Results 25,581-25,600 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Topical Issue Debate: General Practitioner Services (10 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I hear the Deputies' concerns and acknowledge their desire for further consultation. I understand that there is always anxiety when there is any change to health services, even where the change is for the better or results in a higher quality service. The HSE provides funding for out-of-hours services all over the country.

Topical Issue Debate: General Practitioner Services (10 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Deputy Doherty is eating into my time; I may not be able to answer all the questions the Deputies asked. I am familiar with the NowDoc service, having spent an evening providing it when I did my undergraduate GP training in Carndonagh a long time ago. It is a very good service. It is important to bear in mind that GPs are a scarce resource and their time must be used efficiently. It does...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Cross-Border Health Initiatives (10 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 125 to 127, inclusive, 152 and 153 together. The EU Directive on the application of patient’s rights in cross-border healthcare seeks to ensure a clear and transparent framework for the provision of cross-border healthcare within the EU and is designed to clarify patients' rights to access safe and good quality treatment across EU/EEA Member States. The...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (10 Jun 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. Therefore, 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 Accommodation Provision (10 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: As this is a service issue your question has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office who will follow up.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointment Status (10 Jun 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 scheduling...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointment Status (10 Jun 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 scheduling...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (10 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: As Minister for Health I am determined that waiting times for spinal services at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin must be addressed as a priority. Accordingly, funding was allocated in the HSE Service Plan for 2015 for the appointment of an orthopaedic surgeon, anaesthetist and support staff at Crumlin. This will maximise the use of available theatre sessions in the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Care Professionals (10 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The Health and Social Care Professionals Council and the registration boards being established under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 are responsible for protecting the public by promoting high standards of professional conduct and professional education, training and competence amongst the 14 professions designated under the Act. Play therapists are not currently...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Staff Recruitment (10 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Additional funding of almost €3m has been provided to the HSE’s Organ Donation & Transplant Office to facilitate the development of improved infrastructure to support organ donation and transplantation. The extra investment includes provision for the appointment of 19 whole-time-equivalent staff dedicated to organ donation and transplantation across the country. The...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Ambulance Service Provision (10 Jun 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: Departmental Expenditure (10 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The Department has had no expenditure for satellite imagery.

Draft Commission of Investigation (Certain matters concerning transactions entered into by IBRC) Order 2015: Motion (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate this evening and support the proposed terms of reference for the commission of investigation. I welcome it because it is also an opportunity to put some context on how we got this point. As we all know, the Government faced many difficulties when coming into office four years ago, the most serious of which was the perilous state of our public...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Accident and Emergency Services Provision (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Senator Whelan for raising this matter, which gives me an opportunity to update the House on our plans for the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise. I appreciate the Senator's support for the hospital through the years and his interest in the matter. I am committed to securing and further developing the role of Portlaoise hospital as a constituent hospital within the Dublin...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Accident and Emergency Services Provision (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: There are a few things to bear in mind. I know the Senator, and all the Senators, not just in Laois but in every constituency, would love me to be able to give a guaranteed, cast-iron commitment that services will remain on a 24 hours, seven days a week basis. That is not something I can give to anyone about any hospital in the country. Medicine changes over time and even when decisions...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Home Help Service (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Senator for raising this issue again and for his ongoing interest in the matter. It is a timely opportunity to update the House. The matter was considered by the parties at the recent public sector talks facilitated by the Labour Relations Commission at Lansdowne House. While there will always be a need for long-term residential care, older people consistently tell us that they...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Home Help Service (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: It is like many outstanding industrial relations issues in health and other sectors that were parked and truncated into the talks on the Lansdowne House agreement. Some were resolved and some were not resolved. For those that were not resolved, a process was agreed to resolve them in the next couple of months. I am confident that we will have a resolution or at least a decision on...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Organ Donation (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Senator Burke for raising this issue. I am pleased to inform the House that I introduced a scheme to reimburse the expenses of living donors on 12 November last year. The scheme provides for the reimbursement of loss of earnings incurred by living kidney donors and provides for the reimbursement of accommodation and travel expenses incurred as a direct result of kidney donation. A...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Organ Donation (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: To be honest, I am not familiar with the Norwegian figures. However, I know from the Irish Kidney Association that we are one of the few countries in the world which has more people who have had kidney transplants than the number of those who are on dialysis.In respect of kidney donations, we are in the top tier of countries in the western world. Transplants are carried out in three...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Aids and Appliances Provision (9 Jun 2015)

Leo Varadkar: As the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.