Results 8,401-8,420 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney
- Written Answers — Drugs Payment Scheme: Drugs Payment Scheme (11 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: The Prompt Payment of Accounts Act 1997 requires all public bodies to pay amounts due to suppliers of goods and services promptly. Accordingly, I do not consider that the Act is relevant in this context. Following the reduction in pharmaceutical reimbursement prices on 1 March 2008, claims made by patients to Health Service Executive (HSE) local health offices were paid at the new lower...
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (11 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: Since its establishment in 2005, the Health Service Executive has had responsibility for public health sector capital developments other than those projects undertaken by my Department, by the Office of the Minister for Children and by the health agencies that are directly funded by my Department. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to...
- Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (11 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: Severance provisions for staff are available in limited circumstances, and involve termination of employment for Ministerial personal staff on cessation of office of the Minister or a Minister of State. Severance is not payable to Ministerial personal staff who have been appointed by way of secondment from the civil service or some other form of leave of absence from other employments. As...
- Written Answers — Assisted Human Reproduction: Assisted Human Reproduction (11 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: At present there is no legislation in Ireland governing the intervention in the natural process of creating human life; instead, medical practice is governed by guidelines issued by the Medical Council. My Department is developing an appropriate regulatory framework for the area of Assisted Human Reproduction, which will also encompass the area of human embryonic stem cell research. This work...
- Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (11 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: As the Health Service Executive has the operational and funding responsibility for the medical card benefit, it is the appropriate body to consider the particular case raised by the Deputy. My Department has therefore requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to address this matter and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.
- Written Answers — Hospital Waiting Lists: Hospital Waiting Lists (11 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services is a matter for the Health Service Executive and funding for all health services has been provided as part of its overall Vote. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular case raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division...
- Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (11 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 280 and 281 together. Almost 130,000 people work full-time or part-time in our public health services. In recent years, the Government's ongoing high level of investment in health has achieved and maintained significant increases in the numbers of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals employed in the public health services. The Government has...
- Written Answers — Medicinal Products: Medicinal Products (11 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: Following the publication by a Sub-Committee of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children of its Report on the Adverse Side Effects of Pharmaceuticals in April 2007, the Irish Medicines Board (IMB) initiated a process to carefully examine the various items raised. This process involved the appointment of independent external consultants and experts in the field of...
- Written Answers — Planning Issues: Planning Issues (11 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: My Department has not undertaken any development works under Section 181 (2) (a) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 since the Act was enacted.
- Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (11 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: At present, medical cards are granted primarily on the basis of means and individual circumstances. Under the Health Act, 2004, determination of eligibility for medical cards is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive. The HSE has discretion, in cases of exceptional need, to provide assistance to individuals where undue hardship would otherwise be caused. I have no plans to provide...
- Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (11 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: Subject to overall parameters set by Government, the Health Service Executive has the responsibility for determining the composition of its staffing complement. In that regard, it is a matter for the Executive to manage and deploy its human resources to best meet the requirements of its Annual Service Plan for the delivery of health and personal social services to the public. The Executive...
- Written Answers — Accident and Emergency Services: Accident and Emergency Services (11 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services was assigned to the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004 and funding for all health services has been provided as part of its overall vote. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular issue raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the...
- Written Answers — Waste Management: Waste Management (11 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: As the Deputy will be aware, public procurement rules do not specify the number of copies of tender documents to be submitted and they permit contracting authorities to require the submission of tenders solely by electronic means. The e-tenders website provides this facility and this was utilised in a recent competition carried out by my Department. My Department is committed to increasing...
- Written Answers — Pharmacy Regulations: Pharmacy Regulations (11 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: The Health Service Executive, with the support of my Department, agreed with the Irish Pharmacy Union on 28th April 2008 to address a number of matters including engagement on a new substantive contract and payment of outstanding general round increases. Progress has been made in relation to the general round increases. Engagement on a new contract was deferred pending the judgment of the...
- Written Answers — Hospital Staff: Hospital Staff (11 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 297 to 301, inclusive, together. The Health Service Executive recently published the Report of the Review of Chest X-Rays and CT Scans reported by a locum consultant radiologist at Louth/Meath Hospitals from August 2006 to August 2007. The Review found that nine patients in Drogheda and Navan hospitals had their diagnosis of lung cancer delayed as a result of...
- Written Answers — Accident and Emergency Services: Accident and Emergency Services (11 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: I am aware that there has been increased pressure on the Emergency Department of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda recently. The Health Service Executive (HSE) has been working to put in place a range of measures to alleviate these pressures. At hospital level some planned activity has been re-scheduled and there has been a particular focus on improving the discharge planning process...
- Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (11 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.
- Written Answers — Departmental Transport: Departmental Transport (11 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: Since 2007, my Department paid a total of â¬3,353 in respect of my air travel. No payments were made by my Department in respect of my travel by bus or rail. In October 2006, I travelled to Chicago to visit a paediatric hospital. The cost of the air travel was â¬3,139. In September 2008 I travelled from Paris where I attended the EU Council of Ministers informal meeting. The cost of the...
- Written Answers — Departmental Transport: Departmental Transport (11 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: The information requested is being collated in my Department and will be forwarded directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
- Written Answers — Hospital Waiting Lists: Hospital Waiting Lists (11 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: Staff at Beaumont Hospital and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda have been working closely together over the past two months to ensure that the transition of symptomatic breast cancer services operates safely and without any disruption of service. A final date for the completion of the transition of the service has not been set as all of the radiology resources are not yet in place on...