Results 11,821-11,840 of 45,510 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (20 May 2020)

Simon Harris: Reducing waiting time for patients for hospital operations and procedures is a key priority for Government. In recent years, my Department has worked with the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) and made considerable improvements to improve access for patients waiting for high volume procedures, including cataracts. At the end of July 2017, the number of people waiting for a...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Tests (20 May 2020)

Simon Harris: As the HSE has responsibility, the Executive has been asked to reply directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (20 May 2020)

Simon Harris: The modification of public health measures approved by Government on 15 May include allowing the phased return of outdoor workers from 18 May with social distancing requirements continuing to apply.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Insurance (20 May 2020)

Simon Harris: A major part of the Government’s Action Plan in Response to Covid-19 was to urgently ramp up capacity for acute care facilities. A critical element of the strategy was to put in place an arrangement with the private hospitals to use their facilities as part of the public system, to provide essential acute hospital services for the duration of the emergency. Following negotiations...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Departmental Contracts (20 May 2020)

Simon Harris: The Department of Health spent approximately €1.3 million on external consultants in 2019. It should be noted that not all invoices included hourly/daily rates, of those that did, the average hourly rate was €95 ex VAT. Where daily rates were quoted, a calculation was made based on a 7.5 hour working day. The estimate for consultancy expenditure is set as part of the annual...

Covid-19 (Health) - Statements (14 May 2020)

Simon Harris: I will do my very best. First, I congratulate the Deputy on his election as chair of the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response-----

Covid-19 (Health) - Statements (14 May 2020)

Simon Harris: -----and look forward to any co-operation my Department can provide him with in discharging his duties. It will be an important role. I gave figures earlier regarding the enhanced nurse contract. When I was last asked about this in this House last month, just over 3,000 staff nurses had been appointed to the new scale. That was up from 700 in February. I believe the number is...

Covid-19 (Health) - Statements (14 May 2020)

Simon Harris: As Deputy Pringle said, and this is not a problem, sometimes we only hear the bad as politicians. That is a good thing that we get to bring the challenges and things not going well to the floor of this House. I respect that fully. I can tell Deputy Pringle that we are publishing testing figures every week concerning how many tests are completed. The Deputy is not just hearing that from...

Covid-19 (Health) - Statements (14 May 2020)

Simon Harris: -----to free up the time of a public health doctor to talk to someone who gets a positive result. I am confident things are moving in the right direction but I am in no way complacent or cocky about it. This is going to be an area that will require the scrutiny of this House, the Covid-19 committee and the likes. That will be a very constructive role. Deputy Pringle has also raised a very...

Covid-19 (Health) - Statements (14 May 2020)

Simon Harris: I will start with Deputy Nolan's questions. She is absolutely right to highlight the issue in regard to meat factories, as was Deputy Mattie McGrath. I have outlined on the record of this House the protocols in place and the national outbreak team that is overseeing this issue. The regulation and management of meat factories resides with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine,...

Covid-19 (Health) - Statements (14 May 2020)

Simon Harris: We need to be clear and honest about this pandemic. There is no doubt that there are always areas in which we must continue to improve but the difference between this Government and others in different jurisdictions is that, when the challenge gets difficult, we do not walk away. In many countries, one would not get a test for Covid-19 unless one was in a hospital setting. Many countries...

Covid-19 (Health) - Statements (14 May 2020)

Simon Harris: I see that time is up. I am not sure that, in my time in this House, there has been a time when there was a greater level of engagement between Deputies. I take questions for two hours a week, every week, on the floor of the Dáil, along with a range of other Government Ministers and the Taoiseach. A special committee dedicated to the issue will meet next Tuesday. A range of briefings...

Covid-19 (Health) - Statements (14 May 2020)

Simon Harris: As Deputy Denis Naughten has made that comment on the record of the House, I have asked him to provide the details.

Covid-19 (Health) - Statements (14 May 2020)

Simon Harris: I do not have that detail so I do not intend to comment.

Covid-19 (Health) - Statements (14 May 2020)

Simon Harris: The Deputy may have corresponded with me but I would very much welcome the details of those nursing homes. I will revert to him directly about that. I am holding twice weekly meetings with Nursing Homes Ireland and the HSE's national director leading on this with the specific aim of identifying any difficulties - be they in terms of PPE, testing and the like. I would be very happy to...

Covid-19 (Health) - Statements (14 May 2020)

Simon Harris: Respectfully, not everything can be a scandal. What we are trying to do here is make sure we have enough capacity in the Irish health service to deal with a wave that, thank God, has not arrived so far. I am very grateful for the fact that a number of privately owned hospitals reached a not-for-profit open-book cost-only arrangement with the State. There are a number of safeguards put into...

Covid-19 (Health) - Statements (14 May 2020)

Simon Harris: The legislation passed by this House, which allows me to set regulations, is very clear in the statutory consultation process that I need to undergo, including liaising with people like the Chief Medical Officer and other relevant Ministers before making a decision to extend, renew or alter regulations. I will be going through that process. I share the Deputy's view that the people of this...

Covid-19 (Health) - Statements (14 May 2020)

Simon Harris: I will revert to the Deputy in writing on the plasma issue. On the enhanced nurse contract, I am pleased that the number of nurses on it now is 4,500 compared with 3,200 last month but I want us to ensure that every nurse who wants that enhanced nurse contract can get it quickly. I have been clear to the HSE in that regard. Regarding nurses or other staff working in private hospitals,...

Covid-19 (Health) - Statements (14 May 2020)

Simon Harris: I know the Deputy would like to go further but I just want to put the factual position on the record of the House.

Covid-19 (Health) - Statements (14 May 2020)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy Murphy. I have written back to the Deputy on some of the questions he has asked in this regard. If I have not answered all of them, I am more than happy to; my office will come back to him as well. Regarding the full cost statement, my understanding is that all of these will be analysed by independent firms of accountants who will give a view then in respect of ensuring...