Results 12,721-12,740 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Healthcare Infrastructure Provision (20 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: In answer to the Deputy's first question, each of those projects is a separate project in terms of the €100 million versus €200 million. It will not come as a surprise to any of us that several of those projects will cost well in excess of the €200 million but, critically, even where they will, and where the public spending code to date has five separate approval stages...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (20 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I am very aware that despite all the progress on Covid, long Covid is causing a great deal of suffering for people. We heard some testimony earlier on "Morning Ireland", which the Deputy may have heard, from people who are suffering from long Covid. We also heard, however, from the clinical leads about what is happening, and it is clear services are being put in place, as they must be. ...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: General Practitioner Services (20 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: GPs are contracted under the general medical services, GMS, scheme to make arrangements for their patients to be able to make contact outside of normal practice hours. Commonly, GPs are working with co-operatives to do this. SouthDoc is an excellent service, which provides an important service to people in counties Kerry and Cork. I acknowledge the commitment of the nurses, doctors and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: General Practitioner Services (20 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I fully acknowledge that, particularly around Castletownbere and other areas, it is a great worry for parents or anybody else that getting to a GP could involve a long and difficult drive at night. That is not something we want to see. There are several things we are doing which will take time but will make a big difference. For example, we are trebling the number of GPs in training. That...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: General Practitioner Services (20 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I am very happy to look at the situation in Bantry General Hospital. We are expanding access to the medical assessment units as part of an expansion in urgent care. If there is a shortage of fleet in the Deputy's area, I will talk to the National Ambulance Service about that. We have invested a significant amount of money in the service this year and last year. It is expanding and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Vaccination Programme (20 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: That is a partial characterisation. A lot of the work required to do this was undertaken. On foot of a request from my Department, the Health Research Board did an extensive international evidence review. It looked at Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, New Zealand, the US and the UK.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Vaccination Programme (20 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: That was a legitimate part of the work, which was submitted to my predecessor in March 2019. The very clear advice I have is that the Department was fully intent on doing this. It is complex. Sensitive policy decisions have to be made and extensive legal advice has to be obtained. I accept the Deputy’s bona fides on this and I agree we need this scheme. At this point, the only...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Assisted Human Reproduction (20 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 and 57 together. I thank the Deputy. This matter is also important to me and we are pushing very hard on it. The assisted human reproduction, AHR, legislation would have been passed and in operation by now. With broad political agreement, we paused it to ensure we could bring in some substantial amendments on Committee Stage around surrogacy. In...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Assisted Human Reproduction (20 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I would love to see that happen. It depends on the time the Joint Committee on Health is able to give over to the Bill. I am conscious the committee has a huge amount of work on its plate but hopefully it will give over the time. I will get it over to it for its review shortly. We need to do the retrospective element as part of the legislation. It is really important. Like Deputy...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Assisted Human Reproduction (20 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: The Egans were in with us as part of the group when we announced this. It was a great honour to meet them. The answer to the Deputy’s question is "Yes". On whether the retrospective element requires the new agency to be set up, the answer is "No". We are very deliberately putting the legislation together in such a way that parents will be able to go for court orders and it will not...

Seanad: Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2023: Second Stage (20 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I very much welcome today's Private Members' Bill and the opportunity to discuss the very important topic of assisted human reproduction. I will begin by recognising the work of the two Senators sponsoring today's Bill, Senators Fiona O'Loughlin and Catherine Ardagh. Both Senators have worked tirelessly in advocating for these new services in women's healthcare, for new investment, and for...

Seanad: Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2023: Second Stage (20 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: We are looking for the timed amendment. It is that motion.

Seanad: Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2023: Second Stage (20 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: That seems to be the case.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health Strategies (20 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I agree with all that. We have a beds plan and a hospital building plan so the multi-annual bits and pieces are in place, and we also have the community care plan. The enhanced community care programme is the multi-annual plan and is really going from strength to strength. I am opening another three primary care centres tomorrow. That is going really well. We have community care, beds...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Health Strategies (20 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: Between the Deputy and the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Waterford is well represented in Dáil Éireann. It is also well represented in Seanad Éireann. Let us not lose sight of the fact that over the past three years, we have seen an historic expansion of capacity. More beds have been added than at any time in a very long time, there has been more access to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Vaccination Programme (20 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I acknowledge the Deputy’s very long-standing work on this issue. My Department and the HSE work continuously to monitor and improve patient safety and reduce incidents of harm. The Government recently approved the establishment of an interdepartmental working group to examine the rising cost of health-related claims and consider mechanisms to reduce costs. The group will examine...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Vaccination Programme (20 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I fully accept and appreciate the Deputy’s frustration. As he noted, he has been talking about this for more than 20 years. I fully accept that. He will be aware that in mid-June 2018, the Government received a comprehensive report from Mr. Justice Charles Meenan on clinical negligence. My understanding is that it was intended in early 2020 to do exactly what the Deputy is calling...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Abortion Services (20 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy for the question. The answer is "Yes, very shortly". As he will be aware, the review of the operation of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act commenced in line with statutory commitments in December 2021, a bit over a year ago. The purpose of the review was to assess the effectiveness of the operation of the Act. It comprised two phases. The first...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Abortion Services (20 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: The report will be available to the Government and then to everybody else very shortly. It is a good report and it is very detailed. It is a very useful report. It has identified various things that work well and various things that we need to improve at an operational level. There are also some legislative recommendations in it. I have no doubt but that the health committee will take...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Abortion Services (20 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I am prohibited from giving the Deputy an exact date; suffice it to say that it will be made available very shortly. He can read into that what he wants.