Results 6,581-6,600 of 11,464 for speaker:Mary Butler

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2021)

Mary Butler: The point I continue to make is that there is no impediment in legislation or in practice to prevent a person who is receiving care under the fair deal scheme from leaving a nursing home. Recently, I worked on the case of a man leaving an acute hospital whose house was being reconfigured to support him with a downstairs bathroom and bedroom. He entered a nursing home for eight weeks and was...

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2021)

Mary Butler: I agree with my colleague, Senator Byrne. Senator Higgins is conflating a successor and an inheritance. The mechanisms created under the Bill for the appointment of a family successor are strictly in place for the purpose of calculating a person's contribution to long-term care. They have no other role. That is their only role. The successor may not inherit the farm. The successor can...

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2021)

Mary Butler: Legislation does not belong only to the Government. That is why I worked constructively on Committee Stage in the Dáil with some Deputies who were not members of the Government and who had brought forward amendments. I took on board three amendments. The first of those proposed that when the Bill is signed into law, it will be enacted within 90 days. The second amendment proposed...

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2021)

Mary Butler: When considering how couples are treated under this Bill, fairness has always been the guiding principle. This is particularly relevant when considering the appointment of a family successor in respect of both members of a couple regarding the same productive asset in cases where both members of the couple are living and in cases where one member of the couple is deceased. I will address...

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2021)

Mary Butler: I acknowledge the help and support the Cathaoirleach gave me over the past two weeks to ensure the Bill, which only passed Report Stage in the Dáil on Wednesday, would be taken in the Seanad on Second Stage yesterday and on Committee and Remaining Stages today. I thank all the Senators for their contributions to the debate and for their time, yesterday and today. Many of them have...

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (15 Jul 2021)

Mary Butler: I am pleased to introduce this Bill to the Seanad. Since I was appointed as Minister of State with responsibility for mental health and older people last July, updating the fair deal legislation to enhance protections for family farms and business owners has been a priority for me. I thank Senators for the opportunity to present the provisions of the Bill in the House today. The nursing...

Seanad: Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (15 Jul 2021)

Mary Butler: I thank all the Senators for their valuable and personal contributions. The Bill is technical and complex in nature, so I appreciate the support of Senators in facilitating its swift passage through Seanad Éireann. I thank the Cathaoirleach, Senator Mark Daly, the Leader and the Deputy Leader of the House and all the officials, given that there was much toing and froing in the past...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (15 Jul 2021)

Mary Butler: The Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, is the statutory independent regulator in place for the nursing home sector, whether a HSE managed or a private nursing home. The Authority, established under the Health Act 2007, has significant and wide-ranging powers up to and including withdrawing the registration of a nursing home facility, which means that it can no longer operate as a...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing Homes (15 Jul 2021)

Mary Butler: The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has recently published updated guidance on visiting in long-term residential care: COVID-19: Normalising Visiting in Long Term Residential Care Facilities (LTRCFs). This guidance will come into effect on 19 July. The public health advice is to restore visiting to near normal in terms of frequency of visits in those settings with a high level of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Home Help Service (15 Jul 2021)

Mary Butler: As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Care of the Elderly (15 Jul 2021)

Mary Butler: Day centres are fundamental to the health and well-being of our older population and play a key role in enabling older people to live independently in their own communities. The pandemic and associated restrictions has had a profound impact across society and especially for our older population. All Community Health Organisations through the National Older Persons Office were requested...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing Homes (15 Jul 2021)

Mary Butler: The Temporary Assistance Payment Scheme (TAPS) was established in April 2020 as a temporary administrative measure in response to the challenges faced by the nursing home sector at the start of the pandemic. As the pandemic continued, additional support measures for private and voluntary nursing homes have been delivered through the Health Service Executive (HSE). As of 14th July 2021,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Care of the Elderly (15 Jul 2021)

Mary Butler: All Community Health Organisations through the National Older Persons Office were requested in April 2021 to provide information on the status of their Day Care Services in order to ascertain the level of service that could resume on receipt of updated public health guidance. As a result, it was intended that approximately 100 day centres would re-open week beginning 5 July. It was also...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mental Health Services (15 Jul 2021)

Mary Butler: Budget 2021 saw an additional €50 million allocated to Mental Health Services, bringing the total 2021 mental health budget to in excess of €1.1 billion, which is the biggest mental health budget on record. This represents an increase of over €400 million since 2012. The Government is committed to further development of all aspects of our mental health services, in line...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Home Help Service (15 Jul 2021)

Mary Butler: As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing Homes (15 Jul 2021)

Mary Butler: The Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS), commonly referred to as Fair Deal, is a system of financial support for people who require long-term residential care. Participants contribute to the cost of their care according to their means while the State pays the balance of the cost. The NHSS covers the cost of the standard components of long-term residential care which are: - Nursing and...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mental Health Services (15 Jul 2021)

Mary Butler: As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (15 Jul 2021)

Mary Butler: As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mental Health Services (15 Jul 2021)

Mary Butler: As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mental Health Services (15 Jul 2021)

Mary Butler: As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to...