Results 1,821-1,840 of 3,871 for speaker:Catherine Byrne

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Community Development Initiatives (29 Jun 2016)

Catherine Byrne: The successor programme to the Local and Community Development Programme (LCDP), the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) was rolled out across communities, both urban and rural, in April 2015 and will run until 31 December 2017. The aim of the SICAP is to reduce poverty, and promote social inclusion and equality through local, regional and national engagement and...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Drugs Strategy Implementation (29 Jun 2016)

Catherine Byrne: The overall objective of the National Drugs Strategy is to tackle the harm caused to individuals and society by the misuse of drugs through a concerted focus on the five pillars of supply reduction, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and research. Periodic reviews of progress of the actions of the current Strategy are carried out through the Oversight Forum on Drugs, which I chair. The...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Drugs Strategy (29 Jun 2016)

Catherine Byrne: The National Drugs Strategy 2009-2016 is a cross cutting area of public policy and service delivery, which requires a coordinated multi-sectoral approach to tackling the drugs problem. Periodic reviews of progress of the actions of the current Strategy are carried out through the Oversight Forum on Drugs, which I chair. The 2015 progress report on the implementation of the actions of the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Drugs Strategy Implementation (29 Jun 2016)

Catherine Byrne: The matter raised by the Deputy relates to an action in the 2001-2008 National Drugs Strategy, which has been superseded by the National Drugs Strategy 2009-2016.

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (23 Jun 2016)

Catherine Byrne: I am delighted to be present and it is nice to be in the Chamber. I sat here during the health sub-committee hearings on the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill for a number of weeks. The atmosphere in the Chamber was sombre because we were dealing with people's lives. Today we are doing the same. The former Minister of State with responsibility for the national drugs strategy,...

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (23 Jun 2016)

Catherine Byrne: A key commitment in the programme for Government in relation to drugs policy is the development of a new national drugs strategy, which will take effect from January 2017 when the current strategy expires. The steering committee that has been established to oversee this process is representative of key stakeholders. It will provide guidance and advice to me on how the new strategy should...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Proposed Legislation (23 Jun 2016)

Catherine Byrne: The Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016 was published on Tuesday 21 June. It brings under the scope of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 a number of substances, including certain prescription medicines which are being sold on the streets by drug dealers, and makes a number of technical amendments to the Act. Yesterday, the Supreme Court up held the constitutionality of Section 2(2) of the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products Availability (23 Jun 2016)

Catherine Byrne: Suboxone is a medicinal product comprising of the drugs buprenorphine and naloxone. It is authorised as a substitution treatment for opioid drug dependence, within a framework of medical, social and psychological treatment. It is currently being provided to a cohort of patients involved in the piloting and feasibility study for Suboxone. At the request of the Department of Health, the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products Availability (23 Jun 2016)

Catherine Byrne: According to a Health Research Board report on drug-related deaths for 2013, the latest year for which data is available, the total number of drug-related poisoning deaths increased from 361 in 2012 to 387 in 2013. Methadone was implicated in 93 poisoning deaths in 2013, compared with 86 in 2012. However, the majority of poisoning deaths where methadone was implicated, involved other...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Addiction Treatment Services (23 Jun 2016)

Catherine Byrne: The HSE does not provide specific services for persons with a gambling addiction. Therefore, it is not possible to identify the number of those presenting with gambling problems to State supported addiction services. Those who present for addiction treatment for gambling are offered the same range of interventions as those who present with a drug and alcohol addiction, or a mental...

Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Services (22 Jun 2016)

Catherine Byrne: I certainly will convey the Deputy's concerns. The figure of 4% for strokes in Kerry General Hospital is a huge concern. I emphasise again that the Minister has made it clear that the HSE is trying its best to recruit staff but it has been challenging. It is in the process of ensuring there will be a unit in place as soon as possible. I will convey the Deputy's comments to the Minister....

Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Services (22 Jun 2016)

Catherine Byrne: I thank the Deputy. I understand the Deputy's concerns and I will convey them to the Minister to the best of my ability when I meet him later.

Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Services (22 Jun 2016)

Catherine Byrne: I thank the Deputy for providing me with the opportunity to speak on the subject of strokes. I am replying to this debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, and I am sorry that he cannot be here. The aim of the HSE national clinical programme for stroke is to improve the quality, access and cost-effectiveness of stroke services in Ireland. Since the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Substance Misuse (21 Jun 2016)

Catherine Byrne: Drugs Task Forces play a key role in assessing the extent and nature of the drug problem in their areas and co-ordinating action at local level so that there is a targeted response to the drug problem in local communities. I am informed that the Interagency Group, who carried out the survey, are presenting their findings to the East Coast Regional Task Force at the next Task Force meeting. ...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Drugs Strategy (21 Jun 2016)

Catherine Byrne: The Department of Health is developing a new National Drugs Strategy, which will take effect in 2017, when the current policy expires. A Steering Committee has been established to oversee the process and to advise me on how the new Strategy should address problem drug use, including the structures through which this should be done and incorporating key performance indicators to measure the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Addiction Treatment Services (21 Jun 2016)

Catherine Byrne: I propose to take Questions Nos. 436 and 459 together. As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputies. If the Deputies have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days they should contact my Private Office who will follow up the matter with them.

Topical Issue Debate: Water Quality (15 Jun 2016)

Catherine Byrne: I will take the Deputies' concerns on board. As I said at the beginning of the reply, there is historical underinvestment in water infrastructure which is the reason we now have this major crisis. I will raise with the Minister the Deputy's concern around his lack of response to the crisis. Perhaps he might come back to the Deputy himself. While tackling the causes of beach pollution is a...

Topical Issue Debate: Water Quality (15 Jun 2016)

Catherine Byrne: I thank both Deputies for raising this matter. I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney, who cannot be here. I am aware of concerns about discharges in north county Dublin and the subsequent impact on beach water quality, including in Rush. However, it is important to state neither the Minister nor his Department has any direct role in monitoring or...

Topical Issue Debate: Water Quality (15 Jun 2016)

Catherine Byrne: I will move to the last sentence. The next stage of the strategy, to connect the entire Rush catchment to the wastewater treatment plant, is set to commence construction in the third quarter of the year and expected to be completed in two years. The scheme involves the construction of three new pump stations and approximately 6 km of associated sewers.

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Drugs Strategy (14 Jun 2016)

Catherine Byrne: The Department of Health is developing a new National Drugs Strategy, which will cover the period from 2017 onwards. A Steering Committee, chaired by the former General Secretary of the Irish National Teachers Organisation and with representatives from the relevant Statutory, Community and Voluntary Sectors listed below, has been established to oversee the process. Sector Body Number of...