Results 16,741-16,760 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Cancer Screening Programme: Cancer Screening Programme (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: I assume the Deputy is referring to the cytology laboratory provider for CervicalCheck, the National Cervical Screening Programme. The contract was awarded to Quest Diagnostics earlier this year. As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: I approved the National Service Plan for the Health Service Executive on Tuesday and I have laid it before both Houses. In approving the Plan I emphasised the necessity for the HSE to operate within the limits of its voted allocation in delivering at a minimum the levels of service which are provided for in the plan. In broad terms the Plan outlines that the HSE will deliver the same...

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 135 and 137 togehter. The latest available comparable national data on average bed numbers in the public acute hospital sector relates to the period 1993 to 2006. This information is set out in the following table. Equivalent information for the period prior to 1993 is not available. This information has been provided to the Department of Health and...

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: The aim of the acute hospital co-location initiative is to make available approximately 1,000 additional public acute hospital beds for public patients by transferring private activity, with some limited exceptions, from public acute hospitals to co-located private hospitals. Co-location is considered the quickest and least expensive means of providing significant additional bed capacity for...

Written Answers — Cancer Incidence: Cancer Incidence (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: Earlier this week my colleague the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government published the report on the assessment of current site conditions at the former Irish Steel facility at Haulbowline. The report was compiled by Environmental Consultants who were engaged by the Minister earlier this year to carry out an independent and rigorous assessment of site conditions. The...

Written Answers — Nursing Home Subventions: Nursing Home Subventions (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: The Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill 2008 was published on 9 October and the Minister introduced it at Second Stage in the Dáil on 13 November. It is intended to progress the legislation through the Houses of the Oireachtas with a view to implementing the scheme in 2009. Only after the legislation has been enacted, and the scheme commenced, can the Health Service Executive begin to...

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.

Computerisation Programme. (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: There is no proposal to spend €78 million on a computer system to replace PPARs. The Deputy may, however, be referring to a draft business plan for financial and procurement systems received by my Department in September of this year. This included proposed capital costs of just under €78 million. The draft business plan has since been discussed with the HSE and revised proposals...

Computerisation Programme. (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: I laid the HSE service plan before the Oireachtas last week, as I am required to do by law. There is no question of the HSE plan being leaked. It was laid before the Oireachtas on 10 December 2008. On technology, the famous PPARs initiated in 1995 by six health boards does not meet the requirements of a unified service. One of the difficulties with it was that it was not "specked"...

Computerisation Programme. (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: As I stated, PPARs was initiated by a number of health boards in 1995 following the publication of the health strategy in 1994. It was felt by a number of health boards, including some hospitals, that we needed to invest in a payroll system. That payroll system, which later became known as PPARs, and which is currently operating in a large number of places, has brought to light many...

Computerisation Programme. (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: The service plan.

Computerisation Programme. (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: The Deputy can get a copy of it in the Library.

Computerisation Programme. (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: I am not aware of the procedure in that regard. However, I did what I am required to do. It is a matter for the HSE to publish its plan.

Computerisation Programme. (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: I have confidence in the chief executive officer of the HSE and its board. The famous PPARs was "specked" and procured under the old model delivered by health boards. It was not an appropriate model. What was "specked" at the time was completely inadequate for the task at hand, which is the reality. We know that. Clearly, we must learn from that experience because at the end of the day...

Hospital Services. (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: The HSE has made considerable progress in improving the delivery of services in emergency departments. The vast majority of hospitals are now fully or substantially compliant with the 12-hour target for those requiring admission. The Health Service Executive introduced this target in October last year. Patient waits of longer than 24 hours, following a decision to admit, have been totally...

Hospital Services. (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: Deputy Jan O'Sullivan is familiar with the proposals tabled by the HSE to the various employee representatives. She was well briefed prior to the previous attendance of Professor Drumm at the Dáil committee. Essentially, the HSE has tabled a number of proposals requiring greater flexibility. We want to treat more patients next year on a day-case basis, in line with best practice not only...

Hospital Services. (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: It is a fact that in many hospitals in this city we have more staff than attendances on a daily basis at accident and emergency units. In some hospitals the ratio is 1:1. No health system in the world of which I am aware can sustain that ratio of staff level to patient care. In the context of next year——

Hospital Services. (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: Separate issues arise that relate to safety, who is on-call, and volumes of activity that are being dealt with in the context of the mid-west and the north east. The reality is that patient safety issues arise in those places where there is a low level of throughput. I can supply the Deputy with the figures for each of the hospitals in Dublin on a daily basis. I can show her that in some...

Private Health Insurance. (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: In reply to a priority question from Deputy Reilly on 25 November, I said that the measures announced by the Government the previous week should not, in themselves, lead to an overall increase in the €1.5 billion in private health insurance premiums paid by all health insurance customers as the new levy on health insurance companies will yield approximately the same amount as the enhanced...

Private Health Insurance. (16 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: The market was segmenting. Citizens could see that some plans were geared to couples in their child bearing years, where maternity benefits were being offered and sports injuries were being included as well as teeth whitening. These products are not of interest to older people, so within a specific plan everybody will have to pay the same rate. However, the manner in which different...