Results 9,421-9,440 of 21,128 for speaker:James Reilly

Other Questions: National Children's Hospital (14 Feb 2013)

James Reilly: I am pleased that Deputy Kelleher has referred to Dr. Jim Browne. I believe he will make an excellent chair of the new children's hospital group. One problem has been the need to separate some of the functions of the previous board to get the required result. I assure the Deputy and all those concerned with delivering care to children in this country that there is no intention on our part...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Insurance Cost (14 Feb 2013)

James Reilly: I have discussed this with the insurance companies. They require very little modification for all to fall into the lower rating. When the Deputy's party was in power there was a 23% increase in 2008, 11% in 2009.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Insurance Cost (14 Feb 2013)

James Reilly: Yes, but the Deputy has accused me of presiding over a rapid rise in premia.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Insurance Cost (14 Feb 2013)

James Reilly: The Deputy's interpretation of events is somewhat at variance with reality.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Insurance Cost (14 Feb 2013)

James Reilly: I will conclude. The figures I referred to are well above the 6% premia increase that is currently planned. The applications I have put into the system should not increase the overall cost of health insurance. It is about community rating and transferring the risk from the older and less well back to the young who are more well. That was always the way. It was the same when I was young...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Mental Health Services (14 Feb 2013)

James Reilly: The 2006 report of the expert group on mental health policy on the implementation of A Vision for Change is a priority for the Government. In this regard, budget 2012 and budget 2013 provided an additional €35 million each year for the continued development of our mental health services. The Health Service Executive, HSE, national service plan 2013 commits to a number of objectives...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Mental Health Services (14 Feb 2013)

James Reilly: I thank the Deputy for her question. Both myself and the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, have discussed this matter at length. We are both committed to ensuring these positions are filled. There were delays last year but we have been assured by the HSE that this will not happen again this year and the positions will be filled. We are concerned about having proper community...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Mental Health Services (14 Feb 2013)

James Reilly: Having worked for 20 years as a visiting general practitioner to St. Ita's, I know psychiatric treatment, intellectual disability and mental health services have been the Cinderella of the health services. We are doing everything in our health policy to address that. For example, primary care centres must have a mental health facility that will destigmatise this issue so that people will...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Mortality Rates (14 Feb 2013)

James Reilly: I reiterate, "Some of the statistics in the report, while rough, are so startling that they cannot be ignored. They were gathered over the past three years, one set of statistics shows that a patient attending Galway University Hospital has a 5.8% mortality rate compared with a 21.3% mortality rate in Roscommon which is four times greater". That is what I said and I stand over it. Since...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Mortality Rates (14 Feb 2013)

James Reilly: The urology services commenced at the hospital in May. I do not believe I have spoken for a minute. Have I?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Mortality Rates (14 Feb 2013)

James Reilly: I will just mention that there is an endoscopy suite, a radiology upgrade, dental service, nursing initiatives around nurse prescribing and nurse x-ray, a medical rehabilitation service, which will be founded there, and the Mayo-Roscommon Hospice met with the hospital group in June 2012 and is progressing with its plans.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Mortality Rates (14 Feb 2013)

James Reilly: As the Deputy knows full well he was at a meeting with HIQA and other representatives of his constituency, including Deputy Feighan, at which HIQA stated clearly that this service could not continue because it was not safe and furthermore it could not be made safe. During the course of that meeting the Deputy advised one of the officials of the HSE to go and get a rope and hang himself.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Mortality Rates (14 Feb 2013)

James Reilly: For as long as the Deputy keeps bringing this up and misrepresenting the situation I will remind him of his own deficiencies and faults.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Hospital Mortality Rates (14 Feb 2013)

James Reilly: Absolutely.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Insurance Cost (14 Feb 2013)

James Reilly: On 28 January I met with the top management of the VHI. It informed me of its intention to increase premiums by 8% having previously communicated an 11% increase. I told it in the strongest possible terms that this was not acceptable to me. It has since announced that the premium increase will now be 6%. However, I remain very concerned about the cost of health insurance and have...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Health Insurance Cost (14 Feb 2013)

James Reilly: It is very difficult not to remind the Deputy that during his party's tenure the price of premia went up and up and up. Since last year we have made serious attempts but they are not enough - more needs to be done and I have made that very clear in my initial response. We are reducing consultant fees, there has been a 15% reduction in the past two years, and the price of procedures has been...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Graduate Nursing Scheme Issues (14 Feb 2013)

James Reilly: The scheme is a major concession on the basis that the nurses will be employed outside the employment control framework which has been set and within which we must reduce numbers. It allows us to create what was previously known as a "nursing bank" which will include people with the type of skills we require. The current dependency on agency nursing means one has to take the agency nurse...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Graduate Nursing Scheme Issues (14 Feb 2013)

James Reilly: I know the rules of the Chamber do not allow me to respond and I have to move on to Question No. 3.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Graduate Nursing Scheme Issues (14 Feb 2013)

James Reilly: That is why so many questions are put in the manner in which they are, I suppose.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Graduate Nursing Scheme Issues (14 Feb 2013)

James Reilly: I reject what Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin has to say. The answer to his question as to whether I would withdraw the scheme is absolutely not. There is no question of it.