Results 13,621-13,640 of 45,836 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Health: Occupational Therapy (11 Jul 2017)

Simon Harris: As this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Speech and Language Therapy (11 Jul 2017)

Simon Harris: As this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mental Health Services Data (11 Jul 2017)

Simon Harris: Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual. The scheduling...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Beds Data (11 Jul 2017)

Simon Harris: In relation to the query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Closures (11 Jul 2017)

Simon Harris: On completion of the new children's hospital new facilities, services will move from the existing locations into the new hospital and Paediatric OPD and Urgent Care Centres. The transition of services to the new children’s hospital is scheduled to commence in Q3 2021 with transition of services to the paediatric OPD and urgent care centres commencing end 2018 (Connolly Q4 2018,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Administration (11 Jul 2017)

Simon Harris: Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual. As this is a...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (11 Jul 2017)

Simon Harris: Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual. The National...

Select Committee on Health: Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (11 Jul 2017)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for tabling her amendment. I, too, acknowledge Deputy Kelly and his party leader's work in this area. This is something that all parties, groupings and Independents want to see addressed. We have all been sickened and appalled by this, not even false information, but misleading nonsense and offensive - and we are not allowed use the "L" word - but all of that stuff has...

Select Committee on Health: Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (11 Jul 2017)

Simon Harris: Before responding to this specific amendment, I thank Deputy Kelly and members from across all of the political groupings in this House for engaging with my Department's officials, and with me in recent days and weeks, on this important issue. I wish to state at the start, because it will apply to all of the amendments, that I want to engage further with the professional bodies, both the...

Select Committee on Health: Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (11 Jul 2017)

Simon Harris: I could not say that, could I?

Select Committee on Health: Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (11 Jul 2017)

Simon Harris: The now Taoiseach, and previous Minister for Health, and I are both-----

Select Committee on Health: Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (11 Jul 2017)

Simon Harris: -----aware of the importance of this legislation. The policy remains the same. One has to take a policy and translate it into legislation. One takes legal advice to flesh out a policy. I am happy to tease out the details. Deputy Kelly is correct to raise the important issue of people's livelihood. As we are making decisions in the Oireachtas that must protect public safety, which is...

Select Committee on Health: Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (11 Jul 2017)

Simon Harris: Absolutely.

Select Committee on Health: Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (11 Jul 2017)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy O'Reilly. I suggest we could further discuss these matters between now and Report Stage. The purpose of these amendments, and the reason I am not in a position to support them today, is to bring forward the end of the application period for recent IPTAS graduates from December 2019 to September 2018 in the case of recent such graduates and to September 2019 in the case of...

Select Committee on Health: Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (11 Jul 2017)

Simon Harris: I think the Deputy has moved on to amendment No. 7. I am sorry to interrupt.

Select Committee on Health: Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (11 Jul 2017)

Simon Harris: Yes.

Select Committee on Health: Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (11 Jul 2017)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for his informed contribution on this. I do not mind robust opinion and I do not in any way refer to the Deputy in this regard but I do not intend to allow myself to be in any way misrepresented. The policy as set out by then Minister, Deputy Varadkar, is the policy I am putting into law, which is that people will only be able to practise up to the level of their...

Select Committee on Health: Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (11 Jul 2017)

Simon Harris: I intend to engage on all these matters before Report Stage. That is my intention.

Select Committee on Health: Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (11 Jul 2017)

Simon Harris: That is understood. With the understanding, as I outlined in my answer, that CORU, a State regulator, is in place for a range of professions, and there must be consistency across the board so that any changes we would look to make in a code of professional conduct, for instance, we would apply to all of the professions.

Select Committee on Health: Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (11 Jul 2017)

Simon Harris: Yes, absolutely. The Deputy is right and we are all ad idemon that. It is not that we are in any way trying to suggest that someone's livelihood outranks public safety, it certainly does not. Public safety is what this legislation and the CORU process are about. Acknowledging that this is priority number one and picking up on Deputy O'Reilly's point, we must acknowledge also there are...