Results 8,441-8,460 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney
- Written Answers — Hospital Hygiene Standards: Hospital Hygiene Standards (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: Achieving and maintaining the highest possible standards of hygiene in our hospitals and health care facilities generally is a priority for this Government and for the Health Service Executive (HSE). Hygiene and infection control measures are key to the prevention of the spread of Healthcare Associated Infections in our hospital system. I am informed that as part of the standard infection...
- Written Answers — General Practitioner Co-operatives: General Practitioner Co-operatives (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: Out of hours co-operatives allow general practitioners to put in place arrangements to provide services to their patients, while their surgeries are closed in the evenings, on weekends and bank holidays. The development of GP co-operatives is in line with the overall health service policy of strengthening primary care services and ensuring that to the greatest extent possible, people's care...
- Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: The specific question raised by the Deputy relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the HSE under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to respond directly to the Deputy in this regard.
- Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (6 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 — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (6 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 — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: Officers can be absent from work for various reasons including sick leave, annual leave, parental leave, worksharing, term time, special leave with out pay etc. The rules applicable to such absences are determined centrally by the Department of Finance circulars. All such absences are managed by the Department's computerised personnel administration system i.e. the PeopleSoft Human...
- Cancer Vaccine: Statements (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: With regard to Deputy Reilly's point about Boston or Berlin, the Swedish Government has not introduced this vaccine and I do not believe it could be put into the Boston schools of economics or politics. Several other Ministries have not done so either, for the many reasons we face here. Clinical choices must be made based on the best clinical advice when there is public money to spend. ...
- Cancer Vaccine: Statements (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: The resources have not been provided for it for 2009, in respect of what was allocated in the recent budget and confirmed to the HSE. We have not provided new money for this programme because we do not have it.
- Cancer Vaccine: Statements (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: I could make choices and decide not to proceed with the â¬10 million for speech therapists for children who have terrible language problems.
- Cancer Vaccine: Statements (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: These are the type of choices one would have to make in health. While the cervical cancer vaccination programme cannot proceed in 2009, I hope it will proceed as soon as possible thereafter.
- Cancer Vaccine: Statements (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: The Deputy's GP colleagues up there are paid much less than down here.
- Cancer Vaccine: Statements (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: I will not respond to the political charges that Deputy Reilly continually makes. I do not need a lecture from him about moral responsibilities and will not take one. However, one must make choices based on clinical advice. Ireland only began a cervical screening programme last September, which will save 80% to 90% of cervical deaths. Were we in a position also to introduce the vaccine,...
- Cancer Vaccine: Statements (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: However, Deputy Kenny should be aware the screening programme must take priority. It will cost an additional â¬25 million next year. It will detect women that have cancerous cells at present. That must be the priority, together with cancer treatments.
- Cancer Vaccine: Statements (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: Deputy Reilly is aware that screening will prevent 80% to 90% of cancers.
- Cancer Vaccine: Statements (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: I did not say the cost would be â¬600 this morning. I was responding to what Dr. Flannelly had said in an earlier part of the interview with Cathal MacCoille in which he expressed outrage that the cost of the vaccination to parents would be â¬600. Of course I accept the HIQA costs. The Health Service Executive recently made a submission to me that the cost would be of the order of â¬16...
- Cancer Vaccine: Statements (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: ââthat would cost a further â¬500,000. In response to Deputy Burton's question, the cost of vaccines here is approximately three times higher than in other countries in terms of GP charges. This vaccine would be administered by nurses and the Health Service Executive's estimate of that cost is approximately â¬5 million. I accept the figures for costs outlined in the HIQA report....
- Cancer Vaccine: Statements (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: Dramatic cuts have been made to consultancies and other such areas of expenditure for next year. I would like to see the Health Service Executive service plan for 2009 debated in the House. It is clear that the public health service will be challenged financially next year to provide services in a range of areas because of the financial situation in which we find ourselves.
- Cancer Vaccine: Statements (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: Deputy Kenny should not forget the cost of staff.
- Cancer Vaccine: Statements (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: To clarify, we are not cutting â¬700 million. I referred to planned expenditure. If we are to do all the things we would like to do next year, we require an extra â¬700 million. In fact, health spending is increasing by 3.1%.
- Cancer Vaccine: Statements (6 Nov 2008)
Mary Harney: In that context, many tough decisions have to be made. The priority in cancer, which is very important, has to be that we improve the quality of treatments by investing in the expertise we need in the eight designated centres. That was â¬15 million. That money had to be found. It is not easy to find such sums of money. If staff costs account for up to 80% of one's costs, one has to find...