Results 201-220 of 24,567 for speaker:Róisín Shortall

Written Answers — Department of Health: Home Care Packages (15 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: 653. To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons on a waiting list for homecare packages; the number of persons experiencing delayed discharge from hospital due to a delay accessing homecare; and the waiting lists for homecare packages, by CHO and LHO, in tabular form. [41323/24]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Departmental Funding (15 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: 665. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide information on the resource allocation and spending to date by his Department on social inclusion groups, including allocation by care group area, outlining where that spend is directed, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41398/24]

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: Apologies for being late, but I was speaking on the statements on mental health and it was an unfortunate clash. Regarding smoking cessation supports, over the last two years this committee has dealt a lot with vaping and smoking. We urge the Minister to accelerate the production of the legislation to deal with the flavours and disposable vapes which we called for at this committee over...

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: We are getting mixed messages on this issue, at the very least, and also mixed objectives. The Minister said there is emerging evidence of harm to adults from vaping. I have not seen that evidence. It would be interesting to see it. However, such evidence is relative. Is it indicating that vaping is more dangerous than smoking to adult smokers?

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: If vaping is less dangerous than smoking, we should be encouraging people to vape in an attempt to get off cigarettes. We have talked about the importance of ensuring nicotine chewing gum remains affordable because it is an important tool in giving up cigarettes. Why would the Minister for Finance interfere in what is, in essence, a public health matter? It sounds a bit like the Government...

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: Does the Minister see no role for vaping in smoking cessation? I have never previously heard this theory. Is that what he is saying?

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: That is fine but why is the Minister discouraging vaping for smokers if, as he said, smoking is far more damaging than vaping?

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: That does not make sense in the real world. Is any other country taking this approach? It would be great if nobody smoked but the reality, unfortunately, is that lots of people still smoke and it does them damage. The Minister is saying that we know anecdotally that smokers who use vaping as a means of ceasing smoking, or at least reducing it, find it very beneficial. Is that something to...

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: That is in an ideal world. Presumably, the public health view is not really to move from smoking to nicotine replacement; it is to stop smoking.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: However, that is not easy to do.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: That is overly purist. I do not understand that approach.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: My reason for raising this matter here today is that it is the only opportunity to hear from the Minister about his thinking. This measure will come in with the Finance Bill on Wednesday, as it is a provision of that Bill.

Select Committee on Health: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: Is there any chance the Minister could send us a note on the rationale for it?

Select Committee on Health: Business of Select Committee (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: Thursday, at 5.30 p.m. might be too late.

Select Committee on Health: Business of Select Committee (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: That is three weeks in a row.

World Mental Health Day: Statements (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: I welcome this opportunity for statements on mental health to mark mental health week. This session is overlapping in a health committee meeting where we are dealing with legislation so I am afraid I will have to leave after I speak and I will not be able to stay for the Minister of State's wrap-up.

World Mental Health Day: Statements (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: For too long, mental health difficulties were seen as a personal failure and something to hide or be ashamed of. I think we are all familiar with those days, which I hope are becoming more distant. While that damaging misconception is changing, which is a welcome development, underlying stigma persists, particularly self-stigma. Last December, St. Patrick's annual attitudes survey found...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: Yes, I am in my office in Agriculture House.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: I welcome the witnesses to the session. I want to stick with the issue of accountability. The apparent lack of accountability across senior levels within the public service and the Civil Service is something that drives the public mad. We see on a regular basis that there are rarely consequences involved when things go wrong for the senior people who may not have been doing their job...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: Okay-----