Results 13,701-13,720 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Health: Labour Court Recommendations (10 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: In line with a Labour Court recommendation in 2013 home help workers directly employed by the HSE were issued with new contracts from 1 April 2014. The new contracts, which issued pursuant to engagement with the staff unions, provide each home help with guaranteed hours each week. This is a positive development for HSE employed home helps. The new contracts did not involve any adjustments to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Organ Retention (10 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I am committed to ensuring that all available organs are used for transplantation to patients in Ireland. I am advised by the HSE that no medically suitable organs that are donated for transplant are discarded. While efforts continue to be made to fill Consultant vacancies at Beaumont Hospital, adequate surgeons are available to provide transplant services.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Life Insurance Policies (10 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Lifetime Community Rating (LCR) is being introduced to encourage people to take out private health insurance at a younger age. Encouraging more people to join the market at younger ages helps spread the costs of older and less healthy people across the market, helping to support affordable premiums for all. There is a nine month grace period, which expires on 30 April 2015, during...

Seanad: Ambulance Services in Dublin: Statements (10 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I welcome the opportunity to address the House and outline the changes proposed to ambulance services in Dublin. First, I wish to clarify the position on statutory responsibility for the Dublin ambulance service. Historically, the Dublin ambulance service has been provided by Dublin Fire Brigade under fire services legislation. Statutory responsibility for this service, therefore, rests...

Seanad: Ambulance Services in Dublin: Statements (10 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I will touch briefly on five points. I am not sure these are exact figures but I think Senator Darragh O'Brien said the HSE pays €9.2 million per year to Dublin Fire Brigade which accounts for 6.7% of the budget for the National Ambulance Service. On the face of it that would seem very little given that Dublin has one third of the population of the country. We must bear in mind that...

Seanad: Ambulance Services in Dublin: Statements (10 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Most of the costs incurred by the National Ambulance Service are not emergency calls, they are inter-hospital transfer and transfer of neonates and transfer of patients and so on. That is the bulk of the work that is done. The difficulty in Dublin at the moment as identified by HIQA is that we currently have two call centres and calls are passed between Dublin Fire Brigade and the National...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Consultants Recruitment (11 Mar 2015)

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: Legislative Process (11 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: This information is being compiled in my Department and I will forward it to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Health: HSE Legal Cases (11 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The query raised by the Deputy is a matter for the HSE. Accordingly, I have asked the HSE to collate this information and respond directly to the Deputy as soon as it is available. If you have not received a reply within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Insurance Prices (11 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Lifetime Community Rating (LCR) is being introduced to encourage people to take out private health insurance at a younger age. Encouraging more people to join the market at younger ages helps spread the costs of older and less healthy people across the market, helping to support affordable premiums for all. Private health insurance is optional. There is a nine month grace period, which...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Risk Equalisation Scheme (11 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: No subsidy or state expenditure occurs under the Risk Equalisation Scheme. The Scheme is designed to be Exchequer-neutral, and is neither a cost nor a benefit to the State. The Stamp Duty Consolidation Act provides for the collection of the community rating levy by the Revenue Commissioners from insurers in respect of all policies written. The Health Insurance Acts provide for all of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Accommodation Provision (11 Mar 2015)

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 Waiting Lists (11 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: With regard to specific complaints in relation to experiences of individuals in our hospitals, there is a formal complaints policy, entitled “Your Service Your Say”,details of which are on the HSE website, at:. In accordance with this procedure, a complaint must be made in the first instance to the hospital in which the incident causing the complaint occurred. If an individual...

Written Answers — Department of Health: HSE Data (11 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Data on the total number of people diagnosed with and being treated for thyroid disorders each year are not available. However, data from the Hospital Inpatient Enquiry (HIPE) system showing the numbers of hospitalisations with a principal or secondary diagnosis of disorders of the thyroid gland (ICD-10-AM E00 – E07) are contained in the table below. Year* Number of hospitalisations...

Written Answers — Department of Health: HSE Expenditure (11 Mar 2015)

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.

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I am presenting the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2015 to the House as an emergency measure on foot of a judgment yesterday by the Court of Appeal on the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977. I am grateful for the support received from my colleagues in the Dáil yesterday in bringing the legislation to this stage. I also express my appreciation to this House for agreeing to deal with the Bill at...

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Or historic.

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (Resumed) (11 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Senators for their contributions to the debate and their support for this important legislation. On the broader issue of drugs policy, I would not like the impression to go out that this issue has in some way been deprioritised by the Government. That certainly is not the case. In 2015, for the first time in several years, there has been no further cut to the budgets of local drugs...

Topical Issue Debate: Health Services Staff (12 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. The recruitment and retention of doctors at all levels, from medical student to specialist, is important for me as Minister for Health and I am committed to the implementation of the recommendations of the strategic review of medical training and career structure, which was chaired by Professor Brian Mac Craith. Through its various...

Topical Issue Debate: Health Services Staff (12 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I am disinclined to comment in detail on the study because I have not had a chance to read it; I have only seen online coverage today. I would speculate that if one did a similar survey on many other professions one might get a very similar result. It has always been the case that people migrate, something which is truer now than ever before. We have a long history of doctors migrating to...