Results 13,401-13,420 of 45,622 for speaker:Simon Harris

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Hospitals Building Programme (26 Nov 2019)

Simon Harris: I thank the Deputy for his question. In line with best international practice, it is the policy of the Government and Oireachtas, as set out in the national maternity strategy, that stand-alone maternity hospitals will be co-located with acute adult hospitals. We should not have stand-alone maternity hospitals anymore. Project Ireland 2040, our capital plan, provides €10.9...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Hospitals Building Programme (26 Nov 2019)

Simon Harris: Unfairly.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Hospitals Building Programme (26 Nov 2019)

Simon Harris: The phrase "fairly or unfairly" is pretty loaded because one believes the accusation is either fair or unfair.

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Hospitals Building Programme (26 Nov 2019)

Simon Harris: As Minister for Health, I believe it is very fair. I hope that if the Deputy were in my position, he would adopt this approach also, such that we will not press "Go" on the building of the new national maternity hospital at the St. Vincent's campus until all the issues, including that of the religious orders leaving and all those associated with governance, are resolved and the hospital is...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Hospitals Building Programme (26 Nov 2019)

Simon Harris: It is a very Dublin-centric question because the Deputy keeps on leaving out poor old Limerick. I am sure Deputy O'Dea would not be happy with that. We do intend to co-locate the four maternity hospitals, including the one in Limerick. To answer the Deputy's question bluntly, Holles Street is the first in the queue. That is our intention. I hope, subject to the criteria I have set out...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Ambulance Service (26 Nov 2019)

Simon Harris: Ambulance turnaround times provide the time interval from ambulance arrival time at a hospital, to when the ambulance crew declares readiness to accept another call. The performance target for 2019 is that 95% of all ambulances have an interval of less than 60 minutes from arrival at the ED to when the ambulance crew declares readiness to accept another call. As of September 2019, 87.3% of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Emergency Departments Waiting Times (26 Nov 2019)

Simon Harris: The hospital system is currently operating at close to full capacity. The number of patients attending Emergency Departments continues to increase year on year. HSE figures show that for the first ten months of 2019, the number of patients attending Naas Hospital decreased by 1%, however, the number of attendances of patients over the age of 75 increased by 6% compared to the same period in...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Occupational Therapy Waiting Lists (26 Nov 2019)

Simon Harris: I acknowledge that the current time to access Occupational Therapy services in North Dublin, and indeed nationally, can be too long and that this may cause anxiety for parents and patients who are seeking to obtain services. The fact that people are waiting too long to access therapy services such as OT is a reflection of the historical under-investment in the primary and community...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Emergency Departments Waiting Times (26 Nov 2019)

Simon Harris: The hospital system is currently operating at close to full capacity. The number of patients attending emergency departments continues to increase year on year. HSE figures show that for the first ten months of 2019, the number of patients attending Galway University Hospital increased by 4.1% and the number of attendances of patients over the age of 75 increased by 7.9% compared to the same...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Primary Care Centres Provision (26 Nov 2019)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 54, 344 and 348 together. I am pleased to be able to inform the Deputy that the development of the Primary Care Centres in Arklow and Rathdrum is being progressed. I know that there has been some concern around the development of Arklow Primary Care Centre given the decision by the original preferred bidder not to proceed with the project. However, I am...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Emergency Departments Waiting Times (26 Nov 2019)

Simon Harris: The hospital system is currently operating at close to full capacity. The number of patients attending Emergency Departments continues to increase year on year. HSE figures show that for the first ten months of 2019, the number of patients attending Beaumont Hospital increased by 0.9% and the number of attendances of patients over the age of 75 increased by 7.1% compared to the same period in...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Ambulance Service (26 Nov 2019)

Simon Harris: Ambulance turnaround times provide the time interval from ambulance arrival time at a hospital, to when the ambulance crew declares readiness to accept another call. The performance target for 2019 is that 95% of all ambulances have an interval of less than 60 minutes from arrival at the ED to when the ambulance crew declares readiness to accept another call. As of September 2019, 77.6% of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Vaccination Programme (26 Nov 2019)

Simon Harris: As Minister for Health I have no responsibility for vaccine trials. The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) is responsible for monitoring the safety and quality of all medicines including vaccines that are licensed in Ireland. All HPV vaccines available in the EU are authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The HPRA has advised that the specific HPV vaccine...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Emergency Departments Waiting Times (26 Nov 2019)

Simon Harris: The number of patients attending emergency departments across the hospital system continues to increase annually, with the result that the system is currently operating at close to full capacity. HSE figures show that for the first ten months of 2019, the number of patients attending St. Vincent’s University Hospital increased by 4.9% and the number of attendances of patients over the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Emergency Departments Services (26 Nov 2019)

Simon Harris: I acknowledge the challenges facing the emergency departments in our hospitals. According to HSE, there was a 2.7% increase in ED attendances nationally this year up to the end of October 2019 compared to the same period last year. The number of attendances for patients in the over 75 age group also increased by 3.3% nationally. My Department has engaged extensively with the HSE this year to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Facilities (26 Nov 2019)

Simon Harris: A new endoscopy unit for Naas General Hospital is included for progression in the 2019 Capital Plan. An extension to planning permission was sought and has been extended for a further 5 years to December 2024. It is proposed to tender the works in 2020, with construction to commence early 2021 and to complete in late 2022. The original development proposal for a new standalone mental...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Genetically Modified Organisms (26 Nov 2019)

Simon Harris: Responsibility for the deliberate release, use of feed and food and the labelling and traceability of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is divided between a number of Departments and their Agencies. Generally, responsibility for issues relating to the cultivation of GM crops rests with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (DCCAE), while the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: HSE Staff Recruitment (26 Nov 2019)

Simon Harris: I am advised by the HSE that while there is no national recruitment embargo or moratorium in place, there is a priority requirement for all HSE services to maintain, or get to, an affordable staffing level that is sustainable in 2019 and 2020, while also prioritising the delivery of safe services. In light of this, the HSE advise that they have introduced control measures relating to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Disease Management (26 Nov 2019)

Simon Harris: I am advised that the majority of cases of endometriosis are within the scope of a general gynaecologist to see, diagnose and treat. A GP referral to a gynaecologist is the standard pathway of care for the management of endometriosis in Ireland. This is similar to the pathway in place for the management of other gynaecological conditions. Information provided by the HSE indicates that...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Staff (26 Nov 2019)

Simon Harris: I must clarify at the outset that the HSE's overriding requirement is to prioritise the delivery of safe services, within available resources, and frontline staffing numbers continue to grow in support of this priority. Over the past five years the numbers of whole-time equivalent consultants, nurses and midwives working in the public health sector have increased significantly. In the...