Results 9,621-9,640 of 15,268 for speaker:Kathleen Lynch

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Data (6 Nov 2014)

Kathleen Lynch: A range of health services are provided to persons with full eligibility. The non-health benefits afforded to holders of medical cards are not a matter for the Minister for Health.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Expenditure (6 Nov 2014)

Kathleen Lynch: The budget for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme for 2011, 2012 and 2013 is as follows: Year € 2011 €1,011m 2012 €994m 2013 €974m As the HSE is responsible for the administration of the Scheme, the issue of resident contribution has been passed to the Executive for direct reply. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please...

Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (6 Nov 2014)

Kathleen Lynch: I am pleased to have this opportunity to address the House on Second Stage of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014. This is quite a technical Bill, with 44 sections in total. The Bill has three main objectives. It will provide for the subsuming of the Opticians Board into the Health and Social Care Professionals Council; it will make certain efficiency amendments to the Health...

Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (6 Nov 2014)

Kathleen Lynch: I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the debate on this technical Bill. I suggest we should begin from the premise that the legislation is essential in the interests of public safety and registration. I fully accept that most medical professionals start from that premise. I have always believed that. If we start from that premise, it will be evident that this legislation is...

Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (6 Nov 2014)

Kathleen Lynch: Yes, the ophthalmologists.

Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (6 Nov 2014)

Kathleen Lynch: I will check that for the Senator.

Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (6 Nov 2014)

Kathleen Lynch: It is important to be absolutely certain that we are talking about the same thing. I am informed that the ophthalmologists have written to us. We believe we have answered all of the questions they asked in a frank and upright way. If we have missed something - they may have written again to the Minister, Deputy Varadkar - we are quite prepared to go back and look at it again.

Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (6 Nov 2014)

Kathleen Lynch: There is no point in doing this if we cannot do it properly. It is not about excluding people. First and foremost, it is about ensuring the health and safety of the public is safeguarded. Equally, it is about ensuring those who are charged with delivering the service can do so in a practical way. It is not our intention to exclude anyone. I assure Senator Crown that if anything further...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: National Children's Hospital Location (6 Nov 2014)

Kathleen Lynch: As Senator Eamonn Coghlan has probably gathered, I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar. I am responsible for many things but, fortunately, acute hospitals is not one of them. I thank the Senator for raising this important issue in which we all have an interest. As decided by the Government in November 2012, the new children's hospital will be...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: National Children's Hospital Location (6 Nov 2014)

Kathleen Lynch: That is not what we are saying. We are saying that if we were to try to proceed with the planning application for the maternity hospital at the same time as the children's hospital, we would delay the children's hospital. From my knowledge of planning, what is important is that all future developments on that site will be notified to An Bord Pleanála in order that it can take into...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Hospital Appointments Administration (6 Nov 2014)

Kathleen Lynch: On behalf of the Minister for Health, I thank Senator Burke for raising this important issue and for the opportunity to update the House on the issue of hospital referrals and catchment areas. It is important to note that there is no statutory basis for hospitals imposing catchment areas. However, they have been part of custom and practice within the health service in general for many...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Hospital Appointments Administration (6 Nov 2014)

Kathleen Lynch: I will ensure Senator Burke's remarks are passed on to the Minister for Health and we can speak at a later stage about the need to ensure the posts that are vacant are filled. I have to say that it is not just in this area there is a difficulty in recruitment. Senators Crown and Burke have a particular interest in this. We have a serious issue with both replacing and retaining medical...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: NAMA Property Sales (6 Nov 2014)

Kathleen Lynch: I thank Senator Higgins for raising this matter and while these issues can be extraordinarily technical, that is no excuse for shying away from further scrutiny of them. NAMA's policy is that the sale of all loans and properties by debtors and receivers should be openly marketed to ensure the best price available in the market is achieved in all instances. NAMA enjoys a strong reputation in...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: NAMA Property Sales (6 Nov 2014)

Kathleen Lynch: It is very difficult for me to comment on that case. Clearly the man in question has a grievance and I will ensure the Department of Finance hears of it. On the other hand, we do not know that everyone else involved in the sales process for those three properties was treated in the same way. That is the difficulty. We must assume they were all treated in the same way. On the first issue...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: NAMA Property Sales (6 Nov 2014)

Kathleen Lynch: Once it does become clear that such is the case, note should be taken of it. I will convey Senator Higgins' concerns to the Department and to the Minister himself.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Administration (11 Nov 2014)

Kathleen Lynch: I thank the Deputy for tabling the question. Waiting times on the nursing homes support scheme placement list are now running at approximately 15 weeks. This is a matter of concern for me, and my Department and the HSE is working to ensure the available resources deliver the best possible outcomes for older people. This will require an integrated approach across community, residential and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Administration (11 Nov 2014)

Kathleen Lynch: I thought I had explained in the course of my response how the increase in the waiting time had occurred. The argument is being constantly made that the Government should not have moved the €23 million from the fair deal budget to the enhancement of home care packages. Not everyone wants to go into long-term care. The list has increased. As the Deputy rightly points out, and which...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Administration (11 Nov 2014)

Kathleen Lynch: I do not agree with the Deputy that social infrastructure in this country has been devastated by the Government. The same 2,500 people are not always on the waiting list. Some 515 people move to the fair deal scheme each month. In other words, there is a roll-over system in place. People are moved onto the scheme in a chronological order, which is the fairest way. That is the way in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: General Practitioner Services (11 Nov 2014)

Kathleen Lynch: There are currently 12 vacant General Medical Services GP panels in the HSE Dublin north east region, which includes Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Meath. Since January 2014, the HSE has advertised nine vacant panels in this region. Next month, the HSE is planning to advertise a further five posts in this region. Two of these posts are located in Cavan and are currently filled in a locum...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: General Practitioner Services (11 Nov 2014)

Kathleen Lynch: I suppose the Deputy is more conscious, in particular in the part of the country from which he comes, that there is a difficulty in terms of GPs and getting permanent posts. We need to continue to incentivise GPs to operate in areas in which one would not have a big customer base. That is something on which we are working. The workforce planning project being undertaken will ensure that...