Results 6,481-6,500 of 21,128 for speaker:James Reilly

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Services (13 Nov 2013)

James Reilly: I know the Chair will indulge me a little. All of the doctors that were brought in on that occasion were heavily screened and interviewed by consultants from this country. They were of a very high calibre. The issue of training is one for the training bodies and colleges. Neither I or anybody else can interfere in the affairs of the Medical Council, which is an independent statutory body...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Services (13 Nov 2013)

James Reilly: The issues raised by the hospitals in the letter referred to by the Deputy will be considered in the context of the HSE plan for 2014. I wrote to the HSE last Thursday, 31 October, to confirm that the executive has until 15 November to submit its service plan. In that letter, I also conveyed to the executive that my overriding priority is patient safety, with the next priority being to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Services (13 Nov 2013)

James Reilly: With respect, there is nothing remotely random about the manner in which the budget was allocated for 2013. Hospitals were actually given an increase. The hospital budget got an increase. Two of the hospitals mentioned in that letter received increases of 5.5% and 2.8%, respectively, and two of the hospitals received a small reduction. That is what the rebalancing of the budget is about....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Services (13 Nov 2013)

James Reilly: On that very point, I am not aware of any untoward delays in the treatment of cancer patients in any of our adult hospitals. I am concerned to hear about a situation in Our Lady's hospital in Crumlin and l have asked for an investigation into it. The budget should allow for priority to be given to those who are most acutely ill, in particular children with cancer. The management of those...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Services (13 Nov 2013)

James Reilly: The first I have heard of this is today, as the Deputy will know. I have to confirm that, as of yesterday, Waterford Regional Hospital had its full complement of eight approved orthopaedic posts in place, including two on a temporary contracts. If the two doctors to whom the Deputy alluded are the two on temporary contracts, then that is an issue I can take up with him. I will have to talk...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: HSE National Service Plan (13 Nov 2013)

James Reilly: Under the 2004 Health Act, the Health Service Executive, HSE, has 21 days from the publication of the Estimates for supply services on budget day to submit its 2014 national service plan for my consideration. This would have required the HSE to finalise and submit its service plan for next year by Tuesday, 5 November. The Act, however, allows the Minister for Health to provide the HSE with...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: HSE National Service Plan (13 Nov 2013)

James Reilly: I will initially respond to the Deputy's use of the phrase "hand washing". Nobody on these benches has washed his or her hands of anything. However, people who sit on the benches around the Deputy and particularly in the seat beside him are good at wringing and washing their hands about issues and they have a great degree of amnesia when it comes to their role in the formation of the HSE...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: HSE National Service Plan (13 Nov 2013)

James Reilly: It is incredible that the Deputy is referring to the unknown. We do not have the service plan. How can he comment on what is achievable or not achievable?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: HSE National Service Plan (13 Nov 2013)

James Reilly: I told the Deputy I did not use the word "unachievable" but he likes to twist things to suit his own end. The bottom line is he is arguing about something he or I have not seen. The Deputy is telling me what is not possible before he has seen the plan to deal with it. I humbly suggest to him that he would be better waiting until the service plan comes out before he makes any further...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Expenditure (13 Nov 2013)

James Reilly: A Review of Financial Management Systems in the Irish Health Service, commonly known as the Ogden Report, was published in 2012. The review was commissioned by the Secretary General of the Department of Health. Its overall intention was to review the state of the financial management system in place in the health sector in Ireland at the time in the context of the serious overruns...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospitals Building Programme (13 Nov 2013)

James Reilly: The new children's hospital project is a priority for me and for this Government. In October, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform announced that up to €250m would be available for the project from the sale of the National Lottery, adding to the €450m Exchequer funding already indented. The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board is the body responsible for...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Organ Donation (13 Nov 2013)

James Reilly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 19 together. The HSE, through its National Organ Donation and Transplantation Office, in conjunction with my Department, has identified priority areas for action, including the deployment of additional donor coordinators, to enhance the organ donation and transplantation system. These proposals are being considered in the context of the Health...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Symphysiotomy Report (13 Nov 2013)

James Reilly: I received the independent report by Professor Oonagh Walsh on Symphysiotomy in Ireland at the end of May 2013. I met the three support groups representing the women concerned in August 2013. At that meeting, I acknowledged that this was a complex issue about which Government had not yet finished its deliberations. A number of those present described their personal experiences and I...

Written Answers — Department of Health: HIQA Investigations (13 Nov 2013)

James Reilly: I would like in the first instance to offer my sympathies to the family involved in this very unfortunate case. I have been advised that the circumstances surrounding this patient's death were investigated by the HSE under the National Incident Protocol following which 11 actions were recommended. I have been informed by the HSE that the Rotunda Hospital has now implemented all 11...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Maternal Mortality (13 Nov 2013)

James Reilly: International comparisons of maternal mortality are based on statistics produced by the World Health Organisation (WHO). In calculating the maternal mortality ratio (MMR), the WHO takes account of vital statistics as compiled by national statistical offices (i.e. the Central Statistics Office in the case of Ireland) but also applies a separate weighting to adjust for potential...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Reform (13 Nov 2013)

James Reilly: The Report on the Establishment of Hospital Groups, which I launched on 14 May, is the most fundamental reform of the Irish acute hospital system in decades. The introduction of Hospital Groups will provide for organisational change in the first instance, giving more autonomy and better enabling the reorganisation of services in a well-planned manner. Over time, this will help to improve...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Obesity Strategy (13 Nov 2013)

James Reilly: As Minister for Health, I have made overweight and obesity a public health priority and have established a Special Action Group on Obesity (SAGO) whom I meet with regularly to progress the obesity agenda. The Special Action Group on Obesity comprises representatives from the Departments of Health, Children and Youth Affairs, Education and Skills, the Health Service Executive, the Food Safety...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (13 Nov 2013)

James Reilly: The issues raised by the hospitals will be considered in the context of the HSE Service Plan for 2014. I wrote to the HSE on Thursday 31 October to confirm that the Executive has until 15 November to submit its Service Plan. In that letter, I also conveyed to the Executive that my overriding priority is patient safety, with the next priority being to treat patients in as timely a fashion as...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Issues (13 Nov 2013)

James Reilly: As a result of the economic and financial crisis, the Irish public service is experiencing unprecedented reductions in spending, including the area of health. Current expenditure on healthcare fell by 10% between 2009 and 2013 and will reduce by a further €361m or 3% in 2014. Reductions in the health budget are compounded by underlying cost pressures, including substantial population...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Expenditure (13 Nov 2013)

James Reilly: The issues raised by the hospitals will be considered in the context of the HSE Service Plan for 2014. I wrote to the HSE last Thursday 31 October to confirm that the Executive has until 15 November to submit its Service Plan. In that letter, I also conveyed to the Executive that my overriding priority is patient safety, with the next priority being to treat patients in as timely a fashion...