Results 4,601-4,620 of 15,268 for speaker:Kathleen Lynch

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (12 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: I will respond to Senator van Turnhout. It is not a “Yes” or “No” answer. I will discuss the matter with the Senator later. It is a bit more complex and we feel that we have found a way around it by the mechanism on which we are now working.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (12 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (12 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: I will let Mr. O'Brien deal with the drugs issue. The Chief Medical Officer has just received a recommendation on whether the vaccine should be available on the broader remit. It is not done in other countries to any great extent but we are assessing that recommendation and there will be a decision very shortly. It is not just life threatening, as the Deputy knows, but can result in very...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (12 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: He has only just received it but he usually makes decisions in a reasonable length of time. It is not something that will drag on forever. I will ask Mr. O'Brien to deal with the savings in respect of FEMPI and the drugs.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (12 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: That is a reasonable request, to which I had intended to respond earlier. I believe that a small group of people should meet with the Department and the HSE in relation to the framing of the type of strategy that we need in relation to end-of-life issues because this is not only about hospice care. We all know that from the hearings. It would be a very worthwhile exercise to sit down and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (12 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: It is because we are smaller.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (12 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: The review of the fair deal scheme is almost complete. The one thing it will tell us is that the fair deal scheme is unsustainable in its present form. The idea that a person with means would pay in the range of €250 to €290 per week for a service that is costing anything up to €1,200 to provide is unsustainable. I take on board the point made by Deputy Catherine...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (12 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: Pain management.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (12 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: On Deputy Mitchell O'Connor's question on speech and language therapy for children in mainstream education, it is the progressing disabilities policy, a policy with which we are full steam ahead. There has been some opposition from some quarters but most are now on board.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (12 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: The difficulty mentioned by the Deputy was that up to this point, the community waiting times were significant but a child in a specialist school got it as part of the school’s service. As we are mainstreaming people with disabilities, we are hoping the service will be delivered in the community for everyone.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Quarterly Update on Health Issues: Discussion (12 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: In regard to the review of the fair deal scheme, I agree with Deputy Kelleher. The two most successful programmes for delivery of health in this country were in primary care and mental heath, because everyone bought into what was planned for the future. That is the way we should proceed. When the review is published I hope everyone with an interest in the issue will get together to discuss...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Primary Care Centre Data (12 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: As this is a service issue this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a response within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Applications (12 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing Homes Support Scheme Expenditure (12 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: I propose to take Questions Nos. 179 and 180 together. Currently the HSE is undergoing a process of the review of all costs associated with both long stay and short stay care services across the public system. This review is informed by the work of service improvement teams who have been examining the service type, costs associated with its provision, and the element of quality and...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing Home Inspections (12 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: I propose to take Questions Nos. 181 and 182 together. There are currently 119 public residential units providing a mixture of long-stay and short-stay residential care. HIQA has indicated that a number of units do not fully meet the standards one would expect to find in a modern nursing home. This is not surprising given the age and structure of many of our public nursing homes....

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Provision (12 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Legislative Programme (12 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: My Department is reviewing the Misuse of Drugs Regulations with a view to introducing substantial additional controls on certain prescription drugs being traded illicitly, such as benzodiazepines and z-drugs medicines. The draft Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Regulation being prepared is the most substantial amendment proposed to the Regulations since they were made in 1988 and involves a...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Long-Term Illness Scheme (12 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: The Long Term Illness (LTI) Scheme was established under Section 59(3) of the Health Act, 1970 (as amended). Regulations were made in 1971, 1973 and 1975 specifying the conditions covered by the LTI Scheme, which are as follows: Acute Leukaemia; Mental handicap; Cerebral Palsy; Mental Illness (in a person under 16); Cystic Fibrosis; Multiple Sclerosis; Diabetes Insipidus; Muscular...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Services for People with Disabilities (12 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: As the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, he can contact my Private Office and they will follow the matter up with the HSE.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Card Applications (12 Feb 2015)

Kathleen Lynch: The Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to...