Results 1,801-1,820 of 6,045 for speaker:Frank Feighan

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: National Broadband Plan (16 Dec 2020)

Frank Feighan: The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of good and reliable broadband to ensure that citizens across Ireland can avail of remote working, education and other essential online facilities. This is reflected in the commitments in the programme for Government for delivery of the national broadband plan, which will be a key enabler to many of the policies envisaged, particularly...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Waiting Lists (16 Dec 2020)

Frank Feighan: The Minister, Deputy Donnelly, and I are acutely aware of the distress and inconvenience caused to patients and their families when urgent care is delayed. Improving waiting times for hospital appointments and procedures remains a key commitment of the Government. It is acknowledged, however, that the challenges faced by the health system in 2020 are unlike anything we have faced before....

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: National Broadband Plan (16 Dec 2020)

Frank Feighan: I thank Deputy Flaherty for raising this issue. The provision of telecommunication services is a matter for the relevant service providers operating in a fully liberalised market regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg, as independent regulator. Unfortunately, there is no provision for the Minister or Department to instruct a commercial operator to do anything in...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Waiting Lists (16 Dec 2020)

Frank Feighan: I thank Deputy Connolly for raising this issue and for giving me the opportunity to update the House on waiting times for orthopaedic services in University Hospital Galway on behalf of Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. I sincerely regret that patients can experience a long waiting time for hospital appointments and procedures and I am conscious of the burden this places on...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Waiting Lists (16 Dec 2020)

Frank Feighan: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and giving me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, to provide an update to the House on waiting times for paediatric operations, including those for children with spina bifida. The Minister and I sincerely regret that children can experience a long waiting time for appointments and treatment. I am conscious...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Waiting Lists (16 Dec 2020)

Frank Feighan: The Minister and I are acutely aware of the distress and inconvenience caused to patients and their families when urgent care is delayed. Improving waiting times for hospital appointments and procedures remains a key commitment for the Government. However, it is acknowledged that the challenges faced by the health system in 2020 are unlike anything we have ever faced before. We...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Medicinal Products (16 Dec 2020)

Frank Feighan: I thank Senator O'Loughlin for raising this important issue and for giving me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, to speak on the reimbursement of patisiran for hATTR amyloidosis. I fully understand that access to potentially beneficial drug treatments is an extremely important issue for people with this condition. As the Senator is aware, the HSE has...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Medicinal Products (16 Dec 2020)

Frank Feighan: The Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, has received a number of representations on this matter from patients and concerned family members. I fully appreciate that this is a worrying time for patients, families and carers, and I hope the Senator's friend Pat and any other people who want this drug will get a good result. The Minister and I hope that this process comes to a satisfactory...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Employment Rights (16 Dec 2020)

Frank Feighan: I thank the Senator for raising this matter. First, I wish to state there is a strong legislative regime in Ireland to protect all workers in respect of their working conditions, including work-related health and safety. On the issue of general working conditions, there is a comprehensive body of employment rights legislation for which the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, is mandated...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Employment Rights (16 Dec 2020)

Frank Feighan: First, I again note there is a strong legislative regime in place in Ireland to protect all workers in respect of their working conditions, including work-related health and safety. However, I urge these employees to engage, in the first instance, with their employer to see how their concerns can be resolved at workplace level. Second, my colleague, the Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts,...

Seanad: Access to Contraception: Motion (15 Dec 2020)

Frank Feighan: I thank Senators Pauline O'Reilly, Garvey and Martin, and the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, for tabling this important motion. I thank them for the opportunity to set out the commitment of the Government and my Department to expand access to free contraception to all women aged between 17 and 25 and, indeed, the commitment to promoting women's health more generally through the work of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Healthcare Policy (15 Dec 2020)

Frank Feighan: The current position with regard to energy drinks is that, since 2000, there has been a legal requirement under EU legislation for all ingredients as well as the quantity of certain ingredients to be displayed on the product label. Additionally, since December 2014 an EU regulation requires that beverages containing a proportion in excess of 150mg/l of caffeine are labelled with the statement...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Promotion (15 Dec 2020)

Frank Feighan: Healthy Ireland has led a number of cross government communications campaigns designed to help people look after their physical and mental wellbeing during the COVID-19 crisis. The first of these was launched by An Taoiseach in April 2020. The #InThisTogether campaign offered advice, support and information around a range of themes, which included being active, eating well, coping at home,...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Healthcare Policy (15 Dec 2020)

Frank Feighan: Healthy Ireland, A Framework for Improved Health and Wellbeing 2013-2025, is the national framework for action to improve the health and wellbeing of Ireland.  The Framework is now past the mid-way point for the implementation.  Since publication in 2013, there has been significant progress in implementation. This has included: - A focus on building an enabling...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Healthcare Policy (15 Dec 2020)

Frank Feighan: In late 2019 the Health and Wellbeing Unit in my Department commenced the development of a Strategic Action Plan for the next phase of the Healthy Ireland Framework.  Despite the challenges caused by Covid-19, which has caused some delays to the original timeline for this process, significant progress on the development of the Strategic Action Plan for Healthy Ireland has been...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Promotion (10 Dec 2020)

Frank Feighan: Since early 2018, Healthy Ireland national communications campaigns have highlighted key messages around eating well, being physically active and minding our mental wellbeing. The current campaign;  ‘Keep Well’, promotes resilience and positive physical and mental health and wellbeing in the context of the current Covid-19 pandemic. Sláintecare has...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Promotion (10 Dec 2020)

Frank Feighan: Vitamin D is essential for bone and muscle health in people aged 65 and older. A recent Food Safety Authority of Ireland report found that older people do not get sufficient vitamin D from their diet or the effect of sunlight on their skin. To help counteract this, the Department of Health recommends that people aged 65 and older take a vitamin D supplement every day to ensure that they get...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Promotion (10 Dec 2020)

Frank Feighan: Healthy Ireland, A Framework for Improved Health and Wellbeing 2013-2025, is the national framework for action to improve the health and wellbeing of Ireland.  The Framework is now past the mid-way point for the implementation.  Since publication in 2013, there has been significant progress in implementation. This has included: - A focus on building an enabling environment for...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (10 Dec 2020)

Frank Feighan: The HSE recently submitted the final report of the steering committee on the development of HSE transgender identity services to my colleague, the Minister for Health.  The Minister has asked the HSE to publish the report immediately. The report contains seven recommendations, all pertaining to the HSE and indicates that most of the recommendations are already in progress. In...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Promotion (10 Dec 2020)

Frank Feighan: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.