Results 14,721-14,740 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Health: Proposed Legislation (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Psychotherapists and counsellors are not currently regulated under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005. However, the Act provides that the Minister for Health may, under section 4(2), designate a health and social care profession not already designated if he or she considers that it is in the public interest to do so and if specified criteria have been met. My predecessor,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: 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...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointment Delays (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: 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: Treatment Abroad Scheme (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The HSE operates the Treatment Abroad Scheme for people entitled to treatment in another EU/EEA member state or Switzerland under EU Regulation (EC) No. 883/2004, as per the procedures set out in EU Regulations (EC) No. 987/2009, and in accordance with Department of Health Guidelines. Patients have the ability to apply to the HSE Treatment Abroad Scheme seeking access to public healthcare...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Drug Treatment Programmes (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 864 and 865 together. The provision of services to prevent and treat addiction to alcohol is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive and as such, I have referred this question to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Care Professionals (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The position regarding the establishment of registration boards under Section 26(1) of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (as amended) is as follows: A total of eight registration boards have been established to date; six are currently operating for the original designated professions of dietitian, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, radiographer, social worker and...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The HSE has advised that complex surgery (bowel surgery) in Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise will be transferred to St. James's Hospital or Tullamore as the volumes are too low to maintain the requisite expertise of clinical staff. This will result in the discontinuation of undifferentiated surgical cases that present at the hospital's Emergency Department. This work is being done to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Care of the Elderly Provision (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 871 and 872 together. I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on these matters. 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: Hospital Care Standards (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The scope for EU action in health policy is set in Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The overriding principle is that human health is well protected and accounted for in the development of all EU policies and activities. The Treaty also makes clear that the EU shall fully respect the responsibility of individual Member States to define their health...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Investigations (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The HSE has confirmed that an incident took place between two patients recently and that it is carrying out a full review into the incident. 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 Services (9 Jun 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: Commissions of Investigation (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 886 to 888, inclusive, together. Since the Act came into effect, there has been one Commission of Investigation established under the aegis of the Department. Statutory Instrument No. 304/2007 established the Commission of Investigation (Leas Cross Nursing Home) Order 2007. The Commission reported in 2009. Its report is available at...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Accident and Emergency Services Provision (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Senator Whelan for raising this matter, which gives me an opportunity to update the House on our plans for the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise. I appreciate the Senator's support for the hospital through the years and his interest in the matter. I am committed to securing and further developing the role of Portlaoise hospital as a constituent hospital within the Dublin...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Accident and Emergency Services Provision (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: There are a few things to bear in mind. I know the Senator, and all the Senators, not just in Laois but in every constituency, would love me to be able to give a guaranteed, cast-iron commitment that services will remain on a 24 hours, seven days a week basis. That is not something I can give to anyone about any hospital in the country. Medicine changes over time and even when decisions...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Home Help Service (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Senator for raising this issue again and for his ongoing interest in the matter. It is a timely opportunity to update the House. The matter was considered by the parties at the recent public sector talks facilitated by the Labour Relations Commission at Lansdowne House. While there will always be a need for long-term residential care, older people consistently tell us that they...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Home Help Service (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: It is like many outstanding industrial relations issues in health and other sectors that were parked and truncated into the talks on the Lansdowne House agreement. Some were resolved and some were not resolved. For those that were not resolved, a process was agreed to resolve them in the next couple of months. I am confident that we will have a resolution or at least a decision on...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Organ Donation (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Senator Burke for raising this issue. I am pleased to inform the House that I introduced a scheme to reimburse the expenses of living donors on 12 November last year. The scheme provides for the reimbursement of loss of earnings incurred by living kidney donors and provides for the reimbursement of accommodation and travel expenses incurred as a direct result of kidney donation. A...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Organ Donation (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: To be honest, I am not familiar with the Norwegian figures. However, I know from the Irish Kidney Association that we are one of the few countries in the world which has more people who have had kidney transplants than the number of those who are on dialysis.In respect of kidney donations, we are in the top tier of countries in the western world. Transplants are carried out in three...

Topical Issue Debate: General Practitioner Services (10 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputies McGinley, Doherty and Pringle for raising the issue as it gives me an opportunity to update the House on the matter. I am taking the debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, who is on Government business elsewhere. The NowDoc GP out-of-hours service is a partnership arrangement between the GPs affiliated with the NowDoc service and...

Topical Issue Debate: General Practitioner Services (10 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I hear the Deputies' concerns and acknowledge their desire for further consultation. I understand that there is always anxiety when there is any change to health services, even where the change is for the better or results in a higher quality service. The HSE provides funding for out-of-hours services all over the country.