Results 25,101-25,120 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Universal Health Insurance (9 Jul 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The fundamental question is whether the health services are adequately funded. No matter what the system, if the funding and staffing levels are inadequate, then it will not be a good health service. The second thing is to ensure that money is spent well. This comes from activity-based funding. We are very much pushing ahead with activity-based funding to ensure that money follows the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Universal Health Insurance (9 Jul 2015)

Leo Varadkar: All those things need to be determined. We also have to get other things right first; things which have not been got right.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Surgical Symphysiotomy Payment Scheme (9 Jul 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The surgical symphysiotomy payment scheme commenced on 10 November 2014. It was estimated that 350 women would apply to the scheme, but in fact 577 applications have been accepted. The applications are being assessed by former High Court judge Ms Justice Maureen Harding Clark. Contrary to the Deputy's assertion, the scheme has brought about an end to years of uncertainty and costs for...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Universal Health Insurance (9 Jul 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The Government is committed to a major programme of reform for the health service, the aim of which is to deliver a single-tier health service where access is based on need and not income. The White Paper on universal health insurance was published on 2 April 2014. Following its publication, a major costing exercise involving the Department of Health, the ESRI and others was initiated to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mental Health Services Provision (9 Jul 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I understand the Deputy's question relates to a specific case and that the child in question is being cared for by the appropriate services. The HSE Mental Health Division supports timely access to appropriate services to address the mental health needs of all children from a preventative care model and early intervention perspective. It should be noted, however, that mental health...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (9 Jul 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Improving waiting lists for scheduled care is a key priority for Government. In January I put in place maximum permissible waiting times for inpatient and day case treatment and outpatient appointments of 18 months by 30 June and 15 months by year end. As of 30 June, the HSE is reporting a 99.6% achievement against the maximum permissible waiting time for inpatient and day case treatment and...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Tax Yield (9 Jul 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I have consulted with my colleague the Minister of Finance on this matter and he has advised me that he is generally not in favour of the hypothecation of tax revenue, as it reduces the flexibility of the Government to prioritise and allocate funds as necessary at a particular time. He further advised that taxation and expenditure decisions should be driven by their overall effectiveness...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing Staff Provision (9 Jul 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The Emergency Department Task Force that reported earlier this year identified a number of factors that contributed to the increase in overcrowding at accident and emergency departments in 2014, including growth in delayed discharges, difficulties in attracting and retaining senior clinical decision makers and long average length of stay due to an increase in very elderly patients. Challenges...

Written Answers — Department of Health: HSE Expenditure (9 Jul 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Payment in respect of “twilight shift”, from 8pm until end of shift, commenced in a number of locations in the Intellectual Disability Sector since Jan 1 2015. These include Brothers of Charity Galway, Brothers of Charity Roscommon, Ability West and KARE. The process of commencing such payments is also underway in Brothers of Charity Waterford. The issue of retrospective...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Maternal Mortality (9 Jul 2015)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy will be aware the issue of inquests into maternal deaths is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality and I understand that the Deputy was advised of the procedures in relation to Coroner's Inquests in a response to a recent Parliamentary Question put to my colleague. My officials have not had any discussions with the Department of Justice and Equality...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (9 Jul 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The HSE has advised that due to consultant staff shortages, a number of rheumatology outpatient clinics in GUH are being postponed during the months of July and August 2015. New appointments will be rescheduled as soon as possible and urgent patients will continue to be seen. There are currently 3 consultants in Galway University Hospital, covering OPD clinics, a day ward service in...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing Staff Recruitment (9 Jul 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The background to this issue is that nurses who trained in a country outside of Ireland and wish to work in Ireland are required to apply to register as a nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). In assessing an applicant for registration, to protect the public, the NMBI seeks evidence from applicants of comparable standards of education and practice. The timeframe for...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing Staff Provision (9 Jul 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I wish to thank Deputy Moynihan for the question raised. The background to this issue is the current high level of nurse recruitment activity that includes the recruitment of nurses who trained in a country outside of Ireland. These positive recruitment initiatives, to attract nurses back into our Irish health system, are generating an increasing volume of nurse registration applications...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (9 Jul 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Improving waiting lists for scheduled care is a key priority for Government. In January, I put in place maximum permissible waiting times for inpatient and day case treatments and outpatient appointments of 18 months by 30 June and 15 months by year end. An initial assessment by the HSE indicated that 4,995 patients would require inpatient or day case treatment by the end of June 2015....

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Treatment Purchase Fund Waiting Times (9 Jul 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The NTPF reports are generated from data provided by hospitals regarding all patients on their waiting lists at a specific point in time. The figures reported by the NTPF as waiting over one year at 31 December 2013 were accurate as of that date. Only hospitals have the capacity to add patients to or to remove patients from waiting lists. The NTPF reports reflect objectively the numbers...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (9 Jul 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 Services (9 Jul 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The consultant who undertook pancreas transplants at Beaumont Hospital retired at the end of 2014. While Beaumont Hospital is making every effort to recruit a suitable replacement, the hospital is also collaborating with St Vincent’s University Hospital in relation to a combined approach to kidney/pancreas transplants. It is proposed that pancreas transplants, of which 6 were...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Procedures (9 Jul 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 Waiting Lists (9 Jul 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: Maternity Services (9 Jul 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Publication of the National Maternity Strategy is one of my priorities for 2015. The National Maternity Strategy Steering Group, which is advising on the strategy, has now met four times. I attended the most recent meeting of the Group and I am satisfied with the progress made to date. I was pleased to recently announce the relocation of two of the three Dublin maternity hospitals,...