Results 22,301-22,320 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 106 and 178 together. My Department carried out a detailed study of acute hospital bed requirements up to 2011, and published Acute Hospitals Bed Capacity — a National Review in January 2002. The study examined current bed capacity and activity in acute hospitals and developed a framework for estimating future acute hospital capacity requirements. The study...

Written Answers — Community Care: Community Care (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: Work has been under way in my Department on the proposal to deliver 850 community nursing unit beds through a public private partnership, or PPP, and the work that has been done so far has helped to clarify several issues. My Department has been examining other procurement options with a view to finding the approach that will deliver the best services and value for money to the Exchequer. In...

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: The 2005 employment ceiling for the health service is currently 97,550 in whole-time equivalent terms. Below that national ceiling, there is no specific cap on the number of medical personnel who may be employed. Under the Health Act 2004, responsibility for the management of the health sector employment ceiling rests with the Health Service Executive, which took over full operational...

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: The Health and Safety Authority recommended that the Health Service Executive determine, on a hospital-by-hospital basis after undertaking the necessary risk assessment and staff consultation, whether extra capacity can be achieved within existing units. The National Hospitals Office has asked hospital managers to examine the potential for using the total hospital capacity, including...

Written Answers — Hospital Staff: Hospital Staff (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: As the Deputy will be aware, it is over 12 months since preliminary talks were held between management and the medical organisations to discuss the commencement of negotiations on a new contract for hospital consultants. Unfortunately, the opposition of those organisations to the extension of the clinical indemnity scheme to cover claims against consultants has led to a decision by the Irish...

Written Answers — Water Fluoridation: Water Fluoridation (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: The statutory basis for the fluoridation of public piped water supplies is the Health (Fluoridation of Water Supplies) Act 1960, 46 of 1960, and various regulations made under the Act. The Act provides for the making by health authorities of arrangements for the fluoridation of water supplied by sanitary authorities through pipes. The Act also provides that the amount of fluorine added to a...

Written Answers — Cancer Screening Programme: Cancer Screening Programme (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 114, 142, 166 and 169 together. I am confident the target date of 2007 for the commencement of the rollout of BreastCheck to the west, north west, south and south west will be met. The national roll-out of the programme is a major priority in the development of cancer services. This will ensure all women in the relevant age group of 50 to 64 years in every...

Written Answers — Accident and Emergency Services: Accident and Emergency Services (11 May 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. Accordingly, my Department has requested the chief executive officer of the Health Service Executive to reply to the Deputy directly.

Written Answers — Health Capital Programme: Health Capital Programme (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 118 and 143 together. The Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, established on 1 January 2005, to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. This includes responsibility for progressing the bulk of the health capital programme in 2005 and in future years. The HSE service plan for 2005...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: The national service plan is the first such plan to be submitted to a Minister for Health and Children under section 31 of the Health Act 2004. The plan covers all the main programmes of care and treatment of the health services and sets down projected activity levels for those programmes. The plan also describes the objectives of the programmes and the actions to achieve these objectives. It...

Written Answers — Health Service Reform: Health Service Reform (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 121 and 130 together. The report of the national task force on medical staffing is 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 EU working time directive. It...

Written Answers — Hospital Waiting Lists: Hospital Waiting Lists (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: Responsibility for the collection and reporting of waiting lists and waiting times now falls within the remit of the national treatment purchase fund, NTPF. A new on-line national patient treatment register is being developed by the fund. This register will allow for more accurate identification of waiting lists and, more importantly, waiting times. It is intended the register will be...

Written Answers — Ambulance Service: Ambulance Service (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: 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 the provision of ambulance services. Accordingly, my Department has requested the chief officer for...

Written Answers — National Cancer Strategy: National Cancer Strategy (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: The National Cancer Forum is finalising the new national cancer strategy. The forum, a multidisciplinary group of experts in cancer care, has conducted an extensive consultation process with professional bodies, voluntary organisations and the general public. In developing an organisational model for the delivery of cancer treatment services, the forum's considerations have been informed by...

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: The possibility of utilising facilities at St. Bricin's Hospital to ease the pressure on accident and emergency departments in Dublin, and in particular at the Mater Hospital, was examined by the Northern Area Health Board some years ago. At that time, the facility was found to be unsuitable as a consequence of the considerable capital investment that would be required. I recently asked that...

Written Answers — Pharmacy Regulation: Pharmacy Regulation (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: The pharmacy review group submitted its report on 31 January 2003 and it was published in February 2004. I have given the complex issues raised in the report careful consideration and I have had a memorandum for Government prepared. This memorandum outlines my plans to consolidate and update the existing legislation to provide for the safe and effective delivery of pharmaceutical services to...

Written Answers — Health Expenditure: Health Expenditure (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: The latest information available from the OECD database, as set out in the following table, shows total health expenditure per capita in Ireland in 2002 to be US$2,367 — purchasing power parity, PPP. This places Ireland eighth among the EU 15 and above the EU 15 average per capita spending of US$2,326 — PPP. The OECD database also enables comparison of 19 EU countries — EU 15 plus Czech...

Written Answers — Cancer Screening Programme: Cancer Screening Programme (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 131 and 138 together. I am committed to the national rollout of a cervical screening programme in line with international best practice. International evidence demonstrates the proven efficacy of programmes that are effectively managed and meet quality assurance standards. Careful planning and consultation with relevant professional and advocacy stakeholders...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: The Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, which was established on 1 January 2005. Under the Act, Comhairle na nOspidéal was dissolved on the day the Health Service Executive was established and the functions of Comhairle have been transferred to the Health Service Executive. My Department has, therefore, requested the interim chief executive of the Health Service...

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (11 May 2005)

Mary Harney: On foot of the commitment in the health strategy, funding has been provided to open an additional 900 inpatient beds and day places in acute hospitals. Health agencies have informed my Department that at the 6 May 2005, 780 beds were in place. The Health Service Executive has informed my Department that the remaining 120 beds-places will come on stream during 2005. My Department will provide...