Results 23,861-23,880 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Health: Obesity Strategy (26 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will be aware, I prioritised the development of an Obesity Policy and Action Plan under the Healthy Ireland Framework as major project for 2015. I am pleased to say that the Obesity Policy and Action Plan is now at an advanced stage, and I hope to be in a position to present it to Government in the near future.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Maternity Services (26 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: It is expected that the Strategy will be finalised later this year. The new National Maternity Strategy will put the needs of mothers and babies at its centre and seek to ensure that women have appropriate and informed choice and access to the right level of safe care and support 24 hours a day.

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Cancer Strategy Publication (26 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: A National Cancer Strategy Steering Group is working on the development of a draft Cancer Strategy for 2016-2025. The draft Strategy will be submitted to me for consideration by the end of the year with a view to publication early in 2016.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (26 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I wish to thank the Deputy for the matter raised. Given that this is an operational matter, it is appropriate that it should be dealt with by the NMBI. I have referred the Deputy's question to the NMBI for attention and direct reply. If you have not received a reply from the NMBI within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (26 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual. The National...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (26 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Additional funding of €16.9m (€8.9m revenue and €8m capital) was provided in July to support acute hospitals over the winter period. This ‘winter capacity’ funding is being applied to a range of initiatives including additional bed capacity. In preparation for the 2015/16 winter period, hospital groups have provided comprehensive winter resilience plans to...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: As members are aware from the Second Stage debate, the main purpose of the Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2015 is to specify the amount of premium to be paid from the risk equalisation fund in respect of age, gender and level of cover from 1 March 2016 and to revise the stamp duty levy required to fund the risk equalisation credits for 2016. The Bill will set credits for the 60 to 64 age...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy for submitting the amendment. Section 7A of the principal Act refers to premiums which may be charged under health insurance contracts in certain circumstances and provides the legal basis for Statutory Instrument No. 312 of 2014 which allows for late entry loadings. Under lifetime community rating, late entry loadings apply and policies written after 1 May 2015 where the...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The proposal the Deputy is making has a lot of merit and it is what is done in Australia, for example. However, it is obviously not necessary that we do it now because nobody has been paying the loading for a year, never mind ten years. I would like to review the Act in 2017, when it has been proposed to do that. There are quite a number of reasons people are taking out health insurance,...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The Stamp Duties Consolidation Act 1999 sets out the provisions for the payment of stamp duties in Ireland. Section 125A of that Act provides for a levy payable by insurers on each health insurance policy written by them. The amount of this levy is reviewed annually and section 6 of the Bill amends section 125A of the Stamp Duties Consolidation Act by specifying the applicable stamp duty...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy knows, there are something like 340 different policies. The non-advanced ones have a very basic level of cover, usually only apply to existing public hospitals and cover no more than 66% of hospital charges. The advanced plans go further. The key difference is that the amount of stamp duty is higher for an advanced policy. The vast majority of people have advanced policies.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: This issue comes up. There are few things in the mix. We always have to be aware of competition legislation. This is a private industry and it is also a financial services industry. The Competition Authority, Central Bank and Health Insurance Authority all have a role. There is confusion given there are 300 or 400 plans. Some have an excess; some do not. People like the fact that they...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Yes. My health insurance policy covers maternity. The reason it does is community rating. The rating is designed to spread the burden of the cost across society and if it did not include maternity cover, then women would pay more for health insurance than men. We could do that but it would not be fair. That is one of the benefits that should be covered across society. The reverse could...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Beds Data (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Additional funding of €117m has been provided in 2015 to relieve pressures on acute hospitals. This includes €18 million to support the acute hospital system over the winter period by providing additional bed capacity and other initiatives to support access to care. In preparation for the 2015/16 winter period, a total of 129 hospital beds which had been closed for...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Qualifications (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 167 and 173 together. I expect that the Physiotherapists Registration Board will soon make the necessary bye-laws under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 to allow it to establish its register early next year. On this basis, the title of physiotherapist will be protected for the exclusive use of the board's registrants when the register's 2 year...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Facilities (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Cross-Border Health Initiatives (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The EU Directive 2011/24/EU on Patients’ Rights in Cross Border Healthcare aims to ensure EU citizens may access safe and good quality healthcare across EU borders. Under the Directive, known as the Cross Border Healthcare Directive (CBD), insured patients are entitled to have costs of cross-border healthcare reimbursed if the healthcare in question is among the benefits to which they...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Procedures (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Ambulance Service Response Times (25 Nov 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Firstly I would like to express my sympathy to the family of the person concerned. The Government is committed to the improvement of our ambulance services. A significant reform programme is underway to reconfigure the way pre-hospital care services are managed and delivered. To this end, the NAS received an increase of €5.4m in funding in 2015, to improve technology and clinical...