Results 30,081-30,100 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (15 Jul 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: Ireland's COVID-19 vaccination programme strategy is to distribute all available vaccine as quickly as is operationally possible, prioritising those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19. The programme is based on the principles of safety, effectiveness and fairness, with the objective of reducing severe illness, hospitalisations and deaths from COVID-19 infection. The immunisation...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (15 Jul 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) is responsible for monitoring the safety and quality of all medicines including vaccines that are licensed in Ireland. The HPRA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) continually monitor adverse events to vaccination. The HPRA operates a national adverse reaction reporting system in which members of the public and healthcare...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (15 Jul 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: Ireland welcomes the European Medicines Agency age extension recommendation for the COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty to include use in children aged 12 to 15. The National Immunisation Advisory Committee is reviewing the matter and will make a recommendation as appropriate. Currently, Ireland's COVID-19 Vaccination Programme is administering vaccines to those aged 16+.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Tests (15 Jul 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 326, 330, 385 and 386 together. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests remain the gold standard in terms of COVID-19 testing, particularly in relation to the screening of travellers. Ireland does not accept antigen tests for travel related testing. COVID-19 tests for the purposes of travel, both to and from the State, can be...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (15 Jul 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: In the interests of protecting confidentiality, the Department of Health does not comment on individual cases, however, I can confirm that officials in my Department have followed up on this request and that appropriate action has been taken in accordance with the refund policy for mandatory hotel quarantine. Further information on the refund policy can be accessed on www.gov.ie/quarantine.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (15 Jul 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: It is well recognised that ventilation plays an important factor in reducing the risk of aerosol transmission indoors, where individuals may be in close contact, potentially for longer periods of time and in poorly ventilated areas. It is not however a substitute for other control measures, such as vaccination, physical distancing, cleaning, face coverings and maintaining good hand and...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (15 Jul 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) is responsible for monitoring the safety and quality of all medicines including vaccines that are licensed in Ireland. The HPRA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) continually monitor adverse events to vaccination. The HPRA operates a national adverse reaction reporting system in which members of the public and healthcare...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (15 Jul 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: Firstly, as Minster for Health, I would strongly encourage as many people as possible to register on the HSE portal for a vaccination when the facility is available to them, and to avail of their COVID-19 vaccinations when offered. It will not automatically be known to employers if an employee has availed of or elected against participation in the COVID-19 vaccination programme, however,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (15 Jul 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The HSE PCRS assesses the Pandemic Unemployment Payment as equivalent to employment income when conducting its financial assessment for a medical card or GP Visit card. This is because the rate of payment is aligned with previous earnings from employment and it also ensures alignment with the approach taken by the Department of Social Protection in relation to this payment.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Staff (15 Jul 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointments Status (15 Jul 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (15 Jul 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The Regulation referred to in the correspondence submitted by the Deputy applies to people travelling to an airport or port for the purposes of going overseas without reasonable excuse; however, the provision concerned is subject to the review of current Government advice to avoid non-essential travel, which is intended to be changed from 19 July. The necessary amendments to regulations will...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (15 Jul 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 340, 388, 390, 391, 413, 415, 421 and 441 together. Ireland's COVID-19 vaccination programme strategy is to distribute all available vaccine as quickly as is operationally possible, prioritising those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19. The programme is based on the principles of safety, effectiveness and fairness, with the objective of reducing...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (15 Jul 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy sets out a provisional list of groups for vaccination. The Strategy was developed by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) and my Department, endorsed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), and approved by Government on 8 December 2020. On the 30th of March, the Government approved a further update to the COVID-19...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (15 Jul 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (15 Jul 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: State Bodies (15 Jul 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 346, 357 and 358 together. The British-Irish Agreement Act, 1999 provides for the Food Safety Promotion Board/Safefood to have both an Advisory Board and an Advisory Committee. Safefood Advisory Committee (SAC) members are selected by Safefood following a publicly advertised invitation for expressions of interest from suitably qualified professionals...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointments Status (15 Jul 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I refer to the matter which has been raised by the Deputy. The Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS) is not available to a patient where a procedure is available in the State's public healthcare system. However, the Cross-Border Directive (CBD) and the analogous Northern Ireland Planned Healthcare Scheme (NIPHS) allows for patients that are normally resident in Ireland and availing of public...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products (15 Jul 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013 permits community pharmacists to dispense generic medicines where a brand name medicine has been prescribed, provided they have been designated as interchangeable by the Health Products Regulatory Authority. Reference pricing means a single reimbursement price, or reference price, for a group of interchangeable medicines. This is...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (15 Jul 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The Health (Amendment) Act 2021 provides for mandatory quarantine in designated facilities for persons coming into the State from areas where there is known to be sustained human transmission of COVID-19 or Variants of Concern, or from which there is a high risk of importation of COVID-19 or any variant of concern by travel from that area, and for the designation of such areas by the...