Results 3,601-3,620 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Perhaps it is, but it is necessary. Deputy Kenny raised the exact same question yesterday so I must deal with the issue again.

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Yesterday, Deputy Kenny also asked the Minister for State, Deputy Tim O'Malley, to clarify his remarks. He did so. The Minister of State congratulated and complimented the programme, most of which I saw last night. In the programme, he outlined the details of what he stated last January and March, that harrowing cases existed where families were subjected to inordinate delays in getting...

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Almost 100 additional consultant psychiatrists were provided. More than 300 psychiatrists deal with people with mental illness.

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: We accepted the report of the expert group on mental health policy launched at the beginning of this year covering adults and children on the basis of future development and what we should do for mental health. The report has been broadly welcomed by representatives and psychiatrists. The independent monitoring group established in March by the Minister of State, Deputy Tim O'Malley, is...

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: More staff have been put into the service during my time as Taoiseach than were put in since the foundation of the State. I am the first Taoiseach since the foundation of the State to substantially change and take this issue seriously.

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Durkan is correct. His party did nothing about mental health.

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Kenny asked about additional child and adolescent teams. Eight additional child and adolescent teams were put in place and recruitment is under way. We resourced them this year. We also included resources for additional teams for next year in the Book of Estimates published a few weeks ago. The report clearly points out that, between now and 2011, we must increase and resource the...

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The answer to both questions is "no". The report on the programme, A Vision for Change——

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: ——highlights what has happened in recent years and we should take full account of that. A commitment to what we must do in the period to 2011 was made in A Vision for Change by the expert group and it has been implemented. This year alone, the HSE will recruit 400 staff to build up mental health services. That is a very strong resource. We have trebled the amount of resources, which...

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: We have taken on 400 staff this year and increased the number of consultant psychiatrists by 100. From the foundation of the State——

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: At the foundation of the State, there were 200 psychiatrists, but in a very short period of time, we have increased that number to 300. The Deputy should not refer to next year. This is what we have done this year. We have done an enormous amount of work in this area. We are endeavouring to implement that programme and put in the resources, which are staff resources, so that the expert...

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Unfortunately Deputy Rabbitte's mind was elsewhere when I was answering Deputy Kenny. I answered the question on what the Minister of State, Deputy Tim O'Malley, said. If Deputy Rabbitte had bothered to listen to what he said last night, he would realise he empathised fully with the parents. If he had watched the programme with other than a political mindset, he would have seen the...

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Deputy Rabbitte said we are talking about implementation groups and reports. I am not talking about these but about policies that are being implemented which provide that one in every five primary school teachers deals with special needs and autism and 8,000 special needs assistants are employed every day in schools. We have taken on 400 staff this year and trebled the staffing resources....

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: Regardless of whether it is intellectual, physical or sensory disability, autism or mental health, we have been investing considerable resources this year and for the past number of years. These resources have been put into revenue, buildings and staff and we have been improving dramatically the services that exist.

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: We have provided several hundred new residential places this year for persons with intellectual disability and autism, in addition to new respite and day places. We have continued to transfer persons from psychiatric hospitals and other appropriate places——

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: The issue is——

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: ——that the Opposition has nothing to talk about——

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: They decided they would have a go at one or two lines of what the Minister of State, Deputy O'Malley, said. The fact is we are doing something rather than talking about it.

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: It is sad that the Opposition has no real interest in mental health other than——

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2006)

Bertie Ahern: ——trying to win political points.