Results 13,041-13,060 of 45,789 for speaker:Simon Harris

Other Questions: Hospital Services (21 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for the question. As he will be aware, NTPF data for May 2017, the last month for which figures are available, indicates that 6,607 patients are on ophthalmology outpatient waiting lists for hospitals in Cork and a total of 1,118 are on inpatient or daycase lists. I acknowledge that waiting times are often unacceptably long and I am conscious of the burden this places on...

Other Questions: Hospital Services (21 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy. In fairness, he has highlighted the seriousness of this issue to a person's quality of life, safety and well-being. As I stated, the €5 million was to treat in excess of 2,000 patients. The NTPF has transferred 2,500 patient files, because not every patient will be in a position to accept treatment for a variety of personal reasons. Today, 631 of these patients...

Other Questions: Hospital Services (21 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: They were national figures. Obviously, included in this is meeting the longest waiters regardless of where they live in the country. The figures that relate to the Deputy's region will be focused on in this regard. The South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital is actively working with the NTPF in terms of ophthalmology to ensure a number of patients will have their procedures performed...

Other Questions: Mental Health Services Provision (21 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Wallace for raising this important issue. The Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, who has responsibility for mental health policies since yesterday has had to go to the Seanad to take a Private Members' motion so he is already working hard. I am taking this on his behalf. I thank the Deputy for raising what is a very serious issue in Wexford. I have received correspondence...

Other Questions: Mental Health Services Provision (21 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: Obviously I do not want to comment on individual staff matters or comments that may or may not have been said because I am not familiar with the details, but let me be very clear about my commitment and the commitment of the Government on developing further the peer support programme. It seems extraordinarily logical that we would benefit from the experience of people who have been through...

Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Services (21 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Halligan, Deputies Butler, Browne, Cullinane, my colleague from the region, the Minister of State, Deputy John Paul Phelan, and from the other House, Senator Coffey, who have all raised this important issue of cardiology services at UHW. I too was very saddened to hear of the tragic death of a young man, Mr. Power, who was being transferred between two...

Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Services (21 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: I respectfully say to Deputy Browne that he is wrong in suggesting that everybody else in every other part of the country has access to this on their doorstep. That is not the case. I referenced two examples - Monaghan where people must travel to Dublin and parts of Kerry where people have to travel to Cork. There are a number of places in this country that are outside the 90 minutes and...

Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Services (21 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: Well people are people and citizens are citizens. We need to ensure that every citizen in this country can access services. I am not making a partisan point but Deputy Cullinane made a number of what I view as potential slurs on officials in my Department and the HSE. I stand over their integrity as hard-working public servants. The Deputy might know-----

Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Services (21 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: My officials do their job to the best of their ability in accordance with all good practice in the public service. It is the same position as that held by officials in Northern Ireland. If Deputy Cullinane asks the leader of Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland, who was a good colleague and counterpart of mine as Minister of Health, he will discover that the same procedure applies in respect...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Public Sector Staff (21 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: Arising from recent talks between the Government and public sector staff representative bodies, the draft Public Service Stability Agreement was finalised on 8th June 2017. It applies across the public service as a whole. It contains a specific commitment with regard to recruitment and retention in certain parts of the public sector. Under this commitment, the Agreement sets out a process...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (21 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: As Deputies are aware, immunisation is regarded as one of the safest and most cost-effective of health care interventions. It is a recognised simple and safe way of protecting people against harmful diseases such as meningitis, measles, mumps and rubella and influenza. The importance of vaccination is acknowledged by all the major international health organisations, particularly the World...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Primary Care Centres Provision (21 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: Primary care centres enable the provision of a broader and more integrated set of primary care services. In the first instance they bring together HSE staff who in many cases have previously been operating from older, more dispersed locations. They are intended to facilitate more integrated working by primary and social care staff in the HSE and general practitioners as members of primary...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Eligibility (21 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: A key recommendation of the 2014 Report of the Expert Panel on Medical Need for Medical Card Eligibilitywas that a person’s means should remain the main qualifier for a medical card. The report also concluded that it is neither feasible nor desirable to list conditions in priority order for medical card eligibility. Therefore, medical card provision is solely based on financial...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Assisted Human Reproduction Services Provision (21 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: In February 2016, the Health Research Board (HRB) was engaged to conduct a comprehensive review of international public funding models for assisted human reproduction (AHR). The HRB evidence review is now complete and was published simultaneously on the Department of Health’s and the HRB's websites on Wednesday 15 March 2017. This evidence review from the HRB examines the public...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Consultant Recruitment (21 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: Galway University Hospital serves as a regional centre for the delivery of diabetes, endocrine and related services in the West of Ireland. This clinical care is delivered in close collaboration with related education and research programmes in the National University of Ireland, Galway. During 2015 a consultant vacancy arose in the paediatric diabetes service at Galway University...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (21 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 63 and 105 together. In his review of cardiology services at University Hospital Waterford, Dr Niall Herity concluded that the needs of the effective catchment population of the hospital could be accommodated from a single cath lab. However, Dr Herity recommended additional investment to increase capacity at the hospital. In that regard, an additional...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Public Sector Pay (21 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: I can confirm that officials from my Department and the HSE participated in the recent pay talks to discuss a successor agreement to the Lansdowne Road Agreement which were held at the Workplace Relations Commission. A draft Public Service Agreement was reached on 8 June 2017 and is currently being considered by the unions in the context of the public servants they represent. Any...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Ambulance Service Data (21 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: The following table details the number of National Ambulance Service (NAS) ambulances stationed in counties Laois, Kildare and Offaly: Offaly Kildare Laois Birr 2 Naas 5 Portlaoise 4 Edenderry 2 Athy 3 Tullamore 5 Maynooth 2 Total 9 10 4 There is also a Rapid Response Vehicle and an Intermediate Care Vehicle stationed in Tullamore. The Deputy may wish to note that all NAS...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (21 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: Article 28.4.2 of the Constitution provides that the Government shall be collectively responsible for Departments of State “administered” by the Members of the Government. Under Article 28.12 of the Constitution Ministers are “in charge of” Departments of State. The principal legislative provisions governing my powers are the Ministers and Secretaries Acts 1924...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Departmental Funding (21 Jun 2017)

Simon Harris: Section 39 of the Health Act 2004, provides that the HSE may ‘..give assistance to any person or body that provides or proposes to provide a service similar or ancillary to a service that the Executive may provide.’. Such assistance may range from contributing to the expenses incurred by that person or body to allowing them the use of an HSE premises. Financial assistance is...