Results 9,961-9,980 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I move amendment No. 1: In page 9, between lines 26 and 27, to insert the following: "(2) The collective citation "the Health Acts 1947 to 2007" shall include section 57(9).". Amendments Nos. 1 and 55 are being discussed together. On Committee Stage, I indicated I would bring forward an amendment to the Medical Practitioners Bill to take account of the new provisions on protected disclosures...

Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I examined this and took legal advice. The strong legal advice received and the advice of the Medical Council was to stick with the case law. In his decision in O'Laoire v. The Medical Council on 27 January 1995, Mr. Justice Keane stated: conduct which could not properly be characterised as "infamous" or "disgraceful" and which does not involve any degree of moral turpitude, fraud or...

Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I move amendment No. 3: In page 16, line 11, to delete "where appropriate,". I propose this amendment to take account of the matter raised by Deputy Gormley on Committee Stage. Following consultation with Parliamentary Counsel, the words "where appropriate" may be removed. I hope this satisfies the Deputy.

Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I had this matter examined. The medical profession specialist training bodies would have some expertise but other bodies such as the Irish Medicines Board would also have an interest. As it evolves, HIQA could have a partial role in holding information on some of these matters. On reflection, I consider this is not a role appropriate to the Medical Council and I discussed it with one or...

Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: This seeks to simply reinstate the existing power under section 62 of the 1978 Act. In case there is confusion, the purpose here is to assign additional functions connected with "registered medical practitioners, their education and training and the practice of medicine by medical practitioners" and "the implementation of any directive or regulation of the European Union concerning the...

Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I have made my response. This is simply repeating in this legislation a provision that exists in the 1978 Act, which nobody would suggest has been abused. It concerns the functions of the authority around medical education or the practice of medicine or EU directives. It is not reasonable to have to consult a body to assign functions. If a body were in a position to indicate it would not...

Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: There is a misunderstanding. Deputy Ó Caoláin's amendment sought to insert the clause "following consultation and agreement by the Council", that is, a Minister would only give a direction or extend the council's functions if it was consulted. It would be inappropriate to allow a council to decide against taking more functions. It is not the case that the council can ignore the...

Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: Based on legal advice, it is necessary to include the wording to clarify that the request must be complied with.

Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I was in the company of four doctors and a retired doctor at the weekend. I asked their opinions of lay majorities and was surprised that, in general, they thought it a good idea in moving into a different era. I consult people I know and other doctors do not have a problem with this.

Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: It was a social occasion. They were not looking for anything.

Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: It was a social occasion in a private home and the only aspect we discussed was the lay majority. We did not discuss the minutiae of this Bill. Most people rely on their representative bodies or read the media and take an interest only if it is relevant to them. Doctors are concerned that minor matters and vexatious complaints will not result in an appearance before fitness to practice...

Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: It is in line with what is required of other public bodies. The Minister of the day may receive a strategy statement within six months of taking office. The statement must deal with the performance of the functions of the regulatory body, in this case, the Medical Council. The statement may contain information on the number of inquiries. The norm will be for such inquiries to be held in...

Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: It is an independent body as regards operational, ethical issues and so on. However, as a body it also has an important role as regards some public policy issues around educational training, workforce planning perhaps, and the implementation of EU directives. As regards the training issues Deputy Twomey mentioned, we are implementing the Buttimer report. The HSE is responsible for...

Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: To be fair to the council, I do not believe it advocated a lay majority. I met the Medical Council after the heads of the Bill were published. We took on board many of its suggestions. I met it after the Bill was published, and again we made some changes based in particular on what I have said earlier, about case law being the appropriate test for the fitness to practise issue. We also...

Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I do not want to exaggerate that. I am sorry I mentioned it at all. It sounds like a very boring night.

Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I gave an undertaking on Committee Stage to examine this section. I wanted to make it clear there was no question of a Minister not accepting those elected. That is why I tabled amendment No. 26 which states the Minister may not refuse to appoint as a member of the council a person nominated by a professional body. When I was Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, I was involved in...

Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: No. If five people were to appear before a committee, it would be extremely controversial. I can give the Deputy an assurance that if he wants to put forward suggestions to me, I will be more than happy to consider them. I often sit in ministerial office talking to officials. If one considers the Health and Social Care Professionals Council, which met for the first time on Monday, one...

Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I move amendment No. 24: In page 27, line 24, to delete "paediatrics" and substitute "anaesthesia". I table these amendments as a result of consultation with the Medical Council. I was concerned that the provisions, as drafted, in the original Bill would not have given an option for a range of specialties to ever hold seat on the Medical Council. Therefore, I have proposed an amendment to...

Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I move amendment No. 25: In page 27, to delete lines 28 to 35 and substitute the following: "(d) one medical practitioner registered, or able to be registered, in the Specialist Division in relation to pathology or radiology, (e) one registered medical practitioner, not being a consultant, practising medicine in a hospital, and (f) one registered medical practitioner not falling within any of...

Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I move amendment No. 26: In page 27, to delete lines 36 to 45 and in page 28, to delete lines 1 to 5 and substitute the following: "(9) Without prejudice to the generality of the other provisions of this Act relating to the membership of the Council— (a) the Minister may not refuse to appoint as a member of the Council a person nominated under subsection (1)(a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (g),...