Results 17,321-17,340 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Departmental Investigations: Departmental Investigations (6 Jul 2006)

Mary Harney: Following the death of Mr. Patrick Walsh in Monaghan Hospital on the 14th October, 2005 the Health Service Executive (HSE) commissioned Mr. Declan Carey, a consultant surgeon at Belfast City Hospital, and an honorary senior lecturer at Queen's University and Professor John Monson, Professor of Surgery, University of Hull, to carry out an independent and external review. The Health Service...

Written Answers — Ambulance Service: Ambulance Service (6 Jul 2006)

Mary Harney: Pre-hospital emergency care services in the greater Dublin area are provided by both the Health Service Executive (HSE) and Dublin City Council through Dublin Fire Brigade. The HSE has advised that the review of Command and Control arrangements, referred to by the Deputy, is being undertaken by representatives from the Executive and Dublin City Council. The Executive has advised that the...

Written Answers — Hospital Staff: Hospital Staff (6 Jul 2006)

Mary Harney: The information requested by the Deputy is collated by the Health Service Executive. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Health Service Executive to provide you with the information directly.

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (6 Jul 2006)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 209 and 214 together. There is no statutory obligation on the Health Service Executive (HSE) to provide chiropody services to GMS patients; however in practice arrangements are made to provide these services. Before the establishment of the HSE the nature of the arrangements for chiropody and the level of service provided was a matter for individual health...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (6 Jul 2006)

Mary Harney: Given the importance of securing a supply of chiropodists/podiatrists domestically to match the growth in demand for chiropody services, I am conscious of the need to establish a school of podiatry in the State. Although responsibility for the establishment of a school of podiatry will be a matter, in the final instance, for the Department of Education and Science, the delivery of clinical...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (6 Jul 2006)

Mary Harney: There are no statutory registration requirements for chiropodists in Ireland. However, the Deputy may wish to note that the Health Service Executive is responsible for the maintenance of a list of chiropodists considered eligible to practise in the public health service. There are 228 chiropodists on this list. An assessment process to update this list is currently under consideration by the...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (6 Jul 2006)

Mary Harney: I assume that the Deputy is referring to fees paid by the Health Service Executive to private chiropodists for providing services to medical card holders as opposed to chiropody grades employed by the Executive. Pay increases recommended by the Public Service Benchmarking body have been implemented for chiropodists employed in the public service. These pay increases are not applicable to...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (6 Jul 2006)

Mary Harney: The Government is fully committed to the implementation of the principles contained in the Primary Care Strategy and this includes the development of primary care teams and networks. The implementation process at operational level is a function of the Health Service Executive, whose Chief Executive Officer has identified as a priority the development of multidisciplinary primary care...

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (6 Jul 2006)

Mary Harney: Let me say at the outset that there is no embargo on the recruitment of staff in the public health service. Nor does my Department set employment quotas at national level for any grade in the public health service. It is a matter for the Health Service Executive, as part of its management of its employment ceiling, to determine the appropriate staffing mix required to deliver its service plan...

Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (6 Jul 2006)

Mary Harney: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department's Health Service Personnel Census collects data on an employing agency basis rather than on a county by county basis. As the Deputy's question relates a human resource management issue which is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004, the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive has been asked to...

Written Answers — Mental Health Services: Mental Health Services (6 Jul 2006)

Mary Harney: As part of the Estimates for health services in 2006, additional funding of €3m was allocated specifically for the further development of neurology and neurophysiology services. This funding was provided to allow the Health Service Executive to further progress the implementation of the recommendations made by the former Comhairle na nOspidéal in respect of these services. Accordingly, my...

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (6 Jul 2006)

Mary Harney: The numbers of medical card holders in the state as requested by the Deputy are as follows: 1997, 1,219,852; 2002, 1,168,745; and 2006, 1,187,370. The figure shown for 2006 is the most recent figure provided by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to my Department and refers to the position as at 1 June, 2006. The decrease in the number of medical card holders since 1997 can be attributed to a...

Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (6 Jul 2006)

Mary Harney: I wish to inform the Deputy that such a survey has not been conducted by my Department. In 2004, following consultation with the Irish College of General Practitioners it was agreed to meet short to medium term needs to increase the number of GP trainee places on GP vocational training schemes nationally from 84 to 150, on a phased basis. I have provided additional funding of €2 million in...

Written Answers — Accident and Emergency Services: Accident and Emergency Services (6 Jul 2006)

Mary Harney: Tackling the problems that exist in some of the country's A & E departments is the Government's top priority in health. Our objectives are to reduce the numbers waiting for admission, the time spent waiting for admission, and the turnaround time for those who can be treated in A & E and do not require admission. The Health Service Executive has put in place a number of measures to build on...

Seanad: Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages. (6 Jul 2006)

Mary Harney: I am not in a position, unfortunately, to accept the amendment. Senators made reference to this issue, yesterday, on Second Stage. We do not believe any genuine claimant will be affected by what is being done here. When legislation was proposed in this area in 1995-96, Mr. John Rogers SC and Ivor Fitzpatrick and Company Solicitors, on behalf of the affected groups, put forward the ELISA test...

Seanad: Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages. (6 Jul 2006)

Mary Harney: Some 12,000 people received the product between 1991 and 1994, and of those 139 tested positive. My point on the KL case was that there was no evidence that the claimant received an infected batch of the product or had gone to a GP or other medics in the long period of time that elapsed. Yet on the basis of symptoms that can be related to other diseases, for example fatigue, the claimant got...

Seanad: Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages. (6 Jul 2006)

Mary Harney: Does Senator Ryan suggest that such a person would not have presented with jaundice within 16 weeks of receiving the product? The court made the award in the KL case on the basis that the anti-D was probably given, although this could not be proved, and the person was suffering from, among other symptoms, fatigue. If we accept this basis, potentially everybody who received the product could...

Seanad: Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages. (6 Jul 2006)

Mary Harney: It is a medical issue with legal implications. There are lawyers in this country who are more than happy to pursue any route available to them. We know about the compensation culture and no fair-minded person would want that to happen. Anybody else in my position who had the information available to me in the context of what has happened would take do the same.

Seanad: Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages. (6 Jul 2006)

Mary Harney: Is the Senator suggesting they test positive? If they test positive anytime they will receive the compensation. They do not have to test positive now.

Seanad: Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages. (6 Jul 2006)

Mary Harney: The Department is aware of the study to which the Senator refers.