Results 12,141-12,160 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Written Answers — Department of Health: Cancer Services (12 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I welcome the document to which the Deputy refers, and which has been submitted to my Department, in relation to an All-Island Cancer Research proposal. The issues involved will be considered and I would envisage a meeting being organised between the Working Group involved and officials of the Department. The positive impact of research activity on the care of patients is recognised in...

Written Answers — Department of Health: HSE Staff (12 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I, my Department and the HSE are committed to the early introduction of a new framework for public healthcare, as provided for in the Programme for Government, and to the framework incorporating consultant status. Consultant status for the Specialty was recommended in the Crowe Horwath Report in the context of a new framework for public health and enhanced roles for the specialists. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Health: General Practitioner Services (12 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: The Government is aware of the workforce issues currently facing general practice, including the limited access to GP services in certain areas, and has implemented a number of measures in recent years to improve recruitment and retention in general practice. Changes have been made to the entry provisions to the GMS scheme to accommodate more flexible/shared GMS GP contracts, and to the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Disability Support Services (12 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: The Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose, and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (12 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: No products stocked or used by my Department were affected by the specified recall. I have also forwarded your question to the HSE for direct reply. Details for other bodies under the aegis of my Department are operational matters for the bodies concerned.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (12 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing Staff (12 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: The Health Care Assistant initiative, whereby student nurses and midwives were offered temporary contracts as HCAs, was in response to the Covid19 outbreak and ceased in August 2020. This initiative was only ever intended as a temporary measure to provide additional support to the national effort. It also offered some protection to the ongoing education of student nurses and midwives as their...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Protected Disclosures (12 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: My Department is aware of the correspondence referred to by the Deputy and is examining the matter. It is my Department's policy not to comment on individual cases, to ensure the confidentiality of the discloser is maintained.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (12 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: The Government has expanded the provision of seasonal influenza vaccination without charge to all of those in the HSE-defined at-risk groups and to all children aged from 2 to 12 years. Vaccines are being administered via GPs and pharmacists, as in previous years. This season, approximately 2 million doses of influenza vaccine have been purchased, including 1.35 million doses of QIV...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointments Status (12 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: It is recognised that waiting times for scheduled appointments and procedures have been impacted as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic the HSE had to take measures to defer most scheduled care activity in March, April, and May of this year. This was to ensure patient safety and that all appropriate resources were made available for Covid-19...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Speech and Language Therapy (12 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible

Written Answers — Department of Health: Speech and Language Therapy (12 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (12 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: It is important to note that the Government is committed to ensuring a balanced and proportionate response to COVID-19 by finding ways to implement public health measures in response to the pandemic in a way that is fair, reasonable and proportionate. As you will be aware, in response to the rapidly deteriorating epidemiological situation across the country, Ireland has moved to level 5 of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Oireachtas Joint Committee Reports (12 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: Valproate-containing medicines (also known as sodium valproate or valproic acid) are approved in Ireland under the brand name Epilim, for the treatment of epilepsy and bipolar disorder. Based on the totality of available scientific data on this drug, it is known that children exposed in utero are at a high risk of serious developmental disorders (in up to 30-40% of cases) and congenital...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (12 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: As the Deputy may be aware, the composition of the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council is determined by article 5 of S.I. 109 of 2000, as amended. All appointments to the Council are made in line with the requirements of this legislation. In June this year, nominations were sought under article 5(c) of the SI, which specifies that two Council members “shall be persons appointed from...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (12 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: The Government's medium-term strategy Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19sets out Ireland's approach to managing and living with COVID-19 in a range of areas over the next 6 - 9 months. The Plan sets out five levels of response, each with a number of measures designed to help us all lower COVID-19 transmission and setting out what is permitted at that moment in...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Aids and Appliances (12 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (17 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: The public health advice relating to Covid-19, including that relating to face coverings, is kept under continuing review by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET). A person, without reasonable excuse, must now wear a face covering when using public transport, in retail outlets, shops and shopping centres, in other indoor spaces such as libraries, cinemas and cinema complexes,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Staff (17 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: All public health sector staff, including those working in hospitals as catering employees are paid in line with the rates set out in the Department of Health consolidated salary scales which can be viewed online here:  In relation to incremental progression, each salary scale listed has either a single point, or a number of points, which an employee would progress through each year on...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Promotion (17 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.