Results 14,701-14,720 of 15,268 for speaker:Kathleen Lynch

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mental Health Services Provision (17 Dec 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: The Mental Health Act 2001 sets out the procedures and safeguards regarding the admission and treatment of persons to approved centres particularly insofar as involuntary patients are concerned. It also seeks to protect the rights of everyone using the mental health services. Details relating to the admittance of persons to residential psychiatric facilities are set out in the Mental...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing Home Accommodation (17 Dec 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: I recently announced an additional €200mcapital allocation for refurbishment or replacement of social care facilities for older persons to allow such facilities to comply with relevant National Standards by 2021. The HSE is formulating its plans for the application of this funding, and once these plans are ready they will be discussed in detail with the Health Information and Quality...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Speech and Language Therapy (17 Dec 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: As the particular issue raised by the Deputy relates to an individual case, this is a service matter for the Health Service Executive. Accordingly, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy. 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: Medicinal Products Availability (17 Dec 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: I propose to take Questions Nos. 466 and 477 together. The HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of medicinal products under the community drug schemes in accordance with the provisions of the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013. Prior to reimbursing any medicine, the HSE considers a range of statutory criteria, including clinical...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Data (17 Dec 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: The following are medical and GP visit card figures at 1 December 2015, as requested by the Deputy: Card Type Total Cards Of which over - 70s Medical cards 1,732,555 332,894 of which granted involving discretion 97,562 8,017 GP Visit cards 424,862 78,154 of which granted involving discretion 40,749 37

Written Answers — Department of Health: Community Care (17 Dec 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: The HSE’s report “Time to Move on from Congregated Settings – A Strategy for Community Inclusion”, (2011) proposes a new model of support in the community by moving people from institutional settings to the community, over a seven year time frame. The plan will be rolled out at a regional and local level and will involve full consultation. In terms of housing,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Services for People with Disabilities (17 Dec 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: The HSE has assured me that planning for the needs of young people with disabilities who will leave school in 2016 has already commenced and will take into account the lessons learnt from the 2015 process. A meeting of the HSE’s National Project Group, which took place in November, has agreed the process for 2016. The approach will be to identify the needs of school-leavers earlier...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Services for People with Disabilities (17 Dec 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: As the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, he can contact my Private Office and they will follow the matter up with the HSE.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Services for People with Disabilities (17 Dec 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: Government policy is to enable young people with disabilities to develop the skills they will need to live independent lives to the greatest extent possible and to receive the supports they need in order to achieve this. Every year, young people with disabilities finish their second level education and progress to the next stage in their lives. For most, the hope is that they will progress...

Seanad: Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 2008: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (17 Dec 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: I appreciate very much this opportunity to contribute. Before I comment briefly on the individual amendments that have been made to the Bill in the Dáil, I take this opportunity to thank Senators for their timely consideration of this short but important Bill. I thank Senator David Norris and former Senators Déirdre de Búrca and Dan Boyle, all of whom originally sponsored the...

Seanad: Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 2008: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (17 Dec 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: This Bill affects a very small group. Nevertheless, with the passage this morning of the capacity legislation, which will have a profound effect on the lives of everyone, be they young, middle-aged or old, and the scheme of the new mental health legislation that is currently being worked on, we now have a body of legislation that will bring us into the 21st century and also serve us well...

Seanad: Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 2008: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (17 Dec 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: I wish all Members a very happy Christmas. It is a well-deserved break not just from the political point of view but also for officials in the Departments and the Houses, who are often anonymous and invisible but without whom we could not function. I wish them a very happy Christmas as well and I hope they have a well-deserved rest.

Topical Issue Debate: General Practitioner Contracts (13 Jan 2016)

Kathleen Lynch: I thank Deputy Joe Carey for raising this issue and providing me with an opportunity to update the House on the matter. The Government is committed to ensuring that patients throughout the country continue to have access to GP services, especially in remote rural areas, and that general practice is sustainable in such areas into the future. On 1 January 2016, 15 GMS lists, out of a national...

Topical Issue Debate: General Practitioner Contracts (13 Jan 2016)

Kathleen Lynch: While 20 practices may be more affected than others, there are more than 20 practices involved here. On that basis, this package will be offered to everyone in this category. The Deputy has suggested that something should be done "as a gesture of goodwill", but I believe what we are doing is something that will be sustainable into the future. I suggest that the Deputy should wait to see...

Topical Issue Debate: Mobility Allowance Review (13 Jan 2016)

Kathleen Lynch: I thank the Deputy, who has been persistent in highlighting this issue. I assure him that not a week goes by without some kind of engagement on this issue taking place in the Department. It has been one of the most intractable issues I have come across. I can usually find a solution to most things, but finding a solution has proved to be most difficult in this case. The Government has...

Topical Issue Debate: Mobility Allowance Review (13 Jan 2016)

Kathleen Lynch: The Department is seeking the solution that will best meet its aim of supporting people with severe disabilities who require additional income to contribute towards the cost of their mobility needs, while remaining within the available budget and satisfying all legal and equality concerns. Work is ongoing on the policy proposals to be brought to the Government for the drafting of primary...

Topical Issue Debate: Mobility Allowance Review (13 Jan 2016)

Kathleen Lynch: Most people who know me know that I am not one to hang around and keep looking at a problem. My philosophy in life is to find a solution as quickly as possible. This one has been more difficult than most. We would have preferred it if we could have retained the old scheme and perhaps put a legislative framework around it and allow it to expand. That was not possible because of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Services for People with Disabilities (13 Jan 2016)

Kathleen Lynch: In line with Government policy, disability providers are delivering an increasing proportion of services and supports which are individualised, person-centred and community-based from the block grants allocated to them by the Health Service Executive (HSE). The Government’s policy is this area is set out inthe Report of the Value for Money and Policy Review of Disability Services in...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointment Status (13 Jan 2016)

Kathleen Lynch: As the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, he can contact my Private Office and they will follow the matter up with the HSE.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Patient Safety (13 Jan 2016)

Kathleen Lynch: I propose to take Questions Nos. 538 and 616 together. I am informed that the HSE has been exploring the use of CCTV monitoring within residential facilities. The HSE is very conscious of the potential difficulties in relation to privacy and data protection. To date research has shown that there is limited evidence on the effectiveness of CCTV as a means of preventing abuse and of...