Results 14,401-14,420 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Seanad: Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: This amendment is to correct a minor spelling error.

Seanad: Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: He is a wonderful friend of mine and a great supporter of the Senator's party. I heard he told half the audience at a Fine Gael meeting they had MRSA. I presume this was not because they were members of Fine Gael.

Seanad: Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: In answer to Senator Browne, there is constant planning in the Department. The priority in health care at the moment is to reform the way business is done so that the allocated resources can be better used. We are very fortunate that alone of the countries in the developed world we have been able to increase funding fourfold in one decade. We have greatly enhanced and increased the number...

Seanad: Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: I think I dealt with that matter.

Seanad: Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: These technical amendments are included to correct typographical errors. Amendment No. 1 relates to a cross-reference to another provision in the Bill. Amendment No. 2 inserts a cross-reference that was submitted in error from the relevant provision.

Seanad: Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: I confirm that, as Senators Henry and Glynn suggested, the Minister cannot give the Medical Council any directions on ethical issues. The council's ethics committee will have a majority of doctors, rather than a majority of lay people. It can be chaired by a lay person, however — it was once chaired by Senator Feeney. Dr. Deirdre Madden, who was recently elected as the chair of the...

Seanad: Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: These technical amendments have been tabled to correct typographical errors in the Bill. Amendment No. 3 inserts a cross-reference that was omitted in error from the relevant section. Amendment No. 11 corrects a cross-reference to another provision of the Bill.

Seanad: Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: This technical amendment has been included in the Bill to correct a typographical error. It corrects a cross-reference to another provision of the Bill.

Seanad: Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: I agree with Senator Henry's comments. Provisions relating to business plans are normal in legislation relating to public bodies. While I accept the need for greater governance requirements, I do not want the Medical Council to be tied up with endless bureaucracy. I have not accepted some of the amendments proposed on Committee Stage, such as an amendment that would compel the council to...

Seanad: Medical Practitioners Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: I sympathise with the perspective expressed. Last week I had a lengthy discussion with Senators Glynn, Feeney and Leyden on these points. The HSE and the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, were established after health reform analysis of the Prospectus and Brennan reports. They recommended the establishment of a single entity in place of the health boards in the case of the...

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: I am convinced that the co-location initiative is the most cost effective way of providing an additional 1,000 public beds for public patients in public hospitals including in the Adelaide and Meath Hospital incorporating the National Children's Hospital, Tallaght. There will be no capital cost to the Exchequer. The State already funds the nursing and support staff employed to provide acute...

Written Answers — Health Insurance: Health Insurance (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 262 and 356 together. It is difficult to comment on and assess the costs of the general merits of universal health insurance system in Ireland. Such a system would move insurance from being voluntary to compulsory. Consideration of the many complex issues inherent in any such proposal would include whether a particular universal health insurance system would...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: Aside from staff who are availing of statutory/civil service leave entitlements (e.g. maternity leave, sick leave, annual leave, etc.), my Department had no staff who were in receipt of full salary and not working in the month of March 2007.

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services was assigned to the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004 and funding for all health services has been provided as part of its overall vote. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to address the particular issues raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 265 and 334 together. The Dental Treatment Service Scheme (DTSS) provides for a range of dental services for adult medical card holders from participating dentists holding contracts with the Health Service Executive (HSE). The DTSS Review Group was established in May 2006 to undertake a comprehensive review of Primary Care Oral Health Services provided under...

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: The Health Act, 2004 sets out the HSE's responsibilities in relation to codes of standards of integrity, conduct and governance. Under section 35 of the Health Act 2004 the HSE is obliged to submit a Code of Governance for my approval. A draft code of governance was received from the Executive at the end of September. It comprises a suite of documents which make up a Framework for the...

Written Answers — Hospital Charges: Hospital Charges (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: The Health (Charges for In-Patient Services) Regulations 2005 have provided for two different classes of persons on whom charges may be levied. These regulations were signed by the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Health and Children on 14 January 2005. Class 1 refers to people in receipt of in-patient services on premises where nursing care is provided on a 24 hour basis on those...

Written Answers — Hospital Waiting Lists: Hospital Waiting Lists (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services was assigned to the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004 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...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services was assigned to the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004 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 matter raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the...

Written Answers — Vaccination Programme: Vaccination Programme (3 Apr 2007)

Mary Harney: In its report on Childhood Immunisation, the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children recommended that legislation be drawn up to provide for a no-fault National Vaccine Injury Compensation Scheme. The Vaccine Damage Steering Group has been established to examine the issue of vaccine damage. The Group met for the first time on 13 March 2007. The Group is due to meet again in mid...