Results 15,781-15,800 of 46,036 for speaker:Simon Harris

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2017)

Simon Harris: Whether he wants to talk about shops in Bray or in Bantry it will not change my view in relation to the importance of this legislation. He is correct. There are organisations watching the debate even at this late hour of the night who represent shop owners and he is also correct to say, as many other speakers have said, that those people have a right to be represented by their organisations...

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2017)

Simon Harris: There are more than 50 organisations in total and they represent a substantial number of citizens in this country as well-----

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2017)

Simon Harris: -----and they are looking to us tonight to find out when we are going to sort this out, and when we are going to have the courage of our convictions as an Oireachtas to put in place legislation. I think we can leave here tonight, whenever that will be, telling them that we have made significant progress. We have improved the Bill, and we accepted 25 amendments. We will have engagement on...

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2017)

Simon Harris: It is never straightforward but it is absolutely worth doing. It is worth getting right and we are going to do that. I do not wish to end on a note of disagreement, but I respectfully disagree with the point Senator McDowell made. I do not wish to misquote him but it relates to our ability to change Ireland's societal relationship with alcohol.

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2017)

Simon Harris: I do not accept that. Many people said that about tobacco. They are not the same by the way. I do not want to ban alcohol in the way we banned tobacco but there are similarities. Many people said that if we went ahead with the smoking ban that we would close down rural Ireland, we would shut down the pubs, restaurants and hotels, that it would have an impact on tourists and it would not...

Questions on Promised Legislation (9 Nov 2017)

Simon Harris: Waiting lists are not increasing nationally; they have fallen for the third month in a row. Of course, patients on a pre-planned list, which is where a doctor wants to see the patient in another six months and the date for that appointment is set, are not counted as waiting. When the patient visits the doctor, is told that he or she is clinically not well enough for a procedure and is sent...

Questions on Promised Legislation (9 Nov 2017)

Simon Harris: That is not the case in respect of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill. I am delighted that this landmark Bill passed Committee Stage in the Seanad yesterday, having been delayed for many years. Many of the arguments being made are similar to those made when the smoking ban was introduced. In fairness, Deputy Micheál Martin had the courage to stand up to the accusation that the ban would...

Questions on Promised Legislation (9 Nov 2017)

Simon Harris: The Deputy specifically referenced the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill. I assure him that it is being rural-proofed by engaging with retailers.

Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill 2016 Report: Motion [Private Members] (9 Nov 2017)

Simon Harris: I do not need that much time.

Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill 2016 Report: Motion [Private Members] (9 Nov 2017)

Simon Harris: I welcome the opportunity to have this report. I begin by thanking the Joint Committee on Health and all its members for the incredible work they put into considering this issue and for the unanimous report they produced which we are debating today on the floor of the Dáil. The last time we met to debate the Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill 2016, we agreed not to divide this...

Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill 2016 Report: Motion [Private Members] (9 Nov 2017)

Simon Harris: I have received two applications from consultants. Neither Deputy Boyd Barrett nor I are consultants. Such applications from doctors will be considered because they know an awful lot more about this issue than Deputy Boyd Barrett or I do. Separately and importantly, we are progressing well with work on the cannabis for medical use access programme. That follows on from a commitment I gave...

Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill 2016 Report: Motion [Private Members] (9 Nov 2017)

Simon Harris: I have experts.

Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill 2016 Report: Motion [Private Members] (9 Nov 2017)

Simon Harris: It is the regulator.

Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill 2016 Report: Motion [Private Members] (9 Nov 2017)

Simon Harris: That is a slur.

Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill 2016 Report: Motion [Private Members] (9 Nov 2017)

Simon Harris: The Deputy is misrepresenting people.

Written Answers — Department of Health: General Practitioner Services (9 Nov 2017)

Simon Harris: I acknowledge the contribution made by general practitioners and other health professionals who provide services under contract on behalf of the HSE, through reductions in the fees in respect of these services, to addressing the unprecedented economic crisis which the State faced over recent years. In the context of the publication by my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Fire Service (9 Nov 2017)

Simon Harris: I am aware that a mediation process between Dublin City Council and staff associations is ongoing in relation to Dublin ambulance services. In these circumstances, it would not be appropriate for me to make any comment pending the conclusion of this mediation process.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Overcrowding (9 Nov 2017)

Simon Harris: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive for a direct response.

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Treatment Purchase Fund Data (9 Nov 2017)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 141 to 143, inclusive, together. I acknowledge that waiting times are often unacceptably long and I am conscious of the burden that this places on patients and their families. Reducing waiting times for the longest waiting patients is one of this Government's key priorities. Under waiting list initiatives run by the NTPF, the NTPF liaises directly with...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products Data (9 Nov 2017)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 144 to 147, inclusive, together. The Irish Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register, based in Beaumont Hospital, was set up in 2001 for pregnant women with epilepsy in Ireland. The aim of this Register is to find out which type of epilepsy drugs women are taking while pregnant and to collect information on the health of their babies after delivery. Since 2007,...