Results 34,921-34,940 of 46,197 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointments Status (23 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual. In relation to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Staff (23 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: The Deputy's question relates to service delivery matters and accordingly I have asked the HSE to respond directly to him.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (23 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointments Status (23 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual. The scheduling...

Written Answers — Department of Health: European Health Insurance Card (23 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: Under EU Regulations, all persons ordinarily resident in the EU are entitled to apply for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). The EHIC certifies that the holder has the right to receive emergency healthcare during a temporary stay in any EU country as well as Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland. This right is guaranteed to all persons who are covered by the public healthcare...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (23 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: Immunisation is regarded as one of the safest and most cost-effective of health care interventions. The importance of immunisation is acknowledged by all the major international health organisations, particularly the World Health Organisation (WHO). The immunisation programmes in Ireland are based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). NIAC is a committee of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointments Status (23 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual. The National...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Departmental Expenditure (23 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: Where is it necessary for the Department to place advertisements, generally in relation to health promotion messages, they are done through a media or PR company rather than the broadcaster itself. However, I will survey the Department to ascertain if any payments were made to any broadcasters during the years in question and revert to you in due course. I have also forwarded your...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospitals Funding (23 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: The HSE assigns an income budget, including a private patient income budget, to each hospital as part of the annual budgetary process. The 2016 private patient income budget allocated to the acute hospital system was €649 million. As regards the overall 2017 private patient income budget and the income budgets allocated to individuals hospitals for 2017 and each of the past three...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointments Status (23 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual. The National...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Cancer Services Funding (23 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 161 and 162 together. The Department of Health does not provide on-going funding to support centres to cover staff salaries. The East Galway Cancer Support submitted an application for funding under the National Lottery grant scheme to the Department in 2014. Unfortunately, applications for National Lottery grants far exceed the available resources and the...

Select Committee on the Future of Healthcare: Health Service Reform: Minister for Health (22 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: I thank the Chairman and members of the committee. I welcome the opportunity to set out some of my views on the future direction of health policy. We all know the challenges that we face in the area of health and that these issues have been with us for many years. We also know that it takes time to give effect to reforms in the health service. I believe that, for a variety of reasons,...

Select Committee on the Future of Healthcare: Health Service Reform: Minister for Health (22 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: In response to Deputy Kelleher, I always thought the Department's and the Minister's views were supposed to align and that I was supposed to set the policy and the Department was supposed to implement it. I assure him my speech reflects that. Deputy Alan Kelly would remember how it is meant to work. Obviously, I have worked with the Department in developing my views on this since I took...

Select Committee on the Future of Healthcare: Health Service Reform: Minister for Health (22 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: Definitely not, God almighty. In any event, he said, "Illness is neither an indulgence for which people have to pay, nor an offence for which they should be penalised, but a misfortune, the cost of which should be shared by the community." No matter how many times certain people try to tell the people of this good country that I have a given view that I do not have, that comment represents...

Select Committee on the Future of Healthcare: Health Service Reform: Minister for Health (22 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: Just today.

Select Committee on the Future of Healthcare: Health Service Reform: Minister for Health (22 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: There is quite a lot there. With regard to Deputy Kelly's points on a couple of areas, I assure the Deputy I will not be moving ahead until we benefit from the committee's report. There are one or two exceptions, to which I will now speak. Any of the structural changes would require legislative change. We have a minority Government. I want to build political consensus and we need to do...

Select Committee on the Future of Healthcare: Health Service Reform: Minister for Health (22 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: On the general practitioner contract, we have already had some engagement with this committee and heard members' initial views. We are at an early stage of negotiations, which I expect will take the bulk of this year. We are very conscious of the need to align that final outcome. I am genuinely acutely aware of what is involved. On the capital programme, the review will obviously take...

Select Committee on the Future of Healthcare: Health Service Reform: Minister for Health (22 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: This report is due next month so that would be it. On the question of whether the Department of Health and HSE have the capacity, I have a couple of points. Building up capacity will be key. There are many excellent people in the Department of Health and HSE but it is disconcerting to note that when one advertised in the past for certain jobs, including some senior roles at various levels...

Select Committee on the Future of Healthcare: Health Service Reform: Minister for Health (22 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: I tried to refer to this in my speech. As politicians, making decisions, we will have to stand by clinical evidence. The benefit of trying to reach a political consensus is it strengthens the Minister of Health's hand. I regularly read in newspapers local calls for me to do this or that in the health service that contradict directly the clinical advice to me. I try to hold the line and...

Select Committee on the Future of Healthcare: Health Service Reform: Minister for Health (22 Mar 2017)

Simon Harris: It certainly did not come from me.