Results 23,501-23,520 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (10 Feb 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 the provision of services at Mallow General Hospital. Accordingly, my Department has requested the chief...

Written Answers — Care of the Elderly: Care of the Elderly (10 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to answer Questions Nos. 56 and 70 together. As the Deputy may be aware, home care grant schemes have been piloted by the Health Services Executive in a number of areas. These schemes have been targeted at supporting older people at home in the community as an alternative to long-term residential care. Older people who are being discharged from the acute hospital system and those...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (10 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to answer Questions Nos. 57 and 86 together. The Government is committed to making the full range of cancer services available and accessible to cancer patients throughout Ireland. To this end, we will provide considerable investment in cancer services in the coming years. I recognise the importance of further developing regional oncology services consistent with best patient...

Written Answers — Nursing Home Subventions: Nursing Home Subventions (10 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: The position is that, following legal advice from the Attorney General on the matter, my Department instructed health boards on 9 December 2004 to cease imposing any financial charges from that date on fully eligible people in receipt of public long stay inpatient services. With effect from 1 January 2005, under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive has responsibility for the...

Written Answers — Private Health Care: Private Health Care (10 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: I believe the private sector has a significant part to play in contributing to the provision of additional capacity in the acute hospitals system. My Department is in the process of developing an overall policy framework on the provision of private facilities on public hospital sites. This will identify the policy issues which need to be addressed and the key criteria to be applied in...

Written Answers — Medicinal Products: Medicinal Products (10 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: The Irish Medicines Board is the competent authority for the regulation of medicinal products in Ireland. The IMB assesses, on an ongoing basis, the quality, safety and efficacy of medicinal products. I am advised by the board that this product has not been withdrawn in the United States but is undergoing review there. A similar review was undertaken by the European Medicines Agency which...

Written Answers — Pilot Programmes: Pilot Programmes (10 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: It has not been possible to provide the details required by the Deputy within the time available. The information is currently being collated in respect of the ongoing pilot programmes with which my Department has a direct involvement. As the question covers ongoing pilot programmes across the health services it has also been referred to the Health Service Executive, HSE. The HSE will respond...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (10 Feb 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 orthodontic services. The chief officers of the HSE areas have informed my Department of the...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (10 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: The national cancer forum is currently finalising a new national cancer strategy which is expected to be completed in the spring. The national cancer 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...

Written Answers — Health Reform Programme: Health Reform Programme (10 Feb 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 Staff: Hospital Staff (10 Feb 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 the provision of services at Waterford Regional Hospital. Accordingly, my Department has requested the...

Written Answers — National Health Strategy: National Health Strategy (10 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: The health strategy contains a commitment that over ten years a total of 3,000 acute beds will be added to the system. In this context, funding has already been provided for an additional 900 beds in acute hospitals throughout the country, 700 of which were in place at the end of January 2005. It is envisaged that the remaining 200 beds will open before the end of 2005. There has been no...

Written Answers — Organ Retention: Organ Retention (10 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 77 and 124 together. On 1 September 2004, the Government decided that the post mortem inquiry should furnish its final report not later than 31 March 2005 and that the inquiry would then cease to exist. The chairman of the inquiry has been so advised and I expect her final report on or before that date. The chairman had indicated to me that she would provide...

Written Answers — Medicinal Products: Medicinal Products (10 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: The most recent figures available show that in 2003, the total cost of antihistamines prescribed under the general medical services, drug payment scheme and long-term illness scheme was €2,338,784. Figures are not available for the sale of non-prescription, "over the counter" antihistamines. Antihistamines are a well recognised, safe and effective treatment for a wide variety of allergic...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (10 Feb 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 infection control measures in hospitals. Accordingly, my Department has requested the interim chief...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (10 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 81 and 91 together. The inquiry referred to by the Deputies is ongoing and, subject to legal advice, it is my intention to publish the report of the inquiry when it comes to hand. I have received proposals from Patient Focus, the group that represents former patients of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, requesting the establishment of a redress board. I intend to...

Written Answers — Hospital Staff: Hospital Staff (10 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: I am keeping in close contact with the IHCA and the IMO regarding recent developments. I am available to meet them as and when required.

Written Answers — Hospital Staff: Hospital Staff (10 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: The question of who is responsible for settling claims against consultants arising from events, which occurred prior to the establishment of the clinical indemnity scheme, is, in the first instance, one for consultants and their defence bodies. Consultants paid substantial subscriptions to the Medical Defence Union, MDU, over many years. The primary purpose of joining the MDU was to secure...

Written Answers — Medicinal Products: Medicinal Products (10 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: A national working group was established in May 2003 to advise on future measures for strengthening the regulatory environment for complementary therapists and is expected to report in 2005. I will review the position in the light of the recommendations of this report. In the meantime it is, of course, the personal responsibility of every individual practitioner providing health care services...

Written Answers — Health Insurance: Health Insurance (10 Feb 2005)

Mary Harney: It is estimated that the total percentage increase in VHI premiums for its core products since 1997 is 96%. Officials in the Department of Health and Children have estimated that the recently announced increase in the cost of private beds in public hospitals will result in an increase in health insurance premiums of approximately 5%. In the interests of equity, the Government has a policy of...