Results 15,881-15,900 of 21,128 for speaker:James Reilly

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Hospital Staff (12 Feb 2014)

James Reilly: I thank the Senator for raising this issue, which is of concern to the people of Waterford. Any loss of a job is upsetting for the Government. We want to create jobs and we have been very successful in doing so in areas such as Waterford. It might not have been as quickly as people would like, but none the less, more than 70,000 jobs have been created overall in recent years. That is in...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Hospital Staff (12 Feb 2014)

James Reilly: I thank the Senator. Sometimes it is easy to look at the headline figures on how many doctors or nurses there are and how many millions or billions of euro are spent, but that is no longer our focus, nor can it be. We must change the model of care. It must now be about outcomes for patients – how many are seen, how many are treated and how quickly, and how many had to be seen a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Services Provision (13 Feb 2014)

James Reilly: There has been significant focus over recent weeks on the very demanding and challenging financial and resource constraints within which the HSE has been required to prepare and adopt its 2014 service plan. It is important to recognise that this focus is not particular to the preparation and adoption of this year's HSE service plan as similar constraints have applied in each of the last...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Services Provision (13 Feb 2014)

James Reilly: Let us deal with the facts rather than the hype. There are more than 200 additional GPs in the GMS than there were when we came into government. We all know we are about to enter into - I must be very careful with the language here - consultation with general practice.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Services Provision (13 Feb 2014)

James Reilly: The Minister of State, Deputy White, has already met the various organisations. We expect to hear a lot of noise from that section until the new contract is in place, but let us deal with the facts. There are more than 200 additional GPs in the service than when Deputy Kelleher was in government. He alluded to overcrowding in our hospitals. Coming towards the end of his term in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Services Provision (13 Feb 2014)

James Reilly: We are not in government three years yet.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Services Provision (13 Feb 2014)

James Reilly: What did Fianna Fáil do?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Services Provision (13 Feb 2014)

James Reilly: Fianna Fáil has been wonderful at describing the problem but not terribly good at dealing with it, as we all know. Despite a 10% reduction in staff, 20% reduction in budget and an 8% increase in our population, we have reduced the number of people waiting over a year for an outpatient appointment by 95%. The august Members of Fianna Fáil who were in government for 14 years did not...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Services Provision (13 Feb 2014)

James Reilly: It was very handy because my predecessor was not a member of the Fianna Fáil party, so it could leave her to deal with all the consequences.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Services Provision (13 Feb 2014)

James Reilly: Out of 103,000 people who were waiting longer than a year for an outpatient appointment in March 2013, there are now only 4,500 people. I accept it is still too many but we continue to address it.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Services Provision (13 Feb 2014)

James Reilly: Deputy Kelleher is into the old Fianna Fáil way of hype and spin. I deal in facts because-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Services Provision (13 Feb 2014)

James Reilly: -----I am interested in reality and the reality our citizens have to endure every day. I want to improve that experience for them. We will continue to improve the patient experience and, at the same time, continue our reforms. Deputy Kelleher is correct that the universal health insurance White Paper will be out very shortly.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Services Provision (13 Feb 2014)

James Reilly: I look forward to his comments on it. I invite himself, Deputy Ó Caoláin and others to feed into that process because it will be about all of our health service. I want all of us to feel part of it and to have an input into it.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Charities and Voluntary Organisations (13 Feb 2014)

James Reilly: This process commenced quite some time back arising out of the HIQA report into Tallaght hospital. The HSE internal audit directorate produced a report, which has been available on the HSE website since November 2013, on the remuneration of senior executives in section 38 funded agencies which found that several unapproved allowances were being paid to senior managers. I requested the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Charities and Voluntary Organisations (13 Feb 2014)

James Reilly: The organisation to which the Deputy referred is a section 39 agency, not a section 38. Accordingly, it is not subject to public pay policy. Nonetheless, I, as well as the Government, believe that those organisations and charities in receipt of major taxpayer funding, anything over €250,000, should be in line with those pay policies. This process we initiated has been very careful...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Charities and Voluntary Organisations (13 Feb 2014)

James Reilly: To correct the record of the House, there has not been any cut to disability. This Government spends more than €6.4 billion on disability annually. Our commitment to those with disability is very clear, and I am very fortunate to have at my side a Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, who is in charge of this area and in charge of mental health because she is a very strong...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Charities and Voluntary Organisations (13 Feb 2014)

James Reilly: No, there have not been cuts.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Charities and Voluntary Organisations (13 Feb 2014)

James Reilly: I did not interrupt the Deputy, but as he has interrupted me I will remind him of his shroud-waving, general forecasting of doom and gloom at every availability opportunity, and the outrage auction he engages in trying to top the last outrage in which he has been involved.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Charities and Voluntary Organisations (13 Feb 2014)

James Reilly: I remind him also of his inability to accept the facts and his urgency to ignore due process and call for independent inquiries when it is clear there is a process in place that is delivering what the people need, namely, clarity and assurance that into the future any moneys given by either the taxpayer or through the goodwill of ordinary men and women who make contributions for charitable...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Charities and Voluntary Organisations (13 Feb 2014)

James Reilly: Sinn Féin would not know about that.