Results 17,181-17,200 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Equipment (2 Feb 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Even though the alliance has a ten point charter, it is going to the people-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Equipment (2 Feb 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The fact the Deputy is so sensitive that he must-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Equipment (2 Feb 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Sorry, Leas-Cheann Comhairle, Deputy Halligan kept interrupting me and took my time. I would like my time back.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Equipment (2 Feb 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Deputy Halligan will now contest a general election based on a ten point charter, with no commitments at all on waiting lists or for Waterford hospital.

Other Questions: Vaccination Programme (2 Feb 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I am aware of claims of an association between HPV vaccination and a number of conditions experienced by a group of young women. The vaccine protects against cervical, penile and anal cancer and helps to prevent genital warts. It appears that some girls first suffered symptoms around the time they received the HPV vaccine, and understandably some parents have connected the vaccine to their...

Other Questions: Vaccination Programme (2 Feb 2016)

Leo Varadkar: What I said is that their symptoms are real and they are unwell and nobody is suggesting for a second that anyone is making anything up, or that any of the young women is doing so. What I did not say was that they were as a result of a side-effect or that they were caused by this vaccine because there is no epidemiological evidence to support that view. That is a belief not something that...

Other Questions: Vaccination Programme (2 Feb 2016)

Leo Varadkar: They may need different supports in different cases. We may actually do them a disservice by treating them as a single group. People are treated based on the diagnosis of the condition they have and not based on what they believe caused it. We may do people a disservice by treating them as a single group. We should be trying to treat them based on their symptoms and diagnosis rather than...

Other Questions: Accident and Emergency Departments (2 Feb 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Over the last number of months the HSE has implemented initiatives to reduce emergency department overcrowding and wait times. From mid-January to the end of January there was a very significant increase in daily trolley numbers. This was due to higher numbers of patients presenting with flu-like and respiratory illnesses and a 10% increase in the number of older people presenting. In...

Other Questions: Accident and Emergency Departments (2 Feb 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I do not want not quibble with the Deputy about figures but those figures he used also include people on beds, people in day wards and overflow wards, as opposed to regular wards. The number who are actually on trolleys is somewhat lower than that, but I appreciate it is not about the numbers.

Other Questions: Accident and Emergency Departments (2 Feb 2016)

Leo Varadkar: If I took the lowest number, I would take the number at 8 p.m. in the evening, which is generally lower than 200, even on a bad day, so that is not the case at all. The number at 8 a.m. is always the worst because of the number of people who come in overnight. A huge amount has been done in this space, probably more than in any recent year, but it needs to be sustained. The demands are...

Other Questions: Accident and Emergency Departments (2 Feb 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The logic of getting rid of the NTPF was twofold. First, it was self-selecting in that people went to it themselves if they were waiting for a period and, second, it never managed to get rid of long waiting lists or waiting times. Instead, the resource was given to the special delivery unit, SDU, which then selected the patients who were waiting the longest and focused on them. For the...

Other Questions: Accident and Emergency Departments (2 Feb 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The time has come for Deputy Kelleher to stop being a commentator and to set out what Fianna Fáil will do differently.

Other Questions: Accident and Emergency Departments (2 Feb 2016)

Leo Varadkar: Is Fianna Fáil reiterating its prior commitment to abolish waiting lists and is Deputy Kelleher promising to get rid of trolleys from emergency departments?

Other Questions: Accident and Emergency Departments (2 Feb 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I take that as a "No".

Other Questions: Vaccination Programme (2 Feb 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The HPV vaccine, Gardasil, which was introduced in 2010, protects girls from developing cervical cancer when they are adults. It also protects against head and neck cancer, anal cancer and genital warts. It is available free of charge from the HSE for all girls in the first year of secondary school. I am aware of claims of an association between the HPV vaccination and a number of...

Other Questions: Vaccination Programme (2 Feb 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I would like to correct the record, if I have ever suggested otherwise. If a patient has symptoms, the symptoms are real. If a patient has pain, it is real and if a patient has a headache, it is real. The patient's symptoms are always real. In this and other circumstances, a person may have a range of different illnesses. Perhaps part of the reason why there has been delay in diagnoses...

Other Questions: Vaccination Programme (2 Feb 2016)

Leo Varadkar: No, not unless the Deputy has a further question.

Establishment of a Statutory Commission of Investigation into a Foster Home in the South East: Statements (2 Feb 2016)

Leo Varadkar: I welcome the opportunity to speak to the House about allegations of heinous and horrendous abuse in a foster and respite home in the south east and the subsequent alleged neglect and endangerment by the authorities which should have acted differently. These issues are a matter of grave concern for me, the Government and, increasingly, the public as it has learned more about them in recent...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (2 Feb 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The latest National Treatment Purchase Fund Waiting List data, published on 8 January last, shows that clear progress was made to reduce the numbers of patients on waiting lists by end December 2015. These figures continue to show the positive trend which was seen in November 2015, with improvements across all waiting list categories. This can be seen in Cappagh Hospital where no patient is...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Beds Data (2 Feb 2016)

Leo Varadkar: The number of acute beds reduced by 1,845 between 2005 and 2011. Last year additional funding of €18 million was provided to support acute hospitals over the winter period by providing additional bed capacity and other initiatives to improve access to care. As a result of this an additional 301 beds were commissioned across various locations and to date 202 of these beds have been...