Results 13,501-13,520 of 21,128 for speaker:James Reilly

Private Members' Business. Health Services: Motion (21 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: We still face big challenges which we are going to deal with with the help of front-line staff, the SDU and the clinical programmese to reform the health service. When the last Government had millions of euro available and doubled the spend on health over a period of ten years, it did nothing to reform the health service.

Private Members' Business. Health Services: Motion (21 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: Let us look at the motion. The Members opposite want me to talk about what I may or may not have done. Since becoming Minister, we have assumed responsibility. Notwithstanding the Deputy's contention that we defer everything to the HSE, we do not. All operational matters are to be referred to the Department. We have formed a new relationship with the HSE which we will soon abolish. We...

Private Members' Business. Health Services: Motion (21 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: The Government has faced up to the task. It has been honest in telling the people the scale of the problem and it will continue to do so. It is equitable that we are focusing on those who have had to wait the longest. When we do this, some of those in the middle will clearly have to wait a little longer.

Private Members' Business. Health Services: Motion (21 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: In June 2011 there were over 2,260 patients who had been waiting for 12 months.

Private Members' Business. Health Services: Motion (21 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: By December, it was a little over 300. These are the facts - like them or lump them. The Deputy should check and he will find out that what I am saying is true.

Private Members' Business. Health Services: Motion (21 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: This represents a 79.9% drop.

Private Members' Business. Health Services: Motion (21 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: I have said that there is none so blind as those who will not see. Equally, there is none so deaf as those who will not listen.

Private Members' Business. Health Services: Motion (21 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: In the period between June and December the total number waiting for six months or more increased from 54,000 to 59,000, an increase of 10%, not 47%. That is not something we want to see but something we expect to see when we focus on ensuring patients will not be left waiting years for procedures, which the previous Government allowed to happen.

Private Members' Business. Health Services: Motion (21 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: Everything is different when Deputy Martin is in opposition, but when he was in government, he had a different approach entirely. When they had money, they would not use it to reform the system and now they make other allegations, stating that general practitioners are withdrawing services in the north east. GPs are not.

Private Members' Business. Health Services: Motion (21 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: They have withdrawn co-operation on primary care teams, which is an entirely different matter.

Private Members' Business. Health Services: Motion (21 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: Deputy Kelleher said "service".

Private Members' Business. Health Services: Motion (21 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: Deputy Kelleher has also made a claim, on which I would like to get clarity, that a person was refused a renewal of their medical card when they were terminally ill. I would have thought it was an application. If there was a slowness in application, I regret that, but that is something that started under the Government of which Deputy Martin was a member-----

Private Members' Business. Health Services: Motion (21 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: -----and long before I came into power. I have now since set up, as another proactive piece of work, a group to look at discretionary medical cards. It is a group made up of doctors - community doctors, epidemiologists, a GP and others - to ensure the situation is operational once again. That was the discretion of the CEO of the health board and since the CEOs of the health boards no...

Private Members' Business. Health Services: Motion (21 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: Was €300 million value for money?

Private Members' Business. Health Services: Motion (21 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: It certainly was not.

Private Members' Business. Health Services: Motion (21 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: It certainly is not.

Private Members' Business. Health Services: Motion (21 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: The motion denounces the closure of acute hospital beds and operating theatres, as outlined in the regional service plans. Whose fault is this? Who left us with a basket case of an economy to deal with? The motion condemns the Government for failing to halt increasing medical card waiting times. We have already addressed that.

Private Members' Business. Health Services: Motion (21 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: Fianna Fáil condemns us for introducing the insurance levy. That party introduced it when it was in government. I increased it this year.

Private Members' Business. Health Services: Motion (21 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: Yes, but Deputy Kelleher states in his motion that we introduced it.

Private Members' Business. Health Services: Motion (21 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: More inaccuracies from Deputy Kelleher's side of the House. Let me put this to Deputy Kelleher. If we had not increased the levy, as a previous speaker stated-----