen in a number of different settings. The majority of patients are treated on an out-patient basis at an acute hospital and return home after treatment....

Written Answers — Ambulance Service: Ambulance Service (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive (HSE) under the Health Act 2004. As part of the reform of the health service a National Ambulance Office has been established under the auspices of the National Hospitals Office within the HSE. The Office has responsibility for the...

Written Answers — Parliamentary Questions: Parliamentary Questions (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: Contrary to the view indicated in the Deputy's question, I believe that a rational and coherent approach is being taken to answering parliamentary questions, in the context of the establishment of the HSE. It is also clear that a high priority is being given to this work, through the establishment of the HSE's Parliamentary Affairs Division in April of last year, and its subsequent...

Written Answers — Hospitals Building Programme: Hospitals Building Programme (1 Jun 2006)

Mary Harney: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. This includes responsibility for progressing major hospital projects under the health capital programme. In this context, following extensive discussions involving my Department, the Department of Finance...