Results 6,681-6,700 of 10,824 for speaker:Anne Rabbitte

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Drugs Payment Scheme (23 Oct 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: I will take on board what Deputy Harkin has said and will talk to the Minister about it. I compliment the wonderful work of the Parkinson's groups. The Deputy has mentioned those is Mayo and the north west. It would be remiss of me not to mention the Parkinson's group in Galway as well. In his note to me, the Minister stated that he hopes that the final decision on this reimbursement...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Covid-19 Pandemic (23 Oct 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank the Deputies again for raising this important issue. The Government appreciates that people have been severely affected by the restrictions imposed this year. We have provided a range of supports to individuals, businesses and other sectors of society to limit the impact on livelihoods and businesses. The Government remains united in its resolve to tackle the spread of Covid-19....

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Drugs Payment Scheme (23 Oct 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue and for giving me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister, to provide as much clarity as possible on the availability and reimbursement of Duodopa for patients with advanced Parkinson's disease. As the Deputy may know, the HSE was given statutory responsibility for medicine pricing and reimbursement decisions under the Health (Pricing...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Maternity Services (23 Oct 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: Perhaps we can discuss this issue with the Minister for Health. The introduction of pods and bubbles this week was very welcome. Maybe we can discuss with the hospitals if they are open to the idea of having bubbles or pods. It is important, however, that my message is clear tonight and I do not want to confuse it. These decisions are not taken lightly and hospital front-line staff and...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Covid-19 Pandemic (23 Oct 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank the Deputies for raising this important matter as the conversation is very welcome. Earlier this week, the Government took the decision to move the country to level 5 of the framework for living with Covid-19, as outlined in the resilience and recovery plan. This decision took account of a variety of factors, including the views of the National Public Health Emergency Team on the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Maternity Services (23 Oct 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I congratulate him and his wife on the birth of their second child, a daughter. Having been through maternity three times, I fully endorse what he has said. It is not just for the arrival of the baby. From a female perspective, of course the mothers want their partner, husband or wife with them at that time. They need that support because they...

Level 5 Response to Covid-19: Statements (Resumed) (23 Oct 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank all the Deputies who contributed. I have taken note of the points they raised and, as is my practice when wrapping up, I will address the concerns raised by Deputies who are still in the Chamber as best I can. Deputy Michael Collins has spoken twice this evening, which is unusual, but, needless to say, I welcome his contributions. On education, he raised the same issue with me...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Hospital Funding (22 Oct 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank Senator Dolan for placing this matter today. Before I go to the script it gives me great pleasure to discuss Portiuncula Hospital given that my youngest child was born there. It is 24 miles down the road from me so I know it intimately. Many of my constituents work in Portiuncula Hospital and it is embedded in the fabric not just of Ballinasloe but in the wider spread of the area....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Hospital Funding (22 Oct 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank Senator Dolan. I did not answer the question on the CT scanner. The HSE advised that the replacement of the CT scanner in Portiuncula is scheduled for 2021 or 2022, through the HSE equipment replacement programme. Priority for replacement is based on risk categorisation covering age dependability and service history, with capacity for replacement depending on availability of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Disability Services Provision (22 Oct 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank Senator Boyhan for putting down this question. It gives me the opportunity to bring the Senator through my engagement since becoming Minister of State with responsibility for disability matters. Before I continue, I wish to say this is not a blame game. I could not agree more with Senator Boyhan on that. This is about the service users, their families, the employees and delivering...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Disability Services Provision (22 Oct 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank the Deputy again for raising this matter. I acknowledge and recognise his concerns. It is the first time I have been given the opportunity to put on the record my engagement with St. John of God and my plea to it on that day to not serve notice on us, to work with me, as a Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities, and to give me the opportunity to understand their...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Disability Services Provision (22 Oct 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank Senator O'Loughlin for giving me the opportunity to address this specific matter. I want to go back to the question she submitted, which was on redeployment to address assessments of need. We are speaking about speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physical therapists. This is the question the Senator laid before me to address today. My answer does not...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Disability Services Provision (22 Oct 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank Senator O'Loughlin. As I said, the €7.8 million was to address the backlog. I am on top of the redeployment piece. There was a successful budget last week, out of which money was circled for the recruitment of additional staff, including another 100 therapist posts. Some 100 therapists were secured under the most recent programme for Government. It is sad to think that the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Disability Services Provision (22 Oct 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: The Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose, and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Disability Services Provision (21 Oct 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: The Programme for Government,  Our Shared Future,  recognises the need to improve services for both children and adults with disabilities through better implementation and by working together across Government in a better way.  The  Government commits to prioritising early diagnosis and access to services for children and ensuring that the most effective interventions are...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Disability Services Data (21 Oct 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: The Programme for Government,  Our Shared Future, recognises the need to improve services for both children and adults with disabilities through better implementation and by working together across Government in a better way.  The Government commits to prioritising early diagnosis and access to services for children and ensuring that the most effective interventions are...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Disability Services Data (21 Oct 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: The Programme for Government,  Our Shared Future,  recognises the need to improve services for both children and adults with disabilities through better implementation and by working together across Government in a better way.  The  Government commits to prioritising early diagnosis and access to services for children and ensuring that the most effective interventions are...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Disability Services Data (21 Oct 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: The Programme for Government,  Our Shared Future,  recognises the need to improve services for both children and adults with disabilities through better implementation and by working together across Government in a better way.  The  Government commits to prioritising early diagnosis and access to services for children and ensuring that the most effective interventions are...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Disability Services Data (21 Oct 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: I propose to take Questions Nos. 246 to 248, inclusive, together. Much of the Personal Assistant (PA) service is delivered by Private Providers or Voluntary Service Providers funded under Section 39 of the Health Act. The rates these Providers pay their staff are not aligned to public pay scales; rather they relate to historical/legacy pay rates that the Providers have agreed with their...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Disability Services Provision (21 Oct 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: The Programme for Government,  Our Shared Future,  recognises the need to improve services for both children and adults with disabilities through better implementation and by working together across Government in a better way.  The Government commits to prioritising early diagnosis and access to services for children and ensuring that the most effective interventions are...