Results 26,721-26,740 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Consultants Contract (4 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Over 70% of consultants in the public health service hold contracts that allow them engage in private practice, subject to specified limits, in addition to meeting a public commitment. Engagement with the consultants representative bodies will therefore be required before the roll out of Universal Health Insurance.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Programme for Government Initiatives (4 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The Government has embarked on a major reform programme for the health system, the aim of which is to deliver a single-tier health service, supported by universal health insurance, where access is based on need, not income. The White Paper on Universal Health Insurance (UHI) was published on 2 April 2014 and provides detailed information on the UHI model for Ireland. When I became Minister...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Universal Health Insurance (4 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The White Paper on Universal Health Insurance,which was published in April 2014, provides that under Universal Health Insurance everyone will have access to care based on need, not income. Each person will have a choice of health insurer and will be covered for a standard package of health services. The White Paper also sets out a process for determining the UHI standard package of health...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (4 Mar 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 with them.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (4 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The immunisation programme in Ireland is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). NIAC is a committee of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland comprising of experts in a number of specialties including infectious diseases, paediatrics and public health. The committee's recommendations are informed by public health advice, international best practice,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Consultants Contract (4 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: Consultant Contract 2008 provides that a common waiting list operated by the public hospital will apply to both public and private patients undergoing diagnostic investigations, tests and procedures (including radiology and laboratory procedures) on an out-patient basis in public hospitals (including referrals from General Practitioners).

Written Answers — Department of Health: Appointments to State Boards (4 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The information requested by the Deputy in relation to retired civil servants serving on boards is not readily available, but I will forward a detailed reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Topical Issue Debate: Accident and Emergency Department Waiting Times (3 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy may well believe he is not trying to make political capital out of a particular issue here-----

Topical Issue Debate: Accident and Emergency Department Waiting Times (3 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: -----but the issue he asked to raise is the overcrowding crisis in emergency departments, which is compromising patient dignity. He went on to raise a specific issue about an individual in a particular hospital, whose complaint relates to the poor care the patient received on a specialist geriatric ward, not in an emergency department.

Topical Issue Debate: Accident and Emergency Department Waiting Times (3 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I have been in contact with the chairman of Beaumont about that matter because it is an issue of public concern and it is always a matter of concern to me when I hear of complaints about how people are treated on wards or in emergency departments in our hospitals, even though the vast majority of people who do speak to me tell me they have a very good experience of our hospitals once they get...

Topical Issue Debate: Accident and Emergency Department Waiting Times (3 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The €25 million is not all spent but it is all fully employed and committed. When provision is made for an additional 300 fair deal spaces and 400 homecare packages, they do not get turned off at a certain point. They must be funded throughout the year. The €25 million is not all spent, but it will all be spent because we are not going to take away those fair deal spaces or...

Topical Issue Debate: Accident and Emergency Department Waiting Times (3 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: As I confirmed several weeks ago, when the HSE put in its bid for 2015 it requested an additional €1.4 billion, to solve pretty much all our problems in the health service, if one believes that money alone can solve all the problems in the service. I imagine other agencies, like the NRA or the Department of Education and Skills, also put in very high figures for what they would like...

Topical Issue Debate: Disease Awareness (3 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: It is fair to say there is greater and growing awareness among clinicians and doctors about Lyme disease. One of the difficulties is that there is not full consensus. I cannot speak for the medical profession; I am only here as Minister for Health and not as somebody speaking for the medical profession. However, I would like to refer from the National Institutes of Health in America, one...

Topical Issue Debate: Disease Awareness (3 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Deputy Neville for raising this topic. Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borelliosis, is an infection caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. It is transmitted to humans by bites from ticks infected with the bacterium. Lyme borelliosis was made a statutorily notifiable disease in Ireland by the Infectious Diseases (Amendment Regulations) Regulations 2011. There were 20 cases...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (3 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2014,has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (3 Mar 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 with them.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Staff (3 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: I have asked the HSE to look into this matter and to respond to the Deputy directly. 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: Hospital Appointment Delays (3 Mar 2015)

Leo Varadkar: The scheduling of appointments for patients is a matter for the hospital to which the patient has been referred. Should a patient's general practitioner consider that the patient's condition warrants an earlier appointment, he or she would be in the best position to take the matter up with the consultant and hospital involved. In relation to the specific case raised, as this is a service...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (3 Mar 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 with them.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (3 Mar 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 with them.