Results 10,161-10,180 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (29 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: The Health Service Executive has responsibility for administering the Repayment Scheme and the information sought by the Deputy relates to matters within the area of responsibility of the Executive. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter investigated and to have a reply issued to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (29 Mar 2007)

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. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Nurses' Dispute: Statements (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: The fundamental question we have to ask ourselves, as a Parliament, a Government and a society, is what does fairness demand in this situation? First, and more important than anything else, is what fairness demands for patients. More than 1 million patients are seen in our hospitals each year. Fairness demands that we put patients first, avoiding at all costs inconvenience, distress,...

Nurses' Dispute: Statements (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: I thank the Members who contributed to this debate. It was certainly very wide-ranging and went way beyond the issue of the dispute between the health service and the PNA and INO. Some nurses are represented by SIPTU and, as such, have signed on for the 10% pay increase through the social partnership agreement. They have put their faith in the benchmarking process. We went to...

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: I am convinced that the co-location initiative is the most cost effective way of providing an additional 1,000 public beds for public patients in public hospitals including in the Adelaide and Meath Hospital incorporating the National Children's Hospital, Tallaght. There will be no capital cost to the Exchequer. The State already funds the nursing and support staff employed to provide acute...

Written Answers — Health Insurance: Health Insurance (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 262 and 356 together. It is difficult to comment on and assess the costs of the general merits of universal health insurance system in Ireland. Such a system would move insurance from being voluntary to compulsory. Consideration of the many complex issues inherent in any such proposal would include whether a particular universal health insurance system would...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: Aside from staff who are availing of statutory/civil service leave entitlements (e.g. maternity leave, sick leave, annual leave, etc.), my Department had no staff who were in receipt of full salary and not working in the month of March 2007.

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (3 Apr 2007)

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 address the particular issues raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 265 and 334 together. The Dental Treatment Service Scheme (DTSS) provides for a range of dental services for adult medical card holders from participating dentists holding contracts with the Health Service Executive (HSE). The DTSS Review Group was established in May 2006 to undertake a comprehensive review of Primary Care Oral Health Services provided under...

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: The Health Act, 2004 sets out the HSE's responsibilities in relation to codes of standards of integrity, conduct and governance. Under section 35 of the Health Act 2004 the HSE is obliged to submit a Code of Governance for my approval. A draft code of governance was received from the Executive at the end of September. It comprises a suite of documents which make up a Framework for the...

Written Answers — Hospital Charges: Hospital Charges (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: The Health (Charges for In-Patient Services) Regulations 2005 have provided for two different classes of persons on whom charges may be levied. These regulations were signed by the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Health and Children on 14 January 2005. Class 1 refers to people in receipt of in-patient services on premises where nursing care is provided on a 24 hour basis on those...

Written Answers — Hospital Waiting Lists: Hospital Waiting Lists (3 Apr 2007)

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 case raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (3 Apr 2007)

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 matter raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the...

Written Answers — Vaccination Programme: Vaccination Programme (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: In its report on Childhood Immunisation, the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children recommended that legislation be drawn up to provide for a no-fault National Vaccine Injury Compensation Scheme. The Vaccine Damage Steering Group has been established to examine the issue of vaccine damage. The Group met for the first time on 13 March 2007. The Group is due to meet again in mid...

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: Medical cards are made available to persons and their dependants who would otherwise experience undue hardship in meeting the cost of General Practitioner (GP) services. In 2005 the GP visit card was introduced as a graduated benefit so that people on lower incomes, particularly parents of young children, who do not qualify for a medical card would not be deterred on cost grounds from...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (3 Apr 2007)

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. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — National Treatment Purchase Fund: National Treatment Purchase Fund (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) was established to arrange treatment for patients who have been waiting longest on surgical, in-patient waiting lists. Under the provisions of its establishment order, the NTPF currently arranges hospital-based treatment. As the type of services the Deputy refers to do not require in-patient care, they do not fall currently within the remit of the...

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: There is a common list of reimbursable medicines for the General Medical Services and Drug Payment schemes. This list is reviewed and amended monthly, as new products become available and deletions are notified. For an item to be reimbursed, it must comply with published criteria, including authorisation status as appropriate, price and, in certain cases the intended use of the product. In...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) has sought capital funding to build a new blood transfusion centre in Cork. In March 2006 I requested the IBTS to carry out an assessment of the need for this centre in order to comply with the Department of Finance's Guidelines for the Appraisal and Management of Capital Expenditure Proposals in the Public Sector. This assessment was submitted to...

Written Answers — Hospitals Building Programme: Hospitals Building Programme (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services is a matter for the Health Service Executive 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. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division...