Results 341-360 of 23,476 for speaker:Róisín Shortall

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Public Health and the Commercial Determinants of Health: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Róisín Shortall: Good morning, Minister of State and her officials. I thank her for her presentation. I recall that the Minister of State was one of the 14 members of the Committee on the Future of Healthcare that produced the Sláintecare report so she is very familiar with the kind of issues that were of concern to that committee. The eventual report that was produced contained five chapters and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Public Health and the Commercial Determinants of Health: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Róisín Shortall: I heard the Minister of State say that. Earlier she mentioned in her opening statement the ubiquitous promotion and advertising of unhealthy food and the shocking fact that 20% of primary school children have been categorised as obese. Given the fact that there is massive spending on the promotion of unhealthy food, does she not think that emphasis should be on cutting this off at the pass...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Public Health and the Commercial Determinants of Health: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Róisín Shortall: I heard the Minister of State say that. It is not happening though. That is the reality.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Public Health and the Commercial Determinants of Health: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Róisín Shortall: It is not happening. We have serious issues with obesity and the downstream effects of that, and cost, are absolutely enormous. My question is about the commercial determinants of health, which is what this session is about. It is a relatively new concept. The Minister of State will be familiar with the very heavy lobbying that is done by all of the vested interests that work against...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Public Health and the Commercial Determinants of Health: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Róisín Shortall: The targets are very unambitious.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Public Health and the Commercial Determinants of Health: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Róisín Shortall: I do not think that is an excuse. The Department allowed-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Public Health and the Commercial Determinants of Health: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Róisín Shortall: The Department allowed ten years for reductions in salt and sugar and the targets that were set were extremely ambitious. We need to move on this.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Public Health and the Commercial Determinants of Health: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Róisín Shortall: I noticed that the Minister of State used a phrase a few times over the course of the morning, which is that education and awareness are key. I must say that I am not aware of any great body of evidence to indicate that they are. When one thinks about the vast sums of money that various vested interests in the alcohol, tobacco, fast-food and gambling industries spend on advertising, it is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Public Health and the Commercial Determinants of Health: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Róisín Shortall: The witnesses are very welcome. I thank them for their presentations and the work they are doing in this area to raise awareness of a phenomenon many people are not aware of. Dr. Campbell talked about the framing. Could she explain exactly what she means by that? What are the industries' strategies to frame in a way that counters public health messages?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Public Health and the Commercial Determinants of Health: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Róisín Shortall: I thank Dr. Campbell. When Dr. Gilheany was talking about lobbying, I could not help remembering my experience in 2012 with the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill. At that stage, the CMO was adamant there would be no industry representatives on the working group. They were kept out completely. As a Minister of State at the time, I did not meet any of them, but I will say that every other...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (13 Feb 2024)

Róisín Shortall: 151. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of a passport application for a person (details supplied) in Dublin 9; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6570/24]

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Waste Management (13 Feb 2024)

Róisín Shortall: 173. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he plans to engage with local authorities to explore the possibility of local councils providing more public waste collection services, particularly in the context of private companies raising the price of bin collections for many households; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6532/24]

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Waste Management (13 Feb 2024)

Róisín Shortall: 256. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he plans to engage with companies providing residential waste collection services in respect of them raising the price of bin collections for households, in some instances several times in a year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6531/24]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Benefits (13 Feb 2024)

Róisín Shortall: 449. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection what supports are available for low-income households who are facing multiple price hikes by private waste collection companies; if her Department will consider additional supports for older people who may be facing these same price hikes while not being able to bring their waste to public waste collection centres; and if...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (13 Feb 2024)

Róisín Shortall: 597. To ask the Minister for Health the number of public hospitals that have Wi-Fi, by location, in tabular form. [6534/24]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Promotion (13 Feb 2024)

Róisín Shortall: 598. To ask the Minister for Health if he will respond to a media report (details supplied) on a recommendation by the HSE's national women and infants health programme that white flour should be fortified with folic acid; if he is considering initiating this proposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6535/24]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Facilities (13 Feb 2024)

Róisín Shortall: 599. To ask the Minister for Health to provide further details in relation to the dedicated paediatric spinal surgery unit that he asked Children's Health Ireland to establish; the indicative timeline for operationalising this unit; his plans regarding orthopaedic waiting lists for children following his instruction to the HSE to appoint a full-time project lead to work on this issue; and if...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Procedures (13 Feb 2024)

Róisín Shortall: 600. To ask the Minister for Health the timeline for completion and publication of the independent review into spinal surgeries at Temple Street Children's Hospital, following the identification of 17 additional cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6537/24]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Legislative Programme (13 Feb 2024)

Róisín Shortall: 601. To ask the Minister for Health the timeline he is working towards in drafting and publishing the Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 2023, listed for priority drafting in the Spring Government Legislative Programme; if it is his intention to begin second stage before the summer 2024 recess; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6550/24]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Vehicle Registration Tax (8 Feb 2024)

Róisín Shortall: 158. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 459 of 21 April 2021 and 313 of 30 November 2023, the current steps being taken to address the proliferation of illegal vehicle registration plates on motor cars; whether sufficient legislation is in place for gardaí to apply a fixed charge penalty notice for this offence (details supplied);;...