Results 7,321-7,340 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Harney: The HSE has indicated to me that this report will be published in the coming weeks. The HSE commissioned the report from Horwath Consulting Ireland, in association with Teamwork Management Services, to examine the arrangements for the provision of acute hospital services in the South with a view to identifying the best configuration of such services in the region. The Government is committed...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Harney: There are currently no voluntary early retirement or redundancy schemes available to staff in the Civil Service. However, there are other arrangements which make provision for retirement earlier than normal pension age in certain circumstances. Arrangements for cost-neutral early retirement were introduced in 2005 under Department of Finance Circular 10/2005 and are available in the Civil...

Written Answers — Cancer Screening Programme: Cancer Screening Programme (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Harney: BreastCheck, the National Breast Screening Programme provides free mammograms to women aged 50 to 64, on a two-year cycle. The BreastCheck Eccles Unit (located adjacent to the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital) and four attached mobile digital screening units provides the screening service to women living in North and County Dublin, Cavan, Carlow, Kilkenny, Longford, Louth, Meath,...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Harney: It is still the intention of the HSE to proceed with the development of the North East Regional Hospital and it is envisaged that most of the expenditure in this regard will occur after 2013. In the interim the focus is on reconfiguring services by moving acute and complex care from 5 to 2 hospital sites and on ensuring that services in the region are organised in a way which optimises...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Harney: I approved the HSE National Service Plan 2009 on 9 December 2008 under Section 31(8) of the Health Act 2004. In approving the Plan, I highlighted to the HSE certain critical performance issues in overseeing its implementation. I also emphasised the necessity for the HSE to operate within the limits of its Voted allocation in delivering at a minimum, the levels of service which are provided...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Harney: The Health Service Executive (HSE) is planning to roll-out a Diabetic Retinopathy Screening programme, on a phased basis, by the HSE area. It is proposed to commence in HSE West, as a population-based screening programme had previously been established in the former North-West Health Board. Funding of €750,000 is being allocated to implement this first phase of the screening service. The...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Harney: As the Deputy's question relates to a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Harney: My Department estimates that following the withdrawal of automatic entitlement to a medical card from persons aged 70 or over on 31st December 2008, approximately 5% of persons in this age cohort (approximately 20,000 people) will no longer qualify for a medical card. The estimated 5% figure was based on the best available information from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and the EU wide...

Written Answers — Cancer Screening Programme: Cancer Screening Programme (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Harney: The correspondence referred to by the Deputy dates from over a year ago. Professor Keane, who took up his post as Interim Director of the National Cancer Control Programme in November 2007, has made immense progress in implementing the programme since his appointment. This progress would not have been possible without the co-operation of HSE staff at all levels. The transfer of breast...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Harney: The matter raised by the Deputy relates to the provision of healthcare services and accordingly, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on the matter.

Written Answers — Nursing Homes Repayment Scheme: Nursing Homes Repayment Scheme (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Harney: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Harney: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Data Protection: Data Protection (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Harney: In November 2007, the Data Protection Commissioner issued a Guidance Note for Data Controllers on the Release of Personal Data to Public Representatives, in line with which the Health Service Executive prepared a Standard Operating Procedure for its staff. This requires that routine information be provided to public representatives on the basis that it can be generally assumed that the...

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Harney: As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Nursing Homes Repayment Scheme: Nursing Homes Repayment Scheme (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Harney: The Health Service Executive (HSE) has responsibility for administering the health repayment scheme in conjunction with the appointed scheme administrator KPMG/McCann Fitzgerald. The HSE provide weekly monitoring reports to my Department on the progress of the Health Repayment Scheme. Since the commencement of the scheme almost 35,000 applications have been received by the Scheme...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Harney: I am aware of the provisions of Section 7 of the Finance (No.2) Act 2008 which introduced an exemption from an income tax charge under section 118 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 in respect of a benefit in the form of a bicycle or associated safety equipment provided to a director or employee by his or her employer, where the bicycle/associated safety equipment is used by the employee or...

Written Answers — Health Service Reports: Health Service Reports (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Harney: I am informed that the investigation into the management of quality and safety arrangements at the Mid Western Regional Hospital, Ennis, being conducted by the Health Information and Quality Authority, is substantially completed and that the drafting of the report is at an advanced stage. The next step, which is expected to take a number of weeks, will be the necessary legal verification...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Harney: As the Deputy's question relates to a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Harney: I understand that the Deputy's question relates to staff at the level of principal officer and equivalent and higher grades. No such remuneration arrangements exist in respect of staff working in my Department. My Department has asked the Health Service Executive to reply directly to the Deputy in relation to staff employed by it whose remuneration arrangements would be comprehended by the...

Written Answers — Nursing Homes Repayment Scheme: Nursing Homes Repayment Scheme (19 Feb 2009)

Mary Harney: The Health Repayment Scheme Appeals Office is an independent office established to provide an appeals service to those who wish to appeal the decision of the Scheme Administrator under the Health (Repayment Scheme) Act 2006. Up to 13 February 2009, 5,269 appeals have been lodged with the Appeals Office and 2,883 appeal decisions have issued. The average completion time for an Appeal...