Results 11,341-11,360 of 45,563 for speaker:Simon Harris

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (4 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: I am in the full of my health.

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (4 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: The first point I would make, which the HSE would make if its representatives were here, is that the HSE is not waiting for a point in time to resume non-Covid care. I know that Deputy Kelly knows this too and is aware of it from hospitals in his constituency. The number of vacant hospital beds has significantly decreased, despite the fact that the number of patients with Covid-19 in our...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (4 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Noonan for his questions. I echo his comments on the protest. There is an onus. It is easy to criticise a protest when one does not agree with its cause or the reason behind it, but it is more difficult to do so when one does support the cause. That does not mean we can be silent on it, though. What happened to George Floyd disgusts and repulses everyone in this country...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (4 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: I will respect your view on that absolutely, a Cheann Comhairle. I wish to join Deputy Feighan in thanking our front-line staff in the health service, as we do, rightly, every week. I have had really good engagement with the unions representing several of those workers this week. I also intend to meet the general practitioner representative body, the Irish Medical Organisation, next week....

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (4 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: I remember visiting Mindspace in Mayo with Deputy Dillon. It has written to me a few times and kept in touch with me, and I am very taken by the work it does. The Deputy is right to highlight the issue of mental health as one of the next huge challenges coming down the track. The Ceann Comhairle and I have been in correspondence in this regard. I think there will be a big body of work...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (4 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for raising the very important issue of mental health, particularly youth mental health. This week, the Government will consider the new A Vision for Change document that the Deputy referred to. A lot of work has been put in by a lot of expert people on this and I hope, subject to Government approval, to be in a position to publish that next week. I know that is...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (4 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy. I am not sure that she wants an independent investigation because she seems to have already delivered the verdict, which is rather disappointing. To endeavour to say that there was no proper plan and that nobody did anything-----

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (4 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: -----does not reflect the reality of what I have seen as Minister. I have seen the most incredibly dedicated people in the HSE, at local level, and in the Department of Health working 24-7 against a global pandemic. As I stated last week, the villain here is not someone working in the HSE or even some bureaucrat, or even a Minister; the villain is a virus - the worst we have seen in a...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (4 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: I will revert to the Deputy in writing on the last few points.

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (4 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: I do not think we ever did that in Greystones at any stage. We will have to ask Deputy Donnelly as he is at little bit older than me. I thank Deputy O'Reilly for the questions. I had a really good meeting with the INMO and SIPTU health on Monday and I am due to meet both again next week. We have started to discuss with them the issues raised by the Deputy on how we prepare to provide...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (4 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: I will answer as many of the Deputies' questions as I can in the time available and I will write to the Deputies on the other two queries. On Deputy James Browne's question on A Vision for Change, I have heard very clearly the calls on a cross-party basis in this House for the publication of the refreshed A Vision for Change. It is my intention to bring it to the Cabinet this week, I...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (4 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: I might write to Deputy Butler with more detail on screening so as not to use up her colleagues' time. I know how important this issue is and how many times she has raised it. The national screening service is holding daily meetings on this. I am very satisfied with the work being done by Dr. Caroline Mason Mohan, who is the interim director of CervicalCheck and a public health doctor as...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (4 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: I will do that. I agree with the Deputy in regard to the importance of cross-Border measures and I can send details on what we are doing. I will also write to the Deputy in regard to the statistics on Cavan and Monaghan.

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (4 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: Let me be clear that I, the Department, the HSE and the Oireachtas wish to be in a position to recommence our population screening programmes as soon as possible. It is a collective priority for us all. I am glad to inform the Deputy that the four programmes - obviously, there are four parts to our screening service - will report on their final plans for restarting in the coming days....

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (4 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: I very much welcome the opportunity to once again update Dáil Éireann on the Covid-19 pandemic 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 the House. My thoughts are with all of those who have been bereaved. We are in the third week of phase 1 of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: As the HSE has responsibility for procurement issues, I have asked the agency to respond directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: The public health advice for passengers coming to Ireland from overseas is to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival into the State, with exemptions for set categories of persons including supply chain workers and some others. My Department, in close consultation with other relevant Departments, is developing proposals to strengthen the 14 days' self-isolation arrangements, and close...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: 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 economic life in Ireland could be endangered. The public health...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: Both my Department and the HSE are committed to protecting the identity and medical confidentiality of individuals that contracted COVID-19, as required by law, and therefore do not give specific information about individuals or locations.  Information on cases or outbreaks of any illness (COVID-19 or otherwise) is provided only if there is a public health reason to do so.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (3 Jun 2020)

Simon Harris: The Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020 amended the Health Act 1947, making exceptional provision, in the public interest and having regard to the manifest and grave risk to human life and public health posed by the spread of Covid-19. Section 31A of the Health Act 1947 (inserted by section 10 of the 2020 Act) allows the...