Results 11,361-11,380 of 74,100 for speaker:Bernard Durkan

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (11 Nov 2021)

Bernard Durkan: 343. To ask the Minister for Health if assistance with travel to medical appointments for treatment for cancer can continue to be provided in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55456/21]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products (11 Nov 2021)

Bernard Durkan: 392. To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which ongoing testing of new and orphan drugs continues; the number of cases approved in each of the past 12 months to date; the extent to which availability of such drugs can be enhanced by way of specific changes or accelerated process; the extent to which remuneration continues to play an important role in making such drugs available to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

Bernard Durkan: I welcome our witnesses this morning and thank them for coming before the committee and giving us of their views. How can the group in Cappagh that has been successfully catered for and managed successfully and satisfactorily be applied to other children in the various cohorts? How can the witnesses bring it to a satisfactory conclusion in a short time? Every parent watching a child suffer...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

Bernard Durkan: In the days of the health boards, the regions had access to their own facilities and provided for them, which is a subject we have discussed here on many occasions. That is apparently being addressed at present. We have been informed and hope it is being addressed and that such regionalisation will occur. I fully accept what Professor McCormack says. Otherwise, the inflow all comes to the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

Bernard Durkan: We accept and understand that. We have to build in all the support facilities that are required at the same time. Otherwise, there is no sense in having one part of the accommodation available and a gap for the next part. If we were to ask Professor McCormack to come back in six months' time, having addressed the issue in the intervening period, could he say to us with reasonable...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

Bernard Durkan: I will finish with this point. I realise we are running short of time. It is correct that Professor McCormack has to take patients one at a time. Some patients may be more acute than others and require more urgent treatment. Is there any way that he can address those cases in the short term in order to, first, eliminate some part of the waiting list?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

Bernard Durkan: Thank you, Chairman.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

Bernard Durkan: Earlier, I asked if in six months' time we would observe a sizeable impact on the erosion of the waiting lists, the answer to which was in the negative, but I would like to put it again. In order to do our job as a committee, we need to know what length of time it will take to put in place what is required from the witnesses' vantage point, utilising all of the services and facilities. My...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

Bernard Durkan: I welcome Ms Hardiman and thank her for coming before the committee again. From the earlier discussion, it appears that we have a completely unacceptable situation in terms of scoliosis treatment. The matter needs to be dealt with, as a matter of urgency. Covid has been deemed to be a factor. However, we have evidence to the effect that Covid was not a factor from one of the earlier...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

Bernard Durkan: Do the CHI's plans for the current year involve the kind of things that we were told about the utilisation of the downtime in theatres, etc? Is that part of the plan for 2022?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

Bernard Durkan: Why is not possible to do this on a continual basis if this is effective for a time? We have an urgent situation on our hands, and have had for some time so why is not fortuitous to do that now on a continual basis until we work our way out of the crisis?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

Bernard Durkan: We agree that it is good planning. I have another question that arose from the earlier discussion. I want to learn about the availability of appropriately trained staff to deal with the situation that arises. Is Ms Hardiman satisfied that the requirements will be met?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

Bernard Durkan: After the first ten minutes of this morning's meeting, I wrote down three or four times the need for a plan. It was an obvious point. Reference has been made to the regions and it is proposed to address that. Cork, Limerick and Galway have been identified in this respect. There has been no reference to the midlands or the north west, including Donegal, Sligo, Mayo or such areas. Due to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

Bernard Durkan: Thank you.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (10 Nov 2021)

Bernard Durkan: I acknowledge the announcement by EirGrid to the effect that it proposes to achieve its targets in respect of dependency on fossil fuel electricity generation by 2030. I welcome that and support it, but I wish to point out that it requires an urgently accelerated investment programme in infrastructure. Otherwise, the targets cannot possibly be achieved by 2030. I ask the Taoiseach to use...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Eligibility (10 Nov 2021)

Bernard Durkan: 150. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a person (details supplied) is eligible for a working family payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54800/21]

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Inflation: Discussion (10 Nov 2021)

Bernard Durkan: I thank our guests for their interventions. I am a little bit of a pessimist in this regard. I raised this question numerous times in the run up to the financial collapse. Our guests might not have read the Official Report, but I raised this question time and again. We were cautioned not to raise it lest it cause a run on the currency, on investment or on confidence. I felt that we were...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Inflation: Discussion (10 Nov 2021)

Bernard Durkan: I am not concerned about one element of inflation so much, having regard to the experiences of the past. It is when there are a number of competing elements, all of which contribute to inflation, that I would get worried, and I mentioned house prices for starters, although there are other issues. However, there are some areas where we could control our own destiny to some extent, for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Corporation Tax Issues and General Scheme of the Central Bank (Individual Accountability Framework) Bill 2021: Minister for Finance (10 Nov 2021)

Bernard Durkan: I welcome the Minister. I have two brief questions. Was any assessment done during the course of the discussions on this change to 15% minimum - I believe "at least" is gone from it - as to who might benefit most? The Minister said it will take time to assess what will happen, but some discussion must have taken place about who might benefit most from the change. The next question...