Results 14,981-15,000 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: It is the same thing. I will come back on the issue.

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: Yes.

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I am a strong fan of encouraging women to take up decision-making positions. If this was a council onto which the Minister was appointing all the members, I would probably accept the amendment. However, the members of the society will elect nine persons and it would be very prescriptive to tell them that four of them should be women. There are six Senators in this House representing the...

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: If we were to say to the universities that 40% of their candidates for seats in the Seanad had to be women, I do not know which of the male Senators here would have to give way. Half of the Dáil Deputies in my party are female. I attend many health care conferences and there has been a complete transformation from my last job when I would look across the room to see if any woman was in the...

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: Much of it has to do with the points system. We all acknowledge that women are brighter than men.

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: We must be pragmatic and sensible. The argument was made when I brought forward the HIQA Bill that 70% of the members of the board would end up being female by virtue of the positions they held. Being over-prescriptive is not the way to go. I was in Norway last week. Eight of the 17 Ministers are female owing to the quota system. Therefore, a woman in the Norwegian Parliament has a great...

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I accept this is not the normal way we do business. This Bill has been in gestation for a considerable length of time. The amendments we propose have been informed by the response of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, the Irish Pharmaceutical Union and by the debate in the House on Second Stage. Some of the amendments are technical, some change the manner in which members of the...

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: As Senator Ryan has acknowledged, this group of amendments effectively relates to amendments Nos. 61 and 62. Amendment No. 1 is necessitated by the new provisions we are including in respect of conflict of interest. Amendment No. 61 deals with the prohibition of certain economic relationships between pharmacists and medical practitioners, namely, either party having a beneficial interest in...

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: As for Senator Browne's query, I mentioned during the Second Stage debate that the HSE was preparing to ensure prescriptions would include a reference one's ability to go to any pharmacist. It is important for patients to have such information. In respect of grants to doctors and pharmacies, there are special arrangements in disadvantaged areas for general practitioners. However, in both...

Seanad: Pharmacy Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I do not like political monopolies either.

Written Answers — Mental Health Services: Mental Health Services (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 199 and 222 together. The statutory position governing the eligibility of children to dental treatment under the Health Service Executive (HSE) service is Section 66 of the Health Act, 1970, the Health (Amendment) Act 1994 and the Health (Dental Services for Children) Regulations, 2000 (S.I. No. 248 of 2000). Responsibility for delivery of health services is...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (21 Mar 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 — Industrial Relations: Industrial Relations (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: A meeting was held on 21 February between the HSE/Department of Health and Children negotiating team and the Irish Pharmaceutical Union. The purpose of the meeting was to establish a procedure to examine available options for advancing contractual negotiations in compliance with Irish and EU competition law. A process and the relevant terms of reference have been agreed and this process is...

Written Answers — Ambulance Service: Ambulance Service (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services is a matter for the Health Service Executive 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 Parliamentary Affairs Division...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services is a matter for the Health Service Executive 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 issue raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to respond directly to the Deputy in relation to the matter raised.

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 214 to 217, inclusive, together. Over 120,000 people work full-time or part-time in our public health services. In recent years, the Government's ongoing high level of investment in health has achieved and maintained significant increases in the numbers of doctors, nurses and other health care professionals employed in the public health services. The...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (21 Mar 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 issue raised by the Deputy. My Department has asked the...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services is a matter for the Health Service Executive 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 question raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Harney: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.