Results 8,661-8,680 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: The Health Service Executive administers the pension scheme in question and therefore is the appropriate organisation to address the Deputy's query. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter investigated and to have a reply issued to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: 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 health care professionals employed in the public health services. The Government has also invested heavily in the education and training of...

Written Answers — Cancer Screening Programme: Cancer Screening Programme (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: The Deputy's specific question in relation to BreastCheck in County Donegal is the responsibility of the National Cancer Screening Service. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Chief Executive Officer of the Service to respond directly to the Deputy in relation to the matter raised.

Medical Cards: Motion (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: Was that political security?

Medical Cards: Motion (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: I intend to share time with Deputy Barry Andrews, if that is in order. I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "acknowledges: the Government's expression of regret for the anxiety caused among older people in recent days and welcomes the new initiative to allay that anxiety; supports: the decision by the Government to introduce a...

Medical Cards: Motion (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: I want to tell Deputy Sheehan that I was in the House 20 years ago when I heard Ministers for Health being called awful names, perhaps even worse than were used tonight. I was here for those years. I was here when the health budget was reduced by 3.5%. Next year, even with the challenges, it is increased by 3.5%. The Department of Health and Children, in the context of this year's budget,...

Medical Cards: Motion (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: Since this card was introduced, the fees to doctors have gone from €203.8 million to €431 million and the fees for drugs have increased from €434 million to over €1 billion. Next year, even with this decision, medical card costs will rise by 14%.

Medical Cards: Motion (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: With respect, I allowed other people to speak. Even with the decision that has been made, our medical card costs will rise by 14% next year. There are more treatments, more expensive drugs and more people are losing their jobs who will have to access a medical card for themselves and their families. In that context, when resources are limited, clearly any Minister for Health and Children...

Medical Cards: Motion (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: I listened to all on the Opposition side, with respect. We need some honesty here. The last Fine Gael Minister for Health was asked whether he would automatically extend——

Medical Cards: Motion (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: ——a medical card to everybody aged over 80, and he said, "I do not think it is justifiable to give an automatic entitlement to a medical card to all citizens, aged 80 and over, without reference to their means."

Medical Cards: Motion (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: I shall deal with that in a moment.

Medical Cards: Motion (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: The last Labour Minister for Health, who happens to be the present Leas-Cheann Comhairle, said exactly the same thing in 1994.

Medical Cards: Motion (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: In November 2004 in this House, Deputy Liz McManus as Labour Party health spokesperson, described it as an obscenity.

Medical Cards: Motion (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: She described it as an obscenity, so let us have some——-

Medical Cards: Motion (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: By virtue of this measure, the Government identified that savings of €100 million could be made. Deputy Sheehan might regard the fee to doctors as "an ATM", as he said——-

Medical Cards: Motion (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: Deputy Reilly, on behalf of Fine Gael, said at the weekend that it was an appropriate fee. The fact is that this scheme is highly expensive. It was envisaged at the time of its introduction that it would cost £15 million a year, and last year it cost €245 million.

Medical Cards: Motion (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: To be fair to my ministerial colleague, Deputy Martin, he negotiated that in good faith. The Government made the decision in the context of financial circumstances very different from those we face today. In the context of the budget it was a priority for the Government to introduce the fair deal to help older people in long-term care. We know we have a highly inequitable situation where...

Medical Cards: Motion (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: For children with special needs, we want to employ 100 or 120 new therapists next year, in speech and physiotherapy. These are the choices. We want to be able to maintain as many old people as possible at home. Currently some 10,000 older people are receiving home care packages. We did not have any home care packages a couple of years ago. In addition——

Medical Cards: Motion (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: ——we have 53,000 families receiving home help. All these were factors in the discussions and the choices made. There is the issue of the budget and the confidentiality associated with it, issues to do with competition law, as we have heard, contractual issues with doctors and industrial relations questions. These are the practicalities that must be taken on board in relation to this...

Medical Cards: Motion (21 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: We are saving €100 million from this proposal.