Results 10,581-10,600 of 20,797 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Public Accounts Committee: Health Information and Quality Authority: Financial Statement 2016 (28 Sep 2017)

Alan Kelly: I will be brief, which is unlike me, but in fairness most of the questions have been asked by my colleagues. I think I am the only person who overlaps in that I am on the health committee as well. I am spokesperson on health. To be fair to the witnesses, they are quite good at stakeholder engagement so they communicate quite a bit, but there is a critical issue here. I do not believe the...

Public Accounts Committee: Health Information and Quality Authority: Financial Statement 2016 (28 Sep 2017)

Alan Kelly: It is not just that. There are other areas as well.

Public Accounts Committee: Health Information and Quality Authority: Financial Statement 2016 (28 Sep 2017)

Alan Kelly: To be fair to the witnesses, and I know we are talking about them in front of them, they probably presumed that we knew but I would say the majority of Deputies do not know what HIQA does. With regard to my first question, my colleague, Deputy MacSharry, talked about staffing and Mr. Quinn outlined that HIQA has gone from a staff number of 192 to 209. I know about its plans because it has...

Public Accounts Committee: Health Information and Quality Authority: Financial Statement 2016 (28 Sep 2017)

Alan Kelly: The whole home care side alone-----

Public Accounts Committee: Health Information and Quality Authority: Financial Statement 2016 (28 Sep 2017)

Alan Kelly: That is important information to get out. Ms Dunnion spoke earlier about the costs of registering. In terms of what the public needs to know also, there are registration costs. That is fine; that is the easy part. It is when HIQA comes in and makes recommendations. Organisations have two choices. They either do nothing and they will close or else they find the money and, in many cases,...

Public Accounts Committee: Health Information and Quality Authority: Financial Statement 2016 (28 Sep 2017)

Alan Kelly: Can Ms Dunnion explain that?

Public Accounts Committee: Health Information and Quality Authority: Financial Statement 2016 (28 Sep 2017)

Alan Kelly: So it is too rigid.

Public Accounts Committee: Health Information and Quality Authority: Financial Statement 2016 (28 Sep 2017)

Alan Kelly: What Ms Dunnion is saying is that we, as legislators, need to look at changing the regulations through the Health Act in order to ensure that they are tailored to individual services rather applying to bricks and mortar.

Public Accounts Committee: Health Information and Quality Authority: Financial Statement 2016 (28 Sep 2017)

Alan Kelly: I wish to dig into this further. I was somewhat annoyed about what happened in Ennis - let us not think about what is going to happen in the future - because details started appearing in the media before the stakeholders even knew, which is not good. An issue of public confidence arises. I was not happy with how it was managed and I am still not happy, but we will deal with it at the Joint...

Public Accounts Committee: Health Information and Quality Authority: Financial Statement 2016 (28 Sep 2017)

Alan Kelly: If I were to go through the records of all the nursing homes in Ireland or, more particularly, for those in County Clare - by the way, I do not represent the people of Clare - I presume I would find a rota process by means of which all of this is done.

Public Accounts Committee: Health Information and Quality Authority: Financial Statement 2016 (28 Sep 2017)

Alan Kelly: Nobody could be accused of being zealous in their undertakings or anything of that nature.

Public Accounts Committee: Health Information and Quality Authority: Financial Statement 2016 (28 Sep 2017)

Alan Kelly: I understand that. Basically, there is a rigidity. However, there is enough fluidity in the system that HIQA staff can change it when they want.

Public Accounts Committee: Health Information and Quality Authority: Financial Statement 2016 (28 Sep 2017)

Alan Kelly: How does that happen? Does it arise on foot of public complaints?

Public Accounts Committee: Health Information and Quality Authority: Financial Statement 2016 (28 Sep 2017)

Alan Kelly: Effectively, there is a matrix.

Public Accounts Committee: Health Information and Quality Authority: Financial Statement 2016 (28 Sep 2017)

Alan Kelly: I ask Ms Dunnion to write to the committee secretariat outlining the matrix and showing where it is documented because I have never seen it. I would genuinely like to see where it is documented that HIQA operates in this way.

Public Accounts Committee: Health Information and Quality Authority: Financial Statement 2016 (28 Sep 2017)

Alan Kelly: Will Ms Dunnion indicate where the information is to be found because I have not see it. I will write to Ms Dunnion separately on seeking historical information. This has consequences for the Committee of Public Accounts, which must account for taxpayer's money. The Government made a decision in respect of multi-occupancy rooms in nursing homes, which basically allows the use of such rooms...

Public Accounts Committee: Health Information and Quality Authority: Financial Statement 2016 (28 Sep 2017)

Alan Kelly: I know that.

Public Accounts Committee: Health Information and Quality Authority: Financial Statement 2016 (28 Sep 2017)

Alan Kelly: Was HIQA upset by it? Does Ms Dunnion agree with it?

Public Accounts Committee: Health Information and Quality Authority: Financial Statement 2016 (28 Sep 2017)

Alan Kelly: I am not saying that. I asked a simple question. Ms Dunnion was quite eloquent when responding to Deputy MacSharry. It would probably be easier if I were to ask Ms Dunnion whether she agrees with it. The knock-on effects in the context of taxpayer's money, public confidence and the HSE's budget are dramatic. As matters stand, there will be a process whereby HIQA will do its job and will...

Public Accounts Committee: Health Information and Quality Authority: Financial Statement 2016 (28 Sep 2017)

Alan Kelly: I would like an answer please.