Results 2,621-2,640 of 26,844 for speaker:David Cullinane

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (27 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: I need to move on to other questions. I am happy with those responses anyway. I refer to the increase of GP visit cards, which is something I also welcomed and called for last year. I was happy to see that progressed eventually, particularly for the six- and seven-year-olds, for which we were waiting for some time. I also agree on not going further in that space this year, so we did not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (27 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: That is great. Is Mr. Gloster in a position to tell us what the projected cost overrun will be by year end? A number of us asked the junior Minister in the Chamber last week but we could not get the figure. The most recent estimate up to the end of July was €700 million. There has to be some projection. Does Mr. Gloster have a figure today?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (27 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: We have a note on that. My question is if we have a projected figure for year end, either from the Department, the HSE or both.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (27 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: Will there be a need for a Revised Estimate?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (27 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: That is important and I will tell Mr. Gloster why. I got this under a freedom of information request. It is the minutes of the ministerial briefing from 23 March 2023. This is more for Mr. Watt because it talks about the national service plan, NSP, which we depend on, by the way, to ensure that it is accurate and all the information is provided. We need to understand what is happening in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (27 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: It is unacceptable that pressure would be exerted on the HSE to amend the national service plan to not make reference to the level of financial risk.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (27 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: That is what it says - "To remove reference to potential funding shortfall". "To remove" - that is what it is written in these notes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (27 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: No. It also states "or requirement for a supplementary [Estimate]". Mr. Watt is dancing on the head of a pin here.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (27 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: Heads are rolling in here today.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (27 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: Maybe Mr. Gloster will respond to the issues raised by Deputy Durkan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (27 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: I will be very brief. I will not be taking ten minutes, only two or three minutes. I want to get clarity on the cost overrun. I listened to what Mr. Gloster said. He said there are three elements to it. One is health inflation running at between 17% and 20%. There is the rising pay, demographics and all of those issues, and there is also the additional demand, which Mr. Gloster has said...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (27 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: The existing levels of service, ELS, for next year could also require an additional €1 billion, so we could be talking about the need for €2.4 billion in additional expenditure to be provided to health, even before any new measures are funded. Would that be right?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (27 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: But it could be in that space.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (27 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: I have one final question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (27 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: Have we underfunded ELS for the last number of years? Is that part of the problem?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (27 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: That answers my questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Update on Sláintecare Reforms (27 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: I will come back on a second round. To say I am not happy with the Secretary General's response is an understatement. It is also quite mind-blowing that it is a figure of €1.1 billion. That is a huge amount of money for an overspend that will now have to be found. I assume it will have to go into the base now in health and that will cause problems for everybody. I will come back...

Children's Health Ireland - Patient safety concerns and reviews in paediatric orthopaedic surgical services: Statements, Questions and Answers (26 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: In the Minister's opening statement he said that in November 2022, his Department was notified that two serious patient safety incidents had occurred in Temple Street hospital and that he was informed around that time, some time in November. In the CHI report, which was prepared for 8 August this year and which is a composite of a number of reports, it states that in July and September two...

Children's Health Ireland - Patient safety concerns and reviews in paediatric orthopaedic surgical services: Statements, Questions and Answers (26 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: I accept that but the point is that if it was the case that in July, CHI first became aware but it was not until November that the Minister and the Department became aware, that is serious. When the Minister became aware in November of these two incidents and other related issues, did he inform the Taoiseach at that point?

Children's Health Ireland - Patient safety concerns and reviews in paediatric orthopaedic surgical services: Statements, Questions and Answers (26 Sep 2023)

David Cullinane: When did the Minister inform the Taoiseach?