Results 51,021-51,040 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: No, I am not. I am pressing ahead.

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: I am putting the information on the record.

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: I accept these figures are disappointing news for the Opposition.

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: It is not spin. This is the report of the NTPF.

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: The Opposition should go back outside the door with their umbrellas.

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: Based on its detailed interaction with individual hospitals the NTPF has identified a group of 19,591 patients who are reported to be waiting more than three months for specific procedures, mainly surgical, and the NTPF will target this group during 2004. There are 4,040 patients waiting more than 12 months for treatment included in the 19,591, who represent 20% of all those waiting. A...

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: It has not been done by me or by officials in the Department but a multidisciplinary team with medical and nursing inputs. That is how this is happening. Those are objective facts. By arranging an estimated 12,000 treatments in 2004, the national treatment purchase fund will make further significant progress in reducing the average waiting times for surgical procedures. In 2004 I have...

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: Therefore, the total amount of dedicated funding available to tackle waiting lists in 2004 — €75 million — is the same level of funding provided in 2003, despite the spin and misleading comments of Deputy McManus at the joint committee last week. However, the national treatment purchase fund now has the significant lead role in tackling waiting times and waiting lists. Opposition...

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: Waiting times for surgical treatment have been reduced. In the specialty of cardiac surgery alone adult waiting lists have fallen by 90%, from 1,477 to 150, and children's waiting lists have fallen by 91% since 1997, from 109 to 10. One will never hear that from the Labour Party, the Fine Gael Party, the Green Party or Sinn Féin.

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: It has been a dramatic improvement because of increased surgical provision, new units in St. James's Hospital, in particular, on the adult side and in the Mater Hospital and Cork University Hospital.

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: The national treatment purchase fund has substantial capacity to treat patients and will continue to focus on reducing waiting times even further. The fund's target is to treat more than 12,000 this year and has the capacity to treat a minimum of 1,000 patients per month — 800 in Ireland and 200 in four private hospitals in England. Maintaining referrals at this level will result in waiting...

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: Nearly 40% of acute hospitals will now refer patients who have been waiting more than three months to the national treatment purchase fund. Patients who have been waiting more than six months for treatment can contact the national treatment purchase fund directly or through their general practitioners to arrange treatment. We appeal to people to do that. While the national treatment purchase...

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: These figures were objectively obtained. I do not have control over their compilation. Everybody knows about the system which is producing those activity figures in respect of who is being discharged from hospital. The system is independent from me and has been independent of different Ministers. That is well known. It is the bottom line. It might be hard to accept that but that is the reason...

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: The single most important factor for patients who await admission to hospital is bed availability.

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: The extent of the shortfall in acute capacity has been identified by a report entitled, Acute Hospital Bed Capacity — A National Review, and it indicated a requirement for an additional 3,000 acute beds in acute hospitals by 2011. I introduced the first phase of this process in January 2002 which provided funding in excess of €117 million, capital and revenue, for an additional 709 acute...

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: ——but little acknowledgement that 8,200 more nurses work in the system than in 1997 while the annual number of nurse training places has also increased by 67%.

Hospital Waiting Lists: Motion. (4 May 2004)

Micheál Martin: In 1994, when Labour and Fine Gael assumed responsibility for the reform of the health services, there were 1,179 pre-registration nurse training places in Ireland. The issue of medical manpower was already a pressing issue, and nurse shortages were becoming a serious issue. In its programme for Government, the rainbow Government spelt out: "It is now a matter of urgency that the issue of...

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed) (21 Apr 2004)

Micheál Martin: I wish to share time with Deputy Wilkinson.

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed) (21 Apr 2004)

Micheál Martin: There is no problem. I welcome the opportunity to express my support for this amendment of the Constitution and the legislation being proposed by my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell, and endorsed by the Government. It is important that we debate this issue calmly and reasonably. It is important that we have an informed view of the concept of...

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed) (21 Apr 2004)

Micheál Martin: I will come to figures in a moment.