Results 26,381-26,400 of 46,081 for speaker:Simon Harris

Questions on Promised Legislation (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Martin Kenny. I will indeed take a look at it. The HSE is already looking at how it can streamline its recruitment process. It is worth saying, however, that despite the recruitment challenges, we have more doctors and nurses working in the health services this year than last year and had more last year than the year before. We are always looking at ways to further...

Questions on Promised Legislation (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Brassil for the calm manner in which he raises issues. This is an important matter and it is causing concern for many parents. The Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, is engaging with the HSE on this matter and I will ask him to provide the Deputy with an update directly.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I thank the Chairman and committee members for inviting me to attend today. I am joined by my ministerial colleague, the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health and older people, Deputy Jim Daly. I am also accompanied by Mr. Jim Breslin, Secretary General of the Department of Health. I would also like to welcome Mr. Dean Sullivan, deputy director general of the HSE, Mr....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: May I go first?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I think Deputy Kelly asked each of us the same two questions, both of which are important. The first question is whether I would be concerned that there could be other issues or scandals of which I have not been made aware. I am not aware of any others. I have put everything I have learned relating to this into the public domain as quickly as I received it and that is the way I intend to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: Is the scoping inquiry enough? No, absolutely not. It has been set up and is independent. We will leave Dr. Scally and Dr. Denton to their work. What I have heard from colleagues from all political parties and groupings and most importantly what I have heard from women who have been impacted by this was that they did not want us to hand this issue over to a commission or something that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I do not wish to detain people, but because some of the questions refer very much to policy, I should respond to them. The way to view National Cancer Registry Ireland is as a Central Statistics Office for cancer. It is meant to be the body that knows all about all types of cancer and the learnings that can be developed from that information. Deputy Alan Kelly referred to this issue and I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: It is and the facts need to be established very clearly as it is not satisfactory. The director general made an interesting point on the issue of HSE reform. The political system, in all of its party political guises, needs to make a few very key decisions quickly on the structures. We should use what has been an horrific situation for some good, for which I have heard people such as...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: Senator Mullen has asked some very important questions. The point I was trying to make in the article to which he referred is that the clinical audit related to people who had already been diagnosed with cervical cancer. That is the message we have been trying to communicate for the past two weeks. I did not want any woman watching these debates while sitting at home or in her workplace...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: Senator Dolan is correct that it is about creating an environment in which candour becomes the norm and the system not just legally but culturally realising the benefit of being honest and upfront with people. I yesterday heard Dr. Gabriel Scally talk of his experience of dealing with people who have been let down by a health service and what such people want. He has much experience of such...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I will start and I will ask Mr. Sullivan to come in on some bits. On the issue of confidence, I think everybody's confidence has been shaken over the last several weeks. How could it not have been? If the Deputy's question is whether, in my judgment, it is better that Mr. O'Brien serves out his remaining number of weeks and continues to do what we need him to do, to help get the answers, I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I am not going to discuss somebody's contract here, because I would not discuss the contract of employment of anybody, but I mean-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: The truth is what I have just said, that I believe that he is best placed to provide answers, help the scoping enquiry and help the process that CervicalCheck needs to undergo over the next few weeks. On the issue of the labs, Deputy Coppinger has been asking a lot of questions, and I am not suggesting that they are not important. They are important questions. The Deputy also made a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I see Mr. McCallion had to go back to CervicalCheck. What we can categorically say this morning is that all of the 209 or 208 women have been contacted. The director general said earlier that with eight women, there seems to be great difficulty in making contact. If someone has not been contacted now, and they are contactable, they are not one of the 201. However for all 3,000 women, that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I take Deputy Brassil's point on the last issue. As I tried to outline to the Dáil last night work has begun, through the Public Appointments Service, in identifying an executive search. My Department is in contact with the Public Appointments Service and I expect the advertisement to be placed very shortly. It will become apparent in due course that there has been a body of work to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I do not believe that advice was given by the HSE. It is advice that was given by the Chief Medical Officer, which was also advice given at this committee by the Chief Medical Officer. It was accepted by this committee in a report that was produced, and which the Taoiseach has referenced on the floor of the Dáil. I want to be very clear with the Senator that this issue was scrutinised...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: I do not mean to correct the Senator, but in the interests of fairness to everyone, it is the Department of Health and the Chief Medical Officer rather than the HSE.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: Not that I am aware of.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: Dr. Tony Holohan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (9 May 2018)

Simon Harris: No. He is in my Department.