Results 901-920 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (27 Jan 2005)

Mary Harney: The Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, which was established on 1 January 2005. Under the Act, the executive is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Responsibility for the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick rests with the executive. My Department has requested the chief officer for the...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (27 Jan 2005)

Mary Harney: My Department is informed that the ShannonDoc out-of-hours co-operative service has been operational in Shannon since 2002. The funding provided for out-of-hours co-operatives in the Health Service Executive, mid-western area, to date is €11.699 million. An additional €1.1 million was provided in 2005 to the Health Service Executive, mid-western area, for the expansion of this service in...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (27 Jan 2005)

Mary Harney: I have not had discussions with any group proposing to provide a private hospital in Waterford. I am in the process of developing an overall policy framework, which will identify the policy issues, which need to be addressed, and the key criteria to be applied in developing private facilities on public hospital sites. I hope to complete this work in a matter of weeks.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (27 Jan 2005)

Mary Harney: Nine corporate credit cards are in use. Cards are issued to me as Tánaiste and to eight nominated officers, two within my Department and two in the Commission on Assisted Human Reproduction, CAHR, and one each to officers in the Adoption Board, the National Children's Office, the Office of the Ombudsman and the post mortem inquiry. Cards are not issued to the Ministers of State at my...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (27 Jan 2005)

Mary Harney: At my request, the national treatment purchase fund is giving consideration to the question of how to progress improvements on waiting times for outpatient appointments.

Leaders' Questions. (1 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: I agree with Deputy Kenny that we must do everything possible to remove the stigma attached to mental illness. Much of what the Government has done in recent years in terms of the establishment of the mental health commission, increased investment in the area etc., was aimed at doing precisely that. The movement of people away from institutional care and into the community is part of that...

Leaders' Questions. (1 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: I agree it should not be part of the prison complex and neither will it be. However, the worst case scenario for the residents of the Central Mental Hospital would be to leave them where they are. I understand the conditions there are very unsatisfactory for 2005. The Minister of State, Deputy Tim O'Malley, has given a commitment to meet the interested parties on this matter, and he will do...

Leaders' Questions. (1 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: As regards the Ansbacher report, that was submitted by me to the Revenue Commissioners, the Director of Public Prosecutions and other authorities. The authorised officer's role continued in existence after the establishment of the independent Office of Corporate Enforcement. He was in the middle of various investigations and I felt it desirable that the officer who was carrying out those...

Leaders' Questions. (1 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: Deputy Rabbitte is making very serious allegations about my integrity and I would like him to withdraw them.

Leaders' Questions. (1 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: I do not know what he is suggesting. He suggests that I closed down the inquiry because it would reveal some information that I did not like. Deputy Rabbitte had better withdraw that. I have acted properly throughout my career in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the issue of bringing that inquiry to an end arose at the start of last year, not a couple of weeks before I...

Leaders' Questions. (1 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: He had better have his facts right.

Leaders' Questions. (1 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: I am no more of a saint than Deputy Rabbitte. No one made representations to me, either inside or outside the Cabinet. Any information that came——

Leaders' Questions. (1 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: I asked the authorised officer on a number of occasions to bring the inquiry to an end.

Leaders' Questions. (1 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: I never envisaged that the inquiries would have gone on for so long. Any information I received that had any relevance to any tribunal of inquiry was given to those tribunals of inquiry at that time.

Leaders' Questions. (1 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: It was given to both the Moriarty tribunal and to the Flood tribunal.

Leaders' Questions. (1 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: Some of the information related to individuals that were being investigated by those tribunals or fell within the remit and the terms of reference of those tribunals. In regard to where the report is now, the Deputy will have to ask the current Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. I do not know where it is now. It was not concluded when I left the Department at the end of September.

Leaders' Questions. (1 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: No, he did not agree with me. He wanted to continue.

Leaders' Questions. (1 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: I am aware of the report. The methodology of that report has been questioned. Given that the report takes the baseline of 60% of the median earnings, it is inevitable that we would see statistics of that kind. I acknowledge that there are too many people in Ireland living in poverty, if the Deputy wants to use that phrase, but there are much fewer people living in poverty now than there were...

Leaders' Questions. (1 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: The Government has taken the view for some time that targeting resources through child benefit to families with children is more effective than child dependant allowances which, as the Deputy is aware, mitigate against those in employment. The Government is committed to continuing to invest heavily in welfare and, in particular, to ensuring that welfare payments are focused on those in...

Order of Business. (1 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: It is proposed to take No. 15, Disability Bill 2004 — Second Stage, resumed, and No. 1, Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004 [Seanad] — Second Stage. Private Members' business shall be No. 40, motion re Ireland's agri-food sector.