Results 27,601-27,620 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Topical Issue Debate (Resumed): National Cancer Strategy Implementation (17 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: There are proposals for major capital developments at Sligo Regional Hospital in the coming years. As such I expect that at some point I will be meeting with the hospital group and management at Sligo Regional Hospital. This development is in the mix for the next five year capital plan. By way of clarification, the powers delegated to the HSE are not delegated by the Department of Health...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (17 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Similar to other non-life insurance contracts, health insurance contracts generally have a duration of 12 months and the insurer cannot alter the terms and conditions of the contract during that period. Consumer protection measures in existing private health insurance legislation provide that insurers must notify the Health Insurance Authority, HIA, of variations to existing product benefits...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (17 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Senator may have raised the issue before. It relates to a specific procedure that was covered by health insurers and now it is not. I do not really understand how that pertains to this amendment. The nature of health insurance is that there is a minimum level of benefits that every package must cover, with anything beyond that a variable. Anybody who has tried to get health insurance...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (17 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Health Insurance Authority is the independent regulator of the health insurance market and performs a range of specialist functions, as set out in the Health Insurance Acts. These include monitoring the market, advising the Minister, operating and managing the risk equalisation fund, providing consumer information and maintaining registers. In carrying out its monitoring role, the...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (17 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Senator for his contribution. Community rating is a fundamental cornerstone of the Irish health insurance market. Everyone is charged the same premium if they have a particular health insurance plan, irrespective of age, gender, genetics or the current or likely future state of their health. This means that the price of health insurance for all persons reflects the principle of...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (17 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I wish to make two points. I do not have an entirely closed mind on this issue. It is something I would like to have examined for my own interest. My apologies-----

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (17 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: That is a Labour Relations Commission call so I am not going to answer it.

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (17 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Somebody must be agreeing some sort of deal. It is an issue on which I do not have an entirely closed mind. It is something to which I would like to give more consideration but there are two difficulties that arise. There is exactly the issue of insurance fraud, of somebody coming into hospital and the hospital discovering the person is obese and having to get back payments because the...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (17 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics, NCPE, carries out health technology assessments for pharmaceuticals in Ireland and aims to provide impartial advice to help decision-makers provide the most effective, safe and value for money treatments for patients. In Ireland, once a product is licensed for use in the public health system, the relevant company can make an application for...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (17 Dec 2014)

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: Hospital Appointment Delays (17 Dec 2014)

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: Hospital Appointment Delays (17 Dec 2014)

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: Hospital Appointments Administration (17 Dec 2014)

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 by the Deputy, as this...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Domestic Violence Policy (17 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Minister for Justice and Equality intends to sign, subject to ratification, the Istanbul Convention next year. Health Service matters arising in respect of the Convention are a matter for the Health Service Executive and Tusla, the Child and Family Agency.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointment Status (17 Dec 2014)

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: Alcohol Pricing (17 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Government has approved an extensive package of measures to deal with alcohol misuse to be incorporated in a Public Health (Alcohol) Bill. These measures are based on the recommendations contained in the Steering Group Report on a National Substance Misuse Strategy, 2012. The package of measures to be implemented will include provision for minimum unit pricing, regulation of the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Departmental Meetings (17 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I am happy to have this meeting brought forward if a mutually agreeable date can be found in January 2015. My office will be in touch with the persons mentioned in order to try to identify a suitable date.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Staff (17 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) have informed me that they advise all overseas applicants on the website at the following link: that each application received is assessed on an individual basis and therefore NMBI does not pre-determine the outcome of any application until a full review is carried out on same. Applications received from nurses/midwives who undertook their...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointment Status (17 Dec 2014)

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: National Lottery Funding Disbursement (17 Dec 2014)

Leo Varadkar: My Department administers a National Lottery Discretionary Fund from which once-off grants are paid to community and voluntary organisations, providing a range of health related services. If an organisation wishes to make an application for National Lottery Funding they should send in a formal application. Detailed procedures along with the application form are set out on the Department's...