Results 18,241-18,260 of 45,622 for speaker:Simon Harris
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (10 Apr 2019) Simon Harris: Would Deputy Lisa Chambers give up Twitter if she was in Cabinet?
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (10 Apr 2019) Simon Harris: Exactly.
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (10 Apr 2019) Simon Harris: The Deputy will understand why I take my advice in respect of whether it was a good or a bad decision from other sources than Opposition politicians. The president of the National Association of General Practitioners, someone the Deputy and her party cite quite regularly as having an expert view on primary care, stated again this week that he believed it was the right decision because many...
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (10 Apr 2019) Simon Harris: The Deputy has suggested that I tweeted and created all this demand on capacity. Women were already going to their GPs. Women were turning up at their GP looking for reassurance, 110,000 of them. I made the decision not just about the repeat smear but also a free GP visit, which is different from the normal screening service protocol. I decided to offer a free consultation with the GP...
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (10 Apr 2019) Simon Harris: I was not sending women anywhere. Women were going to their GPs.
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (10 Apr 2019) Simon Harris: That is true.
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (10 Apr 2019) Simon Harris: That is true.
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (10 Apr 2019) Simon Harris: Deputy Chambers asked about the issue of capacity. What I meant by positivity was that the HSE officials, and I can single out Damien McCallion in particular, who were before this committee last week have worked night and day to try to identify additional capacity. They have assured me that it is not an issue of funding but of a shortage of cytology around the globe. For the first time...
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (10 Apr 2019) Simon Harris: Certainly I will check that and I am happy to discuss the matter privately with Deputy Chambers. I will check it and come back to the Deputy in writing. I fully accept the bona fides of the reasons the Deputy is raising these issues. It is a particular challenge in the part of the country where Deputy Chambers comes from. I fully accept that for the reasons outlined by her. My clear...
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (10 Apr 2019) Simon Harris: It is 33 weeks, absolutely. I am telling the Deputy today honestly that the HSE is actively involved in trying to find additional capacity to rectify that problem. I will come back to the Deputy and the committee as soon as I have further news on that.
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (10 Apr 2019) Simon Harris: Yes.
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (10 Apr 2019) Simon Harris: No, I will answer the question a different way. I have spoken about the error I think I made before. I am not sure it would have worked if I had tried this but, however long I am in politics and however long after politics, I will always regret that I did not request a bit of time. We were operating. I have to take the findings of the Scally report on board too. I respectfully suggest...
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (10 Apr 2019) Simon Harris: I will do that now.
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (10 Apr 2019) Simon Harris: Absolutely. My officials will look at that and see how it compares with our briefing note and how we can produce something further.
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (10 Apr 2019) Simon Harris: I will respond briefly. I will provide the email to the Deputy, having already given him the content of it. The email states that the named individual, having spoken to Jerome and Gráinne, felt it was important to make me aware of the key risks arising from such an open access policy. It then lists the risks, all of which were readily identifiable to my Department. It stated that we...
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (10 Apr 2019) Simon Harris: I did not receive, and my Secretary General and the director general of the HSE told the committee that I did not receive, any contrary advice prior to making the decision. The overriding point I make is that with the unique circumstances that we were facing, this was going to arise and women were going to seek repeat smear tests. How we dealt with that was the issue.
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (10 Apr 2019) Simon Harris: Deputy Donnelly is still criticising the decision. I do not accept the difference because there is not a difference between the chief medical officer and me on this matter. The Deputy is still criticising that decision, which he believes is wrong.
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (10 Apr 2019) Simon Harris: A decision can only be made at a point in time. At the time I made the decision, I believed it was the appropriate decision. The Deputy and I have different views on this.
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (10 Apr 2019) Simon Harris: The Deputy has asked an important question, and I will have to check what conversations were held with PwC. I did not have any direct conversations with it. I accepted the Dáil motion as I believed it was an honest attempt by the Deputy to ensure that we had robust terms of reference, and I accepted a number of his changes to and suggestions on the terms of reference. I have been...
- Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (10 Apr 2019) Simon Harris: I will discuss that with PwC and revert.