Results 16,441-16,460 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Strategies (24 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The HSE is expected to adopt and submit its 2016 National Service Plan towards in the near future. The relevant legislation provides the Minister for Health with 21 days thereafter to consider, seek amendment to, or approve the Service Plan. My Department was provided with an initial post-budget draft of the Service Plan on Wednesday 11 November, 2015.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (24 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive 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.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Universal Health Insurance (24 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Senator Bradford for raising this issue and for giving me an opportunity to address the Seanad on this matter. I spoke on it in the Dáil last week.The Government is committed to a major programme of health reform, the aim of which is to implement universal health care in Ireland. This means timely access for everyone to effective, quality, affordable health services. In April...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Universal Health Insurance (24 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The Senator raised a few points. He touched on some of the issues, including whether to have a Dutch, Canadian or, as he mentioned, British model. Whatever we do, we need to have an Irish model because everyone's model of health care is different. Whatever we do will have to suit our circumstances and needs and have regard to the point from which we are coming, which is crucial to all of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Beds Data (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Additional funding of €117m has been provided in 2015 to relieve pressures on acute hospitals. This includes €18 million to support the acute hospital system over the winter period by providing additional bed capacity and other initiatives to support access to care. In preparation for the 2015/16 winter period, a total of 129 hospital beds which had been closed for...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Qualifications (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 167 and 173 together. I expect that the Physiotherapists Registration Board will soon make the necessary bye-laws under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 to allow it to establish its register early next year. On this basis, the title of physiotherapist will be protected for the exclusive use of the board's registrants when the register's 2 year...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (25 Nov 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: Hospital Facilities (25 Nov 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: Cross-Border Health Initiatives (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The EU Directive 2011/24/EU on Patients’ Rights in Cross Border Healthcare aims to ensure EU citizens may access safe and good quality healthcare across EU borders. Under the Directive, known as the Cross Border Healthcare Directive (CBD), insured patients are entitled to have costs of cross-border healthcare reimbursed if the healthcare in question is among the benefits to which they...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Procedures (25 Nov 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: Ambulance Service Response Times (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Firstly I would like to express my sympathy to the family of the person concerned. The Government is committed to the improvement of our ambulance services. A significant reform programme is underway to reconfigure the way pre-hospital care services are managed and delivered. To this end, the NAS received an increase of €5.4m in funding in 2015, to improve technology and clinical...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (25 Nov 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: Animal Welfare (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Animal testing for finished cosmetic products has been banned under EU legislation since 2004. Animal testing of ingredients contained in cosmetic products has been banned since 2009 irrespective of where the testing takes place. A number of complex tests were given an extended deadline until March 2013. However, since March 2013 there is a legal requirement to use alternative methods to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Staff Recruitment (25 Nov 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: Health Services Staff Data (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this matter. 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: Nursing Staff Recruitment (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this matter. 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 Accommodation Provision (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: In 2008, the HSE commissioned Prospectus to undertake an independent review of the existing adult critical care provision and to conduct an assessment of the future requirements to the year 2020. The report recommended that the number of critical care beds in the system should increase from 289 to 579 over the period 2010 to 2020. A HSE the National Clinical Programme for Critical Care was...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: As members are aware from the Second Stage debate, the main purpose of the Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2015 is to specify the amount of premium to be paid from the risk equalisation fund in respect of age, gender and level of cover from 1 March 2016 and to revise the stamp duty levy required to fund the risk equalisation credits for 2016. The Bill will set credits for the 60 to 64 age...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for submitting the amendment. Section 7A of the principal Act refers to premiums which may be charged under health insurance contracts in certain circumstances and provides the legal basis for Statutory Instrument No. 312 of 2014 which allows for late entry loadings. Under lifetime community rating, late entry loadings apply and policies written after 1 May 2015 where the...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The proposal the Deputy is making has a lot of merit and it is what is done in Australia, for example. However, it is obviously not necessary that we do it now because nobody has been paying the loading for a year, never mind ten years. I would like to review the Act in 2017, when it has been proposed to do that. There are quite a number of reasons people are taking out health insurance,...