Results 8,001-8,020 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: The legislation within my remit which has been enacted since my appointment as Minister for Health and Children is as follows: (1) the Health Act 2004; (2) the Health Amendment Act 2005; (3) the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005; (4) the Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006; (5) the Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal (Amendment) Act 2006; and (6) the Health...

Written Answers — Accident and Emergency Services: Accident and Emergency Services (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 102 and 131 together. The Health Service Executive activity reports over recent months indicate a significant reduction in the average number of patients in A & E Departments awaiting admission. Waiting times for patients have also been reduced. The percentage of people waiting longer than 24 hours for admission has decreased from 13% in May to 7% in...

Written Answers — Accident and Emergency Services: Accident and Emergency Services (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: Improving the patient's progress through A&E Departments is the key area of focus for the Health Service Executive (HSE) in 2006/07. Measurable improvements have been achieved in recent months. In order to ensure that these improvements can be sustained, particularly during the winter months, the HSE has introduced a broad-based Winter Initiative. The Winter Initiative will be similar to...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 104 and 192 together. I take it that the questions refer to a report on the future of Maternity and Gynaecology Services in Ireland that has been prepared by the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. My Department is advised by the Health Service Executive that, while the Executive did not commission the report, it did facilitate its preparation by...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: As I have previously stated, I consider the first Pharmacy Bill a priority piece of legislation. The first Bill will deal with the governance of the Pharmaceutical Society, registration and fitness to practice issues. It will also remove the EU derogation for supervisory pharmacists (where only Irish-trained pharmacists can supervise pharmacies less than three years old). The general scheme...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: My Department has contacted the HSE and is advised that a protocol for the management of surgical patients within Cavan/Monaghan Hospital governs the circumstances in which a surgical patient may be transferred from Monaghan to Cavan. The protocol was drawn up by a group chaired by the lead consultant surgeon in Cavan/ Monaghan and included representatives of staff in medicine, surgery and...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: The Deputy will be aware that a review of tertiary paediatric services undertaken by McKinsey & Company on behalf of the Health Service Executive recommended that: the population and projected demands in this country can support only one world class tertiary paediatric hospital; it should be in Dublin and should ideally be co-located with a leading adult academic hospital; it should also...

Written Answers — Infectious Diseases: Infectious Diseases (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 109 and 196 together. My Department has no plans at present to set up a judicial enquiry or a redress board to compensate people who have contracted MRSA. The control of Health Care Associated Infections (HCAIs) including MRSA continues to be a priority for the HSE. Measures to control the emergence and spread of HCAIs are necessary because there are fewer...

Written Answers — Infectious Diseases: Infectious Diseases (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 110 and 126 together. I take it both questions relate to a possible human flu pandemic. For the sake of clarity, avian flu (H5N1) is primarily a disease of birds. To date, there have been a very small number of human cases of H5N1 infection in situations where there has been very close contact with infected birds. There is no evidence of efficient...

Written Answers — Nursing Home Charges: Nursing Home Charges (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 114 and 202 together. The Health (Repayment Scheme) Act 2006 came into effect on 30 June 2006. The repayment scheme was launched publicly by the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the scheme administrator KPMG/McCann Fitzgerald on 14 August 2006. A national advertising campaign and a helpline also commenced on this date. The HSE have informed the Department...

Written Answers — Drug Treatment Programme: Drug Treatment Programme (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: I am aware that the drug Buprenorphine is being proposed as an alternative to methadone in the treatment of opiate dependent addicts. The current position is that Buprenorphine can be prescribed to opiate users by addiction services consultants in specialists drug treatment clinics, where the prescription and dispensing of Buprenorphine is tightly controlled. The Irish Medicines Board has...

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

Mary Harney: I am informed by the Health Service Executive (HSE) that when its structures changed it was decided that it was no longer appropriate to have a regional Immunisation Committee for the former Western Health Board area that no longer existed and it was, therefore, disbanded. This was in anticipation of new structures for HSE West. However, in parallel to this decision, it was agreed that the...

Written Answers — Health Strategy: Health Strategy (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 136 together. One of the key measures of health status is premature mortality, major causes of premature mortality in Ireland being circulatory diseases, cancer, accidents and injuries. For all of these, there is a social class gradient, with those in the lowest socio-economic group being the worst off. Likewise, at the beginning of life, health status...

Written Answers — Health Service Management: Health Service Management (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: Under Section 29 of the Health Act, 2004, the Health Service Executive is obliged to prepare, adopt and then submit to me for approval a Corporate Plan for a three year period. The Executive submitted its Corporate Plan 2005-2008 in accordance with the provisions of this section. This Plan outlines the key objectives for the period 2005-2008, how the achievement of these objectives will be...

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: I have asked my Department to arrange to provide the Deputy with information on the estimated cost of providing medical cards to all children aged under six years. However an exercise to establish the estimated cost will first need to be undertaken, with the assistance of the Health Service Executive, and the information sought will be provided to the Deputy as soon as possible. In relation...

Written Answers — Hospital Procedures: Hospital Procedures (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: It is regrettable that some patients may have their procedures postponed. The Health Service Executive (HSE) endeavours to keep postponements to a minimum and to have postponed procedures rescheduled as soon as possible. However, due to the nature of the acute hospital system, in some instances, it is necessary to re-schedule planned treatments when priority has to be given to emergency...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: The organisation of specialist paediatric and neonatal surgical services has been the subject of extensive debate for a number of years. International best practice indicates that best clinical outcomes are achieved when the number of patients being treated in a unit is sufficient for a high level of surgical, anaesthetic and nursing expertise to be maintained. There are currently three...

Written Answers — Vaccination Programme: Vaccination Programme (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: Ireland's recommended immunisation programme is based on the guidelines of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. These guidelines are prepared with the assistance of an active committee from associated disciplines in paediatrics, infectious diseases, general practice and public health. Vaccines are continually evolving and guidelines...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: 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 and funding for all health services has been provided as part of its overall vote. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular issue raised by the Deputy. Accordingly, my Department has...

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: I published the full policy direction and supporting documentation to this initiative when it was announced in July 2005. The policy has been on my Department's web site since the announcement.