Results 11,821-11,840 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointments Administration (7 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: In relation to the query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to him directly.

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Drugs Strategy Implementation (7 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: A core objective of the National Drugs Strategy is to develop a national treatment and rehabilitation service that provides drug free and harm reduction approaches for problem substance users and to encourage problem substance users to engage with, and avail of, such services. In the area of treatment and rehabilitation, the focus is on providing opportunities for people to progress from drug...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointment Status (7 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2014,has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointment Delays (7 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2014,has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has...

Written Answers — Department of Health: HSE Staffing (7 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Government has decided that the numbers employed across the public service must be reduced in order to meet fiscal and budgetary targets and introduced a moratorium on recruitment in the Public Service in March 2009. The health sector must make its contribution to that reduction. In order to mitigate the impact on frontline services of the reduction in employment numbers, the priority...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Symphysiotomy Reports (7 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: In July this year the Government announced a comprehensive response to the long standing and sensitive issue for around 350 women who have undergone surgical symphysiotomy. The key response is the establishment of an ex-gratia payment scheme, which will cost around €34million. In addition, there is a commitment to the continued provision of medical services, including medical cards...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Narcolepsy Issues (7 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The HSE and the Department of Education and Skills continue to provide a range of services and supports to individuals diagnosed with narcolepsy following pandemic vaccination regardless of age, on an ex-gratia basis. These services and supports which are co-ordinated by the HSE National Advocacy Unit are intended to provide that individuals receive tailored assistance to address their...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospitals Building Programme (7 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: As with all capital projects the acute sector infrastructure programme must be considered within the overall capital envelope available to the health service. There will always be more projects than can be funded by the Exchequer. There is limited funding available for new projects over the next multi-annual period 2015-2019 given the level of commitments and the costs to completion already...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointment Status (7 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The scheduling of appointments for patients is a matter for the hospital to which the patient has been referred. Should a patient's general practitioner consider that the patient's condition warrants an earlier appointment, he or she would be in the best position to take the matter up with the consultant and hospital involved. In relation to the specific case raised by the Deputy, as this is...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Access (7 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Cancer services have been reorganised in line with best practice to ensure that patients are treated in locations that have the expertise, multi-disciplinary specialist skills and case volume to provide optimum treatment. Oesophageal cancer is treated in four approved centres designated by the HSE-National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) for the treatment of this highly complex condition. ...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Insurance Coverage (7 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: This matter is sub-judice and I am therefore restricted in the response I can give to your question. My role as Minister for health primarily relates to national policy decisions, legislation, implementing the programme for government and securing an overall budget for health and accounting for it to the Oireachtas.  I am in no way personally involved in decisions about individual...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Insurance Coverage (7 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: This matter is sub-judice and I am therefore restricted in the response I can give to your question. My role as Minister for health primarily relates to national policy decisions, legislation, implementing the programme for government and securing an overall budget for health and accounting for it to the Oireachtas.  I am in no way personally involved in decisions about individual...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointment Status (7 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: In relation to the particular patient query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to him directly.

Written Answers — Department of Health: IBEC Membership (7 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The information in relation to agencies under the remit of my Department is currently being collated and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is collated.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (7 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: No.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (7 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I have had a close look at the matter in the past couple of days. First, I want to clarify that the Opticians Act, 1956 does not currently restrict the employment of assistants to help in selecting frames or processing payments. That means that there will be no change to the status quo under the Bill. By way of background, section 34 of the Bill inserts a new Part 7A into the principal Act...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (7 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The whole point of the legislation is to protect dispensing opticians and optometrists and not to allow their work to be delegated to people who are unqualified.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (7 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The intention is that there will be no change to the status quo. Let us compare the position to that of pharmacies: the person who serves one at the counter might not be a pharmacist but rather a sales assistant. In this instance the person who writes a prescription will be either a doctor or someone with prescribing rights and the individual who dispenses the medicine will be a qualified...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (7 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: That is absolutely correct. Obviously, I do not want the work of qualified opticians or optometrists to be delegated to individuals who are not suitably qualified. I do not believe anyone wants this to happen. What we are seeking is clarity in ensuring that what happens at present will continue to be the case. In other words, sales assistants in eyeglass shops will continue to be able to...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (7 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: By-laws are laws. As long as they do not conflict with the primary legislation, that is fine. Between now and Report Stage I will clarify that there is nothing to prevent the board from making such by-laws.