Results 12,221-12,240 of 24,326 for speaker:Jerry Buttimer

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: I welcome the Minister for Health, Deputy Leo Varadkar, the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, the director general of the Health Service Executive, HSE, Mr. Tony O'Brien, and his staff in the HSE, Ms Laverne McGuinness, Mr. John Hennessy, Mr. Liam Woods, Mr. Pat Healy, Ms Anne O'Connor and Dr. Colm Henry to our quarterly meeting. I thank Mr. Ray Mitchell...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: Before we commence I wish to advise the witnesses that by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to the committee. However, if they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and they continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to a qualified privilege in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank the Minister of State. I invite Mr. Tony O'Brien to make his opening remarks.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: I am sorry to interrupt. There is a vote in the Dáil. Perhaps we could suspend after Mr. O'Brien has concluded his opening remarks.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: I propose that we suspend until after the vote. Go raibh maith agat.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: Before we begin I apologise to assistant secretaries at the Department of Health and Children, Ms Tracey Conroy and Ms Frances Spillane, as I did not welcome them in my opening remarks. They are both very welcome here this afternoon. I apologise to our witnesses also for suspending the sitting of the committee for the vote in the Dáil. The workings of parliamentary democracy must be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank the Deputy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank the Deputy who got more than the allocated time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: True.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: Mr. Daly has written to us as part of our communication for next Thursday's meeting. He said that the numbers awaiting registration in nursing homes could also continue to rise. They raised the issue with the HSE clinical adaptation programme and asked about the call centre not being established yet. Perhaps it is for the HSE to answer that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: What about the question on deaf-blindness?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: Perhaps the Minister of State, Deputy Lynch, will respond to Deputy Mitchell O'Connor's question on deaf-blindness.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: I interrupt the Minister of State to advise that a vote has been called in the Dáil.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: I propose we suspend until after the Dáil vote, if that is agreeable. Apologies to all concerned.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: I again apologise to our guests, but parliamentary democracy necessitates that we go and vote.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: Coming back to Deputy Conway's fundamental point, why is that the case given the amount of money we are investing, the fact we have established a task force and that the HSE and Minister have been involved with the various stakeholders? Yesterday the Minister met the INMO in regard to this issue. Are there obstructionist policies being implemented somewhere of which we are not aware?...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: I appreciate the comprehensive enough reply to my question relating to planning for the future provision of a new hospital in Cork. Given that a significant amount of work was done on the report by the group, will the HSE or the Minister comment on the provision of that hospital? My second question relates to today's HIQA report on St. Finbarr's hospital. In some aspects, the report is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: In regard to the Cork hospital, does Mr. O'Brien or the Minister have any thoughts about that proposal?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: I would certainly agree that in the mid to long term, a hospital must be built. I commend the group which put the report together. Both Deputies Ó Caoláin and Conway indicated a wish to speak.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Services: Quarterly Update (6 Oct 2015)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank all of our witnesses and the officials for attending. I apologise for the delay. I want to thank all of the staff of the HSE for their work and commitment in the delivery of a health care system which is patient-focused. On behalf of the committee, I sincerely appreciate their work and thank them for that.