Results 18,841-18,860 of 45,625 for speaker:Simon Harris

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medicinal Products Reimbursement (26 Mar 2019)

Simon Harris: Under the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for the administration of the community drug schemes; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (26 Mar 2019)

Simon Harris: Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual. The National...

Written Answers — Department of Health: HSE Agency Staff (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Harris: The Public Service Stability Agreement 2018 to 2020 provides that management will engage with the Parties with a view to minimising the use of agency as far as possible and practicable over the lifetime of the Agreement. The level of spending on agency staff in the health sector is under constant review.  Agency staff are utilised by the sector where there is a difficulty in...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 69 together. I am committed to securing and further developing the role of the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise as a constituent hospital within the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group. Since 2014, the focus has been on supporting the hospital to develop and enhance management capability, implementing changes required to address clinical service...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Facilities (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Harris: As the Deputy is aware, as a result of the infrastructural issues affecting the roof of the building that housed the two orthopaedic theatres on the Merlin Park University Hospital site, remedial work was carried out in March 2018 to facilitate the reopening of one of the elective orthopaedic theatres. Following the recommissioning of the theatre procedures started again and in the...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Strategies (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Harris: In September 2018, the Sláintecare Programme Implementation Office commenced refining the three-year Implementation Strategy into a single-year Action Plan for 2019. This process has involved reviewing the 106 sub-actions of the Sláintecare Implementation Strategy - which was published in August 2018 - and identifying where further actions were required. A readiness assessment of...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Voluntary Sector Funding (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Harris: Major increases in public funding for our health services in recent years has brought the Governments annual investment to a level that compares favourably with spending in other countries.   In the last five years funding for community delivered services has increased by 27% to €5,876m, this increase in funding has facilitated key service developments.  However, it...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists Action Plans (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Harris: I am conscious that waiting times are often unacceptably long and of the burden that this places on patients and their families. In this regard I am committed to improving waiting times for hospital appointments and procedures. Cataract surgery is one of the most common surgical procedures carried out in the Ophthalmology specialty. Last year, under the Inpatient/Day Case...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Funding (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Harris: The Health Service Executive’s 2019 National Service Plan is based on an increased budget of over €848 million over the revised allocation for last year and brings their total budget for the 2019 financial year to over €16 billion. This is the largest ever financial allocation provided to our health services and will enable the continued improvement of services for...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Primary Care Centres Provision (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Harris: I am pleased to be able to inform the Deputy that the development of the  primary care centres in Arklow, Baltinglass and Rathdrum is being progressed.    Construction has commenced on the Baltinglass site, with the opening of the centre scheduled for 2020.  Construction of Rathdrum Primary Care Centre is planned to commence...

Written Answers — Department of Health: National Children's Hospital Status (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Harris: As I advised Government in December 2018, the overall cost to complete the new children’s hospital project is €1,433m – €450m more than advised to Government in April 2017.  The Revised Estimates adopted by Government for 2019 provide for the costs arising this year in respect of this priority project. The costs in future years will inform future capital...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Generic Drugs Substitution (13 Mar 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...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing Staff (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Harris: Recruitment and retention of nursing staff in the public health service continues to be a priority for the Government.  It is a significant challenge given a backdrop of global shortages in health professionals and international competition for nursing staff trained in Ireland. Considerable progress has been made in growing and retaining the nursing...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospitals Capital Programme (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Harris: I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 38 together. There are currently no plans to construct a regional hospital for the north east in Navan.  The proposal that a regional hospital be developed in Navan originated in a report prepared for the HSE in 2008.  This proposal was superseded by the Government's decision, in 2013, to re-organise acute hospitals into Hospital Groups. ...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospitals Capital Programme (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Harris: The establishment of Hospital Groups has enabled a better configuration of hospital services with benefits relating to safety, quality, access, cost and sustainable medical staffing. The structure ensures that Hospitals working together in a Group will be able to support each other, providing a stronger role for smaller hospitals in delivering less complex care, and ensuring that those...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Abortion Services Provision (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Harris: The HSE’s MyOptions service is a free unplanned pregnancy support service for support and information about an unplanned pregnancy. MyOptions offers non-directive, free counselling and information for people experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. Information is available about all options, including continued pregnancy supports and abortion services.   The MyOptions phone line is...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Ambulance Service Staff (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Harris: As we are aware, a branch of the Psychiatric Nurses Association called the National Ambulance Service Representative Association (NASRA) has been engaged in Industrial action.  The PNA state that their industrial action is in connection with the automated deduction of union subscriptions and a refusal by the HSE to engage in negotiations with the PNA or to recognise the PNA as union...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Cancer Screening Programmes (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Harris: Following the publication of the Report of the Scoping Inquiry into the CervicalCheck Screening Programme on 12 September, Dr Gabriel Scally committed to providing a supplementary report into certain further aspects of the laboratories, such as procurement, quality and accreditation arrangements, and governance structures. The Terms of Reference for this report were published on my...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Healthcare Infrastructure Provision (13 Mar 2019)

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

Written Answers — Department of Health: General Practitioner Services Provision (13 Mar 2019)

Simon Harris: The Government is committed to engaging with GP representatives on the development of modernised contractual arrangements.  Talks between the State and the Irish Medical Organisation resumed in October 2018 are continuing. The focus of the current phase of the talks is on developing a range of modernisation, reform and sustainability measures and the development of a chronic disease...