Results 4,581-4,600 of 26,844 for speaker:David Cullinane

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Sep 2022)

David Cullinane: I welcome our witnesses. I would anticipate that this is Mr. Reid's last meeting with the committee and I will maybe say a few words on that at the end of my contribution. I will start with workforce planning as this is one of the issues we wanted to discuss with Mr. Reid and Mr. Watt. We had a constructive meeting on the regional health areas in the Department of Health some time ago....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Sep 2022)

David Cullinane: No, not a focus. I am talking about actual funding to increase the training places. I will make it easier for Mr. Watt. The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science breaks graduate positions into the following categories: nursing and midwifery; medicine; therapy and rehabilitation; social work and counselling; pharmacy; diagnostic and treatment...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Sep 2022)

David Cullinane: For the purposes of clarity and given that we will not be able to go through all of the categories, I ask that the Department send on the information. The categories are nursing and midwifery; medicine; therapy and rehabilitation; social work and counselling; pharmacy; diagnostic and treatment technology; dental studies; and health, other. Will the Department set out in a paper for the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Sep 2022)

David Cullinane: I want to get to-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Sep 2022)

David Cullinane: I want to get to the issue of GPs if I can but before I do, there are a number of areas where we have real pressure points and difficulties. We have rehearsed some of those over the past year at various meetings of this committee and other committees of the Oireachtas. Children's disability network teams are probably staffed at about 70% at this point. We have a problem with recruiting...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Sep 2022)

David Cullinane: I would like to move on to GPs, so I ask Mr. McCallion to send a detailed note on the areas of mental health, disabilities and home helps, and the additional measures are being taken to fill gaps in those areas.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Sep 2022)

David Cullinane: I would like to ask Mr. Watt one question on the policy commitment announced yesterday to extend free GP care, which I support. In our alternative budget we had a similar number to what was announced, but we also provided for additional support to GPs for training and staffing and specialist nurse training positions in general practice, for example, to increase the number of nurses working...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Sep 2022)

David Cullinane: There is €107 million. There are five measures within that and, therefore, I am asking for the costs for extending GP care and additional supports for GPs to employ staff.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Sep 2022)

David Cullinane: That would not add up because that is €80 million, and the Minister said yesterday there is €10 million for IVF yesterday-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Sep 2022)

David Cullinane: That does not strike me as adding up to €107 million.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Sep 2022)

David Cullinane: I want this to work. We have had discussions on this ourselves as well. I think everybody wants this to work. I have tabled many parliamentary questions on this over the past year and I have had this out with Mr. Watt directly as well. I could not get costings and I was told that the work was not done on looking at demographic changes and an increase in demand that will happen if GP care...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Sep 2022)

David Cullinane: As it is Mr. Reid's final meeting, I wish him well in his retirement. I know he had a very difficult role to fulfil with Covid-19 over the past number of years, along with the cyberattack and many of the challenges the HSE faced. On my own and my party's behalf, I wish him well and thank him for his work in healthcare.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Sep 2022)

David Cullinane: I will take just two or three minutes and leave it at that. I wanted to come back in to get a sense of what the interaction is between the Department of Health, the HSE and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. We want to be successful on workforce planning. We have got some information from Mr. Watt and Mr. Reid today but it would be important...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Sep 2022)

David Cullinane: I am referring to a formal structure and not ad hocmeetings.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Sep 2022)

David Cullinane: Can I also add to that? Training them is one thing but retaining them is as important. If we consider the numbers of doctors who have emigrated, where visas were given by the Australian government to Irish doctors emigrating last year, compared 2019, it has increased by about 40%. It is about keeping them here. We have junior doctors who are threatening strike action. There is a myriad...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Sep 2022)

David Cullinane: The Minister is on record as saying that he favours the hospital in Galway.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Sep 2022)

David Cullinane: The Deputy might get answers at the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party meeting.

Financial Resolution No. 5: Small Benefits Exemption (27 Sep 2022)

David Cullinane: Some 1.8 million workers who pay tax got shafted.

National Surplus (Reserve Fund for Exceptional Contingencies) Act 2019: Motion (27 Sep 2022)

David Cullinane: The Tánaiste was not here earlier when almost the entire Opposition opposed even having this debate here today. We have 15 minutes to discuss a €6 billion fund. I understand €2 billion will be allocated this year. We could have a quarrel or debate about the amount of money which is being put aside. Under Sinn Féin's budgetary proposals, there would still have been...

Financial Resolution No. 5: Small Benefits Exemption (27 Sep 2022)

David Cullinane: The measure we are debating to increase in the amount that is allowable for the small benefit exemption is not something that I would oppose. However, in the overall context of today's budget, the biggest losers in this budget are the squeezed middle - a group the Tánaiste has spent much time in this House talking about as has the Taoiseach - and they have been badly let down. Some...