Results 12,561-12,580 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Health: Symphysiotomy Issues (4 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Surgical Symphysiotomy Payment Scheme commenced on 10th November 2014. Government has agreed that the Scheme will also include payments for the small number of women who have had a pubiotomy. The Scheme is designed to be simple, straightforward and non-adversarial, and aims to minimise the stress for the women concerned. Many are elderly and may not want to experience the delay,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (4 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Vaccine Damage Steering Group was established in 2007. The report from this Group was published on my Department's website in June 2009. This report is under active consideration by my Department. However, this issue is complex and needs to be considered in the wider context of how best to address the long term health and social needs of people who may have experienced adverse...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (4 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Government has agreed to the establishment of a Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes. My colleague Dr. James Reilly T.D, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, is taking the lead in this matter. The scope of the Terms of Reference for this Commission is under consideration at present. The issue raised by the Deputy is among a number of matters that are being...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Drugs-related Deaths (4 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Information on drug-related deaths is available from 2004 onwards as the National Drugs Related Deaths Index (NDRDI) was established in September 2005. The NDRDI is an epidemiological database which records cases of death by drug and/or alcohol poisoning and death among drug users and those who are alcohol dependent. Four sources are used to collate deaths: Coroner’s records; Hospital...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Drugs Strategy Implementation (4 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Opioid overdose is treatable with naloxone, an opioid antagonist which rapidly reverses the effects of opioids. In the majority of cases, overdoses are witnessed by a family member, peer or someone whose work brings them into contact with people who use opioids. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), increased access to naloxone for people likely to witness an overdose could...

Confidence in Taoiseach and Government: Motion (9 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I rise to support the motion of confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government. When we assess the contribution and performance of any government, we must look back to what its members said they would do if they were trusted by the people with the reins of office. We said we would repair the public finances and do so without increasing income tax. That has been done and our public finances...

Confidence in Taoiseach and Government: Motion (9 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Instead, we are fortunate to have in charge of this country a Government and a Taoiseach who can rise above such petty rancour and provide real leadership. That is why I have every confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government to pilot us through the remains of the storm and back into safe harbour. I am honoured to support the motion.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Aids and Appliances Provision (9 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: My Department has no information on the utilisation of defibrillators nor the operational issues associated with them. There is currently no structured public access defibrillation programme in operation in Ireland that specifies the conditions for providing defibrillators in public places. The Public Health (Availability of Defibrillators) Bill 2013 that is currently at Committee stage...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospitals Building Programme (9 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Most construction projects including those of the scale of the phased development at OLOL Drogheda are completed over a multi-annual period with funding required over a similar period. The proposal envisages, a phased delivery over a period, of a five storey block with an initial fit out of 60 beds on two floors. The remaining three floors have been designed to accommodate an expanded ED on...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Lottery Funding Applications (9 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The information requested by the Deputy for the years 2012 and 2013 is provided in the tables attached. My Department is currently finalising the processing of decisions on applications for 2014 and the information will be provided to the Deputy as soon as it is complete. National Lottery applications are received by my Department from a range of community and voluntary organisations...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Expenditure (9 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 301 to 304, inclusive, together. The Health Service Executive's National Service Plan for 2015 provides for savings of €95m to be achieved from a range of initiatives including general procurement, drug costs and the continued application of reference pricing. The exact measures to achieve this saving target are still under consideration. The 2012...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Insurance Regulation (9 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Government agreed in December 2011 to address the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling of September 2011 which found that Ireland had failed to fulfil its obligations under the EU non-life Directives by exempting VHI from being regulated (i.e. holding authorisation) by the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI). Significant progress has been made since the subsequent Government Decision of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointment Status (9 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2014, has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospitals Expenditure (9 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (9 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointments Administration (9 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The scheduling of appointments for patients is a matter for the hospital to which the patient has been referred. Should a patient's general practitioner consider that the patient's condition warrants an earlier appointment, he or she would be in the best position to take the matter up with the consultant and hospital involved. In relation to the specific case raised by the Deputy, as this is...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Lottery Funding Applications (9 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The processing of decisions on applications for National Lottery grants is currently being finalised and I will be notifying the applicant of my decision shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Provision (9 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy's question relates to service delivery matters and accordingly I have asked the HSE to respond directly to him. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Staff Recruitment (9 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will be aware, an allocation of €20 million was set aside in the HSE's 2013 National Service Plan to strengthen primary care services. In this context, the HSE (Health Intelligence Unit and Primary Care Services working together) in 2012 developed a method of using census data together with data about current staffing levels to carry out a detailed analysis of the numbers...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Staff (9 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Health and Social Care Professionals Council and the registration boards established under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 are responsible for protecting the public by promoting high standards of professional conduct and professional education, training and competence amongst the professions designated under the Act. The 12 professions designated under the Act are...