Results 13,121-13,140 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (17 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 — Infectious Diseases: Infectious Diseases (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) monitors rates of TB in Ireland on an on-going basis and identifies any increases in rates or clusters of the disease. According to data provided by the HPSC TB notifications in Ireland between 2002 and 2006 were as shown in the table. Year Number of cases Crude Rate per 100,000 population 2002 408 10.4 2003 407 10.4 2004* 432 10.2 2005...

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

Mary Harney: The decision to transfer St. Luke's Hospital was taken by the Government in the context of its consideration of the National Plan for Radiation Oncology Services. The decision is designed to ensure that radiation oncology, one element of cancer care, is integrated with all other aspects of care, including surgery and medical oncology. This is in line with best international practice. I am...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (17 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 Service Staff: Health Service Staff (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive has statutory responsibility for the delivery of child welfare and protection services. The Office of the Minister for Children focuses on harmonising policy issues that affect children in areas such as early childhood care and education, youth justice, child welfare and protection, children and young people's participation, research on...

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: The Deputy's question relates to human resource management issues within the Health Service Executive which, under the Health Act 2004, is a matter in the first instance for the Executive. Subject to overall parameters set by Government, it is a matter for the Executive to manage and deploy its human resources to best meet the requirements of its Service Plan for the delivery of health and...

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: The Deputy's question relates to human resource management issues within the Health Service Executive which, under the Health Act 2004, is a matter in the first instance for the Executive. I am advised by the Executive that all aspects of its recruitment and selection processes are based on the principle of assessing the skills, qualities and attributes of applicants against those which have...

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

Mary Harney: I take it that the Deputy is referring to civil servants involved in the Government's Decentralisation Programme. As the Deputy will be aware my Department is not one of the Departments scheduled for decentralisation under the Government's Decentralisation Programme. To date forty seven civil servants have transferred to decentralising Departments from my Department. Further details in...

Health Service Staff. (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 74 and 75 together. There are close to 130,000 people employed in the delivery of our public health and personal social services, the vast majority of whom provide direct service to patients and clients. The current pause in recruitment must be viewed in this context. It is a temporary measure put in place by the HSE to live within its budget. It will be...

Health Service Staff. (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: There are quite a few questions to be answered. When I was commenting on the freeze on recruitment at the conference of the Irish Nurses Organisation, it was in the context of an increase of 2,500 in the numbers employed by the HSE during the course of 2007. There has not been a reduction in staff, but an increase. One of the challenges facing us is to make sure that staff numbers are in...

Health Service Staff. (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: I have been informed that six patients were given appointments for the month of December. I have also been informed that there has never been a month at that hospital when 200 procedures were carried out.

Health Service Staff. (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: They carried out 1,600 in the first nine months of the year so the Deputy should divide that. It would be remarkable if the hospital carried out more operations in December than in any other month.

Health Service Staff. (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: As the Deputy is aware, much analysis of our health system was done in the run-in to the reform programme. The Prospectus, Brennan and other reports all made the central recommendation that the fragmentation of services was not delivering efficient health care. That is a view I strongly share. We would never have established 11 boards to administer health care in a population of 4.3...

Health Service Staff. (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: I meet with the CEO and chairman of the HSE at least once, and sometimes twice, a month. There is also a Cabinet sub-committee. The CEO does not report to me but to the board of the HSE. The chairman reports to me. The HSE is required to get prior approval from my Department and the Department of Finance before an employee is given grade eight status.

Health Service Staff. (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: Yes, we must approve them. That has been the procedure since December 2006. Notwithstanding the need for that approval, the numbers seem to be ahead of expectation. I have asked for an explanation of that from the HSE. We must be fair to those hospitals which are currently living within their budget. Hospitals such as the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street, notwithstanding the...

Community Pharmacy Services. (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: I am disappointed that a significant number of pharmacists have chosen to discontinue providing methadone services to patients. This is the second time in recent years that pharmacists have targeted the methadone scheme in response to unrelated issues. It is unfortunate that community pharmacists have once again chosen to target some of our most vulnerable patients — recovering drug users...

Community Pharmacy Services. (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: I welcome Deputy Reilly's statement that he does not condone the action of the pharmacists. Most people would support that view. Methadone users are a very vulnerable group of patients and the HSE has had to put a contingency service in place very quickly. The feedback I have received from a number of people has been positive. The service is not as good as that provided by pharmacies,...

Community Pharmacy Services. (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: We have received an opinion from counsel on behalf of the Attorney General on this matter. The HSE has its own opinion, as do the pharmacists. At my behest, some months ago Mr. Bill Shipsey, senior counsel, was asked to act as facilitator, which is allowed. I understand a meeting was held last week and that another took place yesterday. I hope that through this process we can reach...

Cancer Services. (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: Implementation of the national cancer control programme is a major priority for me and the Government. I fully support the appointment by the Health Service Executive, HSE, of Professor Tom Keane as interim national cancer control director. The delivery of cancer services on a programmatic basis will serve to ensure equity of access to services and equality of patient outcome, irrespective...

Cancer Services. (17 Oct 2007)

Mary Harney: The issue of standards is one for the Minister. Even with the establishment of the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, standards have to be signed off on by the Minister. I appointed Professor Higgins who, if not the leading Irish expert in this field, is certainly at the top of the class in this regard. His recommendations on standards were endorsed by the Government earlier...