Results 2,841-2,860 of 9,393 for speaker:Alex White

Written Answers — Department of Health: Long-Term Illness Scheme Eligibility (15 May 2014)

Alex White: I propose to take Questions Nos. 231 and 237 together. There are no plans to extend the list of conditions covered by the Long Term Illness scheme. Under the Drug Payment Scheme, no individual or family pays more than €144 per calendar month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines. The scheme significantly reduces the cost burden for families and individuals incurring...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Applications (15 May 2014)

Alex White: The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Pharmacy Regulations (15 May 2014)

Alex White: I propose to take Questions Nos. 233 to 236, inclusive, together. Ireland is in compliance with the Council of Europe Monograph (2619) on Pharmaceutical Preparations, and also of the Council of Europe Resolution (2011)1 on quality and safety assurance requirements for medicinal products prepared in pharmacies for the special needs of patients. Pharmacists were notified of the coming...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Primary Care Reimbursement Service Payments (15 May 2014)

Alex White: The Health Service Executive (HSE) is responsible for the administration of the primary care schemes, therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Appeals (15 May 2014)

Alex White: The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Eligibility (15 May 2014)

Alex White: The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to...

Other Questions: Medical Card Eligibility (14 May 2014)

Alex White: I do recognise the pain, the difficulties and the dilemma that families face in these circumstances. I also understand and am aware of many individual cases in which people have felt confronted by such a situation. I also accept what the Deputy has just stated, which is that sometimes, it can appear to be quite a maze to people who perhaps are faced suddenly with a situation in which they...

Other Questions: Medical Card Eligibility (14 May 2014)

Alex White: At present, the long-term illness system is based on illness while the medical card system is based on means. There are huge inconsistencies about which nothing was done historically and the Government now is moving towards a universal system. This is a time of transition and I accept it is extremely difficult to defend some of the things in the existing inadequate system, while at the same...

Other Questions: Health Insurance Regulation (14 May 2014)

Alex White: What about the Commission on Taxation findings?

Other Questions: Medical Card Eligibility (14 May 2014)

Alex White: I believe in having a rules-based system and applying it fairly, transparently and honestly. This is what we want to achieve.

Other Questions: Medical Card Eligibility (14 May 2014)

Alex White: People are entitled in certain circumstances to a medical card and nobody will lose or has lost a medical card who is eligible for it and is entitled to it. This is absolutely the case.

Other Questions: Medical Card Eligibility (14 May 2014)

Alex White: Anybody who is eligible for a medical card under the system and guidelines will get it. If there are any circumstances where a Deputy suggests those eligible for medical cards do not have one, we need to know about it because if they are eligible, they will receive it. As I indicated, we had a system which had huge disparities throughout the country. We now have a fair system. Surely it...

Other Questions: Medical Card Eligibility (14 May 2014)

Alex White: I am not sure if it is the type of system the party opposite wants to see. Historically it is not how they did business.

Other Questions: Medical Card Eligibility (14 May 2014)

Alex White: This is how we should do business in future. We should make sure we have a proper rules-based system and do as the Minister and I have sought to do, which is take steps to ensure services are in place to support people who have lost out on a medical card on which they relied for a number of years, and make improvements in the services where they are needed, particularly with regard to access...

Other Questions: Medical Card Eligibility (14 May 2014)

Alex White: Deputy Murphy referred to services. It is very difficult to comment on an individual case but I entirely trust Deputy Murphy with regard to the veracity of what she stated regarding the case. The point is the services which the individual needs, such as access to physiotherapy, equipment, various devices and a wheelchair, and this is what we must ensure the person gets. We are inclined to...

Other Questions: Medical Card Eligibility (14 May 2014)

Alex White: It is true some of the decisions made in respect of the mechanics of how the process is implemented, some of the overbureaucratising of the process, some of the delays which have happened and some of the mistakes which have happened in the implementation and administration of the system are indefensible. There is absolutely no doubt about this in my mind and I have no difficulty repeating...

Other Questions: Medical Card Eligibility (14 May 2014)

Alex White: -----but the Oireachtas makes the laws. The Minister does not make the law, the Oireachtas does, and we must carry it out. No Minister or HSE-----

Other Questions: Medical Card Eligibility (14 May 2014)

Alex White: The Deputy is very excitable.

Other Questions: Medical Card Eligibility (14 May 2014)

Alex White: The Deputy should understand that no Minister or the HSE can award directly a medical card outside the legislation this House has passed. While the Deputy stated he was reluctant to bring up individual cases, he then of course went on to so do. However, I can tell him that in respect of the particular court case to which he referred, the HSE has been in touch with that family in a sensitive...

Other Questions: Medical Card Eligibility (14 May 2014)

Alex White: I propose to take Questions Nos 6, 7, 9, 12, 16, 18, 21, 23, 31, 35, 39, 42, 45, 48 and 58 together. At the outset, let me again put on the record of the House that there is no policy to abolish the awarding of medical cards on discretionary grounds or to target any patient group. I welcome Deputy Kelleher's belated acknowledgement that there is no such policy in existence.