Results 15,641-15,660 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Health Insurance: Health Insurance (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Harney: Since the Deputy tabled the question, the Quinn Group and BUPA announced last week that agreement has been reached for the purchase of BUPA Ireland by the Quinn Group.

Written Answers — Survivors of Symphysiotomy: Survivors of Symphysiotomy (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Harney: A comprehensive range of support measures has been put in place in recent years by the Health Service Executive to meet the needs of patients who have undergone symphysiotomy. My Department has asked the Health Service Executive to revert to the Deputy with details of the services available to patients and on the position with regard to the need for any additional services.

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (6 Feb 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.

Written Answers — Accident and Emergency Services: Accident and Emergency Services (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Harney: The European Court of Justice has not yet delivered its judgement in the case referred to by the Deputy. I will consider the implications, if any, for emergency ambulance services in the Dublin area when the judgement comes to hand.

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (6 Feb 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 — Official Travel: Official Travel (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Harney: As part of the execution of my role as Tánaiste and as Minister for Health and Children, I travelled to Chicago, Bahrain and South Africa by commercial airlines in 2006. The total distance of these trips is 38,206 kilometres.

Written Answers — Accident and Emergency Services: Accident and Emergency Services (6 Feb 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 — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Harney: From examination of records in my Department the following contracts were awarded since 2000 to the company named in the Deputy's question: € Ex-post Assessment of the 1996 Pharmacy Regulations 65,400.50 Ex-ante Review of Proposed Regulatory Models for the Pharmacy Sector 83,901.90 Economics Analysis of Childcare Policy Options 101,821.00 All of the contracts were for specialised...

Health Service Reform: Motion (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Harney: I am not going to deliver a script. I want to respond to the arguments that have been made, rather than making prepared comments which may be out of context, given what was said. We all acknowledge that, from the taxpayer's perspective, expenditure on health has increased four-fold in ten years. We also know that in 2006, more than 1 million patients were treated in our public hospitals,...

Health Service Reform: Motion (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Harney: For the top 17 procedures, it is a fact.

Health Service Reform: Motion (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Harney: It is the case.

Health Service Reform: Motion (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Harney: That is the data verified by the National Treatment Purchase Fund and it is fact. There is great debate about hospital beds. Since the health strategy was introduced, 1,200 hospital beds, both day and inpatient beds, have been put into the public hospital system. On average, we have invested in 170 new beds per year whereas in the three years preceding 1997, there were 30 new beds per year....

Health Service Reform: Motion (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Harney: I am talking about the average stay in Irish hospitals in 2005. Central to appropriate discharge policy is having a consultant in the hospital whenever one is required, and certainly to have 24-7 cover for the main specialties. The reality is that if this does not happen, daily ward rounds and daily discharges cannot happen. We all know that doctors who are not at consultant level tend to...

Health Service Reform: Motion (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Harney: I beg the Deputy's pardon. Private patients——

Health Service Reform: Motion (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Harney: The private beds are ring-fenced for private patients. There may be an occasional exception, but that is the reality.

Health Service Reform: Motion (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Harney: Furthermore, if a private patient, insured patient arrives in a public hospital, no matter what bed that patient is in, the consultant gets a fee for that patient. I have described it previously as being akin to having an airline where the pilots got paid for all the business class passengers, even if they sat in the economy seats. It is ludicrous.

Health Service Reform: Motion (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Harney: These are the factors that mitigate against public patients getting access to services in the public hospital system when they require them. It is not good enough and must end. There are 2,500 private beds out of 13,500 beds in our public hospitals. I want to move 1,000 of those beds from the private system to the public system. I want to convert them into public beds so all patients can...

Health Service Reform: Motion (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Harney: Deputy Twomey suggests there will be clinical issues. Is he suggesting there are clinical issues at St. Vincent's hospital in Dublin, which is a co-location hospital, or at the Mater hospital? I do not believe that is the case.

Health Service Reform: Motion (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Harney: I am simply converting private beds to public beds, a policy I would have thought would win fairly universal support in this country. It is not correct to suggest there is not much support. For example, the medical teams in eight of our biggest hospitals are involved in co-location projects throughout the country.

Health Service Reform: Motion (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Harney: There is huge interest in co-location because people see it as an effective way of achieving additional capacity. It is effective because we will get the beds for no more than 48% of the cost of providing them in the traditional way. That is a fact. They will be provided quicker and cheaper through this model than through any other. I do not believe a private facility within a public...