Results 16,501-16,520 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (2 Nov 2006)

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 HSE to address the issue raised in the question and to reply directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Medicinal Products: Medicinal Products (2 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: I am aware that the drug Buprenorphine (trade name Subutex) is being proposed as an alternative to methadone in the treatment of opiate dependent addicts. The current position is that Buprenorphine can be prescribed to opiate users by addiction service consultants in specialist drug treatment clinics, where the prescription and dispensing of Buprenorphine is tightly controlled. The Irish...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (2 Nov 2006)

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 — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (2 Nov 2006)

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 — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (2 Nov 2006)

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 — Vaccination Programme: Vaccination Programme (2 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: The issue of vaccine damage, including a compensation scheme, is being considered by my Department at present and that examination will be concluded shortly.

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: The HSE has advised my Department that the decision to transfer an individual patient from one hospital to another is a matter for the attending clinician and his or her team. Patient safety is the overriding factor in any inter-hospital transfer. There is no national protocol governing inter-hospital patient transfers. Any such protocol could only outline general principles and would have...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: There are a range of public sector pension schemes in the health sector which have developed over time. In the past, health board employees would have been covered by the Local Government Superannuation Scheme while other health sector employees, in voluntary hospitals for example, would have been covered by the Voluntary Hospitals Superannuation Scheme or the Nominated Health Agencies...

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: The co-location initiative is designed to deliver up to 1,000 new public beds at 10 public hospitals for an estimated tax cost of about €420 million, less than half the full capital cost. The tax cost will be offset by VAT and other taxes paid during construction. Lease payments at commercial rates in respect of public land will be paid by the private operators, in contrast with the...

Written Answers — Health Service Reform: Health Service Reform (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 94 and 183 together. The Audit of Structures and Functions in the Health System, published in 2003, found that the arrangements in place at the time were complex and fragmented. It identified the need for fundamental system-wide structural reform to move from fragmentation to consolidation and integration. This detailed analysis was accepted by the...

Written Answers — Hospital Staff: Hospital Staff (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: Discussions on a new contract will resume in early November on the basis of a formula presented to the parties by the independent chairman, Mr Mark Connaughton S.C. It is the chairman's intention that the parties will engage in intensive negotiations over the next two months. Our objectives for a new consultant contract include: a consultant-provided rather than a consultant-led service;...

Written Answers — General Medical Services Scheme: General Medical Services Scheme (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: The General Medical Services Scheme is largely a treatment based scheme which provides medical and other services for eligible persons from contracted general practitioners. Family planning services are available for medical card holders and GP visit card holders from the majority of GMS contract holding general practitioners. If a GP does not provide family planning services, he/she is...

Written Answers — Hospital Staff: Hospital Staff (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: The HSE has advised me that restrictions were introduced on consultant surgeons in Cavan and Monaghan performing major Gastro-Intestinal surgery in 2003 following the suspension of two consultants. Consultants are no longer precluded from carrying out major GI surgery in Cavan. These restrictions reflected concerns regarding the then heavy reliance on locum consultants at both sites, and...

Written Answers — Ambulance Service: Ambulance Service (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: As part of the reform of the health service a National Ambulance Office has been established within the Health Service Executive (HSE). It has responsibility for the provision of pre-hospital emergency care nationally. The most significant development in the sector for many years is the roll-out of the Advanced Paramedic Training Programme. The introduction of the programme required two...

Written Answers — Hospitals Building Programme: Hospitals Building Programme (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: New hospitals are being developed in Dublin under a variety of initiatives. The Government has mandated the Health Service Executive to move forward with the development of a new national tertiary paediatric hospital on a site to be made available by the Mater Hospital. A joint HSE/Department of Health and Children Transition Group has been established for this purpose. Among the key items...

Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: The legislation within my remit which has been enacted since my appointment as Minister for Health and Children is as follows: (1) the Health Act 2004; (2) the Health Amendment Act 2005; (3) the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005; (4) the Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006; (5) the Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal (Amendment) Act 2006; and (6) the Health...

Written Answers — Accident and Emergency Services: Accident and Emergency Services (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 102 and 131 together. The Health Service Executive activity reports over recent months indicate a significant reduction in the average number of patients in A & E Departments awaiting admission. Waiting times for patients have also been reduced. The percentage of people waiting longer than 24 hours for admission has decreased from 13% in May to 7% in...

Written Answers — Accident and Emergency Services: Accident and Emergency Services (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: Improving the patient's progress through A&E Departments is the key area of focus for the Health Service Executive (HSE) in 2006/07. Measurable improvements have been achieved in recent months. In order to ensure that these improvements can be sustained, particularly during the winter months, the HSE has introduced a broad-based Winter Initiative. The Winter Initiative will be similar to...

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 104 and 192 together. I take it that the questions refer to a report on the future of Maternity and Gynaecology Services in Ireland that has been prepared by the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. My Department is advised by the Health Service Executive that, while the Executive did not commission the report, it did facilitate its preparation by...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (1 Nov 2006)

Mary Harney: As I have previously stated, I consider the first Pharmacy Bill a priority piece of legislation. The first Bill will deal with the governance of the Pharmaceutical Society, registration and fitness to practice issues. It will also remove the EU derogation for supervisory pharmacists (where only Irish-trained pharmacists can supervise pharmacies less than three years old). The general scheme...