Results 5,461-5,480 of 11,463 for speaker:Mary Butler

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mental Health Services (1 Feb 2022)

Mary Butler: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Rail Network (27 Jan 2022)

Mary Butler: The Deputy raised a valid point. The decision to move to a self-service station in Muine Bheag in 2019 was part of a wider decision by Iarnród Éireann to rebalance its operations. The Minister suggests that as it is an operational matter for Iarnród Éireann, it would be very well placed for the Deputy to contact it on this issue. The experience of Iarnród...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Rail Network (27 Jan 2022)

Mary Butler: I totally agree with you, a Cheann Comhairle.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Covid-19 Pandemic (27 Jan 2022)

Mary Butler: The number of people affected by longer term effects after acute Covid-19 remains unknown and estimates vary internationally. We are still learning about this condition and the supports that are needed to care for those affected by it in Ireland. The Department of Health, through the Health Research Board, HRB, continues to fund research into the clinical impacts of Covid-19 so that we can...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Rail Network (27 Jan 2022)

Mary Butler: I thank Deputy Murnane O'Connor for raising this topic which I am dealing with on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan. I would like to clarify that while the Department of Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport, it is not involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services, including matters related to...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Covid-19 Pandemic (27 Jan 2022)

Mary Butler: I thank Deputy Naughten for raising this important matter. Covid-19 is a new disease, so information on it, its features and its course are still emerging. The natural history, clinical course and consequences of Covid-19 are still not completely understood. It is recognised that most patients with Covid-19 return to baseline after acute infection, but a proportion of people report ongoing...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Health Services (27 Jan 2022)

Mary Butler: I assure the Deputy I will keep a very close eye on this. As I said, we have 73%, or 237, of day care centres open. Where the challenges arose was in any day care centre that was part of or adjacent to a community hospital, that is, in the community nursing units, and this has happened all over. I will give an example. Even though most of the restrictions were lifted last Friday, there is...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Health Services (27 Jan 2022)

Mary Butler: Yes.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Mental Health Services (27 Jan 2022)

Mary Butler: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which is timely and very important. The Deputy asks about peer review for psychiatrists in the context of prescribing medicines to people using mental health services and, no doubt, like me, he is thinking of the publication yesterday of the report into the independent review of care provided in the child and adolescent mental health services,...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Mental Health Services (27 Jan 2022)

Mary Butler: The Deputy is correct. There are 35 recommendations in the report and six of those recommendations are already complete. If memory serves me, I said last night that 13 of them are being progressed and the rest have yet to commence. I will be keeping in close contact with the HSE to make sure these recommendations are in place. One part of the review we are doing is in regard to the 72...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Health Services (27 Jan 2022)

Mary Butler: The Deputy is quite right; day care centres are very important. A focus I have had since September last has been on trying to get as many day care centres open as possible, and I have an update for him. It is a key priority for me to allow more people to engage in services that allow them to remain independent and live in their own homes with dignity. The HSE has operational...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (27 Jan 2022)

Mary Butler: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Facilities (27 Jan 2022)

Mary Butler: As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Youth Mental Health: Statements (26 Jan 2022)

Mary Butler: I thank Deputies for their constructive contributions, of which there were 51. It has been an excellent debate from that point of view. Fifty-one Deputies, which is a lot, came to speak about the important issue of youth mental health. I have listened closely to what has been said and taken copious notes. I will continue to work closely with all sides of the House to ensure developments...

Youth Mental Health: Statements (26 Jan 2022)

Mary Butler: I am calling for it and would welcome any support.

Youth Mental Health: Statements (26 Jan 2022)

Mary Butler: I thank Deputies for the opportunity to speak to the House about the important topic of youth mental health. It is particularly timely and pertinent given the publication today of the independent report on the review of care provided in the child and adolescent mental health service, CAMHS, in south Kerry. The report sets out a catalogue of failures across multiple levels of the system in...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (26 Jan 2022)

Mary Butler: I thank the Deputy for his question. Yesterday, I announced that of the €10 million that was made available to mental health on budget day, €1 million of it will be allocated to community and voluntary organisations throughout the country. It will be administered through Mental Health Ireland. The portal will go live next Monday, 29 January 2022. The amount that will be...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Mental Health Services (26 Jan 2022)

Mary Butler: I thank Senator Currie for giving me the opportunity to update the House on this important matter. I acknowledge the enormous contribution made by psychologists in the healthcare system during the challenging times of the Covid-19 pandemic and before that as well. In February 2019, the HSE community operations unit convened a project team chaired by Dr. Cathal Morgan to consider the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Mental Health Services (26 Jan 2022)

Mary Butler: I have met representatives of the Psychological Society of Ireland. Sláintecare reform supports the implementation of Sharing the Vision 2020-2030 under the enhancing community care workstream. The need to build a more accountable and transparent health service is a focus of Sláintecare. It is also a key objective of the new Sharing the Vision policy in the context of mental...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Undocumented Irish in the USA (26 Jan 2022)

Mary Butler: I thank the Deputy. I doubt it will be me going with the bowl of shamrock. The Department of Foreign Affairs has established Ireland houses in New York, Austin and San Francisco to allow for an impressive Team Ireland footprint. Several Irish State agencies, together with a consulate, can work together to maximise impact in a particular location. Plans are under way to open more Ireland...