Results 12,221-12,240 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Other Questions: Public Sector Staff Data (11 Nov 2014)

Leo Varadkar: It is important to note that a significant proportion of medical and dental staff, in particular non-consultant hospital doctors, NCHDs, are employed on a training rotation on fixed-term contracts. Most NCHDs are therefore recorded as being temporary employees. In total, approximately 5,000 NCHDs are employed on fixed term or specified purpose contracts or almost 65% of medical and dental...

Other Questions: Public Sector Staff Data (11 Nov 2014)

Leo Varadkar: With the greatest respect to the Deputy, he is conflating two different issues, namely, agency staff and permanent contracts. There are 2,600 consultants in the system, 2,200 of whom are permanent staff and 295 dentists, of whom 275 are permanent. The vast majority of consultant and dentist staff are permanent but of the 5,000 non-consultant hospital doctors only 66 are permanent, the reason...

Other Questions: Public Sector Staff Data (11 Nov 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I can provide the Deputy with a detailed breakdown of the figures to the extent that I have them. The information gives a full breakdown of fixed term, part-time and full-time posts. Terms and conditions of employment are also important, as it is not all about money, and these are improving. For example, an NCHD working more than a 24-hour shift is now relatively unusual. The residence at...

Other Questions: Public Sector Staff Data (11 Nov 2014)

Leo Varadkar: They are working in hotels in Cuba. I have been there.

Other Questions: Hospital Facilities (11 Nov 2014)

Leo Varadkar: St. Vincent’s University Hospital is the designated national adult referral centre for patients with cystic fibrosis and currently provides services for over 300 adult patients. The designated in-patient and day care cystic fibrosis unit in the new seven-storey Nutley wing development at St. Vincent’s University Hospital, became operational during summer 2012 and represents a...

Other Questions: Hospital Facilities (11 Nov 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I am informed in the reply there is no waiting list, and since the new unit has opened I have not heard of any case on the waiting list. I am enough months in the job at this stage not necessarily to believe everything I am told, but certainly I have not heard anything to the contrary.

Other Questions: Hospital Facilities (11 Nov 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy's point about a potential surge is well made. There is always the risk of a surge because of an infectious disease, and the last circumstance one would want is someone who is either immunosuppressed or has cystic fibrosis being mixed in with patients with an infectious disease. It is certainly a valid point on which I concur with the Deputy.

Other Questions: Health Services Provision (11 Nov 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Department and the HSE both believe that trolley waits are an unacceptable feature of the Irish health care system which must be addressed. Figures for 7 November show that compared to the baseline year of 2011, there are 32.3% fewer patients on trolleys, equivalent to 24,851 patients. However compared to 2013, there are 3.1% more patients on trolleys. This is equivalent to 1,559...

Other Questions: Health Services Provision (11 Nov 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I would like to correct one of the Deputy's comments. We are not moving patients on trolleys up the wards to massage the numbers.

Other Questions: Health Services Provision (11 Nov 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Then the Deputies are not being told the truth. I will be happy to inform them if they care to listen. We move people on trolleys up to the wards to reduce overcrowding in accident and emergency departments but they are counted in the figures. The HSE figures that are produced include people on trolleys on ordinary wards. This is not being done to massage figures because they are in the...

Other Questions: Health Services Provision (11 Nov 2014)

Leo Varadkar: It is being done to get them out of the accident and emergency departments and to reduce overcrowding. I would be happy to give the Deputies more information but they are not interested in knowing the facts and, therefore, I will not bother.

Leaders' Questions (11 Nov 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Free dinners.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Ambulance Service Provision (11 Nov 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Clinical and operational standards for ambulance services in Ireland are set by the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council. PHECC registers pre-hospital practitioners - emergency medical technicians, paramedics and advanced paramedics – to practise in Ireland, and conducts fitness to practise proceedings. As the competent authority for Ireland, PHECC sets education and training...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (11 Nov 2014)

Leo Varadkar: As part of the Estimates process, my Department and the HSE considered the demands in all services, including acute hospital services and the issue of waiting lists. The elimination of waiting lists would entail very significant additional resources, including capital developments. It is not currently possible to provide a comprehensive total of the funding required. Over the last ten...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Treatment Abroad Scheme (11 Nov 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Treatment Abroad Scheme, operated by the Health Service Executive, provides for the referral of patients to another EU/EEA country or Switzerland for a treatment not available in Ireland or where undue delay is experienced in accessing necessary treatment in Ireland. Under the Scheme, the HSE provides for the cost of approved treatments abroad through the issue of form E112. Where an...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (11 Nov 2014)

Leo Varadkar: According to the HSE's most recently published data, the total number of patients on in-patient and day case waiting lists at the end of August 2014 was 53,431. This is an increase of 3,736 or 7.5% on August 2013. In August 2014 the number of patients waiting in excess of 12 months for an outpatient appointment has decreased from 84,167 to 41,604, a reduction of 51% when comparing the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Insurance Cover (11 Nov 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Following a long period of rising premiums and a severe decline in health insurance numbers, the number of policy holders is now showing modest growth, with an increase of 1,000 in the number insured between July and September 2014. I recently announced a series of measures which I hope will contribute to a continuation of this trend. The Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2014, which I will...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Reports (11 Nov 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I believe that it is vitally important that we restore public confidence in the quality of maternity services at Portlaoise and steps have already been taken to do so. Following the publication of the Chief Medical Officer's Report into perinatal deaths in Portlaoise the Health Service Executive established an Implementation Group to oversee and ensure the recommendations of the Report are...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (11 Nov 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The approved revenue allocation for Beaumont Hospital in 2014 is €236 million, an increase of €3 million over 2013. Beaumont Hospital has a continuous quality improvement programme in place to improve and enhance the services it delivers to its patients. Hospital management works on an ongoing basis with relevant Divisions in the HSE in respect of funding for major capital...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (11 Nov 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Scoliosis in children and young people is predominantly managed at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin. The hospital has an agreed capacity to carry out 58 full spinal cases per year as part of its annual Service Level Agreement with the Health Service Executive. A total of 68 full spinal surgeries were carried out in 2013 (10 more than funded). In total, 147 spinal...