Results 3,361-3,380 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Interdepartmental Committees. (3 Mar 2010)

Mary Harney: I am not certain that proofing every policy would deliver the types of result the Deputy anticipates. Currently, every memorandum that goes to the Government must be gender proofed, poverty proofed, competitiveness proofed and North-South proofed. There is a considerable amount of proofing. We also conduct regulatory impact assessments of all new policies and legislation. We must bring...

Health Services. (3 Mar 2010)

Mary Harney: As Minister, I am concerned to see that health care is provided in a way that is affordable and sustainable for the country as a whole and, most of all, that the resources we devote to health achieve the best possible outcomes for patients and the best health status for the population. I do not have a role in the day-to-day operation of either private hospitals or private health insurance...

Health Services. (3 Mar 2010)

Mary Harney: We have been driving down costs. This year we will take €240 million out of the drugs cost, for example, by changing the manner in which pharmacists are paid and what we pay producers of medication which goes off patent. The nursing homes support scheme, A Fair Deal, is a good example of saving. The NTPF was asked to procure beds because it has a good track record in procuring services...

Health Services. (3 Mar 2010)

Mary Harney: International evidence supports the opposite. Payment per procedure costs much more than the other method.

Health Services. (3 Mar 2010)

Mary Harney: Doctors who work out of hours are paid a fee per item or per patient. In the Republic that cost €108 million and in Northern Ireland, for the same number of people, the cost was £18 million. We must be very careful how we allocate resources. That is why we appointed a group of experts to advise in this area. This is important, particularly when resources are limited. Public hospitals...

Health Services. (3 Mar 2010)

Mary Harney: With regard to Deputy Ó Caoláin's last question, we now have key performance indicators which measure the number of new out-patients seen by consultants and the public/private mix. There are procedures under the contract for enforcing the agreement. That is under way. The Comptroller and Auditor General, in his report, measured the prices paid by the NTPF against the casemix benchmark...

Cancer Screening Programme. (3 Mar 2010)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 52 and 74 together. I am pleased to confirm that work has already begun on putting a national colorectal screening programme in place. The programme will initially be offered to men and women aged between 60 and 69 years. Screening will commence in early 2012 following an intensive period of preparation. Colorectal cancer is the second most commonly...

Cancer Screening Programme. (3 Mar 2010)

Mary Harney: All cancer experts would say one must distinguish between urgent and non-urgent, not only in this area but in regard to symptomatic breast disease. Professor Keane has worked with the College of General Practitioners on referral protocols for doctors. Professor O'Donoghue has been appointed as the lead for the roll-out of the colorectal screening and he is probably well known to most people...

Cancer Screening Programme. (3 Mar 2010)

Mary Harney: We are effectively going to provide a home screening service. The kits will be sent to people and, to a large extent, they will be providing the service for themselves. Some 6% will require follow up by way of a colonoscopy, so that is a relatively small number out of the 200,000 who will be screened every year. It is not envisaged that we would extend it beyond 60 to 69 years of age in the...

Cancer Screening Programme. (3 Mar 2010)

Mary Harney: Where somebody requires follow up, either a colonoscopy or treatment, that will be integrated as part of the service as it is with the breast screening service or the cervical cancer screening programme. On the population to be screened, initially we are talking about people from 60 to 69 years of age. Half of the cancers occur in that age group. The resources will be made available and I...

Health Service Appointments. (3 Mar 2010)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 53 and 67 together. The board of the Health Service Executive has begun the recruitment process for the next chief executive officer of the HSE as the contract of the current CEO, Professor Brendan Drumm, expires in August this year. In accordance with section 17 of the Health Act 2004, the HSE board is responsible for making the appointment. That Act...

Health Service Appointments. (3 Mar 2010)

Mary Harney: The cost will be €34,000, excluding VAT. I understand the company in question approached 113 potentially suitable candidates and subsequently met 25 of these candidates. I also understand 40 responses were received as a result of an advertisement placed in newspapers. A shortlist of ten candidates has been drawn up and it is expected that interviews will be conducted during this month....

Health Service Appointments. (3 Mar 2010)

Mary Harney: Yes.

Health Service Appointments. (3 Mar 2010)

Mary Harney: Were that the case, it would mean a substantial increase in salary. It is not envisaged that a bonus will be payable to the new chief executive. A decision was taken recently on the payment of bonuses in the public sector.

Rare Diseases. (3 Mar 2010)

Mary Harney: The term "rare disease" refers to conditions with a low prevalence of no more than five per 10,000 persons in the population. It is estimated that there are between 5,000 and 8,000 distinct rare diseases affecting in total between 6% and 8% of the population over the course of their lives. I have met with the Irish Platform for Patient Organisations, Science and Industry, IPPOSI, which...

Rare Diseases. (3 Mar 2010)

Mary Harney: While I do not have a figure on the numbers involved, it is anticipated that between 6% and 8% of the population is affected by a rare disease. Support is provided for many rare diseases, for example, haemophilia. In a constrained budgetary environment it is difficult to make choices where one product may help 1,000 people and another product only ten people. I have had a good engagement...

Rare Diseases. (3 Mar 2010)

Mary Harney: Ireland must produce a national action plan and one is in preparation.

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (3 Mar 2010)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 55 and 79 together. The 2009 Employment Control Framework, which encompasses the moratorium, contains a number of provisions that are designed to ensure that key services are maintained insofar as possible. The Framework provided for the creation of 225 new development posts, including 35 posts specifically for the development of child and adolescent mental...

Written Answers — Private Health Insurance: Private Health Insurance (3 Mar 2010)

Mary Harney: The Government have been clear in our view that the VHI should achieve authorisation on a level playing field with other insurers. A stable, community-rated health insurance market, supported by a robust risk equalisation system, will be achieved in circumstances where all the players in the market are authorised and regulated on a level playing field. The capital position of the VHI...

Written Answers — Medicinal Products: Medicinal Products (3 Mar 2010)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 57 and 123 together. Where over-the-counter medicines are prescribed and supplied under the GMS and community drugs schemes, reimbursement prices are controlled by regulations and agreements between the HSE and pharmaceutical manufacturers. However, when over-the-counter products are supplied otherwise, pharmacists and other retail outlets set the price to...