Results 12,481-12,500 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (11 Dec 2007)

Mary Harney: The executive summary of the Report to which the Deputy refers commences "The optometry profession in Ireland is an example of a profession where competition is generally working well." The Report makes five recommendations, four of which fall within my remit. The first of these recommendation is to "allow optometrists to provide State-funded eye examinations to children identified at...

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (11 Dec 2007)

Mary Harney: I welcome the Report on Competition in the Dental Profession prepared by the Competition Authority. I will consider its recommendations in the context of the National Oral Health Policy, launched by me on the 18th October last.

Written Answers — Cigarette Prices: Cigarette Prices (11 Dec 2007)

Mary Harney: My Department sets a minimum price for three categories of cigarettes (plain unfiltered cigarettes, filtered cigarettes of less than 80 mm in overall length and filtered cigarettes of 80 mm and over in overall length) based on data compiled annually by an independent firm of chartered accountants. The Tobacco Products (Control of Advertising, Sponsorship and Sales Promotion) Regulations...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (11 Dec 2007)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 232 and 233 together. The amount of mobile telephone bills paid directly by my Department are as follows: Year Total Amount Roaming DATA â'¬ â'¬ â'¬ 2006 146,514 29,024 26,734 2007 149,785 27,492 28,269 My Department does not pay telephone bills in the form of expenses to staff.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (11 Dec 2007)

Mary Harney: The information requested by the Deputy is as follows: Year Total Cost Data Roaming â'¬ â'¬ â'¬ 2006 5,845 241 3,559 2007 4,773 805 1,105

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (11 Dec 2007)

Mary Harney: Almost 130,000 people work full-time or part-time in our public health services. In recent years, the Government's ongoing high level of investment in health has achieved and maintained significant increases in the numbers of doctors, nurses and other health care professionals employed in the public health services. The Government has also invested heavily in the education and training of...

Written Answers — Hygiene Standards: Hygiene Standards (11 Dec 2007)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 236 and 237 together. Achieving and maintaining the highest possible standards of hygiene in our hospitals and health care facilities generally is a priority for this Government. The National Hygiene Services Quality Review on acute hospitals was published by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) on 13th November, 2007. The report represents a...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (11 Dec 2007)

Mary Harney: In June 2007 I established an expert group to develop proposals for the establishment of a National Cancer Biobank. Membership of the group includes representatives of the US National Cancer Institute, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland, the Health Service Executive, the Health Research Board, the...

Written Answers — Cancer Screening Programme: Cancer Screening Programme (11 Dec 2007)

Mary Harney: The expert advice from BreastCheck and from the National Cancer Forum, as contained in the National Strategy for Cancer Control, is that following the national extension of the programme, the upper age limit should be extended to women aged 69 years. The priority of BreastCheck is to screen women who have not yet been screened and accordingly it is fully focussed at present on the completion...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (11 Dec 2007)

Mary Harney: Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services is a matter for the Health Service Executive and funding for all health services has been provided as part of its overall Vote. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular case raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (11 Dec 2007)

Mary Harney: The Primary Care Strategy aims to increase health service capacity through the development of services in the community to give people direct access to integrated multidisciplinary teams of general practitioners, nurses, home helps, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and others. It has been estimated that up to 95% of people's health and social services needs can be properly met...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (11 Dec 2007)

Mary Harney: Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services is a matter for the Health Service Executive and funding for all health services has been provided as part of its overall Vote. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular case raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division...

Written Answers — Hospital Car Parks: Hospital Car Parks (11 Dec 2007)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 244 and 266 together. Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services is a matter for the Health Service Executive and funding for all health services has been provided as part of its overall Vote. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular issues raised by the Deputy. My...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (11 Dec 2007)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 245 and 247 together. There are 5 Civil Servants assigned to the Department's Press Office as follows: 1 Higher Executive Officer; 2 Executive Officers; and 2 Clerical Officers. The associated annual pay cost for these civil servants is €346,489 (calculated on the mean of the scale). There is also one Special Advisor in my Department who acts as my Press...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (11 Dec 2007)

Mary Harney: 158 newspapers are purchased daily, consisting of the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Irish Examiner, Irish Star, Irish Sun, Irish Mirror, Irish Daily Mail, Irish News, Financial Times, Daily Telegraph, Guardian and Evening Herald. 20 newspapers are purchased weekly, comprising the Saturday Independent, Saturday Irish Times, Saturday Sun, Sat Guardian, Sunday Independent, Sunday Star, Sunday...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (11 Dec 2007)

Mary Harney: During the period concerned, my Department primarily retained the services of public relations / communications and advertising consultancy firms to implement national health promotion campaigns. The related expenditure set out in the table covers a variety of services ranging from the provision of advice, through the cost of purchasing advertising space, to organising events. The table...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (11 Dec 2007)

Mary Harney: The table details the number of press advisors employed by my Department and the cost of such advice for each year of service from 1997 to date in 2007. Year Number of Press Advisors Period of Employment Salary â'¬ 1997 Nil 1998 Nil 1999 Nil 2000 Nil 2001 Nil 2002 1 19/08/2002-31/12/2002 50,197 2003 1 01/01/2003-31/12/2003 72,609 2004 1 01/01/2004-07/10/2004 64,847...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (11 Dec 2007)

Mary Harney: Cards are issued to me as Minister and to two nominated officers, namely the Registrar of the Adoption Board and the Accountant. In previous years a number of other cards were held by nominated officers in my Department and offices under the remit of my Department such as the Secretary General, the National Children's Office, the Ombudsman for Children, the Hepatitis C & HIV Compensation...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (11 Dec 2007)

Mary Harney: The table sets out the cost of photography services provided to my Department, for ministerial and other official purposes, in the period concerned: Year â'¬ 1997 3,767.40 1998 3,725.65 1999 4,021.22 2000 16,168.98 2001 10,126.25 2002 18,534.70 2003 13,947.45 2004 27,846.57 2005 11,495.23 2006 8,113.82 2007 (to date) 7,938.09

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (11 Dec 2007)

Mary Harney: On the basis of records supplied to me by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the following were the costs for media presentation for me as Minister in the periods indicated below. € July 2000 to November 2000 2,320.00 Dec 2000 to July 2001 5,335.61 August 2001 to April 2003 12,375.00 May 2003 to July 2003 3,380.00 Sept 2003 to Nov 2003 2,990.00 Dec 2003 to March...