Results 12,341-12,360 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (19 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: This season, 1.95 million doses of influenza vaccine have been purchased, which is double the amount administered last season. The HSE has procured 1.35 million doses of the Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine (QIV) for administration to all persons in an at-risk group, as well as 600,000 doses of the Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV) for all children aged from 2 to 12 years old inclusive....

Written Answers — Department of Health: Proposed Legislation (19 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: In October 2019 the Government approved the drafting of a Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill. Following Government approval the General Scheme was submitted to the Office of Parliamentary Counsel for drafting and separately referred to the Oireachtas Committee on Health for Pre-Legislative Scrutiny.  A first draft of the Bill is awaited in the context of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing Education (19 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: Earlier this year, the Health Care Assistant initiative (whereby student nurses and midwives were offered temporary contracts as Health Care Assistants) began in April 2020 and ceased in August 2020. This was in response to the Covid-19 outbreak and was only ever intended as a temporary measure to provide additional support of to the national effort, it also offered some protection to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Organ Transplant Services (19 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: Organ transplant activity was significantly curtailed due to COVID-19.  However, the HSE’s Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland (ODTI) worked to ensure that the most time critical and life-saving transplants proceeded, based on careful risk-benefit assessment.  Renal transplant services ceased activity for a period.  For liver, lung and heart transplants, donation and...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Cross-Border Health Initiatives (19 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 327 and 328 together. Both the Irish and British Governments are committed to maintaining, in so far as possible, the current healthcare arrangements under the Common Travel Area (CTA).  Under the CTA, Irish citizens and British citizens who live in, work in, or visit the other state have the right to access publicly funded health services there. The...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Cancer Services (19 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Ireland and early diagnosis is crucial. According to the National Cancer Registry Ireland, latest five year survival in people diagnosed at stage 1 is 43.1%.  This drops sharply to 9.4% in people diagnosed at stage 3, and to 3% in people diagnosed at stage 4. Lung cancer has been chosen as the first cancer on which to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Staff (19 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Staff (19 Nov 2020)

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

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Cards (19 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: Under the Health Act 1970, eligibility for a medical card is based primarily on means. The issue of granting medical cards based on having a particular disease or illness was previously examined in 2014 by the HSE Expert Panel on Medical Need and Medical Card Eligibility. The Group concluded that it was not feasible, desirable, nor ethically justifiable to list medical conditions in priority...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Provision (19 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: Hospital Facilities (19 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: As the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to the deputy directly in relation to this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Cannabis for Medicinal Use (19 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: While the Department does not comment on individual cases the following information sets out how a clinician may apply to the Minister for a licence to treat a patient with cannabis-based products. Ministerial Licence under Section 14 of the Misuse of Drugs Acts 1977-2016 Cannabis is strictly controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Acts 1977 to 2016, and the Regulations and Orders made...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (19 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: Hospital Waiting Lists (19 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 (19 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 340 to 342, inclusive, together. There has been significant engagement and cooperation between the Ministers for Health, the Chief Medical Officers, and the Departments of Health in Ireland and Northern Ireland throughout this pandemic.   An MOU on COVID-19 Response and Public Health Cooperation, was formally agreed by the Chief Medical...

Covid-19: Statements (24 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I will take this opportunity to update the House on the Government's ongoing response to Covid-19. Right now, as we look to exit level 5, we are at a critical juncture. From a healthcare perspective, we are facing the most challenging winter in living memory, and the solidarity and resilience that have been shown by our healthcare workers and the entire country will be more important than...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (24 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: A Workplace Relations Commission agreement was reached in October 2018 in relation to pay restoration for section 39 organisations. This agreement provided for pay restoration in relation to 50 ‘pilot organisations’ in the first instance. Pay restoration for these bodies commenced in April 2019 with further payments due in 2020 and 2021 as appropriate. I can confirm that the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Abortion Services Provision (24 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I am aware of the article to which the Deputy refers in his question, on ‘Fetal medicine specialist experience of providing a new service of termination of pregnancy for fatal fetal anomaly: a qualitative study”. As the Deputy will be aware, the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 sets out the parameters in which termination of pregnancy may be lawfully...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Legislative Reviews (24 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: As the Deputy will be aware, section 7 of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 states that “The Minister shall, not later than 3 years after the commencement of this section, carry out a review of the operation of this Act.” The review clause was included in the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 in order to facilitate...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (24 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 routine 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...