Results 5,461-5,480 of 11,187 for speaker:Colm Burke

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (9 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: 131. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the summer provision programme will continue in its expanded role; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13353/22]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (9 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: 132. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are figures for the number of pupils who benefitted from the summer provision programme in 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13354/22]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (9 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: 133. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position in respect of the operation of the schools energy retrofit pathfinder programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13355/22]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Facilities (9 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: 134. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has engaged with the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications in respect of retrofitting schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13356/22]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (9 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: 204. To ask the Minister for Health the arrangements that have been made for part-time home care workers employed by a private provider on behalf of the HSE to receive the pandemic bonus; the way that the payment will be calculated pro-rata; when the Government will announce the terms and conditions of the bonus; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13293/22]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Overcrowding Crisis in Hospitals: Discussion (9 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: I thank the Chairman and all our guests for the work done, particularly over the past two years. It has been a particularly difficult time for everyone. The dedication and commitment of all of our staff in all of our hospitals and throughout the healthcare system must be greatly appreciated. I thank them for their work in very difficult times. One of the points made in the IMO...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Overcrowding Crisis in Hospitals: Discussion (9 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: I will do that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Overcrowding Crisis in Hospitals: Discussion (9 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: To reiterate what I said earlier, I thank our guests and all the members of their organisations for the work they have done, particularly over the past two years. It has been a very difficult time for everyone involved. The presentation from the IMO referred to 5,000 additional hospital beds. This issue came up while I was on my way here. I refer to the proposed elective hospitals for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Overcrowding Crisis in Hospitals: Discussion (9 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: Is Dr. Molloy saying that the proposal of day-only care for the elective hospitals is not a workable solution and will not contribute anything to dealing with the difficulties?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Overcrowding Crisis in Hospitals: Discussion (9 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: Does Dr. Molloy, therefore, accept that the proposal of day-only hospitals is not a workable solution in real terms if we want to deal with bed capacity?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Overcrowding Crisis in Hospitals: Discussion (9 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: I wish to move to another issue Dr. Molloy raised earlier, which was access to theatres. I was recently speaking to a consultant in the north west. She has a half day a week. She came back from the United States where she had two days of operating space when she was working in the hospital there. She tries to get three operations done in the half day. However, she has been advised that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Overcrowding Crisis in Hospitals: Discussion (9 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: Does Dr. Molloy accept that the facilities in the public sector are not being used sufficiently? With regard to day care, in particular, if hospitals had the staff, they would be able to deal with greater numbers.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Overcrowding Crisis in Hospitals: Discussion (9 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: I will move to the issue of numbers in the HSE. The figures I have are up to October of last year. It is about having staff and then making sure they are able to work in the facilities and have access to theatres, wards or whatever. In December 2014, there were 103,028 working in the HSE and, last October, there were 131,000, which is a 27.7% increase. I know we are looking for more...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Overcrowding Crisis in Hospitals: Discussion (9 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: I will give Dr. Molloy the figures for the community. There is a 27.7% increase in HSE staff since December 2014. The increase in public health nurses is 4.05%. It has gone from 1,480 to 1,543, an increase of 60. The figure for home help has gone down from 3,703 in 2014 to 3,552 in 2021. If we are focusing on community care, we must have the staff and that does not appear to be happening.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Overcrowding Crisis in Hospitals: Discussion (9 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: I accept that, but I am talking about public health nurses now. There is an increase of 4%.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Overcrowding Crisis in Hospitals: Discussion (9 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: In fairness to the HSE, the overall number of junior doctors and consultants increased by 36% in that period.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Overcrowding Crisis in Hospitals: Discussion (9 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: I accept that. I am concerned about appointing people who are then unable to get access to do the work they want to do.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Overcrowding Crisis in Hospitals: Discussion (9 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: That goes back to the issue I raised initially, which is about having a day facility only and not having inpatient beds.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Overcrowding Crisis in Hospitals: Discussion (9 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: If I may, I will ask the first question as it is for Ms Ní Sheaghdha. She mentioned the bureaucratic problems in the HSE. Will she expand on that? How can the bureaucracy that nursing and other staff must put up with be resolved over the next two to three years?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Overcrowding Crisis in Hospitals: Discussion (9 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: My figure was from December 2014 to date, which shows there was a total increase of 60 staff.