Results 16,361-16,380 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney
- Written Answers — Hospital Staffing: Hospital Staffing (20 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: I have identified the need to improve services for persons with cystic fibrosis as a priority in the Estimates process over recent years. Since 2006, additional revenue funding of â¬6.78m has been allocated to the Health Service Executive (HSE) to develop services for patients with cystic fibrosis. The HSE has advised that 44 additional staff dealing with cystic fibrosis have been...
- Written Answers — Departmental Investigations: Departmental Investigations (20 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: On 4 November the Health Service Executive published a Review of Chest X rays and CT scans reported by a Locum Consultant Radiologist from August 2006 to August 2007. The review was prompted by concerns that a small number of patients in two Louth Meath Hospitals had their diagnosis delayed, due to an abnormality on their chest X-ray not being identified on initial reporting. This review...
- Written Answers — Vaccination Programme: Vaccination Programme (20 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services was assigned to the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular matter raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter...
- Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (20 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: The Deputy's question relates to the funding, management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.
- Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (20 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services, including patient transport, is a matter for the Health Service Executive and funding for such services is provided in the Executive's Vote. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular issue raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary...
- Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (20 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services is a matter for the Health Service Executive and funding for all health services has been provided as part of its overall Vote. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular issue raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division...
- Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (20 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: My Department's measures for the rationalisation of agencies within the health sector have been prepared primarily in the context of the OECD's recommendations in relation to the need for a more integrated public service. The measures reflect and build upon the progress to date with agency rationalisation within the sector under the overall health reform programme, and take account of...
- Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (20 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: The Government has recently approved the drafting of a Bill to subsume the National Council on Ageing and Older People and the Women's Health Council into the Department of Health and Children and to subsume the Drug Treatment Centre, the Crisis Pregnancy Agency and the National Cancer Screening Service (NCSS) into the Health Service Executive. The Bill will be published as soon as...
- Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (20 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: Primary legislation is required to subsume the National Cancer Registry into the Health Service Executive's (HSE) National Cancer Control Programme. The appropriate legislation for this purpose is the Health Information Bill, which will be progressed in 2009. The Strategy for Cancer Control, 2006 provides for a major reform programme in cancer control and the HSE established the National...
- Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (20 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: My Department's measures for the rationalisation of agencies within the health sector have been prepared primarily in the context of the OECD's recommendations in relation to the need for a more integrated public service. The measures reflect and build upon the progress to date with agency rationalisation within the sector under the overall health reform programme, and take account of...
- Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (20 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: My Department's measures for the rationalisation of agencies within the health sector have been prepared primarily in the context of the OECD's recommendations in relation to the need for a more integrated public service. The measures reflect and build upon the progress to date with agency rationalisation within the sector under the overall health reform programme, and take account of...
- Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (20 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: My Department's measures for the rationalisation of agencies within the health sector have been prepared primarily in the context of the OECD's recommendations in relation to the need for a more integrated public service. The measures reflect and build upon the progress to date with agency rationalisation within the sector under the overall health reform programme, and take account of...
- Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (20 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: Arising from the Government decision of 8 July 2008 on expenditure measures, a comprehensive programme of agency rationalisation is to be implemented across the public service. A programme of agency rationalisation in the health sector involves a total of fifteen agencies which includes the Postgraduate Medical and Dental Board. It currently has a staff of 13 (whole time equivalents) and a...
- Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (20 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: Arising from the Government decision of 8 July 2008 on expenditure measures, a comprehensive programme of agency rationalisation is to be implemented across the public service. A programme of agency rationalisation in the health sector involves a total of fifteen agencies which includes the National Council for the Professional Development of Nursing and Midwifery. It currently has a staff of...
- Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (20 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: Arising from the Government decision of 8 July 2008 on expenditure measures, a comprehensive programme of agency rationalisation is to be implemented across the public service. As part of this programme, three agencies, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, the Irish Medicines Board and the Office of Tobacco Control will be amalgamated to form a new Public Health and Medicines Safety...
- Health Insurance. (25 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: Immediately after the Supreme Court judgment in July which found the 2003 risk equalisation scheme to be ultra vires, I initiated a comprehensive review of the options which might be open to the Government in the aftermath of the court finding. Since then, I and officials from my Department had meetings with the Health Insurance Authority and the three insurance companies operating in the...
- Health Insurance. (25 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: To deal with the last issue first, I share the Deputy's view that it is high and out of sync with other countries. However, it is entirely a matter for the independent financial regulator and neither the Government, the Minister for Finance nor I have a role with regard to the reserve requirements set by the regulator in Ireland. With regard to new EU directives, I hope there can be...
- Health Insurance. (25 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: This tax change was made a number of years ago and was made at the suggestion of those who examined the tax system to make it equal between the better off and the less well off, in other words, those who only pay tax at the standard rate and those who pay some tax at the higher rate. Otherwise, better off people would receive twice the benefit of those who are less well off and only pay the...
- Health Service Staff. (25 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: I have had a number of discussions with the chairman and the chief executive officer of the Health Service Executive about a targeted voluntary early redundancy scheme to be introduced for the HSE. Initially, the scheme will concentrate on surplus management and administrative staff. This will be extended to other staff in due course. It will apply to staff at corporate HSE and also to...
- Health Service Staff. (25 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: The Minister for Finance said in his budget speech that his plan was to introduce a voluntary redundancy scheme across the public service. I hope the HSE scheme will be the start of the process in 2009. I am engaged in ongoing discussions on this issue with Professor Drumm and the chairman. It is not a matter for me to identify who should stay and who should go. That is a matter for those...