Results 28,561-28,580 of 40,330 for speaker:Leo Varadkar

Written Answers — Department of Health: Local Drugs Task Forces (1 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: There are fourteen Local Drug and Alcohol Task Forces - twelve in Dublin, one in Bray and another in Cork. 10 Regional Drug and Alcohol Task Forces cover the remainder of the country. The coordinator plays a pro-active role in driving the work of the Drug and Alcohol Task Force and managing its day-to-day operation. The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the coordinators...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Life Expectancy Data (1 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: Life expectancy for men and women at the level of geography requested by the Deputy is not available. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) produce official statistics on life expectancy but not at the level of electoral division. Further published information on life expectancy is available on the CSO's website, www.cso.ie.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Proposed Legislation (1 Oct 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: Health Services Staff (1 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: A new Nurses and Midwives Act was passed into legislation in 2011. The Act provides, inter alia, for the protection of the public in its dealings with nurses and midwives and the enhancement of their high standards of professional education and competencies. The Department of Health is responsible for oversight of the governance of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). The...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (1 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: In relation to the particular patient query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to him directly.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Staff Remuneration (1 Oct 2014)

Leo Varadkar: As provided for in the Haddington Road Agreement the rate of pay for participants in the Graduate Nurse Programme is 85% of the first point of the January 2011 staff nurse scale in the first year progressing to 90% in year two of participation. These rates apply to graduate mental health nurses and general nurses. As the pay of mental health staff nurses is slightly higher than general staff...

Topical Issue Debate: Maternity Services (30 Sep 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I do not want to get into the Philomena Canning case. It may well be that Deputy Clare Daly does not know all of the facts either. When the HSE withdraws cover from somebody, it tends to do so for a reason, not at the whim of an official. Without knowing the reason for the withdrawal, we should confine our comments on the matter. I am probably closer to the Deputy on this issue than she...

Topical Issue Debate: Maternity Services (30 Sep 2014)

Leo Varadkar: On the matters raised by Deputy Billy Kelleher, I inform him of changes that have been made since 2010 when the case occurred. The national early warning score has been introduced to detect deteriorating cases; in the hospital in Sligo there is now a new structured hand-over meeting between medical staff when they move from one shift to another and there is an enhanced and updated admission...

Topical Issue Debate: Maternity Services (30 Sep 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputies for raising this important issue and allowing me to address the House on the matter. I offer my deepest condolences to Mr. Michael Kivlehan, his son, Dior, and their families on the sad and tragic loss of Dhara Kivlehan. I understand the HSE has offered sincere condolences and apologised to both families for the shortcomings in the management and care of Mrs. Kivlehan...

Seanad: Matters on the Adjournment: Nursing Home Services (30 Sep 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The Senator makes a very good point. I must admit I have never read the contract of a dietician so I am not sure what is in it. Many of them would be private to the individuals concerned. However, what would seem to me to be eminently logical is where a dietician is part of a primary care team or is employed within the community, that he or she would be available to go to nursing homes and...

Seanad: Matters on the Adjournment: Fire Service (30 Sep 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Senator Daly for raising this matter. I am responding to the debate on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly. It relates to the development of fire services in Ireland using the standards and norms in the policy document Keeping Communities Safe, KCS. It is a function of each individual fire authority, under the Fire Services...

Seanad: Matters on the Adjournment: Fire Service (30 Sep 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I am not fully sure, but what I am told is that it is an objective in KCS for each service to develop a new format fire and emergency operations plan. That is provided for in section 26 of the Fire Services Act. Proposed plans are then put forward for consideration and adoption by the relevant county council or city council. All services are developing section 26 plans, taking account of...

Seanad: Matters on the Adjournment: Nursing Home Services (30 Sep 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I thank Senator Burke for raising this important issue and for allowing me to address the matter. I am answering on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, who is responsible for social care. The HSE is responsible for the delivery of health and personal care services. The current health reform programme involves a major change process which will see a greater integration...

Other Questions: Hospital Waiting Lists (30 Sep 2014)

Leo Varadkar: There were many detailed questions about an individual hospital. I am afraid I do not have all that information to hand. As the Deputy mentioned, I had a ten-day limit for answering parliamentary questions in my previous Department and that will be introduced in my new Department, although the timeframe will probably be 14 days, not ten. However, if parliamentary questions are not answered...

Other Questions: Hospital Waiting Lists (30 Sep 2014)

Leo Varadkar: It is a guideline of the special delivery unit that people should be given appropriate outpatient appointment times. Sometimes everyone is told to turn up at 9 a.m. or 10 a.m., and that is not acceptable. I invited all the hospital managers to meet me approximately two weeks ago and one of the issues I specifically raised with them was that hospitals should give people realistic appointment...

Other Questions: Hospital Waiting Lists (30 Sep 2014)

Leo Varadkar: I quite agree with the Deputy. That there are 700 mostly elderly patients awaiting discharge in hospitals is not only bad for the health service but it is also bad for those individuals because they are more at risk of acquiring an infection in hospital and falls. It is bad all round. It is frustrating that we have been talking about this issue for ten years. It is not something that has...

Other Questions: Hospital Waiting Lists (30 Sep 2014)

Leo Varadkar: University Hospital Galway is one of eight designated cancer centres in Ireland. Key performance indicators have been developed for referrals to cancer centres for breast, lung and prostate cancer with a view to ensuring consistent procedures and quality services for patients. For breast cancer, the target is that 95% of patients who are deemed to be urgent cases will be offered an...

Other Questions: Hospital Waiting Lists (30 Sep 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The HSE is continuing to experience a significant increase in demand for its services, which is reflected in an upward trend reported in waiting lists for July 2014. The success of the outpatient initiative run by the HSE at the end of 2013, and further validation work in 2014, resulted in the facilitation of 33,000 extra outpatient appointments in 2013 and an additional 55,883 such...

Other Questions: Hospital Waiting Lists (30 Sep 2014)

Leo Varadkar: It is important to point out that even though there has been a significant increase in the number of those waiting more than eight months or a year, 89% of patients are waiting less than 12 months for access to outpatient treatment. The target is not being fully met but we have achieved a level of 89%. There is obviously a deficit in the context of step-down facilities, nursing homes and...

Other Questions: Nursing Education (30 Sep 2014)

Leo Varadkar: The issue raised by the Deputy was the subject of intensive conciliation at the Labour Relations Commission during the summer between the nurses' representative body, the INMO, and the HSE, given that nurses who were due to graduate would have had difficulty in obtaining posts in their preferred locations. Conciliation meetings were held on 6 and 30 June and on 22 July. The conciliation...