Results 19,821-19,840 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Hospital Waiting Lists: Hospital Waiting Lists (3 Nov 2009)

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

Written Answers — Nursing Homes Repayment Scheme: Nursing Homes Repayment Scheme (3 Nov 2009)

Mary Harney: The Health Service Executive (HSE) administers a patient private property account system to manage the private money of patients in long stay care. When clients die while in the residential care of the HSE their estate is dealt with as per law. In cases where a client has not made a will, all funds or other property of that client being administered by the HSE will be passed to the person...

Written Answers — Nursing Home Subventions: Nursing Home Subventions (3 Nov 2009)

Mary Harney: My Department is currently reviewing the level of charges for publicly funded long stay care. The purpose of the review is to ensure an effective and equitable charging regime is put in place for the provision of long stay care. With regard to the particular issue of long-term nursing home care the new Nursing Homes Support Scheme, A Fair Deal, commenced on the 27th October 2009. The...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (3 Nov 2009)

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

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (3 Nov 2009)

Mary Harney: As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (3 Nov 2009)

Mary Harney: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (3 Nov 2009)

Mary Harney: The problems being experienced by the Health Service Executive and the unions with regard to the introduction of the incentivised scheme for early retirement have not yet been resolved. As you may be aware, members of all eligible grades who meet the criteria set down in Circular 8/2009 had access to the ISER provided the grades/staff groups concerned cooperate with the requirements in...

Written Answers — Homeless Persons: Homeless Persons (3 Nov 2009)

Mary Harney: The Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 and regulations made thereunder regulate and control the import, export, production, supply and possession of a range of named narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances listed in the Schedules to the Act. Substances are scheduled under the Act in accordance with Ireland's obligations under international conventions and/or where there is evidence that the...

Written Answers — Local Authority Housing: Local Authority Housing (3 Nov 2009)

Mary Harney: Responsibility for this issue rests with the relevant local authority who operate under the aegis of the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Accordingly, I will bring this matter to the attention of the above named Department and request that they reply directly to the Deputy.

Vaccination Programme. (4 Nov 2009)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 78 and 81 together. The incidence of influenza-like illnesses, ILI, reported on 25 October last is at a rate of 210.9 per 100,000 population. This is the highest ILI rate reported since sentinel influenza surveillance began in 2000. There were 2,727 laboratory confirmed cases of H1N1 on that date. It is not necessary for swabs to be taken by GPs to make a...

Vaccination Programme. (4 Nov 2009)

Mary Harney: It is a pandemic and every country faces the same logistical challenges. Our experience is very much in keeping with our counterparts in Europe and we have had close contacts with many colleagues, particularly those in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. There is no issue with regard to indemnity and this has been made clear to general practitioners, both individually and on the...

Vaccination Programme. (4 Nov 2009)

Mary Harney: We have 615,000 vaccines at present and from their arrival at the port until we can get them to the HSE clinic or to general practice takes about two weeks. From next week it is hoped to start with infants between six months and four years, preschool children and health care workers. After that the focus will be on the over 65s and school children, with the rest of the population coming...

Vaccination Programme. (4 Nov 2009)

Mary Harney: The onus is on the individual to come forward to the general practitioner, not on the GP to find the patient. There is a good relationship between GPs and their patients, although I have heard some general practitioners say they are not in a position to identify the at-risk patients. That surprises me because we hope that under the new contract for general practice that we will be able to...

Vaccination Programme. (4 Nov 2009)

Mary Harney: Vaccination of the entire population depends on the availability of the vaccine, it is not the logistical issue. We cannot say with certainty when we will have the 7 million doses we have ordered. The other issue that is emerging is if it will be necessary to have a second dose of one of the vaccines. If that is not necessary, that will speed the process. We are in the same situation as...

Hospital Building Projects. (4 Nov 2009)

Mary Harney: The co-location programme is aimed at freeing up public acute hospital capacity for use for public patients and to enhance overall acute capacity at public hospital sites. The renewed programme for Government re-affirms the Government's commitment to the current co-location programme. This means that the procurement process which is underway will continue. Projects will be developed within...

Hospital Building Projects. (4 Nov 2009)

Mary Harney: I presume the Deputy saw the letter from the Taoiseach to her party leader. It refers to projects that are signed or to be signed. The Deputy may recognise that there is a serious financial and banking crisis affecting large projects in Ireland and elsewhere. We are affected by that. Private investors carry the risk for all this work. They must carry the banking risk and get the funding....

Hospital Building Projects. (4 Nov 2009)

Mary Harney: The programme for Government is exactly the same as the letter from the Taoiseach. Maybe some people misunderstand that. Some project agreements have been signed and some involved in negotiations are about to be signed. The commitments in the programme for Government cover all of those. The issue here is to return our public hospital infrastructure as much as possible to public patients....

Hospital Building Projects. (4 Nov 2009)

Mary Harney: There are two collocated hospitals in this city, the Mater and St. Vincent's and I do not see any great objection to them.

Hospitals Building Programme. (4 Nov 2009)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 83, 87, 99 and 122 together. The renewed programme for Government reaffirms the Government's commitment to the current co-location programme. The procurement process which is under way will continue. Projects will be developed within the terms of those project agreements which have been signed or which may be signed. It is an essential requirement that each...

Hospitals Building Programme. (4 Nov 2009)

Mary Harney: The Deputy is wrong on one point. The HIA has informed me that 12,000 people have dropped out of health insurance this year. Out of a total of 2.2 billion, that figure of 12,000 represents a very small number by any standard. People have switched from one provider to another. People have left the VHI to take out insurance with some of its competitors. The VHI may have lost 4%, 5% or up...