Results 13,621-13,640 of 21,128 for speaker:James Reilly

Hospital Staff (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: Deputy Murphy has raised an issue about the distribution of services at times. One need not go as far away as Donegal to find the issues. One need only consider the difference in the services for children with autism in Dublin, north and south, and the disparity in place. I have made it clear to those running the services that they must consult with the Minister of State, Deputy Lynch, and...

Hospital Staff (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: I will answer the last question first. It is straightforward. There is a moratorium on staff recruitment. Therefore, no new staff can be recruited. However, I have already informed the House that we are recruiting staff and this is where the flexibility lies. It will arise in areas where it is essential to replace staff to maintain a safe service. For example, Deputy Kelleher raised the...

Eating Disorders (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: I thank Deputy Buttimer for raising this important and topical issue. The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased at alarming speed in recent decades, to the extent that the World Health Organisation terms it a "global epidemic". I saw an alarming slide produced at a talk I attended on the spread of obesity. It traced the spread throughout the USA starting in the 1960s. State...

Eating Disorders (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: Most of the big food chains have responded with regard to posting calorie information. I congratulate those contributing to debate on this issue in a progressive fashion and I look forward to meeting them in the not too distant future. Those who have responded include McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and others. People are entitled to make informed decisions. If they do not know the...

Eating Disorders (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: I acknowledge the great cross-party co-operation there has been on this issue. As we are aware, obesity plays a significant role in stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes. It is worth repeating what I said last night, that if we do not address this issue, we may well be the first generation to bury the generation that follows us. In my earlier career as a GP, I never saw young people...

Hospital Waiting Lists (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: It is very important to clarify immediately the correct information with regard to numbers waiting for procedures and the average waiting times. Waiting times have certainly not increased by 55%. I think the Deputy may have got confused between the increase in numbers waiting and the length of time patients are waiting. Between the end of December 2010 and 2012 the numbers waiting over 12...

Hospital Waiting Lists (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: I will be very clear. The special delivery unit was formed in June and became operational in September 2011. At that time the number of patients waiting longer than 12 months if they had not been treated by the end of December 2011 would have been 14,000. I have no doubt that had the special delivery unit not taken the action it had, we would have many thousands of people waiting longer...

Hospital Waiting Lists (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: Nobody is attempting to pretend that activity is any better than it is. This is measurable and real. I hope the Deputy is not disputing the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation trolley count, which is also very real.

Hospital Waiting Lists (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: Earlier, with sotto voce, the Deputy mentioned the word "could" and left out the word "if" from a gentleman's statement. I put it to the Deputy that many of the 14,000 patients may have been treated anyway but I am not so certain that would have been the case.

Hospital Procedures (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 30 together. My Department has just received a draft report from the independent academic researcher appointed to complete a report into the practice of symphysiotomy in Ireland. I have asked the Attorney General to consider the draft report and subject to her views, I propose to make the draft report available for consultation by interested parties....

Hospital Procedures (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: I reject the Deputy's contention that this was a barbaric act, although its use in certain circumstances may well transpire to have been utterly inappropriate. It was a standard procedure at one time and it was reintroduced to certain Irish hospitals in the 1940s as a clinical response to the limitation imposed by specifically Catholic religious and ideological circumstances. The primary...

Hospital Procedures (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: I have given the Deputy the most comprehensive answer I can. I will add only that where this procedure was used inappropriately - there were instances, apparently, where it was used after a baby's delivery, which is utterly disgraceful - it will be examined by the Attorney General, with action taken to redress the issue for the women who went through unnecessary pain. There were consequent...

Health Service Staff (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together. The most recent information available to me indicates that approximately 4,200 individuals will have left the health service between September 2011 and the end of this month. The corresponding wholetime equivalent figure is about 3,700. These figures are subject to change for various reasons, one being the time lags involved in collating...

Health Service Staff (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: In response to Deputy Kelleher, the Taoiseach is very clear, as am I, about the presence and completeness of the contingency plans in place. As I said, the situation is dynamic. We do not expect significant change between now and the end of the month but there has been much change heretofore. We had a very long meeting last night at which the CEO and four regional directors of the HSE were...

Health Service Staff (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: I see Deputy Adams is at Deputy Ó Caoláin's side. I was here this morning when he made his contribution. It seems to me when words such as "there will be a devastating effect" are used, it is almost as if Sinn Féin wished for there to be a disaster.

Health Service Staff (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: It is as if they hope there will be some sort of calamity or catastrophe so they can continue on shroud waving. The reality is that Dublin north-east, Dublin mid-Leinster, west and south have all got their contingency plans. Individual hospital managers have their contingency plans and are fully conversant with the number of staff leaving, as well as what must be done to maintain a safe...

Health Service Staff (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: He said "could", but the Deputy should finish the professor's sentence.

Health Service Staff (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: As regards Deputy Ó Caoláin's question about the three other service plans, there is not a need for the same number of exits. The lowest number of exits is from Dublin north-east. The contention that this is a recipe for disaster is utterly untrue - in fact, it is a formula to prevent any such disaster and ensure a seamless transition. We have put in place several different contingencies...

Health Service Staff (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: I have talked to the people in charge who have responsibility, including the national director and regional director of the operation who are in charge of hospital directors and managers. The contingency plans are in place and there is no way we will have an unsafe service. We have had two major meetings on this matter and will have a further one before the end.

Leaders' Questions (15 Feb 2012)

James Reilly: It would be made public in the forum tomorrow.