Results 11,221-11,240 of 45,563 for speaker:Simon Harris

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (11 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Butler for raising the issue of nursing homes, as she does on a regular basis. I, too, listened to Dr. Nabarro today and he rightly highlighted the challenges and tragedies in respect of the passing of people in nursing homes from Covid-19. He also said that Ireland has a very honest accounting of the numbers, which I do not think many countries can say when it comes to care...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (11 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy. As he knows, the four national screening programmes - BreastCheck, CervicalCheck, BowelScreen and Diabetic RetinaScreen - were paused in March in line with public health advice. Such programmes were paused in many countries around the world, including Northern Ireland on this island, as well. This was done to protect patients and staff. It is important to say people...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (11 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: I very much welcome this opportunity once again to update this House on the Covid-19 disease and our national response to it. First and foremost, I wish to express my sympathy to the families and friends of those who have been lost to this disease since I was last in this House. Our thoughts are with each and every one of them at this very difficult time. Last Friday, we decided as a...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Labour Court (9 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: My Department is currently engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to the content of this report. Once this engagement is complete, a decision will be made on the outcome of the review.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products (9 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 308, 309 and 348 together. The timely and sustainable access to medicines is a priority for Government. The Oireachtas put in place a robust legal framework, in the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, to give full statutory powers to the HSE to assess and make decisions on reimbursement of medicines, taking account of a range of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (9 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: The public health advice for passengers arriving into the State from overseas is to self-isolate for 14 days. Self-isolation means staying indoors and completely avoiding contact with other people. Information for those who are self-isolating and for people living with those who are self-isolating is published by the HSE on www.hse.ie. In the absence of a test that definitively shows that a...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (9 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: The measures taken are underpinned by a clear public health rationale. As the number of indigenous cases here declines and Ireland eases some restrictions, the relative importance of the risk of importation of cases from overseas increases. Ultimately, the progress towards suppression of community transmission which has been achieved and which should allow for greater resumption of social and...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (9 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 312, 313 and 400 together. The Office of Government Procurement (OGP), has a longstanding working relationship with the Construction and Procurement Delivery (CPD) office of the Northern Ireland Department of Finance. Significant engagement had taken place between the OGP and CPD as part of the response to Covid-19, including exploring the option of a joint...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Tests (9 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 318 and 331 to 333, inclusive, together. As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointments Status (9 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual. The National...

Written Answers — Department of Health: General Practitioner Services (9 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: Recognising that general practitioner services, in their totality, have a key role in the collective efforts to contain and mitigate the impact on public health during the current COVID-19 public health emergency, a number of measures were put in place to support general practice. These measures included payment of a fee of €30 by the HSE to GPs for the provision of remote...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Screening Programmes (9 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (9 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: A major part of the Government's Action Plan in response to Covid-19 was to substantially increase the capacity of public healthcare facilities to cope with the anticipated additional demand. In order to urgently ramp up capacity for acute care facilities, an arrangement was agreed with the private hospitals to use their facilities as part of the public system on a temporary basis, to provide...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (9 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: Leading experts, scientists and medicine manufacturers around the world, including in Ireland, are working collaboratively on the development of treatments and vaccines to rapidly respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as at 15th May, there are already eight candidate vaccines in clinical evaluation and 110 in pre-clinical evaluation. No decisions...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointments Status (9 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual. The National...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (9 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual. The National...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (9 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: In response to the Covid-19 pandemic the HSE had to take measures to defer all non-urgent elective scheduled care activity, including outpatient clinics. This was to ensure patient safety and that all appropriate resources were made available for Covid-19 related activity and time-critical essential work. This decision was in line with the advice issued by the World Health Organisation, and...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (9 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: I am advised by Saolta Hospital Group that appropriate control measures are currently in place in Mayo University Hospital in relation to Covid-19. Saolta Hospital Group has also advised that Mayo University Hospital will fully examine all of the elements of the care provided to the individual. I am informed that the General Manager of the hospital has been in contact with the person's...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Dental Services (9 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 329 and 369 together. Legislative amendments have been made and the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has worked with the dental profession and in particular the Dental Council, to provide revised guidance for the profession to allow for the resumption of the safe provision of routine care. This was in line with Phase 1 of the Government's plan...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Cannabis for Medicinal Use (9 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: In June 2019, I signed legislation to underpin the operation of the Medical Cannabis Access Programme (MCAP). The programme will run on a 5-year pilot basis and is restricted to prescribing of cannabis-based products at medical consultant level, for those patients with certain medical conditions who have exhausted all other available treatment options. The 3 medical conditions are: -...