Results 1-20 of 2,306 for speaker:Marie Sherlock

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (20 Nov 2025)

Marie Sherlock: I do not think anybody is suggesting that full pay is sustainable into 2026 and beyond, but what should be sustainable for a small amount of money is a recognition that it is an occupational illness, with a new scheme put in place. The reality is that the science in 2021 suggested that people would be fully over long Covid at this stage. In June, I said I believed the Department was...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (20 Nov 2025)

Marie Sherlock: 76. To ask the Minister for Health the steps she is taking to protect the incomes of front-line healthcare workers who continue to suffer from long Covid and who are in receipt of the special scheme of paid leave, which is due to expire in the coming weeks; if she plans to protect these workers by extending this scheme or recognising long Covid as an occupational illness; and if she will make...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (20 Nov 2025)

Marie Sherlock: My question relates to the special sick pay scheme for Covid sufferers in the health service. As the Minister knows, it is expiring at the end of this year. We spoke about this in June. The Labour Court ruled that it should be extended to the end of the year. What interventions is the Minister making to ensure those 120-plus workers have decent financial support into 2026 in recognition...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (20 Nov 2025)

Marie Sherlock: Every long Covid sufferer out there will acknowledge that this scheme has been extended. They are very grateful that it has been kept going until now, but the reality is 159 healthcare workers are out there, including nurses, healthcare support workers, social workers and those working in mental health institutions, who face the prospect of a dramatic drop in income because of a condition...

Paediatric Spinal Surgery Waiting Lists: Statements (19 Nov 2025)

Marie Sherlock: I very much welcome our having these statements today, and the big breakthrough that has happened over the past week in terms of the agreement to the inquiry. Obviously, we have to see what the exact form of that inquiry will be. We have seen scandal after scandal in spinal services within CHI over many years. It is very welcome that there will now be a proper investigation of that. I...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (19 Nov 2025)

Marie Sherlock: I thank the Cathaoirleach, the Minister, the Ministers of State and officials for attending here today. There is a lot focus on the hospital system in the Minister's opening statement today but I want to first focus on primary care. To me, this is where the greatest value for money can happen, yet we see there is a €15 million underspend with regard to pay in primary care this year....

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (19 Nov 2025)

Marie Sherlock: I am a bit confused by that because we are now moving to a system where both acute and community are under the one framework whereas previously they were separated out. I hear what the Minister is saying about robbing Peter to pay Paul, but I am still not convinced that we will see sufficient effort put into recruiting within primary care this time next year. We need to see that.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (19 Nov 2025)

Marie Sherlock: May I just say briefly that we know that there are approximately 400,000 people out there who are entitled to the GP-only card and are not taking it up, so I am-----

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (19 Nov 2025)

Marie Sherlock: I understand that, but there is poor forecasting at the heart of this. I am asking the Minister if she is satisfied with that.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (19 Nov 2025)

Marie Sherlock: Is Ms McGirr saying we will not see anything near the €143 million when we come back to have this same conversation next year with regard to PCRS?

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (19 Nov 2025)

Marie Sherlock: Obviously not the exact figure, but I am talking about the scale of it.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (19 Nov 2025)

Marie Sherlock: -----than were budgeted for. Similarly, I think nursing home care is in or around €23.5 million more than what was budgeted for. All of these costs should be forecastable. I do not see that there was any untoward or extraordinary event that took place here, so why is there poor forecasting with regard to this?

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (19 Nov 2025)

Marie Sherlock: Sorry, but just to be clear, there is, as I understand it, a huge amount of unmet need out there, so what I am really worried about is that the Department is poorly forecasting to meet existing service, the additional service that has been provided this year, and then the whole range of unmet need the Department has not even looked at.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (19 Nov 2025)

Marie Sherlock: I know.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (19 Nov 2025)

Marie Sherlock: But if they did, the Department's figures would be off the charts altogether with regard to the underbudgeting here in PCRS.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (19 Nov 2025)

Marie Sherlock: I thank the Minister. I want to continue in that vein with regard to what I see as poor forecasting. With regard to home support hours, we know that 1 million more hours were delivered this year-----

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (19 Nov 2025)

Marie Sherlock: The Minister referred to population-based resource allocation, PBRA, in her statement. We spoke earlier about how resources are not getting to primary care. Why is primary care being excluded from the new PBRA modelling within the Department? That was the charge in the ESRI report - the planning report - with regard to planning for PBRA in the Irish health system.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (19 Nov 2025)

Marie Sherlock: To be clear, does GP care fall under the allocation model?

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (19 Nov 2025)

Marie Sherlock: I thank the Minister and Ms McGirr for that. There has been a lot of talk today about the agency spend. It is going to be more than €750 million this year. There has been a lot of talk about trying to bring it under control because it is going up rather than down. What is the plan regarding agency spend? When we have this discussion this time next year, what can we expect to be...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Local Authorities (18 Nov 2025)

Marie Sherlock: 598. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of direct-build local authority homes delivered and currently under construction, by local authority, between the years 2020 and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63652/25]