Results 20,981-21,000 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — National Treatment Purchase Fund: National Treatment Purchase Fund (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 120, 137, 143, 151, 201 and 206 together. The national treatment purchase fund, NTPF, was established as one of the key actions for dealing with public hospital waiting lists arising from the 2001 health strategy. The strategy envisaged that the NTPF might make use of any capacity within public hospitals to arrange treatment for public patients. It was...

Written Answers — Health Insurance: Health Insurance (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Harney: I decided last June not to commence risk equalisation transfers, having considered the recommendation of the Health Insurance Authority and the subsequent representations made by health insurance undertakings. This also allows time for further corroboration of observed trends in the market. I am due to receive the authority's fourth report by the end of this month. The VHI has made a number...

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 122 and 150 together. There has been no alteration to Government policy on employment ceilings in the public sector, including the health service. Employment levels for the health service have been adjusted since 2002 in line with Government policy on public sector employment and also to take account of specific policy measures aimed at increasing service...

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Harney: An Agreed Programme for Government includes a commitment to expand public hospital beds in line with the health strategy commitment to increase total acute hospital bed capacity by 3,000 by 2011. Substantial investment in additional bed capacity in acute hospitals has already taken place. Funding has been provided to open an additional 900 inpatient beds/day places in public acute hospitals...

Written Answers — General Practitioner Services: General Practitioner Services (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Harney: The Health Service Executive's primary care re-imbursement service — formerly the General Medical Services Payments Board — annual report for 2004 indicates there were 2,210 general practitioners providing services in the general medical service and other community based schemes in that year, up from 2,181 for the previous year. On the issue of future manpower requirements for general...

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 128 and 133 together. This Government is committed to exploring fully the scope for the private sector to provide additional capacity. The health strategy recognises that additional capacity will be provided in the future by a combination of public and private providers. In July this year, my Department issued a policy direction to the Health Service Executive...

Written Answers — Accident and Emergency Services: Accident and Emergency Services (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Harney: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the parliamentary affairs division of the executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Cancer Screening Programme: Cancer Screening Programme (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Harney: I am committed to the national roll out of the cervical screening programme in line with international best practice. A pilot cervical screening programme commenced in October 2000 and is available to eligible women resident in counties Limerick, Clare and Tipperary North. An international expert examined the feasibility and implications of a national roll out of a cervical screening...

Written Answers — Fluoridation of Water: Fluoridation of Water (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Harney: The study referred to by the Deputy is, in fact, an unpublished student dissertation. It is not possible to comment on unpublished research. However, I am informed that a number of peer reviewed published studies have shown no evidence of a link between water fluoridation and cancer. The Irish expert body on fluorides and health held its inaugural meeting in April 2004. The terms of reference...

Written Answers — General Practitioner Services: General Practitioner Services (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 132 and 170 together. The Deputies' questions relate to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive, HSE, under the Health Act 2004. The terms of the current general medical service GP contracts which are held with the HSE require GPs to provide services for 40 hours each week...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Harney: The national health strategy, Quality and Fairness — A Health System for You, sets out this Government's vision for the development of health and personal social services into the future. The strategy sets out the key objectives for the health system: better health for everyone; fair access; responsive and appropriate care delivery; high performance. To achieve these objectives it is...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 136 and 199 together. In 1995 a steering group composed of representatives of the health boards was formed to modernise and reform payroll and personnel systems. In 1997, the CEO group sought funding from the Department of Health and Children to support work on the project and to proceed with the implementation of a new system. In 1998, a sum of £7 million...

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 138 and 211 together. The health strategy identified a requirement for additional capacity throughout the health system and a need to reconfigure services to achieve maximum efficiency and effectiveness. The concerns about capacity and the configuration of services underline the need for ongoing investment, expansion of acute hospital services and substantial...

Written Answers — Services for People with Disabilities: Services for People with Disabilities (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Harney: I believe the Deputy is referring to the services which will be put in place as a result of the multi-annual investment programme announced as part of the national disability strategy, which includes the Disability Act 2005. The multi-annual investment programme is being introduced to support the development of high priority disability services over the period 2006-09. The cumulative...

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Harney: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the parliamentary affairs division of the executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Harney: Representatives from my Department and the Health Service Executive made a number of site visits to St. Bricin's Military Hospital to review the facilities and to consider the feasibility of the hospital being utilised for public health purposes. Following detailed consideration, the view was that St. Bricin's was not suitable for use as an acute or sub-acute facility. I visited the hospital...

Written Answers — Fluoridation of Water: Fluoridation of Water (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Harney: The forum on fluoridation considered Professor Connett's document, entitled "50 reasons to oppose fluoride". The forum undertook to respond to the document but the report of the forum was finalised before it had time to respond. My Department agreed, at the request of the forum, to commission the Oral Health Services Research Centre in Cork to compile a response to Professor Connett's "50...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Harney: My Department is aware that in 2004 some 32,000 patients were readmitted to hospitals within one week of discharge. This figure is derived from the hospital in-patient enquiry, HIPE, system which gives details of activity in all publicly funded acute hospitals in the State. HIPE data only allow the identification of a readmission if it is to the same hospital as the original admission. The...

Written Answers — Infectious Diseases: Infectious Diseases (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Harney: Methicillin-resistant staph aureus, MRSA, can exist without affecting people's health and information on the prevalence of such asymptomatic carriage is not routinely reported. For the purposes of the surveillance, prevention and control of this infection, however, the health protection surveillance centre collects data on MRSA bacteraemia, also known as bloodstream infection or "blood...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (18 Oct 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 154 and 189 together. I am, of course, aware of the concerns that have been expressed about the Mater Hospital and the trial of an anti-cancer drug. Officials in my Department have written to the chairperson of the Mater Hospital ethics committee in regard to this matter and I will review the position when his reply is received. The European Communities...