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Acknowledgement and Apology to Women and Families affected by CervicalCheck Debacle: Statements (22 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: As Taoiseach, on behalf of the State, I apologise to the women and their loved ones who suffered from a litany of failures in how cervical screening in the country operated for many years. I do so having listened to many of those affected and do so guided by the Scally inquiry report. Today we say "Sorry" to those whose lives were shattered. We say "Sorry" to those whose lives were...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Subject to the agreement of the Business Committee, we have no difficulty in having a debate on this on Thursday, but perhaps the Ministers for Health and Public Expenditure and Reform might be allowed to get briefed up on this before the debate on Thursday.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: If Deputies are interested in genuine accountability, rather than the political circus that happens too often in this House, an Oireachtas joint committee hearing that the head of the procurement board - the people who are actually delivering the project - could also attend might be an alternative. To restate what I said earlier, the resignation from the board happened three months ago....

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I am very sorry to hear about what happened to that lady and, of course, my thoughts are with her family. As is often the way when an individual case is raised in the Dáil, I am loath to speak about it because I do not have all or any of the facts of some of individual cases. However, I have been informed that there is an investigation under way into this case. There is a Garda...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I absolutely acknowledge that the Deputy is putting us on notice about this issue, issues in the hospital in Galway and the health care system in general. There has been considerable investment in University Hospital Galway in recent years. The budget has been increased year on year for the last three, four or, perhaps, five years and there are more staff. The new 75-bed block, all...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I do not think that is quite the case. We agreed in government that we would first provide free GP care to those aged under six and over 70 regardless of their incomes. The next step we had agreed - money was provided in the Deputy's final budget - was to go from age six to 12. We were, therefore, pursuing an incremental approach.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: This Government has done something slightly different. We decided to increase the income limits by 10% for low-income families. Some 40,000 children with profound disabilities now get full medical cards as of right regardless of their parents' income. We have decided to increase the income limits for the over 70s in the budget just introduced. We also decided to give people on carer's...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: We know from the experience with those aged under six that there is a big increase in attendances. I do not want us to have primary care systems such as those in the NHS-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----where people have to wait for weeks and weeks to see a GP. That is not the norm in Ireland at the moment and I do not want to see general practice and primary care overwhelmed. I do not want a situation where people cannot get a GP - I know that is an issue for some people-----

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: -----but most people still can - and where people have to wait for two or three weeks as the norm to see the GP, as is the case in England. We do not want that to happen here. It is better done incrementally in co-operation with the GPs and the IMO representatives.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I thank the Deputy. I am very committed, as is this Government, to moving towards universal healthcare in this country, but I also know the steps that have to be taken and how difficult it is to achieve that. Part of universal healthcare and the Sláintecare vision is ensuring that everyone in the State has access to healthcare that is either free at the point of use or provided at a...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Last year, we increased the income limit for low-income working families by 10% so that more of them would qualify for free GP care. The budget announced a few weeks ago included changes to income limits to extend the full medical card to approximately another 50,000 people aged over 70.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: This Government has very much built on the progress Fine Gael and the Labour Party made together. We intend to build on it still further. The next step, which we will taken later next year, is to extend free GP care to children aged seven and eight. The year after that, it will be extended to children aged nine and ten, and the year after that to those aged 11 and 12. That does not...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The Deputy asked some very pertinent and relevant questions that deserve answers. Unfortunately, I cannot give them because I cannot speak on behalf of Fianna Fáil Deputies or any individual Deputy. It is agreed by all of us that an investigation is required. The Ceann Comhairle has announced that it will be carried out by the Clerk of Dáil and that there will be a report this...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I want to say once again that I believe the integrity of the voting process is absolutely central to our democracy. When people go out to vote and cast their ballots on election day or on referendum day, they expect the procedures to be followed properly. It would be a crime if an ordinary citizen cast a vote on their own behalf and that of someone else. To vote on behalf of somebody else...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: Mr. Quinn was appointed to the board in his individual capacity and he resigned in his individual capacity. It is up to him to say whether he had a particular reason. I am not aware of a particular reason for his decision to resign from the board last July. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health has oversight over the project.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: As recently as June, the chairman of the hospital development board, Mr. Fred Barry, came before the committee and was asked a lot of questions. I am sure the committee can do so again. I do not think anyone in the House would have any objection to the Oireachtas taking an interest in the project.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: I believe the committee has been invited to visit the site. I believe that, unfortunately, only a small number of Deputies have taken up the invitation to take a look at the site with their own eyes.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: What I can say is that I had the privilege and honour of visiting the urgent care centre at Connolly Hospital, which is now up and running. It is not fully commissioned but is now up and running. It is the first element of the hospital and children are being seen in the urgent care centre.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Oct 2019)

Leo Varadkar: The outpatient element is fully open and already the number of children waiting to see a general paediatrician has decreased by 30% as a consequence of the fact the facility has been opened and there is now more outpatient capacity for children who need to see a paediatrician.