Results 8,861-8,880 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Nursing Homes Repayment Scheme: Nursing Homes Repayment Scheme (1 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: The Health Service Executive has responsibility for administering the Repayment Scheme and the information sought by the Deputy relates to matters within the area of responsibility of the Executive. 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 — Hospitals Building Programme: Hospitals Building Programme (1 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: The development of the National Paediatric Hospital is a priority project for the Government. The Capital Plan includes provision for the development of the new hospital and the associated Ambulatory and Urgent Care Centre at Tallaght. The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board was established in May, 2007. Its primary function is to plan, design, furnish and equip the new national...

Written Answers — National Treatment Purchase Fund: National Treatment Purchase Fund (1 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 90 and 91 together. The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the tables. Table 1 shows the annual revenue allocations, in-patients treated and out-patient appointments in the years in question. Table 2 indicates in-patient activity to the end of August 2008. The Annual Reports of the National Treatment Purchase Fund contain detailed statistics...

Written Answers — Hospitals Building Programme: Hospitals Building Programme (1 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: The Board of the Health Service Executive (HSE) has approved preferred bidder status for the development of co-located hospitals at the following six sites: Beaumont Hospital, Cork University Hospital, Limerick Regional Hospital, St. James's Hospital, Waterford Regional Hospital and Sligo General Hospital. Project Agreements for the Beaumont, Cork and Limerick sites have been signed. The...

Written Answers — Community Pharmacy Services: Community Pharmacy Services (1 Oct 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 — Health Services: Health Services (1 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: The Deputy's question relates to the funding, 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 — Health Services: Health Services (1 Oct 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 issue raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division...

Written Answers — Services for People with Disabilities: Services for People with Disabilities (1 Oct 2008)

Mary Harney: I have identified the need to improve services for persons with cystic fibrosis as a priority in the Estimates process over recent years. Since 2006, additional revenue funding of €6.78m has been allocated to the Health Service Executive (HSE) to develop services for patients with cystic fibrosis. I asked the HSE to place a particular focus on the development of services at St. Vincent's...

Written Answers — Data Collection: Data Collection (30 Sep 2008)

Mary Harney: For many decades, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has led the way in the development of standard classification systems for health data. Ireland participates fully in the work of the WHO and this includes adopting WHO standards in the area of health information. Examples of data collection systems which use WHO classification standards include vital statistics, hospital discharge data...

Written Answers — Hospitals Building Programme: Hospitals Building Programme (30 Sep 2008)

Mary Harney: In July 2005 I issued a policy direction to the Health Service Executive aimed at freeing up additional beds in public hospitals for public patients. This will be achieved through the development of private hospitals on the sites of public hospitals and the transfer of private activity to those hospitals, thereby releasing substantial capacity for public patients in public hospitals. The...

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (30 Sep 2008)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 123 and 255 together. I am pleased that so many consultants have already accepted, or indicated they will be accepting, the new contract. In April 2008 the HSE re-commenced its consultant recruitment process and 128 posts have been advertised to date. The recruitment process to fill these posts is underway. During the period from May to August the HSE...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (30 Sep 2008)

Mary Harney: I acknowledge that the number of bed days lost in acute hospitals as a result of delayed discharges is creating particular difficulties at the moment. Hospitals need to improve their admission/treatment and discharge processes to ensure that care is provided in a more timely, appropriate and efficient manner. Steps are being taken to ensure that patients are given an expected date of...

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (30 Sep 2008)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 125 and 137 together. The radiology look-back review underway in the North East was prompted by concerns that a small number of patients in two Louth/Meath Hospitals during 2006/7 had their diagnosis delayed due to an abnormality on their chest x-ray not being noted on initial radiological examination. The review involves the x-rays and ct scans of...

Written Answers — Cancer Screening Programme: Cancer Screening Programme (30 Sep 2008)

Mary Harney: On 1 September 2008 the National Cancer Screening Service (NCSS) announced the availability of CervicalCheck, the National Cervical Screening Programme. The Programme will provide free smear tests through primary care settings to the 1.1 million women living in Ireland aged between 25 and 60 years. A successful national programme in Ireland has the potential to cut current mortality rates...

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (30 Sep 2008)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 127 and 265 together. In May 2007 the Health Service Executive commissioned KPMG consultants to undertake an independent review of maternity and gynaecology services in the Greater Dublin area. In undertaking the review KPMG were asked to focus on four key areas: to build on the strengths of the current service configuration and model of care; to define the...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (30 Sep 2008)

Mary Harney: I have received direct correspondence, and copies of correspondence to the Health Service Executive (HSE), from consultants at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda regarding acute hospital services at Drogheda. The issues raised have been the subject of detailed discussions between officials of my Department and the HSE in order to ensure that any action necessary is taken to guarantee the...

Written Answers — Water Quality: Water Quality (30 Sep 2008)

Mary Harney: Following a recent tap water survey in Galway City elevated levels of lead were found in a number of houses. I am advised by the Health Service Executive that, from a public health perspective, the risk to those affected from raised water lead levels depends on a number of factors, including the duration of exposure, the level of exposure, age and other characteristics which affect the...

Written Answers — Accident and Emergency Services: Accident and Emergency Services (30 Sep 2008)

Mary Harney: There have been considerable improvements in the delivery of services in Emergency Departments over the past two years. For example, there has been a reduction in the average daily number of patients awaiting admission from 179 in 2005 to 92 in 2007. The figure for the first five months of 2008 was 99. National data was unavailable since early June because of industrial action taken by...

Written Answers — Financial Management Practices: Financial Management Practices (30 Sep 2008)

Mary Harney: The Health Service Executive (HSE) has its own Vote and the Chief Executive Officer is the Accounting Officer for the Vote. It must manage its Vote in accordance with the standard Public Financial Procedures. This includes the preparation of the Annual Appropriation Account which is audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General. As Accounting Officer, the Chief Executive Officer submits...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (30 Sep 2008)

Mary Harney: I have had ongoing discussions with the Chairperson and CEO of the Health Service Executive (HSE) regarding its plans to introduce revised management structures at both national and regional level in order to improve the delivery of health and personal social services. The overall result of these changes will be: better integration of primary, community and hospital care for the benefit of...