Results 3,641-3,660 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (11 Feb 2010)

Mary Harney: Under the employment control framework for the health sector, social workers are among the grades specifically exempted from the general moratorium on recruitment and promotions. This means that vacancies arising in the exempted grades, including social worker posts, may continue to be filled. The framework also provides for an increase in the number of social workers posts within the...

Written Answers — Nursing Homes Repayment Scheme: Nursing Homes Repayment Scheme (11 Feb 2010)

Mary Harney: Under the Health (Repayment Scheme) Act 2006, a relevant person or a connected person as defined in the Act was entitled to apply for a repayment under the scheme. A relevant person is a person who was charged and paid recoverable health charges. A connected person includes the following: (a) a person who has been nominated in writing by the relevant person (b) the Registrar of Wards of...

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (11 Feb 2010)

Mary Harney: I fully support the Health Service Executive's decision to centralise the processing of all medical card applications and reviews. I wrote to all Oireachtas members on 19th January 2010 outlining a range of measures being employed by the Executive to address issues arising from this initiative and I also referred to the various enhancements that this process will facilitate upon completion.

Written Answers — Pharmacy Services: Pharmacy Services (11 Feb 2010)

Mary Harney: I have had discussions with the two representative bodies of drugs manufacturers - the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) and the Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers in Ireland (AMPI) -with a view to securing significant savings in the State's drug bill. Agreement has been reached with IPHA on price cuts of 40% for a large number of drugs and medicines with effect...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (11 Feb 2010)

Mary Harney: Each hospital funded by the HSE is required to deliver services within the financial allocation provided. In common with all hospitals, Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin is faced with the challenge of delivering a high quality service to its patients, while remaining within budget. The priority of the HSE and hospital management at Our Lady's Children's Hospital is to ensure that...

Written Answers — Cancer Screening Programme: Cancer Screening Programme (11 Feb 2010)

Mary Harney: I am pleased to confirm the establishment of a national colorectal cancer screening programme. Work has already begun to put the programme in place. This 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. About 50% of colorectal cancers in the 55-74 age group occur in people...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (11 Feb 2010)

Mary Harney: I propose to takes Questions Nos. 47 and 58 together. As the Deputy will be aware, the current legislation for health and personal social services has been in place for many years and there is a need now to have a clear set of statutory provisions that ensure equity and transparency and to bring the system up to date with developments in service delivery and technology that have occurred...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (11 Feb 2010)

Mary Harney: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (11 Feb 2010)

Mary Harney: As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Written Answers — Health Insurance: Health Insurance (11 Feb 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 — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (11 Feb 2010)

Mary Harney: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (11 Feb 2010)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 57 and 60 together. The Health Service Executive has reported to my Department that there were 1,352,120 and 1,478,560 medical card holders on 31st December 2008 and on 31st December 2009, respectively. This represents an increase of 126,440 medical card holders over that period. The Executive has also reported that there were 85,546 and 98,325 GP visit card...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (11 Feb 2010)

Mary Harney: The Government's policy is to achieve fair access by patients to publicly-funded hospital capacity based on clinical need. While patients may be treated in public hospitals on a private basis, the primary role of the public hospital system is to provide services for public patients. All persons ordinarily resident in Ireland have full eligibility for hospital services, meaning that there is...

Written Answers — Health Insurance: Health Insurance (11 Feb 2010)

Mary Harney: Each private health insurer offers a wide range of different policies and plans. There are about 184 different health insurance plans now on the market with different prices reflecting different costs incurred under these plans. Plans are also constantly evolving to meet different market conditions. Health insurance prices can be affected by a range of economic considerations including the...

Written Answers — Dental Treatment Services: Dental Treatment Services (11 Feb 2010)

Mary Harney: It has been decided to put a cash limit on the Dental Treatment Services Scheme this year, based on the expenditure incurred under the scheme in 2008. My Department has asked the Health Service Executive to examine the means of achieving this and I expect to receive their proposals shortly.

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (11 Feb 2010)

Mary Harney: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (11 Feb 2010)

Mary Harney: I have consistently emphasised the need to improve facilities and services to persons with cystic fibrosis. Following publication of the Pollock Report in 2005, the Health Service Executive established a Working Group to undertake a detailed review of cystic fibrosis services. The Group, which was multi-disciplinary in its composition and included representation from the Department of...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (11 Feb 2010)

Mary Harney: Information received from the Health Service Executive indicates that the number of patients whose discharge was delayed at the end of 2007 was 611 and at the end of 2009 it was 733. The National Code of Practice for Integrated Discharge Planning which was introduced last year, will be accompanied by significant changes to internal hospitals processes, work practices and behaviours. Those...

Written Answers — Health Service Reform: Health Service Reform (11 Feb 2010)

Mary Harney: The HSE and my Department are monitoring the evolving situation regarding this industrial action carefully, in close co-operation with the Department of Finance. The action, which is under way across the public service, has the potential to cause serious disruption in the health sector, depending on its scope and scale. My main concern is to ensure that the effect of the dispute on patient...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (11 Feb 2010)

Mary Harney: The Deputy's question covers a wide range of issues which I have addressed in my opening statement to the meeting of the Joint Committee on Health and Children which took place on Tuesday 9 February. I will arrange to make a copy of the transcript of the meeting available to the Deputy.