Results 14,881-14,900 of 45,539 for speaker:Simon Harris

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues: Discussion (2 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: Yes. I like to be constructive and take on board constructive suggestions, and the Deputy made one on this matter. Deputy Donnelly and I spoke in the Dáil about how the children's hospital construction had to conclude before the new building for the Coombe could be built, but the Deputy rightly suggested that we should be doing preparatory work in this regard. In the capital plan we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues: Discussion (2 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: The short answer is "Yes".

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues: Discussion (2 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: As I have said to colleagues, and as Mr. Reid has said today as well, a couple of these measures have already started. We have put €10 million into the system in trying to provide extra social care support. Limerick will clearly benefit from some of that. For example, we are seeing the number of delayed discharges finally beginning to fall after weeks of it rising. It is still very...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues: Discussion (2 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues: Discussion (2 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues: Discussion (2 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: Those are mainly questions for the HSE but I will comment on the mesh implants issue. We had a meeting and I thank Deputy O'Reilly for facilitating it. I had a follow-up meeting with Mesh Survivors Ireland and I have committed to another meeting. I need to get back to it with a date for another meeting, which will probably be next month. The Deputy is welcome to attend. Dr. Henry can...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues: Discussion (2 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: Deputy Durkan and I have had many chats about this. As he knows, I held out on this one for a while. I understood the views being put forward by a number of Members of the Oireachtas. I have to be careful in what I say because I think there is a legal challenge and legal correspondence in my Department in respect of this. The bottom line was that in order to comply with the directive, one...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues: Discussion (2 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: I will certainly seek an update and revert to the Deputy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues: Discussion (2 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: I thank Deputy O'Connell for her support on public health in general and her advocacy in this regard. We have made really good progress on vaccination together as an Oireachtas. The HSE has shown incredible leadership in this area. It shows how when the health service really puts its mind to something, we can make progress. When we engage with others outside our initial health family, our...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues: Discussion (2 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: I am more than happy to do so.

Written Answers — Department of Health: HSE Staff Remuneration (1 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Health: General Practitioner Services (1 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: Since 1 September 2018 all those in receipt of either a full or half-rate Carer's Allowance or Carer's Benefit are automatically eligible for a GP service free of charge. There are currently no plans to extend GP Visit Cards to persons specifically in receipt of a Carer's Support Grant (formerly known as the Respite Care Grant). However it is noted that many persons in receipt of this...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products Reimbursement (1 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: My Department does not collate data on the average time taken for new medicines to become available in Ireland compared to other EU or OECD countries. "League tables" comparing speed of reimbursement in Ireland with other countries are often misleading since several countries have quite different and often less rigorous statutory assessment arrangements than Ireland. Furthermore, many of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (1 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.  The...

Written Answers — Department of Health: HSE Reviews (1 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: Under the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for the administration of the community drug schemes; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products Reimbursement (1 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: Under the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for the administration of the community drug schemes; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Treatment Benefit Scheme Applications (1 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly. 

Written Answers — Department of Health: Cancer Screening Programmes (1 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy will be aware, CervicalCheck, the National Cervical Screening Programme, was introduced in 2008 and offers free smear tests to women aged 25-60. Women under the age of 25 are not invited for screening. The HSE advises that this is because there is no evidence that screening would be of any benefit to them. At this stage in life, normal cell changes in the cervix can look...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health and Social Care Professionals Regulation (1 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: The Medical Council is the body responsible for the regulation of registered medical practitioners in Ireland under the Medical Practitioners Act 2007 (the Act).   It has a statutory role in protecting the public by promoting the highest professional standards among medical practitioners practising in the State, and is responsible for setting the standards of medical education and...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (1 Oct 2019)

Simon Harris: Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual. The National...