Results 321-340 of 10,069 for speaker:Mary Butler

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Hospital Services (14 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: I also welcome the teachers and the students from Sacred Heart, Tallaght. It is great to have a school from one's own area come in. I hope they enjoy their visit. I remember a long time ago coming as a child to visit Leinster House, the Dáil and the Seanad. I do not think any of us would ever have envisaged at that age that we would be here working in this capacity. I hope the...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: The budget provided this year for home care is €726 million. As I stand here today, approximately 56,000 people throughout the country are receiving home care. I know there are challenges at times. If the Deputy sends me the details of the specific case, I will have it investigated and will engage with him.

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

Mary Butler: As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible. As the Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday, 6 October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political...

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

Mary Butler: As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible. As the Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday, 6 October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (8 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: There are 75 CAMHS teams and 800 people working for the service, with 225,000 appointments allocated last year to children under its care. It is fair to acknowledge that a huge amount of really good work happens in CAMHS. As the Deputy knows, the new mental health Bill will provide for the regulation of all community residences and services, including CAMHS, which will be introduced on a...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (8 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: I thank the Deputy for raising this really important issue. I am lucky to be in the position that the Government has provided me with €726 million for home care provision in 2024. Today, 56,000 people the length and breadth of the country are receiving home care. It is a fact that they are predominantly older people. If the Deputy passes on the details of the case he raised to me,...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (8 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: You got your headline there Mattie.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (8 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: We are.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Dental Services (8 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: I thank Senator Lombard for raising this important issue. It is a matter that comes up regularly. I thank the Senator for the opportunity to address the issue of dental and orthodontic services on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. I will be providing some figures regarding orthodontic services, in particular, but due to the ongoing Fórsa industrial action,...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Dental Services (8 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: I welcome the students from Gaelscoil Eoin. They are very welcome into the Seanad. It is lovely to see them. They are very well behaved - their teachers must be delighted. I am sure there will be no homework as a result of that. The Senator raised some valid concerns and I think he hit the nail on the head. A couple of years ago when I was representing Ireland in Brussels on St....

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (8 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: Four Nursing Home Expert Panel Implementation Progress Reports have been published since the Covid-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel published its report in August 2020. In addition, an implementation progress update was published in October 2023, which outlines how 54 of the 86 recommendations are now complete. The fourth progress report (June 2022) and the progress implementation update...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Cancer Services (7 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: General Practitioner Services (7 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: If the Acting Chair might indulge me at the start, I wish to say the following. I know Senators will all join me as today, we think of former Taoiseach John Bruton's wife Finola, his family, colleagues, friends and those in the Fine Gael Party. Like anyone who was Taoiseach in our Parliament over the past 100 years, it is important to send that message out to his family today.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: General Practitioner Services (7 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: I thank Senator Cummins for raising this issue. It is something I am very familiar with myself. We come from the same constituency. As the Senator is aware, GPs are self-employed practitioners, and accordingly, they may establish practices at a place of their own choosing. The HSE fulfils its obligation under the Health Act 1970 in providing GP services to patients who hold a medical card...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: General Practitioner Services (7 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: I will follow up on those two cases. I agree there must be a common-sense approach and that people must have options. When a list is frozen, which happens for a myriad of reasons, people may not be in a position to move. Health issues are challenging enough without causing further distress to people. The number of doctors entering GP training has increased by 80% between 2015 and 2023....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Northern Ireland (7 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: I thank Senator Currie for raising this important matter and for her sustained engagement on issues of North-South co-operation. I am taking this question on behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, who is away on Government business at the moment. Like others I welcome the restoration of the power-sharing institutions in Northern Ireland. Saturday was a great day, a...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Northern Ireland (7 Feb 2024)

Mary Butler: I thank the Senator for her response. I have taken note of her remarks on this important issue. She is right about the potential. It is absolutely massive. She has spoken about tourism, energy and infrastructure. The Government is fully committed to supporting economic growth across the island of Ireland. We will continue to promote the benefits of this island for trade, tourism and...