Results 1-20 of 1,050,391 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh OR speaker:Neale Richmond OR speaker:Brendan Smith OR speaker:David Cullinane OR speaker:Gerald Nash OR speaker:Seán Crowe) in 'Committee meetings'

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Productivity and Savings Task Force: Discussion (18 Sep 2024)

Seán Crowe: Apologies have been received from Deputy Crowe and Senators Kyne, Hoey and Black. The minutes of the committee meeting of 10 July 2024 have been circulated among members for their consideration. Are they agreed? Agreed. The purpose of today's meeting is to receive an update on progress being made by the productivity and savings task force. The task force was established by the Minister...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Productivity and Savings Task Force: Discussion (18 Sep 2024)

Seán Crowe: I thank Mr. Gloster. On behalf of the committee, I would like to be associated with the remarks relating to Mr. Ray Mitchell. He has been extremely helpful and courteous to the committee down through the years. He also came back and engaged and has been a vital structure between us and the Department. On behalf of the committee, I thank Mr. Mitchell very much for all his help and support....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Productivity and Savings Task Force: Discussion (18 Sep 2024)

Seán Crowe: The ten minutes is for questions and answers. Deputy Durkan has used up his ten minutes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Productivity and Savings Task Force: Discussion (18 Sep 2024)

Seán Crowe: I know. I am conscious-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Productivity and Savings Task Force: Discussion (18 Sep 2024)

Seán Crowe: The Deputy has used up his time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Productivity and Savings Task Force: Discussion (18 Sep 2024)

David Cullinane: Can I ask Mr. Gloster about the publication of the review of Mr. Justice Frank Clarke into the death of Aoife Johnston? The witnesses might have seen reports in the media today that the report might be published next month and that the family has asked for the report to be published by this Friday. It is obviously a really important issue. As well as waiting for the publication of that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Productivity and Savings Task Force: Discussion (18 Sep 2024)

David Cullinane: I will move on to performance and outputs. When we are talking about productivity what people will measure is, obviously, what we get at the other end of the investments we make. Since 2019, there has been a 50% increase in health spending, which we all welcome. Of course, additional funding will be needed over the next number of years in areas as well. One of the measurements is waiting...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Productivity and Savings Task Force: Discussion (18 Sep 2024)

David Cullinane: Can I hold Mr. Gloster on that point?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Productivity and Savings Task Force: Discussion (18 Sep 2024)

David Cullinane: It does strike people as a bit bizarre that a country with a population of 5.2 million has 840,000 people on active waiting lists. That is acute waiting lists. We also have 240,000 people on community waiting lists, which do not get published. Members must submit parliamentary questions to get those responses. That is across a whole range of community services. That is a lot of people...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Productivity and Savings Task Force: Discussion (18 Sep 2024)

David Cullinane: If can come back in-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Productivity and Savings Task Force: Discussion (18 Sep 2024)

David Cullinane: -----I have given Mr. Gloster a lot of time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Productivity and Savings Task Force: Discussion (18 Sep 2024)

David Cullinane: I accept that, and I have given Mr. Gloster a good deal of time to respond. I accept that long waiting times have come down; I acknowledged that twice. I make the point again, however, that there are still many people who are either coming onto waiting lists or who are still on them. I spoke to the head of the Department of Health about this matter a number of times. I want to see more...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Productivity and Savings Task Force: Discussion (18 Sep 2024)

David Cullinane: -----integrated waiting list management systems and getting a better bang for buck. Those are the outputs we are talking about. When we look at the big numbers of people waiting, they just do not make sense in the context of the size of our population. One of the issues that has come up in respect of expenditure is that of aids and appliances. Spending in this regard has, again, gone up...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Productivity and Savings Task Force: Discussion (18 Sep 2024)

David Cullinane: Say that again.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Productivity and Savings Task Force: Discussion (18 Sep 2024)

Seán Crowe: It might be useful for the committee to be sent a breakdown of where people send something if they want to send it back rather than taking up time at this meeting. Most people listening at home would have some sort of equipment they would like to get rid of or return for it to be recycled or reused. I know a number of elderly people who have quite expensive hearing aids sitting in a drawer....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Productivity and Savings Task Force: Discussion (18 Sep 2024)

Seán Crowe: Deputy Shortall said it was the last question two questions ago.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Productivity and Savings Task Force: Discussion (18 Sep 2024)

Seán Crowe: Deputy Shortall will get a second round, hopefully.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Productivity and Savings Task Force: Discussion (18 Sep 2024)

Seán Crowe: I will bring in Deputy Gino Kenny, after which we will have a comfort break for five minutes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Productivity and Savings Task Force: Discussion (18 Sep 2024)

Seán Crowe: I thank Mr. Gloster. We will take Senator Maria Byrne when we return just after a comfort break.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Productivity and Savings Task Force: Discussion (18 Sep 2024)

Seán Crowe: We spoke about productivity and savings. Mr. Gloster mentioned occupational therapists, OTs. Recently, I dealt with a case of an 83-year-old man who is trying to get access to a wheelchair. He needs a referral from an OT. He received a letter stating it will take two years or more to see the OT. He was then given a leaflet about the private purchase of equipment such as rails and...