Tag Archives: Simon Harris

 Minister for Health Simon Harris appearing at a Health Committee meeting this morning

This morning.

Streaming live here.

More as we get it.

Pic via Rollingnews

Could a civil servant have alerted Simon Harris of cost overruns? (Irish Examiner)

Previously: Well Warned

Meanwhile…

RTÉ’s Caitriona Perry and Minister for Health Simon Harris on RTÉ’s Six One last night

Last night.

On RTÉ’s Six One.

Caitriona Perry interviewed the Minister for Health Simon Harris about the overrun at the National Children’s Hospital.

She pointed out he first learned about the cost overrun last August, the scale of the overrun last November November and that he won’t take any action until he receives a €450,000 report from PwC which is due to be finished by March of this year.

They had the following exchange:

Caitriona Perry: “Is that good enough or did you take your eye off the ball here?”

Simon Harris: “No, of course, I should be held accountable for the decision that I made when I advised the Government that we needed to proceed with this project.”

Later

Perry: “…It’s such an important project, you said yourself there for the children of this country. Why did it take from August until November for you to find out about the scale of the overruns?”

Harris: “So at the end of August, it became apparent that there was going to be a significant overrun but my department, as indeed as a Government minister, we did what we’re actually meant to do. We did due diligence. There were a number of expert reports commissioned. And ultimately the body that’s responsible for delivering the hospital – the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board – came back on the 9th of November with the scale of the overrun being clear.”

Perry: “Should you not have been demanding, day in day out, that someone tell you just how much this project was going over by?”

Harris: “I was very determined and confident that we had professionals in place to deliver this project. The board delivering the project is a ‘who’s who’ when it comes to construction and procurement issues. So I think actually the job of the minister is to put people in place, who have the professional skills to deliver a project.

“It’s also the job of a minister then, when challenges emerge, to make tough decisions. And the decision to proceed with this project was a tough one because of the scale of the cost. But I have no doubt the only decision I would have regretted was if I didn’t proceed with it.”

Mr Harris went on to say that he and his department were “seeking constant updates” while his Secretary General [Jim Breslin] is chairing a steering group on the matter – the Children’s Hospital Project and Programme steering group.

Watch back in full here

Meanwhile…

Illustration by Gary Reddin, from Sligo.

Gary Reddin (Facebook)

Previously: Gary Reddin on Broadsheet

Thanks Gary

Minister for Health Simon Harris

When questioned by your paper about the massive cost increase for the new children’s hospital, Minister for Health Simon Harris wasted no time in taking the high moral ground and stating that he “will make no apology for extending our children’s care”.

With the decision today of 95 per cent of the members of the INMO to strike for a pay increase, is he therefore qualifying that statement by adding, “so long as I don’t have to pay staff”?

Regrettably, the Minister is all too quick to avoid any effort to provide justification to the taxpayers of this country for the out-of-control situation with the new hospital project.

Why does he provide a blank cheque to the hospital project while at the same time telling us that he cannot afford to pay the very people needed to operate such hospitals? He’ll stand over any cost – except nursing cost – really?

T Gerard Bennett,
Bunbrosna,
Co Westmeath.

Paying nurses and the INMO strike (The Irish Times letters page)

Rollingnews

From top: Minister for Health Simon Harris; CervicalCheck logo

A private meeting arranged on November 16 and scheduled to be held this afternoon between Minister for Health Simon Harris and members of the 221+ support group for women and families affected by the CervicalCheck scandal was cancelled last night at around 8pm.

In a statement, the minister’s office said:

“The minister wants to offer his sincere apologies for the short notice for and indeed for having to postpone this very important meeting, unavoidable due to the significant time commitment required for the passage of legislation on the Termination of Pregnancy Bill in the Seanad. He is required to be in the Seanad all afternoon and this evening up to 10pm.”

Several women affected spoke to Joe Duffy on RTÉ Radio One’s Liveline this afternoon.

One woman Áine, whose sister Orla is very ill and in hospital with cervical cancer, said this is the second time the minister had cancelled or postponed a meeting with Orla or a relative.

She said the first meeting was scheduled for October 18 but this was also cancelled last minute and no meeting has been arranged since.

Another woman Mairead said when the Scally report was released three months ago, the women were told they would have a meeting with the minister. She said the meeting scheduled for today was the first meeting arranged since then.

Another woman Marie, who also has cervical cancer and who is a HSE nurse, said she’s “absolutely disgusted” over the manner in which the meeting was cancelled and that it’s “diabolical” the way they’ve been treated. She said:

“First of all, he told us at 5pm, he was only going to give us one hour and then at five to eight, said it was cancelled.“

Marie said the women who were going to attend the meeting had already prepared their questions for the minister and they had already been sent to him.

She said the women were also prepared to meet the minister for just one hour. She also said they would have been prepared to meet Mr Harris in Leinster House if that

would have made things easier for him.

She added:

“My slides have not been released to me. Parts of my body have not been released to me. It’s disgusting the way we’re being treated. I’m livid at this stage.”

Marie, who was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2016, found out in May 2018, while having a routine smear test, that she was one of the women affected by the CervicalCheck scandal.

She said she was told that two of her smears had been misread in 2011 and 2013 respectively.

Asked if she which lab misread her smears, she said:

“I don’t know anything because no information has been released to me and I’m not alone in that.”

Marie added that the minister didn’t want the meeting to be made public, to protect the women’s privacy issues.

She said:

“We kept our part of that deal, and this has happened now. It’s infuriating.”

Another woman said:

“We’re exploited because, as we do want to remain anonymous and maintain our privacy, so we’re an easy target, we’re easy to let down.”

Listen back in full here

Meanwhile…

The Health Minister Simon Harris has published the Implementation Plan for the recommendations of the Scally Report on the CervicalCheck Screening Programme.

It sets out 126 actions across areas including women’s health, organisation and governance, laboratory services and procurement, open disclosure, cancer registration, other screening programmes and resolution.

Health Minister publishes Implementation Plan for CervicalCheck recommendations (Breakingnews)

Previously: CervicalCheck on Broadsheet

This afternoon.

In the Dáil.

During Leaders’ Questions, which were taken by Fine Gael Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed, Fianna Fáil leader Mícheál Martin raised the issue of medicinal cannabis.

Mr Martin said the Health Minister Simon Harris promised two years ago to introduce a “compassionate access scheme” to medicinal cannabis for people in certain circumstances.

He said now, two years later, as there is no such scheme, this represented the “absence of compassion itself” for people who are seeking to access medicinal cannabis legally.

He said “many” are accessing it illegally which presents its own “dangers”.

Mr Martin paid tribute to Cork mum Vera Twomey (top), who had to spend time in the Netherlands, but said there are other families “under stress and strain”.

He said 12 people in Ireland now have a licence to obtain CBT THC – for which they must travel, mainly to the Netherlands.

Mr Martin said he received a letter – which he said “a bit disingenuous towards the end” – from Minister Harris yesterday.

He said the letter suggested the Government has no control over commercial operators and it has no power to compel companies to get involved.

Mr Martin said nobody ever alleged this was the case but said what’s needed is proper engagement with the companies.

He also said, contrary to what the letter said, he knows that there has been engagement with a company/companies and that it would be possible for a company to supply medicinal cannabis in the first quarter of 2019 if “intensive engagement” between the HPRA, the Department of Health and companies took place.

Watch back in full here

Earlier: Cutting Out The ‘Dodgy Guy ON The Corner’

Medicinal cannabis activist Vera twomey (above) and Minister for Health Simon Harris (top)

An open letter to Minister for Health Simon Harris from medicinal cannabis activist Vera Twomey, whose daughter Ava, a sufferer of Dravet Syndrome, secured a licence to use the oil to control her seizures.

Dear Simon,

Hi, it’s Vera here –  Ava Barry’s mum. Just a quick update. Ava’s doing great, bit of an ear infection this week, but she’s rallying again, thank God.

As you know, I’m from a small little village called Aghabullogue [northwest County Cork]-  fierce Fine Geal country, actually you would get a great welcome if you ever decided to pop by.

Anyhow, I just wanted to let you know that down our way ordinary people like us are doing their research and all around the area people are using medical cannabis to heal their bodies and control and cure many serious conditions.

It’s great that people are able to find research and educate themselves on medical cannabis, isn’t it?

It would be of great benefit to all of us if our consultants and doctors were offered the opportunity to learn about medicinal cannabis its benefits and the appropriate dosage, etc. and we could work together for our better health.

I was wondering are you planning on doing anything of real value for us regarding this matter?

Aghabullogue is a fantastic spot you know but it’s very small i’m just pointing that out because there are communities all over the country much bigger than ours where people are using medical cannabis to improve their lives in massive numbers.

Remember I told you on the phone that time that you could do something really great for the people. I wonder were you listening or were you just annoyed to have to talk to that cheeky mare, aka me. well. Ether way you still could. I hope you decide to do so. We would be very proud of you to do so.

I also just wanted to let you know ill be calling in to see you there in the Dail in November with a few friends of mine Hannah Deacon Callie Blackwell and Danielle Davies.

They are great women Simon and help us, if you imagined I was firey, you’re not going to know what hit Dublin when these ladies arrive with the stories of how medical cannabis has saved their children’s lives.

So we hope we will see you there that day for a frank discussion. As they say it’s good to talk.

Seems to me it would be really a great plan to move the debate on medical cannabis back into the dail chambers for us and leglislate so ordinary people can get the medical support they need.

We will look forward to seeing you in November.

Best Regards,

Vera

Vera Twomey (Facebook)

Previously: Meeting Leo

This morning.

Government news service Merrion Street tweetz:

The Minister for Housing and Minister for Health are launching the National Implementation Plan for Housing First at St. Agatha’s Court in Dublin this morning.

There you go now.

Earlier: Anne Marie McNally: Out Of Reach

Minister for Health Simon Harris arrives for a cabinet meeting at government buildings, Merrion Street, Dublin 2 this morning.

‘I knew there would be no accountability’ – CervicalCheck victims’ ‘heartbreak’ as damning report details litany of failures (Independent.ie)

Cabinet to discuss Scally Review into CervicalCheck (RTÉ)

Yesterday: “Heartbroken”

Rollingnews

‘sup?

This afternoon.

Dublin Castle.

Minister for Health Simon Harris with white-haired Darcy, from the Ambulance Service, and love-lorn Seodin, from  the Dublin Fire Brigade, during the launch of the  ‘National Day to Celebrate Ireland’s Unsung Heroes’ a new national day to recognise frontline and emergency services workers.

Leah Farrell/RollingNews

Meanwhile..

A group shot with Simon Harris and members of the Emergency Services

Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie