Results 1,741-1,760 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney
- Written Answers — Hospital Inquiry: Hospital Inquiry (23 Mar 2005)
Mary Harney: On 9 March last I met representatives of Patient Focus, an advocacy group which represents, inter alia, former patients of Dr. Michael Neary. The group has requested the establishment of a redress board to process complaints relating to the provision of services at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital to a number of its members. I advised the group that I was sympathetic in principle to the proposal...
- Written Answers — Cancer Screening Programme: Cancer Screening Programme (23 Mar 2005)
Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 19, 30, 61 and 133 together. I am confident that the target date of 2007 for the expansion of BreastCheck nationally will be met. The national breast screening programme commenced in 2000 and currently covers the eastern, north eastern, midland and parts of the south eastern areas of the country. Screening is being offered free of charge to all women in those...
- Written Answers — Ministerial Appointments: Ministerial Appointments (23 Mar 2005)
Mary Harney: The Interim Health Service Executive, iHSE, awarded a contract to PricewaterhouseCoopers, PWC, following a tendering process, to manage the recruitment of the chief executive officer of the health service executive. In September 2004, Professor Aidan Halligan â deputy chief medical officer in the UK â was announced as the first chief executive officer of the Health Service Executive. In...
- Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (23 Mar 2005)
Mary Harney: My Department does not collate data on the number of patients reported to be waiting in accident and emergency departments for admission to hospital on a daily basis. However, the Health Service Executive has commenced providing daily data on accident and emergency activity on their web site. My Department has asked the director of the national hospitals office-HSE to forward available...
- Written Answers — MRSA Incidence: MRSA Incidence (23 Mar 2005)
Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 24 and 138 together. In 1995, a Department of Health committee comprising representatives from the Department of Health, consultant microbiologists, specialists in public health medicine and general practice and a representative from the Association of Infection Control Nurses produced a set of guidelines for the management of MRSA in acute hospital wards,...
- Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (23 Mar 2005)
Mary Harney: The Government is committed to making the full range of cancer services available and accessible to cancer patients throughout Ireland. To this end, we will provide considerable investment in radiation oncology facilities in the coming years. The Government in its decision on radiotherapy services remained open to the provision of a satellite radiation oncology unit in Waterford. We are...
- Written Answers — Cancer Screening Programme: Cancer Screening Programme (23 Mar 2005)
Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 26 and 131 together. Any woman, irrespective of her age or residence, who has concerns about breast cancer should contact her GP who, where appropriate, will refer her to the symptomatic services in her area. More than â¬60 million has been invested in the development of symptomatic breast disease services since 2000. This investment has enabled the...
- Written Answers — EU Conventions: EU Conventions (23 Mar 2005)
Mary Harney: Ireland is not a signatory to the Council of Europe Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine as there are difficulties with some articles that have implications for the destruction of human embryos. The question of our signing the convention with formal reservations in respect of articles with which we have difficulty has been kept under review. I expect the report of the Commission on...
- Written Answers — Departmental Reviews: Departmental Reviews (23 Mar 2005)
Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 28, 58 and 105 together. The review was commissioned by my Department with a view to analysing governance and accountability mechanisms in the general medical service, GMS, schemes, the respective roles of the Department, former health boards and the former GMS payments board in the operation of the schemes, and issues relating to the increasing cost trends in...
- Written Answers — Independent Reviews: Independent Reviews (23 Mar 2005)
Mary Harney: The pharmacy review group submitted its report to the previous Minister for Health and Children on 31 January 2003 and it was published in February 2004. The Deputy will appreciate the complex issues which the review group's report raised and the need for careful and considered deliberations on its recommendations. I intend to bring proposals to Government on the development of a modern...
- Written Answers — Diabetes Incidence: Diabetes Incidence (23 Mar 2005)
Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 31, 65 and 74 together. Diabetes mellitus is an important public health condition which has become more common in developed countries over recent years due to an ageing population and lifestyle factors. There is, however, scope for prevention where good integration between primary and secondary care services and multi-disciplinary working is considered key to...
- Written Answers — Hospital Charges: Hospital Charges (23 Mar 2005)
Mary Harney: On 1 January 2005, the public hospital statutory inpatient charge was increased by â¬10 to â¬55 per night, subject to a maximum of â¬550 in any 12 consecutive months. The charge for a visit to an accident and emergency department was also increased by â¬10 to â¬55. This increase in the accident and emergency charge will facilitate more appropriate attendances at accident and emergency...
- Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (23 Mar 2005)
Mary Harney: The health strategy contains a commitment that over ten years a total of 3,000 acute beds will be added to the system. In this context funding has already been provided for an additional 900 beds in acute hospitals throughout the country, 700 of which were in place at the end of January 2005. It is envisaged that the remaining 200 beds will open before the end of 2005. There has been no...
- Written Answers — Ministerial Responsibilities: Ministerial Responsibilities (23 Mar 2005)
Mary Harney: I take it the Deputy is referring to the subject matter of the Travers report, but I believe his question prejudges any answer I may give. It is a function of the Oireachtas to hold Ministers to account. The House considered the report for two hours on 10 March, including a half an hour of questions to me and to my predecessor as Minister for Health and Children. The Joint Oireachtas...
- Written Answers — Health Service Executive: Health Service Executive (23 Mar 2005)
Mary Harney: The Health Act 2004 sets out the legislative framework within which the Health Service Executive must operate. It is a matter for the board of the executive to regulate its own procedures and this would include whether its meetings are to be held in public. I have discussed this issue with the chairperson of the board of the executive and he has advised me that, while it is not intended to...
- Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (23 Mar 2005)
Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 36, 55, 86 and 102 together. As the Deputy will be aware, the Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, which was established on 1 January 2005. Under the Act, the executive has the responsibility to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. As part of the executive's responsibility to...
- Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (23 Mar 2005)
Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 96 together. The Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, which was established on 1 January 2005. Under the Act, the executive has the responsibility to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. This includes responsibility for health services for patients with cystic fibrosis....
- Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (23 Mar 2005)
Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 39 and 123 together. The Government's policy on radiation oncology is based on the report on the development of radiation oncology services in Ireland. The report recommends that there should be two radiotherapy treatment centres located in the eastern region, one serving the southern part of the region and adjacent catchment areas and one serving the northern...
- Written Answers — Hospital Staff: Hospital Staff (23 Mar 2005)
Mary Harney: According to the most recent Health Service Executive â employer representative division â survey of nursing resources, recruitment remains well ahead of resignations and retirements. Employers reported that 765 vacancies existed at 31 December 2004. The vacancy rate now stands at 2.25%. This could be considered to be a normal frictional rate, given that there will always be some level of...
- Written Answers — Carcinogenic Products: Carcinogenic Products (23 Mar 2005)
Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 42, 59 and 129 together. Sudan Red 1 is a synthetically produced red dye normally used for colouring solvents, oils, waxes, petrol and shoe and floor polishes. In May 2003, through the European rapid alert system, authorities across the EU became aware that Sudan Red 1 had been used illegally to enhance the colour of chilli powder and thereby increase its...