Results 11,861-11,880 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

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

Leo Varadkar: We have had no discussions about that.

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

Leo Varadkar: It is the same issue so I will add no further comment.

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

Leo Varadkar: Section 44 provides for an enhancement of the HSE waiver powers to the benefit of service users by extending these grounds to cover the extent to which the person concerned provides for his or her own maintenance or accommodation, or both, and reflects a key element of the definitional change proposed under section 42. If the section were deleted, the present position would prevail, namely,...

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

Leo Varadkar: I thank my officials for their work on this Bill, as well as the committee members and the clerk and his staff for progressing so efficiently. Obviously, I will take into account anything that has been said in advance of Report Stage.

Topical Issue Debate: Accident and Emergency Departments Waiting Times (8 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputies Breen and O'Donnell for raising this issue and for giving me an opportunity to outline in the House the current position on this matter. In regard to trolleys, it is important to recognise that while there has been a deterioration in recent months in the number of patients on trolleys waiting to be seen, the situation throughout the country remains much better than it was in...

Topical Issue Debate: Accident and Emergency Departments Waiting Times (8 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The 20 beds that were closed due to a virus in St. John's Hospital have been reopened and this may explain the considerable improvement in the numbers waiting on trolleys in the past few days. As Deputy O’Donnell said, a new emergency department is being built in Limerick, which will provide additional bed capacity. While the HSE will consider interim solutions in the meantime,...

Topical Issue Debate: Services for People with Disabilities (8 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputies Bannon and Troy for raising this matter. I am pleased to take this opportunity to outline the Government's position on the matters raised by the Deputies. I am taking this debate on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch. Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive, HSE, is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its...

Topical Issue Debate: Services for People with Disabilities (8 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Bannon for his kind offer of a half-day trip to visit a particular service in another part of the country. He will be aware from the debate that I get such invitations almost every ten minutes. I will try to make as many visits as I can, but even responding to them is starting to become a full-time job.

Topical Issue Debate: Services for People with Disabilities (8 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I had a meeting with the directorate of the HSE this morning. The Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, was also present. We asked the officials to engage again with the board of directors on the matter. If it is the case that there has not been engagement since August, there certainly should be soon, but it must be about finding savings and not securing additional money, as there is...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Commissions of Investigation (8 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: From time to time, a Minister for Health may seek a report into certain issues but in the main, bodies such as the Health Service Executive or the Health Information and Quality Authority carry out investigations or inquiries into health related issues. The Commissions of Investigation Act 2004 provides for the establishment of commissions to investigate into and report on matters considered...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Registration of Nurses (8 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: A new Nurses and Midwives Act was passed into legislation in 2011. The Act provides, inter alia, for the protection of the public in its dealings with nurses and midwives and the enhancement of their high standards of professional education and competencies. The Department of Health is responsible for oversight of the governance of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). The...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Ambulance Service Provision (8 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Departmental Expenditure (8 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Royal College of Physicians in Ireland has not received any such funding from the Department in the past three years. In 2012 and 2013, registration and conference fees of €784 and €100 were paid respectively. I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy regarding any relevant funding it may have provided.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Cancer Screening Programmes (8 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 122, 124 and 125 together. BreastCheck utilises digital mammography as it is the most advanced method available, giving enhanced image quality and significant reductions in the radiation dose associated with screening examinations. Information regarding manufacturers' manuals and safety data for digital mammography equipment is included as part of the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Provision (8 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Integrative medicine relates to the combining of alternative therapies with those of evidence based medicine. Complementary and alternative therapies and are not funded through the public health system and are not regulated by the Department. All regulated healthcare professionals are required to practice in accordance with their respective professional and ethical codes of conduct and the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (8 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: In relation to the specific queries raised by the Deputy, as these are service matters they have been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (8 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (8 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (8 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Provision (8 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 141 to 144, inclusive, together. I am aware of the findings of The Irish Heart Foundation Report "Towards Earlier Discharge, Better Outcomes, Lower Cost: Stroke Rehabilitation in Ireland," and am asking that the H.S.E. provide a further response to the Deputy in relation to the specific recommendations contained therein.