Results 11,441-11,460 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Health (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (23 Oct 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I move: “That the Bill be now read a Second Time.” Moving the country to level 5 is necessary due to the rapid and exponential rise in new cases of Covid-19. However, it comes as we all know at a huge cost to individuals, families, communities and businesses. It must work. For that to happen we need a very wide buy-in to the measures. Ireland’s experience of the...

Health (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (23 Oct 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I am actually taking notes.

Health (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (23 Oct 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank my colleagues for a very detailed, useful and passionate debate. There are a lot of different views in this House, as there should be and needs to be. I have listened attentively and I have taken many pages of notes. Most of the Deputies who made points are not here but I will address the matters raised by those who are present. Questions were raised repeatedly about golf....

Health (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I am happy to respond to Deputies if they like. Do you want me to respond?

Health (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: Thanks.

Health (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I will yield.

Health (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: Deputies Boyd Barrett and Pringle raised the point about dwelling events. Their argument, if I understood it correctly, is that taking measures that prevent certain things happening in houses means we are therefore somehow blaming, scapegoating and attacking people who live in houses. If that is the Deputies' view, that is fine, but it would have to be applied to every measure. As Deputy...

Health (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: We have not had a chance to debate the other amendments but we will not accept the grouping of amendments, which I accept are important. I have not had time to respond to the various points.

Level 5 Response to Covid-19: Statements (23 Oct 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the House for this opportunity to consider the measures that have been introduced in response to the recent rise in cases of Covid-19. As Deputies will be aware, earlier this week the country moved to level 5 of the Government's medium-term strategy for dealing with the virus, Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19. I do not propose to rehearse all of the...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Vaccination Programme (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I acknowledge the Deputy's and his party's support in encouraging people to take up the vaccination programme. The expanded flu vaccination campaign is a substantial advance on the campaigns of previous years. Some 1.95 million doses of vaccine, about twice as much as was administered last year, have been made available for those in at-risk groups and children aged from two to 12 years...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Vaccination Programme (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: The orders for the flu vaccination are made at the start of the year. I believe the orders for this winter were made in January or February. The HSE took a new approach. It identified the at-risk groups, and it was calculated that totalled 1.35 million people. Children aged from two to 12 years were added to that and the 600,000 doses were procured. I believe, and the figures confirm,...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Vaccination Programme (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: Ireland is currently involved in the EU procurement exercise being operated by the European Commission on behalf of member states to procure a portfolio of stable, safe and effective vaccines in sufficient quantities to combat Covid-19. I am sure the Deputy has seen that we are involved with the WHO and the Gavi global response, which is in a spirit with which the Deputy would agree. It has...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Cancer Services (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: As Deputy Kelly is aware, it was originally intended that the CervicalCheck tribunal would be established at the end of March. Both Deputy Kelly and I voted for the Act to set that up, and we debated some of the various parts of it in this House. The establishment was delayed due to Covid and then a further delay arose, as Deputy Kelly is aware, due to issues concerning membership when two...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Cancer Services (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I accept Deputy Kelly's bona fides on this. He and I have worked on this together on the committee and in this House. I hope he appreciates that I cannot get into a negotiation here with him that I am having in private with this group.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Cancer Services (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: It has been my intention from the very start to do right by this group. The group wrote to me and asked that the tribunal would be set up immediately, and that is what we moved to do. The group reiterated that in September. Deputy Kelly said that a few small issues may have been resolved but I am afraid that is factually incorrect.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Cancer Services (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: The single biggest issue is the Supreme Court ruling in the Ruth Morrissey case, and they said themselves that that was a game changer. The group asked for an undertaking that the labs would not be joined as co-defendants in the tribunal. That has been supplied not just by me but in a letter furnished by the chief executive of the State Claims Agency.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Cancer Services (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: So, with the greatest of respect, that has been done.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Cancer Services (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: We can all make comments about people adopting attitudes with each other. With the greatest respect, what I say to Deputy Kelly is that I, the Department and the Government are in detailed discussions with the 221+ group. Various issues have been raised. A lot of them have been dealt with comprehensively.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Cancer Services (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: Good progress has been made on the others. I cannot get into a negotiation with Deputy Kelly in the Chamber about this. I need to respect the process that we are going through with the 221+ group. I have received the letter today, and I read it.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Cancer Services (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I am sorry, but with the greatest respect, it is being looked at. It is a seven-page, detailed legalistic letter. It raises a lot of very detailed issues and we are going to afford it the respect it deserves. We are seeking legal advice on it. We are going to discuss it and we are going to see what progress we can make. The only thing we are bound by is the law.