Results 1,701-1,720 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney
- Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2010 [Seanad]: Second and Subsequent Stages (7 Jul 2010)
Mary Harney: There is the reduction in the manner in which we pay pharmacists, which was introduced last summer. Again, that was opposed with both parties opposite arguing that it would close 400 pharmacies. It saves about â¬132 million a year. We negotiated a 39% reduction in off-patent medicines, which will save more than â¬100 million in a full year, and the last time the contract was negotiated,...
- Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2010 [Seanad]: Second and Subsequent Stages (7 Jul 2010)
Mary Harney: The contract is up for negotiation in September. For Deputy Reilly to suggest that we will save hundreds of millions of euro on generics is ludicrous, since the whole market in Ireland is â¬300 million. Unless the companies give us all the drugs free, we could not save hundreds of millions of euro.
- Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2010 [Seanad]: Second and Subsequent Stages (7 Jul 2010)
Mary Harney: If we got everything free, then we would save â¬300 million. The total market for generics in Ireland is â¬300 million, equivalent to the total production.
- Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2010 [Seanad]: Second and Subsequent Stages (7 Jul 2010)
Mary Harney: I did not interrupt anybody and I am more than happy to respond to all the points that were made.
- Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2010 [Seanad]: Second and Subsequent Stages (7 Jul 2010)
Mary Harney: In regard to reference pricing and generic substitution, we are going to legislate for that. Generic substitution in itself would not be adequate because as I indicated, we now have an ironic situation with generics being more expensive since our agreement with the pharmaceutical industry this year than the off-patent prices. That is a ludicrous situation and it will be dealt with in...
- Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2010 [Seanad]: Second and Subsequent Stages (7 Jul 2010)
Mary Harney: I do not have recent data on patient volume but five years ago it showed 60% of patients went to Dublin hospitals for surgical procedures, bypassing their local hospitals. That is why we have to build up capacity in the north east.
- Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2010 [Seanad]: Second and Subsequent Stages (7 Jul 2010)
Mary Harney: I have been reassured by the clinical directors, Dr. Brannigan, and Dr. Power and Dr. O'Neill that the new accident and emergency facilities at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital will be capable of dealing with increased volume.
- Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2010 [Seanad]: Second and Subsequent Stages (7 Jul 2010)
Mary Harney: The Deputy should look at the throughput at Waterford Regional Hospital which has the busiest accident and emergency department after Tallaght hospital.
- Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2010 [Seanad]: Second and Subsequent Stages (7 Jul 2010)
Mary Harney: Yes, but we need all our hospitals to operate to best practice if we are to get the best possible care for our patients. If Deputy Coonan sends me the details of the complaint concerning the family he raised, I will investigate it. I must correct him on another matter. Limerick hospital is not a centre of excellence but a specialist centre. We want everywhere to be a centre of excellence...
- Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2010 [Seanad]: Second and Subsequent Stages (7 Jul 2010)
Mary Harney: I said it is a specialist centre and everywhere should be a centre of excellence. Deputy Coonan implied there were only eight centres of excellence. He seems to be confusing the term "excellence" with "specialist". There will be challenges in health service provision. Ireland spends 11% of national income on health services, going by GNP data as GDP data is somewhat unreliable due to the...
- Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2010 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Jul 2010)
Mary Harney: I did.
- Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2010 [Seanad]: Second and Subsequent Stages (7 Jul 2010)
Mary Harney: It is always a pleasure.
- Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2010 [Seanad]: Second and Subsequent Stages (7 Jul 2010)
Mary Harney: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am pleased to have the opportunity to address the House today on Second Stage of the Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2010. The Bill provides for the charging of modest fees in respect of prescribed items dispensed by community pharmacy contractors to persons who have full eligibility under the Health Act 1970, that is, medical card...
- Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2010 [Seanad]: Second and Subsequent Stages (7 Jul 2010)
Mary Harney: The cost of the GMS scheme, including payments to pharmacists and general practitioners, in 2010 is projected to be more than â¬2 billion. The rate of increase, an average of 12.5% each year over six years, in the cost of supplying drugs and medicines is not sustainable. The number of prescriptions issued under the GMS increased by almost 4 million between 2004 and 2009 to more than 16...
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (7 Jul 2010)
Mary Harney: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table below. The Irish Government Offsetting Scheme commenced with effect from 14 June 2007 and the offsetting payment for 2007 reflects this. Emissions calculated in respect of all travel by Ministers and Ministers of State on the Government Jet are determined by the Department of Defence and the offsetting payments are paid by the...
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (7 Jul 2010)
Mary Harney: As my Department is not one of the Departments scheduled for decentralisation under the Government's Decentralisation Programme, no travel and subsistence costs were incurred in respect of travel from a decentralised office of the Department to Dublin or Brussels in 2008, 2009 or to date in 2010.
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (7 Jul 2010)
Mary Harney: The total spend in my Department on public advertisements in national and local print media for 2009 was â¬207,420.71 and to date in 2010 is â¬77,487.24 . No costs were incurred in respect of radio and television advertising in 2009 or 2010 by my Department.
- Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (7 Jul 2010)
Mary Harney: As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (7 Jul 2010)
Mary Harney: The information requested by the Deputy is contained in the table below. The table shows the Revised Estimates Volume provisional outturns in respect of the Department of Health and Children for the years 1997-2009. Vote 40 in respect of the Health Service Executive was established in 2005. Vote 41 in respect of the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs was established in...
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (7 Jul 2010)
Mary Harney: The information requested by the Deputy is contained in the table below. The table shows the provision for hospital services as set out in the Revised Estimates Volume for the years 1997-2010. The amounts shown for 1997 to 2002 have been adjusted from Irish Pounds to Euro for ease of comparison. The Deputy should note that the figures for 1997 to 2004 relate to the General Hospital Programme,...