Results 26,061-26,080 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Health: Alcohol Pricing (6 May 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The General Scheme of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill was approved by Government on the 3 February 2015. The Scheme includes provisions for minimum unit pricing, health labelling on products that contain alcohol, restrictions on the advertising and marketing of alcohol and the regulation of sports sponsorship. As part of the pre-legislative scrutiny process, the measures were debated by...

Written Answers — Department of Health: HSE Staffing (6 May 2015)

Leo Varadkar: As this is a service matter it 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 and they will follow up the matter with them.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Public Health Policy (6 May 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Policy responsibility with regard to planning and the legislative framework in relation to the siting of wind turbines rests with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. My Department provides advice from time to time when requested by the above mentioned Department. At this time, my Department is not aware of any reliable or consistent evidence that wind...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Insurance Cover (6 May 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Under the Health Insurance Act 1970, everyone who is ordinarily resident in Ireland qualifies for public hospital care. Notwithstanding this, 44% of the Irish population has private health insurance and many people opt to be treated privately. The private health insurers operate in a competitive market and are free to impose certain terms and conditions on their policies, providing...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Departmental Staff Recruitment (6 May 2015)

Leo Varadkar: There was a requirement to reduce public service numbers and maximise savings in the public service from the time of the downturn in the economy. The HSE introduced an embargo on recruitment in 2007, and this was followed by the moratorium on recruitment and promotion in the public sector in 2008. The HSE has had the capacity to recruit where it is necessary to deliver front-line services....

Topical Issue Debate: Medical Inquiries (30 Apr 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I do not have full information so I can only give the Deputies the information I have and I certainly will not withhold any information from them. I do not know the exact number of hospitals in which these three locums worked. That is being figured out at the moment. What I can say is that when it comes to the one locum associated with the one delayed diagnosis, all those cases have been...

Topical Issue Debate: Mental Health Services Provision (30 Apr 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I very much appreciate Deputy Farrell's point. I know Donabate well enough from my time on Fingal County Council alongside the Deputy some years ago. I understand people's concerns about heavy goods vehicles going through the village and the impact on the bridge during what is a very substantial construction period. I cannot interfere with the planning process that is before An Bord...

Topical Issue Debate: Medical Inquiries (30 Apr 2015)

Leo Varadkar: As I mentioned in a radio interview earlier today, I was first informed of this issue this morning and may not have all the information. Indeed, I am not sure anybody does have all the information. However, I certainly will provide whatever information I do have. As I understand, in 2013 and 2014 questions were raised by clinicians working in our acute hospitals regarding the work of...

Topical Issue Debate: Mental Health Services Provision (30 Apr 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Farrell for raising this issue for discussion. I am taking this debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, who is on Government business elsewhere. The Government has provided €125 million new ring-fenced funding since 2012 to develop and modernise mental health services in line with "A Vision for Change". Along with the need to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointment Status (30 Apr 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 (30 Apr 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: Health Insurance Prices (30 Apr 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The inclusion of maternity benefit in all health insurance products is a statutory requirement, as part of a legal obligation on health insurers to provide a specific minimum level of benefit in all health insurance products sold. Minimum benefit is one of the key principles on which the Irish private health insurance regulatory system is based. Minimum Benefit Regulations, made under the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointment Status (30 Apr 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: Health Insurance Cover (30 Apr 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Open Enrolment Regulations, made under the Health Insurance Acts, provide for maximum waiting periods for eligibility for payment under a health insurance contract in relation to first time entry to health insurance (initial) and for pre-existing conditions. As part of my commitment to supporting the sustainability of the Private Health Insurance market, on 2 March 2015, I signed into law...

Written Answers — Department of Health: HSE Expenditure (30 Apr 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy's question relates to service delivery matters and accordingly I have asked the HSE to respond directly to him. 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.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospitals Policy (30 Apr 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The HSE is the statutory body tasked with the responsibility for the delivery of health and personal social care services in Ireland. In discharging its public accountabilities, the HSE has in place a Governance Framework covering corporate, clinical and financial governance. In the context of the establishment of the Hospital Groups and Community Healthcare Organisations, the HSE is...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Disease Incidence (30 Apr 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The diagnosis of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is difficult as there are many features that need to be present along with a history of pre-natal alcohol intake. FASD can be misdiagnosed or unconfirmed. There is no national register of FASD, therefore the number of cases of FASD, Foetal Alcohol Syndrome and Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder in Ireland are unknown. This...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Research Regulation (30 Apr 2015)

Leo Varadkar: My Department recently nominated a representative to the PARERE Network (Preliminary Assessment of Regulatory Relevance) established under Article 47(5) of Directive 2010/63/EU. The PARERE Network is hosted by the European Union Reference Laboratory for Alternatives to Animal Testing (EURL ECVAM) and was established to expedite the process of regulatory acceptance of alternative methods. It...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Research Regulation (30 Apr 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I have been advised by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) that the development of alternative methods to animal research is an on-going activity. Along with other Member State competent authorities, the HPRA attends meetings with the EU Commission in relation to progress in this and other areas. Through their participation in these meetings and through the contacts they have...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Maternity Services (30 Apr 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I propose to take Questions Nos. 164 and 165 together. My Department is currently reviewing the recommendations made by KPMG (2008) in relation to the locations for the redevelopment of the Coombe and the Rotunda Hospitals. This review was necessitated by the decision to locate the new National Children’s Hospital at St James’s Hospital, and the consequent need to provide a...