Results 1,781-1,800 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 77 and 113 together. The Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, HSE, 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 services at Letterkenny General Hospital....

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: The information requested by the Deputy is not available in my Department as the staffing information collected through the health service personnel census is done on the basis of grade and employing agency only. The chief officer of each Health Service Executive area has been requested by my Department to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and to reply directly to him in relation to it.

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: 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 orthodontic services. The aim of my Department is to promote the development of the treatment capacity...

Written Answers — Organ Retention: Organ Retention (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: On 1 September 2004 the Government decided that the post mortem inquiry should furnish its final report not later than the 31 March 2005 and that the inquiry would then cease to exist. The chairman of the inquiry has been so advised and I expect to have her final report on or before that date. The chairman had sought approval to appoint additional legal staff to the inquiry team, but approval...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 87, 95, 119, 137, 143 and 144 together. The Government's policy on radiation oncology is based on the report on the development of radiation oncology services in Ireland. The report was prepared by a multi-disciplinary group of experts in radiation oncology, medical oncology, public health and palliative care, including representatives of bodies such as the...

Written Answers — Pharmacy Regulations: Pharmacy Regulations (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: Council Directive 85/433/EEC provides for the free movement of pharmacists within the European Economic Area, EEA. Under EU Directives 85/432/EEC and 85/433/EEC, any EU/EEA national holding a recognised pharmacy qualification from such a state is entitled to register as a pharmacist in Ireland, in accordance with free movement provisions. Ireland avails of a derogation under Article 2.2 of...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: The provisions for the appointment and role of special advisers are clearly set out in section 11 of the Public Service Management Act 1997. In accordance with that Act, the special advisers in my Department are appointed, inter alia, to assist me in the discharge of my functions as Minister for Health and Children. They are also available to assist me in relation to my role in Government as...

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: In September 2004, the number of current medical cards in circulation was 768,895 providing services for 1,151,106 persons or 29.39% of the population of 3,917,203, from the 2002 census. In March 2005, there were 768,316 current cards providing services for 1,144,578 persons or 28.3% of the population of 4,043,800, the official estimate of population at September 2004, which represents a net...

Written Answers — Health Service Reform: Health Service Reform (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: I regard the report of the national task force on medical staffing as a significant contribution to the development of acute hospitals services and to the organisation of medical staffing. The report makes important proposals for reducing the working hours of non-consultant hospital doctors, NCHDs, in line with the European working time directive. It highlights the need to implement changes...

Written Answers — Hospital Charges: Hospital Charges (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: On 1 January 2005, the public hospital statutory inpatient charge was increased by €10 to €55 per night, subject to a maximum of €550 in any 12 consecutive months. The charge for a visit to an accident and emergency department was also increased by €10 to €55. This increase in the accident and emergency charge will facilitate more appropriate attendances at accident and emergency...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: The MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps and rubella and, in accordance with the recommendations of the immunisation advisory committee of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, can be administered to children between 12 to 15 months. A vaccine uptake rate of 95% is required in order to protect children from the diseases concerned and to stop the spread of the diseases in the...

Written Answers — Health Service Reform: Health Service Reform (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: The submission referred to by the Deputy was made by the Irish Society of Medical Oncologists to the national cancer forum in the context of the development of a new national cancer strategy and was discussed by the forum at its meeting in May 2003. The working group which prepared the report on the development of radiation oncology services in Ireland, the Hollywood report, completed its...

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: As the Deputy will be aware, the provisions of the European working time directive as it relates to the working hours of doctors in training came into force on 1 August 2004. The relevant provisions were transposed into Irish law by way of the European Communities (Organisation of Working Time) (Activities of Doctors in Training) Regulations 2004. Employers and the Irish Medical Organisation...

Written Answers — Irish Blood Transfusion Service: Irish Blood Transfusion Service (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: I have been informed by the Irish Blood Transfusion Service, IBTS, that the it has implemented a number of initiatives in recent years to improve its human resources, HR, policies. In 2003, a professional organisation was commissioned to review HR structures, policies and procedures. Arising from the review, the IBTS appointed a number of HR professionals including a HR director, employee...

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: I wrote to the interim chief executive officer of the Health Service Executive on 15 February 2005 regarding the employment ceiling for the health service and highlighting the requirement for the executive to ensure compliance with approved employment levels. The letter requested detailed proposals from the executive for securing such compliance consistent with safeguarding front line service...

Written Answers — Hospital Waiting Lists: Hospital Waiting Lists (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: Responsibility for the collation and publishing of waiting list and waiting time data now rests with the national treatment purchase fund, NTPF. The NTPF, which is a statutory body, was established as one of the key actions for dealing with public hospital waiting lists arising from the health strategy. My Department has therefore asked the chief executive of the NTPF to reply to the Deputy...

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: The number of medical cards which were available to persons in January 1997 and January 2005 is as follows: County January 1997 January 2005 Cavan 22,030 18,564 Monaghan 22,497 16,308 Louth 39,821 34,493 Meath 38,645 29,867 Cork 139,370 130,863 Persons are entitled to a medical card where they are unable without undue hardship to arrange for the provision of medical...

Written Answers — Clinical Indemnity Scheme: Clinical Indemnity Scheme (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: The principal concern of hospital consultants arising from the clinical indemnity scheme, CIS, has been the risk that some consultants could be left without indemnity cover for claims arising from events which occurred before the inception date of the scheme. In agreeing to establish the CIS the Government decided that the scheme should not cover claims arising from events which preceded its...

Written Answers — Hospitals Building Programme: Hospitals Building Programme (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: The roll out of the national breast screening programme to the remaining counties is a major priority in the development of cancer services. This will ensure that all women in the relevant age group in every county have access to breast screening and follow up treatment where appropriate. A capital investment of approximately €21 million has been approved to construct and equip two static...

Written Answers — Nursing Home Charges: Nursing Home Charges (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: I understand that the meeting referred to took place on Monday, 13 December 2004 at the request of the Secretary General who was in the course of preparing a report to me on the issue of public long stay charges for consideration by the Government the next morning. I was briefed about the conversation at this meeting on the following Wednesday. The terms of reference for the report by Mr....