Results 12,821-12,840 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Hospital Waiting Lists: Hospital Waiting Lists (30 Jan 2008)

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 — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (30 Jan 2008)

Mary Harney: As the Deputy will be aware my Department is not one of the Departments scheduled for decentralisation under the Government's Decentralisation Programme. As of the 31st December 2006, 28 civil servants had transferred to decentralising Departments from my Department and to date, a total of 51 civil servants have transferred. Further details in respect of the transfer of these officers is...

Hospital Services. (31 Jan 2008)

Mary Harney: The investigation by the Health Information and Quality Authority into the care provided by the HSE to the named individual commenced in June 2007. In December 2007, information came to the attention of HIQA that led it to decide that further work was needed. I have been informed by HIQA that it expects this report to be published before the end of February 2008. The HSE has advised my...

Hospital Services. (31 Jan 2008)

Mary Harney: That was more like a speech rather than a question.

Hospital Services. (31 Jan 2008)

Mary Harney: The Deputy well knows that when Mr. Naughten wrote to my office his letter was acted upon immediately by the clinical director, Dr. Hollywood and Mr. Naughten was satisfied with the response he received.

Hospital Services. (31 Jan 2008)

Mary Harney: That is a fact. It is the case that nine women were misdiagnosed. Unfortunately, errors of this kind that happened in the past went unreviewed, unnoticed. We are not unique in Ireland in recalling patients. I refer to an article in a French newspaper which states that last week, 7,000 cancer patients were recalled for review and the Deputy is aware of this. It is not unusual.

Hospital Services. (31 Jan 2008)

Mary Harney: There were no files left standing. Ann O'Doherty's report was completed in November and as the Deputies sitting beside Deputy Reilly will know, as they are both lawyers, when a report is completed, if it casts any doubt on the professional reputation of any person, such a person must be given an opportunity within a reasonable time period as suggested by legal advice, to respond. This is...

Hospital Services. (31 Jan 2008)

Mary Harney: We have the report. The HSE had the report by the end of November but it was not in a position to publish the report because of the contents of the report until it went through what I will term the process of natural justice. I will give the Deputy this assurance that as soon as that process is completed, the report will be published. The Barrington's Hospital report will be published...

Accident and Emergency Services. (31 Jan 2008)

Mary Harney: Improving the delivery of accident and emergency services continues to be a top priority for the Government and the Health Service Executive. There have been considerable improvements made over the last two years in the delivery of services in accident and emergency departments. The number of patients awaiting admission to a hospital bed from accident and emergency departments reduced by...

Accident and Emergency Services. (31 Jan 2008)

Mary Harney: I believe what I said and I believe the matter is being addressed. A number of factors must be taken into account and I have instanced some of them. If one takes the example of one hospital in Dublin where because of the performance in the hospital in regard to accident and emergency services and other matters, the Health Service Executive employed consultants to go to that hospital. The...

Cancer Screening Programme. (31 Jan 2008)

Mary Harney: The national cancer screening service is planning to roll out the national cervical screening programme on a national basis around the middle of this year. Women aged 25 to 44 years will be screened every three years while women aged 45 to 60 will be screened every five years. The service will be available free of charge to eligible women everywhere in the country. Approximately 230,000...

Cancer Screening Programme. (31 Jan 2008)

Mary Harney: First, I never announced it was to be introduced in 2007. What we announced for 2007 was the provision of €5 million to begin the process of recruiting staff, etc. As Deputy Reilly well knows, that must happen in advance and sometimes there can be quite a long lead-in time. Second, we will do this on a full roll-out basis. It will not be done in the way BreastCheck was done, namely,...

Cancer Screening Programme. (31 Jan 2008)

Mary Harney: I will not speak of deadlines. The middle of the year is what I have been told. I do not announce dates unless I can meet them. Deputy Reilly attended the launch of this year's Estimates on budget day when we were going through the moneys allocated to health. He was there and he was welcome. I stated on that occasion that it would not be January, February or March because until we knew...

Health Services. (31 Jan 2008)

Mary Harney: The improvement of services to persons with cystic fibrosis has been a priority of mine. The negative experience recounted by some patients is a matter of concern to me. In 2006 and 2007, additional revenue funding of €6.78 million was provided to the Health Service Executive. Some 44 additional staff, covering both adult and paediatric services, have been appointed across a number of...

Health Services. (31 Jan 2008)

Mary Harney: I can certainly acknowledge that the facilities we have in place are not what they should be. However, I equally acknowledge, as have many of the families and the organisation, that the services have greatly improved, particularly with regard to the employment of clinical expertise. I accept that in this and many other areas the need for single rooms is a priority. That is the reason the...

Health Services. (31 Jan 2008)

Mary Harney: It is somewhat less, not substantially. I accept that and I accept the incidence of cystic fibrosis is higher here. The Deputy is probably aware there are many reasons for that. The issue is a priority. In each of the last three years, since I became Minister for Health and Children, we have put specific ring-fenced funding into the area of cystic fibrosis. In the service plan approval I...

Health Services. (31 Jan 2008)

Mary Harney: The Deputy must have misunderstood me. I said the contract would be awarded this year and a condition of it would be that the facility would have to be completed within 24 months.

Health Services. (31 Jan 2008)

Mary Harney: No, it will not. The contract will be awarded in 2008 and the facility will be completed in 2010. Nobody has said any different.

Health Services. (31 Jan 2008)

Mary Harney: It will be the latter half of this year and it will be completed by the latter half of 2010. That is what we have always said. It is what Professor Drumm said when speaking on the issue a few weeks ago.

Health Services. (31 Jan 2008)

Mary Harney: The Deputy may not be aware, but when capital projects are approved, Revenue funding is provided in tandem with that approval. Therefore, there will not be a big gap between the completion and commissioning of the facility. The 14 single rooms provided at St. Vincent's will be a significant improvement and will operate via direct access rather than through the accident and emergency unit....