Results 38,021-38,040 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Children's Hospital (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: -----at the time.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Children's Hospital (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I will revert on the other question.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Children's Hospital (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: Okay.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Primary Care Centres (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I acknowledge the Deputy's strong advocacy work for the local healthcare facilities in his constituency and for the people he represents. I am pleased to be able to inform the Deputy that the development of five new primary care centres in County Clare is being progressed and, when completed, will add to the existing centre at Westbury. I acknowledge the Deputy's work in continuing to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Primary Care Centres (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: In Kilrush, the HSE is currently awaiting price offers from potential developers. There is not much more to say until those offers come in at which point, they will be evaluated. In Ennistymon a site was advertised in May 2019 for a primary care centre development and priced offer applications from potential developers are currently under review. I am aware that an agreement for lease...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Primary Care Centres (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I confirm that these projects are going ahead. Rumours that they have been pulled or shelved are unsubstantiated. The services to go in is a matter that will be discussed with the HSE. Any input the Deputy may have would be very welcome. We try to have GPs in the primary care centres. Obviously, GPs are independent contractors and do not have to come in. There are generally ongoing...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Health Promotion (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I was delighted to see this question come in. I share the Deputy's view that this is a priority. Progressing women’s health is a priority for me and for this Government. We made a strong commitment to promoting women’s health in the programme for Government. I am pleased that budget 2021 provides a very significant investment to deliver on this commitment, something I have...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: HSE Staff (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: As to whether the resources are enough, the budget provided for the biggest increase in health spending we have ever had. That would hold true even if one stripped out the Covid funding. What we are funding next year is very ambitious. We are funding the biggest increase in acute beds, ICU beds, community beds and workforce in a single year. I think we are pushing the limits of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: HSE Staff (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: In terms of the figures in respect of the Be on Call for Ireland initiative, when one narrows down the number who applied to the number deemed to have the relevant qualification, then to those who answered the follow-up, then to those who went through the interview process and finally to those who successfully interviewed, one moves very quickly from a very large number to a far smaller...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Children's Hospital (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I will give the Deputy the short answer first. As of now, I am not aware of additional cost overruns, but that is not to say that there will not be any such overruns. With Covid, it is inevitable there will be some overruns but none have been agreed, arbitrated on and reported to the Department by the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board, NPHDB. In fairness to the NPHDB, Members...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: National Children's Hospital (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I do not think there will be any issue in that regard so long as there are no commercial sensitivity issues. I will arrange for that information to be provided to the Deputy. On the issue of timing, the board is continuing to engage with the main contractor to obtain an updated programme of works that is in line with its contractual commitments. As any delivery outside of the timelines...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health Services Staff (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: We are negotiating the consultant contract. Discussions are ongoing between the Department and the Irish Medical Organisation, IMO. With the greatest respect, I cannot get into the detail of those negotiations because they are ongoing. As the Deputy noted, various statements have been made. The public health doctors are considering a ballot, which I fully appreciate is their right....

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health Services Staff (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy. I can commit to a doubling of the public health workforce in consultation with the public health doctors, and to the creation of the public health consultant contract. The Deputy is quite right. This is something they have been seeking for decades. There is a process under way between the Department and the IMO. For me to make the definitive statements the Deputy is...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Nursing Education (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy. I recognise the importance of student nurses and midwives completing their essential clinical placements in a safe environment. I also recognise the potential hardship that might arise due to Covid-19 for students on placement, such as maintaining part-time employment, increased travel and additional accommodation costs. Student nurses and midwives are not paid for...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Nursing Education (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy. I fully agree that nursing students need support. He refers to the HCA wage which was paid during the first wave of the pandemic. The Deputy should bear in mind that when that happened the student nurses were essentially asked to move from education to work. They were working full-time. They stepped up when they were needed and did a fantastic job in a crisis. They...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: HSE Staff (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy. Covid-19 has greatly increased pressures on the health service and staff have shown incredible strength and care in their duties. Several initiatives were undertaken to staff the necessary expansion of the workforce and these have facilitated an expansion of 4,292 whole-time equivalents from the end of February to the end of September of this year. While this...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Tests (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: We discussed this in the Chamber before. I do not accept the system collapsed. I absolutely accept that what happened should not have happened. Many people were asked to contact their own close contacts. That is not what we want. I would not see that as the system collapsing, however. In some European countries where cases rose, one essentially saw contact tracing stopping. We did not...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Tests (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: We will just have to agree to disagree on the system collapsing. As I said, obviously one does not want people having to contact their own close contacts. As a one-off event in nine months or so of a global pandemic, I certainly do not believe that constitutes a collapse at all. I cannot speak to people saying an additional 800. I am pretty sure what I have been saying is that it is...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health Services Staff (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I do. There are many different things going on. The first of two of the big ones, of which the Deputy will be aware, is moving the public health doctors to consultant status, which is important. The Department is currently in preliminary talks with the IMO about how that might work. I am meeting with public health doctors this Friday. The second is an expansion of the workforce. I have...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Cancer Services (3 Nov 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: As Deputy Kelly is aware, it was originally intended that the CervicalCheck tribunal would be established at the end of March. Both Deputy Kelly and I voted for the Act to set that up, and we debated some of the various parts of it in this House. The establishment was delayed due to Covid and then a further delay arose, as Deputy Kelly is aware, due to issues concerning membership when two...