Results 12,481-12,500 of 21,128 for speaker:James Reilly

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2013)

James Reilly: I move amendment No. 1: In page 4, lines 28 and 29, to delete paragraph (b) and substitute the following:“and”.This a technical amendment that relates to section 10 of the Health Act 2004, which deals with directions to the HSE from the Minister. The Bill as it currently stands would expressly provide that the Minister can, by written direction, amend or revoke any direction...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2013)

James Reilly: While I understand the thinking behind the proposed amendments regarding the role of the Joint Committee on Health and Children, I have some difficulties with them. The purpose of section 10(a) is to enable the Minister to specify priorities to which the HSE must have regard in preparing its service plan and establish performance targets in respect of those priorities. This is not done in...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2013)

James Reilly: In the HSE or the Vatican?

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2013)

James Reilly: I fully concur with the Chairman. While I was not involved in politics when the Health Service Executive was established, I was concerned at the time about the democratic deficit to which the HSE gave rise. Notwithstanding the many problems associated with the health board system, at least the health boards held local health officials to account and there was a public forum in place to...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2013)

James Reilly: I have great sympathy with the arguments that have been made. However, the issue under discussion is the establishment of a new directorate and the abolition of the board of the Health Service Executive. These measures will be a stepping stone towards the end of the HSE, which, under my plan, will cease to function either next year or in early 2015. The Chairman is correct to express...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2013)

James Reilly: Níl mé in ann an leasú a ghlacadh. One of the main reasons I will not accept the amendment is that there are no precedents in legislation for involvement by an Oireachtas committee in regard to amending service and business plans of agencies or setting priorities for agencies. It would not be wise for us to set such a precedent. Under the Garda Síochána Act 2005,...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2013)

James Reilly: The director of mental health will be on the directorate, as will be the directors of hospitals, primary care and social care. It is unnecessary to specify mental health on its own in this regard. I do not believe we need to have it spelled out. Section 8 provides that the directorate will consist of a director general and other persons referred to in the Bill as appointed directors. To...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2013)

James Reilly: I have stated on the record that there will be a director of mental health. This is the first time that a separate and distinct director of mental health will be appointed. The person appointed will be responsible to the director general for the budget and resources applied to mental health and for advancing the Government's stated policy of implementing A Vision for Change. The idea is to...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2013)

James Reilly: The effect of Deputy Ó Caoláin's amendment would mean there would be no requirement that members of the directorate must be drawn from employees and senior management positions in the HSE. As the directorate is to be the new governing structure of the HSE it is essential that its members come from senior management in the executive. I should also clarify that it was not the...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2013)

James Reilly: It is not often that Deputy Ó Caoláin and I agree. This is one of the occasions we agree although perhaps not in the same way. I am happy to share with Deputy Ó Caoláin my thoughts on the Report Stage amendment because I am clear in what I am trying to achieve. Its purpose is to accommodate precisely what Deputy Ó Caoláin was talking about and it alludes to...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2013)

James Reilly: I move amendment No. 5: In page 6, line 34, to delete “grade of national director in the Executive.” and substitute the following:"grade of national director or other grade in the Executive which is not less senior than the grade of national director.".

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2013)

James Reilly: It is important to be clear that an appointed director will not receive any additional remuneration by virtue of the appointment to the directorate. An appointed director will be remunerated for his or her substantive post of national director or other senior grade. Posts at national director level in the HSE are senior management positions which encompass significant responsibilities and...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2013)

James Reilly: I move amendment No. 7: In page 7, to delete lines 6 to 9 and substitute the following:"(4) Upon an appointed director ceasing to be employed by the Executive in a grade referred to in section 16A(3), that person shall cease to be an appointed director.".

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2013)

James Reilly: I hate to interrupt the Deputy. On a point of order, we are discussing an amendment relating to the appointment of the first director, not the issues the Deputy is raising.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2013)

James Reilly: Under subsection (4), the first director general is appointed by the Minister. Subsequent directors general will be appointed by the Minister following a recruitment process under the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004. There are precedents in legislation which provide that the first person appointed to a new office may be appointed as envisaged in subsection...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2013)

James Reilly: The precedents include legislative provisions for the Charities Regulatory Authority, the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board, the Qualifications and Quality Assurance Authority of Ireland and the National Tourism Development Authority. There is nothing new in this and we all know this is a short, temporary arrangement that will last a couple of years at most and I want to expedite...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2013)

James Reilly: I thank the Deputy for his amendment. There are many examples in legislation relating to the removal of a person from office where in the opinion of the body or person with responsibility for the matter that the office holder has become incapable through ill-health of effectively performing his or her duties. The provision in the Bill is based on those precedents and I do not see the need...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2013)

James Reilly: I move amendment No. 12: In page 11, to delete lines 22 to 40 and substitute the following: “(4) Where the Director General is absent the functions of the Director General referred to in subsection (1) may be performed by such appointed director as may be designated by the Director General from time to time, with the consent of the Minister. (5) If the office of Director General is...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2013)

James Reilly: Under section 16K, the Bill currently provides that in the extended absence of a DG or if the office of DG is vacant, the functions of the DG may be performed for such period not exceeding six months by an appointed director, that is, a member of the directorate designated by the Minister. However, on further reflection, there is a need to address absences by the DG that are not extended...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2013)

James Reilly: Section 16G(4) of the original Act states: "Where the Director General is absent for an extended period or the office of Director General is vacant, the functions of the Director General referred to in subsection (1) may be performed, for such period not exceeding 6 months as may be specified by the Minister...". The extended period is not qualified here and, therefore, the amendment is...