Results 13,021-13,040 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy. (23 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: I also express my sympathy to Ita and her five children on John's sad passing, to her son, John, and her daughters, Claire, Siobhán, Lucy and Maria, to his brothers, sisters and grandchildren and to his nephew, Senator Diarmuid Wilson. I first got to know John Wilson before I entered this House in 1974, when he was president of the Trinity College Fianna Fáil cumann. He took a keen...

Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy. (23 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: He certainly was a great teacher, a great university lecturer and, as we know, a great sportsperson. The last time I saw him was in his role as head of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains and he played a very important role in that regard. It was welcome that, in recent years, he was able to play such a strong public service role because John Wilson, above all...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (18 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: The question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the specific matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (18 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: The question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the specific matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Hospitals Building Programme: Hospitals Building Programme (18 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services was assigned to the Health Service Executive and funding for all health services has been provided as part of its overall Vote. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular issue raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division...

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (18 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: Almost 130,000 people work full-time or part-time in our public health services. In recent years, the Government's ongoing high level of investment in health has achieved and maintained significant increases in the numbers of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals employed in the public health services. The Government has also invested heavily in the education and training of...

Written Answers — National Development Plan: National Development Plan (18 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: The National Childcare Investment Programme is a key element of the Social Inclusion Priority of the National Development Plan 2007 -2013. The Programme aims to provide a proactive response to the development of quality childcare supports and services for families, which are grounded in an understanding of local needs. The Programme has an overall budget of €575 million over five years...

Written Answers — National Development Plan: National Development Plan (18 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 142 and 143 together. The Government's sustained high level of investment in healthcare has enabled the completion and commissioning of numerous new facilities in both the acute and the non-acute sectors. This year, overall capital funding of €546 million has been provided to the Health Service Executive. Responsibility for the planning and management of...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (18 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (18 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Nursing Homes Repayment Scheme: Nursing Homes Repayment Scheme (18 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: The Health (Repayment Scheme) Act 2006 provides that applications for repayments to Wards of Court can be made by the Registrar of the Wards of Court or the relevant County Registrar as the Circuit Court has concurrent jurisdiction in wardship matters. The scheme administrator, the Health Service Executive and officials from my Department met with the Registrar of the Wards of Court in...

Written Answers — Hospital Staff: Hospital Staff (18 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services is a matter for the Health Service Executive and funding for all health services has been provided as part of its overall Vote. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular case raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division...

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (18 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: Medical cards are made available to persons and their dependants who would otherwise experience undue hardship in meeting the cost of General Practitioner (GP) services. In 2005 the GP visit card was introduced as a graduated benefit so that people on moderate and lower incomes, particularly parents of young children, who do not qualify for a medical card would not be deterred on cost grounds...

Written Answers — Control of Infectious Diseases: Control of Infectious Diseases (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: The National MRSA Reference Laboratory is operated by St. James's Hospital and is funded by the Health Services Executive (HSE). It is a purpose-built facility that provides a range of national services which supports the overall HSE drive to tackle the problem of MRSA. The current budget for the Laboratory is just over €270,000. Plans for an expansion of its operation have been...

Written Answers — Computerisation Programme: Computerisation Programme (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: The HSE has made significant progress in complying with the ICT governance requirements set out by the Department of Finance in September 2005. It has appointed a national Director of ICT to provide a central source of decision making in relation to ICT strategies, plans and projects. There is no longer delegation of ICT spending authority within the HSE. All ICT development and operational...

Written Answers — Community Pharmacy Services: Community Pharmacy Services (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 87 and 95 together. I do not accept that some pharmacists may not be able to continue to provide a service under the GMS and community drug schemes. Nor do I accept there is any basis for community pharmacists threatening to withdraw from these schemes. The main wholesaler companies have recently confirmed to the HSE they will charge community pharmacists the...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: The Health Service Executive has advised my Department that, based on current figures, the number of births at year-end is expected to be in the region of 68,000, an increase of nearly 11% over 2006. The current recruitment pause is a temporary measure initiated by the HSE as part of a financial break-even plan. It will be reviewed at the end of October 2007. Notwithstanding this, it has...

Written Answers — Nursing Homes Repayment Scheme: Nursing Homes Repayment Scheme (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: Section 20 (1) (d) of the Health (Repayment Scheme) Act 2006 provides for the making of regulations allowing the Health Service Executive (HSE) to impose a charge for the administration of Patient Private Property Accounts. These regulations came into effect on 11 September 2007. The HSE has established a central unit in Tullamore Co. Offaly and the bulk of money held in Patient Private...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: I should explain at the outset that the chief nursing officer (CNO) in the Department of Health and Children has been in existence since 1998. The Report of the Commission on Nursing (1998) strongly supported and endorsed the appointment of a CNO. It recognised the need to strengthen the workforce planning and professional leadership functions in the Department and recommended the continued...

Written Answers — Hospitals Building Programme: Hospitals Building Programme (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: The co-location initiative is designed to ensure that private beds in public hospitals are freed up for the use of public patients by having co-located private hospitals built on public hospital sites. In service terms, this means that the co-located facility will be required to treat all the private patients that are currently treated in the public hospital subject to limited exceptions,...