Results 9,721-9,740 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (5 Jun 2008)

Mary Harney: Officials in my Department have made inquiries and have established that the HSE issued a response in respect of the question concerned on 28th May 2008.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (5 Jun 2008)

Mary Harney: The total amount of Prompt Payment Interest (PPI) paid to suppliers by my Department in the years 2003 to 2007 inclusive, was €17,906. The following table sets out the amount incurred in each year. Year Amount € 2003 583 2004 1,107 2005 14,723 2006 1,115 2007 378 The following table shows the three suppliers paid the highest amount of PPI in each of those years. Year Supplier...

Written Answers — Services for People with Disabilities: Services for People with Disabilities (5 Jun 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 issues raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary...

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (5 Jun 2008)

Mary Harney: Persons and their dependants who would otherwise experience undue hardship in meeting the cost of General Practitioner (GP) services qualify for a medical card, which entitles them to a range of health services free of charge. In 2005, the GP visit card was introduced as a graduated benefit so that people on moderate and lower incomes, particularly parents of young children, who did not...

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (5 Jun 2008)

Mary Harney: The Health Service Executive was established in January 2005. The Health Service Personnel Census indicates that, as at 31 December 2004, there were 98,723 whole-time equivalents employed in the public health service. At the end of March 2008, there were 110,156 whole-time equivalents employed in the public health service. The Revised Estimates Volume 2008 provides €14.3 billion in gross...

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (5 Jun 2008)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 98 and 112 together. The Health Service Executive's (HSE's) Health Service Personnel Census indicates that between January 2005 (when the HSE was established) and March 2008, the number employed in the public health service increased by 11,433 whole-time equivalents (WTEs) or by 11.58%. The increases by grade category are set out in the table below. As can be...

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (5 Jun 2008)

Mary Harney: Details of the number of medical card holders are provided to my Department each month by the Health Service Executive (and before 2005 the health boards). The table below shows the number of persons with medical cards in respect of the years 2002-2008. Year No. of medical card holders 31st December 2002 1,164,453 31st December 2003 1,152,908 31st December 2004 1,145,083 31st December...

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (5 Jun 2008)

Mary Harney: Details of the number of GP visit card holders are provided to my Department each month by the Health Service Executive (HSE). The table below shows the number of persons with GP visit cards for each year since it was introduced (November 2005) up to 2008. Year No. of GP visit card holders 12th January 2006 5,080 31st December 2006 51,760 31st December 2007 75,789 2008 (as at 31st...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (5 Jun 2008)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 101 and 111 together. The Deputy's questions relate 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...

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (5 Jun 2008)

Mary Harney: Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services is a matter for the Health Service Executive. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the relevant information provided directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (5 Jun 2008)

Mary Harney: The provision of the appropriate infrastructure to facilitate the delivery of primary care services is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matters raised by the Deputy investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy as a matter of urgency.

Written Answers — Pharmacy Regulations: Pharmacy Regulations (5 Jun 2008)

Mary Harney: An agenda has been agreed for detailed discussions on a number of outstanding issues between the Irish Pharmaceutical Union (IPU) and the Health Service Executive (HSE). These discussions commenced in the week beginning 5 May 2008, and are ongoing. With goodwill on all sides I am hopeful that these discussions can bring about an agreed resolution on these issues in the coming weeks. Following...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (5 Jun 2008)

Mary Harney: It is important to note that the transfer of services from St. Luke's Hospital to new facilities at St. James's Hospital is not due to take place for a number of years. In the meantime, two additional linear accelerators were commissioned at St. Luke's earlier this year and two replacement linear accelerators will be commissioned later this year. These will provide much needed interim...

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (5 Jun 2008)

Mary Harney: The Programme for Government includes a commitment to provide an additional 1,500 public acute hospital beds. About 1,000 of these will be provided through the co-location initiative and the balance through the HSE's capital plan. The co-location initiative aims to make available additional acute beds for public patients through the transfer of private activity from public hospitals to...

Written Answers — Ambulance Service: Ambulance Service (5 Jun 2008)

Mary Harney: An air ambulance service is provided by the Air Corps on the basis of a Service Level Agreement prepared by the Departments of Defence and Health and Children in consultation with the Health Service Executive, the Defence Forces and the Air Corps, all of which are signatories to it. This arrangement has operated successfully for a number of years and was renewed in November 2007 to take...

Written Answers — Hospitals Building Programme: Hospitals Building Programme (5 Jun 2008)

Mary Harney: The Government's sustained high level of investment in health care has enabled the completion and commissioning of numerous new facilities in both the acute and the non-acute sectors. This year, overall capital funding of approximately €594 million has been provided to the Health Service Executive. The HSE has submitted a draft Capital Plan covering the period 2008-2013 to my Department...

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (5 Jun 2008)

Mary Harney: Persons and their dependants who would otherwise experience undue hardship in meeting the cost of General Practitioner (GP) services qualify for a medical card, which entitles them to a range of health services free of charge. In 2005, the GP visit card was introduced as a graduated benefit so that people on moderate and lower incomes, particularly parents of young children, who did not...

Nursing Homes Repayment Scheme. (5 Jun 2008)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 32 together. The Health (Repayment Scheme) Act 2006 provides a legal framework to repay recoverable health charges for publicly-funded long-term care. The Health Service Executive, HSE, has advised that as of 16 May 2008, more than 14,000 offers of repayment totalling more than €250 million have been made. Further offers continue to be issued every...

Nursing Homes Repayment Scheme. (5 Jun 2008)

Mary Harney: It was brought in because the HSE felt it would not be able to cope. It has dealt with 39,000 claims and €15 million exclusive of VAT would be regarded by any standards — especially with the overtime bills I see — as enormous value for money.

Nursing Homes Repayment Scheme. (5 Jun 2008)

Mary Harney: If we were to make the system, with its current staffing complement, deal with this issue, it would have been dealt with on an overtime basis. It would have taken substantially longer and cost substantially more. An assessment was made and that was the recommendation.