Results 18,541-18,560 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney
- Written Answers — Health Service Staff: Health Service Staff (26 Apr 2006)
Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 181 and 184 together. Employment information collected by my Department refers to numbers employed rather than to vacancies. As the information requested by the Deputy relates to the delivery of health and social care services and human resource management issues which are matters for the Health Service Executive, the parliamentary affairs division of the...
- Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (26 Apr 2006)
Mary Harney: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the parliamentary affairs division of the executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.
- Written Answers — Hospital Staff: Hospital Staff (26 Apr 2006)
Mary Harney: The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the parliamentary affairs division of the executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.
- Written Answers — Accident and Emergency Services: Accident and Emergency Services (26 Apr 2006)
Mary Harney: Tackling the current difficulties with accident and emergency units 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 there and then and do not require admission. I believe that there is a need to build on the accident and emergency action plan...
- Written Answers — Medical Cards: Medical Cards (26 Apr 2006)
Mary Harney: The issue of an extension of the Health (Amendment) Act 1996 to provide free health care for the women referred to by the Deputy has been carefully examined and advice taken from a number of relevant experts. While I am sympathetic to the women in question, I cannot support an extension to the current eligibility requirements. This position was signalled to the support group representing the...
- Accident and Emergency Services: Motion. (26 Apr 2006)
Mary Harney: No, I am not. I look forward to the Deputy's contribution. I think he will be doing his own spinning, given what I have heard.
- Accident and Emergency Services: Motion. (26 Apr 2006)
Mary Harney: I am surprised to hear that.
- Accident and Emergency Services: Motion. (26 Apr 2006)
Mary Harney: There has been a 100% increase in day cases.
- Health Service Staff. (26 Apr 2006)
Mary Harney: The national task force on medical staffing was set up to devise a strategy for reducing the average working hours of non-consultant hospital doctors to achieve the requirements of the European working time directive, address the consequent medical staffing needs of Irish hospitals, analyse the practical implications of moving to a consultant-provided hospital system, and consider the...
- Health Service Staff. (26 Apr 2006)
Mary Harney: We would have agreement if we threw in the towel and gave everybody what they wanted, which seems to be Deputy Twomey's attitude, that is, every time we go into negotiations, we should agree and then they will be over. At present non-consultant hospital doctors get approximately â¬200 million per year in overtime for the long hours they work. One cannot reduce working hours and pay people...
- Health Service Staff. (26 Apr 2006)
Mary Harney: The process is under way in the LRC. I accept what the Deputy said, that we need changed work practices whereby doctors work as part of teams and clinical directors. We have already seen some initiatives, especially in Blanchardstown hospital where seven new consultants have been appointed. They will work on a team and on a 24-hour per day basis. These are the types of initiatives which will...
- Hospital Services. (26 Apr 2006)
Mary Harney: It is to be expected that diverse views are expressed at a gathering of the Irish Medical Organisation. For example, Professor John Higgins, consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology at Cork University Hospital, stated the following at the organisation's conference: "If dynamic, flexible arrangements are put in place then I think the co-location model recently suggested by the Tánaiste should...
- Hospital Services. (26 Apr 2006)
Mary Harney: There are 2,500 private beds in the public hospitals. The policy pursued by the Deputy's party, when it was in Government, was that 20% of beds in all new hospitals would be private. The taxpayer pays the full cost of these and, furthermore, staffs them and subsidises them to the tune of 40%. The only staff members getting any income from the insurers are the consultants. I recently compared...
- Hospital Services. (26 Apr 2006)
Mary Harney: No, I am not.
- Hospital Services. (26 Apr 2006)
Mary Harney: They will not have preferential entry.
- Hospital Services. (26 Apr 2006)
Mary Harney: It does not require rocket science to realise that one can provide 1,000 public beds for less than half the cost of building them in the traditional way, yet the Deputy says this does not make sense and suggests we should instead pay â¬1 million per bed to build the 1,000 beds, which sum we are currently paying. The public hospitals will either lease or sell the required land and will not...
- Hospital Services. (26 Apr 2006)
Mary Harney: At present they bringââ
- Hospital Services. (26 Apr 2006)
Mary Harney: Under the Deputy's proposal, the consultants will do all their private work in the public hospitals and the State will continue to subsidise the beds to the tune of 40%. She obviously believes this is a good idea.
- Hospital Services. (26 Apr 2006)
Mary Harney: I do not believe it is a good idea. Instead of wearing ideological blinkers, the Deputy should consider solutions.
- Hospital Services. (26 Apr 2006)
Mary Harney: She should take off her ideological blinkers at least once in a lifetime.