Results 17,461-17,480 of 45,622 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Health: Trade Union Recognition (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: As you are aware, a branch of the Psychiatric Nurses Association called the National Ambulance Service Representative Association (NASRA) has been engaged in industrial action. The Psychiatric Nurses Association state that their industrial action is in connection with two substantive issues. The first is the automated deduction of union subscriptions. The second is the refusal by the HSE to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists Action Plans (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: As this is a service issue, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: This index has been published since 2005 by the Sweden-based think-tank Health Consumer Powerhouse (HCP) Ltd, a private Swedish company. It is based on a combination of public statistics, patient surveys and independent research conducted by the author. The author has ranked Ireland 22ndplace out of 35 countries, with 669 points out of 1,000. Last year, Ireland ranked 24thout of 35...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Funding (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 49 and 217 together. The 2019 National Service Plan set out a budget of over €16 billion for the HSE, the highest budget ever allocated. The Health budget was increased by €848 million on 2018, a substantial additional level of funding. The amount allocated follows an extensive process of engagement between my Department and the HSE, which...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospitals Capital Programme (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: As the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to you in relation to this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospitals Capital Programme (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: As the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare services and infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to you in relation to this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Midwifery Services Provision (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: The HSE Midwifery Workforce Planning Project Report modelled on Birthrate Plus methodologies was published in April 2016. This Report recommended a range of midwifery staffing ratios across the 19 maternity hospitals/units taking into account the variability in working arrangements and clinical practices between the different sites and services. This Report also acknowledged that the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: HSE Planning (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: My Department is continuing to work with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Health Service Executive in a process to finalise as soon as possible a multi-annual Capital Plan for the HSE, which will include capital projects to be funded in 2019 and beyond.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Primary Care Centres Provision (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: As the HSE has responsibility for the provision, along with the maintenance and operation of Primary Care Centres and other Primary Care facilities, the Executive has been asked to reply directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Facilities (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to reply to the Deputy directly.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospitals Capital Programme (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 60 and 67 together. As the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare services and infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to you in relation to this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Overcrowding (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: The Winter Plan 2018/19, recognising the multiple factors across the health service that impact on Emergency Department performance, included a range of measures to support patients accessing services in the community and in hospitals. Planning for Winter 2019/20 has already commenced, with a review of performance over the Winter Period currently underway to ensure that the lessons learned...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Maternity Services (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: It is important to note that there is no defined “correct rate” for the induction of labour, rather the decision to induce is always a clinical decision taken in consultation with the woman. Such decisions would be based on the individual circumstances that have arisen and the decision would be arrived at after careful consideration of the relevant factors. However, as your...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Children's Hospital Administration (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: An independent review into the cost escalation associated with the new children’s hospital construction project was commissioned to understand the reasons for the cost escalation, with the primary focus of the review being on the governance and management arrangements in place within and between the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) and Executive, Design Team,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Long-Term Illness Scheme Coverage (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: The LTI Scheme was established under Section 59(3) of the Health Act 1970 (as amended). The conditions covered by the LTI are: acute leukaemia; mental handicap; cerebral palsy; mental illness (in a person under 16); cystic fibrosis; multiple sclerosis; diabetes insipidus; muscular dystrophies; diabetes mellitus; parkinsonism; epilepsy; phenylketonuria; haemophilia; spina bifida;...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Maternity Strategy Implementation (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: Ireland’s first National Maternity Strategy was published in 2016 and is currently being implemented on a phased basis by the National Women & Infants Health Programme (NWIHP) in the HSE. Realising the vision articulated in the Strategy requires a fundamental restructuring of maternity service delivery, as well as significant investment over the lifetime of the Strategy. This...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Abortion Legislation (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy is aware, it is my intention to introduce legislation to ensure safe access to premises in which termination of pregnancy services may be provided. It was originally intended to provide for safe access in the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018, but a number of legal issues were identified during the drafting process. In order to allow full...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Overcrowding (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: I am committed to tackling the key challenges our health service faces in relation to long waiting times and hospital overcrowding. Improving timely access to care for patients is at the heart of Sláintecare. Building upon the progress made in recent years in this area, the Sláintecare Action Plan 2019 published by my Department, includes a specific work stream on Access and...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products Reimbursement (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy is aware, the Oireachtas put in place a strong legal framework, in the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, to give full statutory powers to the HSE to assess and make decisions on reimbursement of medicines, taking account of a range of objective factors and expert opinion as appropriate. In the case of Spinraza, following detailed consideration of an...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products Regulation (15 May 2019)

Simon Harris: My Department and the HSE are engaging in a number of initiatives which will endeavour to lead to better access to medicines for patients, value for the taxpayer and the cost- effective provision of medicines in Ireland. A public consultation on a National Biosimilar Medicines Policy was undertaken by my Department in 2017. The responses to that consultation and other possible policy...