O’Mahony calls on Health Minister and HSE to come clean on plans in Pharmacy dispute

I tabled a question to the Minister in the Dáil and her response is that this is a matter for the HSE. This is another example of Mary Harney washing her hands of the problem. Deputy O’Mahony said “The response I received from the HSE did not answer the question I put to them. Instead their only response seems to be to threaten pharmacists with court action”. “I strongly believe that they should be telling the people of Mayo what plans they have for patients to receive their medicine. Instead of issuing threats to pharmacists, they should direct their attention to allaying the fears of the public with information as to how they will be able to access their medicine”.

O’Mahony calls on Mayo people to come out to Mayo General on Thursday

It is important that as many people as possible turn up to show Health Minister Mary Harney that Mayo people is determined to keep the cancer services that are so vital to its people and county

O’Mahony welcomes clarity on position of Mayo General Clinicians on cancer services

Mayo Fine Gael Deputy John O’ Mahony today (Monday) welcomed the statement from Mr Kevin Barry, Consultant at Mayo General Hospital.

“This statement clarifies the true position of Mr Barry and his consultant colleagues at Mayo General Hospital. This puts to bed once and for all the attempts of Mayo Government Deputies Flynn and Calleary, as well as the Health Minister Mary Harney, to claim that the Mayo General clinicians are in favour of moving the services.

“Mr Barry and his colleagues have painstakingly built up cancer services in Mayo General to their current high standards and want them to continue while working in co-operation with Galway.

“The people of Mayo need to understand the present services can be retained in Castlebar if the Government decides to do so.

“I strongly believe political intervention is necessary to force a change of policy in the interest of the patient where medical standards and clinical outcomes stand up to scrutiny. Fine Gael will provide an opportunity for the Dáil to debate and decide on this matter shortly.”

Note for editors: see copy of statement by Mr Kevin Barry below

There has been much public comment in the media about cancer surgical services at Mayo General Hospital. It has been stated that I and my Consultant colleagues wish to transfer to University College Hospital Galway. I do not have the authority to transfer or retain services at Mayo General Hospital. This is the preserve of government policy.

As a healthcare professional, my primary duty of care is to each and every patient that I treat. My commitment is to ensure that every cancer patient gets the best opportunity to have a full and healthy life.

I support the concept of ‘centres of excellence’ when properly developed with proven better outcomes. I wish to point out that I and my Consultant colleagues have for the last eight years successfully operated a satellite service according to an agreement with the Department of Health and with full clinical support from University College Hospital Galway. I am confident, therefore that the clinical outcomes of every patient treated in our unit stand up to scrutiny. Professor Brendan Drumm has publicly acknowledged the high quality of the surgical care currently provided at Mayo General Hospital. I live in Castlebar and it has always been my preference to work at Mayo General Hospital. I wish to continue my career in Mayo General Hospital.

Any representation of my position otherwise in the media is being conducted for political reasons. I deeply resent this process which is undermining my professional position and reputation.

I am fully supported by my Consultant colleagues at Mayo General Hospital and my General Practitioner colleagues whose support at this time is vitally important. I wish thank them for their unwavering support to date. I also wish to publicly thank all staff in Mayo General Hospital who care for and support breast cancer patients. I also wish to acknowledge the support of my patients and various support groups throughout County Mayo.

I did not ask to produce this statement but I have been dragged into a process. The location of cancer surgical services is entirely dependent on government policy and not, as has been suggested recently in local media, subject to individual clinician preferences.

Mr. Kevin Barry
Consultant Surgeon
Mayo General Hospital

As 46 out of 48 Mayo pharmacies threaten exit from Govt contract, patient fears raised in Dáil – O’Mahony

Fine Gael Mayo Deputy John O’Mahony forced a Dáil debate on the threat of pharmacists withdrawing from their contract with the HSE under the community drug schemes, saying that patients were fearful about the availability of their medicines after a May 1st deadline.

“We have had a six-month stand-off between the Irish Pharmaceutical Union (IPU) and the HSE. Now we have threats of injunctions and, as the 1st of May approaches, real fear is being generated. People want to know where they will get their medicines and what will happen if they cannot pay for them, which is the case for many people. Mayo’s pharmacies depend on medical card holders for 80% of their business. I have been advised that out of 48 pharmacies in Mayo, 46 are pulling out of the scheme on 1 May.

“I met with approximately 100 people in an active retirement group in Ballina on Tuesday morning and there was genuine anxiety among the group because there is no contingency plan to allay their fears about where they will get their medicines. I have received hundreds of calls from people and patients in the past few days. A 92 year old woman telephoned me today wanting to know who would tell her what tablets to take. The local pharmacy is a vital community service where people come to seek advice as well as acquire their medication.

“The Health Minister cannot continue to wash her hands of this. She must indicate the contingency plans which will be in place on 1 May so that continuity of service to patients is assured.”

O’Mahony Calls for Greater Customs & Excise Pressure at Western Ports and Sea Ports

Reacting to the Minister’s reply, Deputy O’Mahony says “The reply confirms the totally inadequate Customs & Excise presence at Ireland West, Carrickfin, Galway and Sligo Airports. In the first three months of 2008 only a total of 34 visits were made to the four airports in question which is less than 9 per airport. This is patently inadequate.

In 2006 eight seizures to a value of €233 were made at Ireland West airport, in 2007 eight seizures to a value of €291 were made at the same airport and one seizure at Galway to a value of €36. While the reply states that there is a dog detection unit located in Sligo, I have since established that there is only one sniffer dog and one dog handler covering the Western airports and west coast ports. How the Minister can state that the Revenue Commissioners are satisfied that this is sufficient to meet current demands is beyond me.

As regards drugs seizures at west coast ports, the reply confirms that no seizures were made. The only drugs find was a consignment of 360 kgs. of cannabis recovered from the sea off the west coast by fishermen and handed over to the customs authorities. The discovery of such a consignment surely illustrates that there is a very limited customs presence along the west coast. The reply seems to indicate that there is only one full-time customs officer, the officer in question being based in Killybegs.

 

What is glaringly obvious is that the western ports and the four regional airports are vulnerable to drug trafficking. Given the scale of the drugs problem in Ireland and Ireland’s location as an import and distribution centre for drugs from South America to other European countries, there is a clear need for a full-time Customs & Excise presence at all airports and ports and I will be pressing the Minister further on the matter.

I am also asking my colleague MEP Jim Higgins to bring the Minister’s reply to the attention of the European Commission and Council. I am sure the Commission and Council will be none too pleased at Ireland’s totally inadequate drugs’ surveillance policy.”

 

Note to Editors replies to Dáil Questions provided by the Minister for Justice in a Parliamentary Question reply are below

DÁIL QUESTION

NO 123

To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of patrol boats available to the customs authorities for patrolling the Irish coastline; the reason for the withdrawal of the patrol boat from duties along the west coast; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

- John O’Mahony.
* For WRITTEN answer on Thursday, 17th April, 2008
Ref No: 14528/08

REPLY

Tánaiste and Minister for Finance ( Mr Cowen ) :

I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that, in addition to the assistance provided by the Naval Service, they have a 23 metre cutter, the RCC Suirbhéir, with full sea-going capability. This vessel is used to patrol the Irish coastline and is also used in targeted operations where it operates in conjunction with shore-based resources. The cutter has not been withdrawn from duties along the west coast. During 2007, it carried out 7 patrols on the West Coast of Ireland involving 28 patrol days. These included two operations that led to recoveries of cannabis from the seabed in an area west of Galway Bay.

Revenue has recently signed a contract for the purchase of a second cutter and expects to take delivery in September 2009.

 

 

DÁIL QUESTION
NO 124, 125, 126, 127 , 128 & 129

To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of sniffer dogs available to the customs authorities at the western seaboard ports and Carrickfin, Sligo, Ireland West and Galway Airports; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

- John O’Mahony.
* For WRITTEN answer on Thursday, 17th April, 2008.
Ref No: 14529/08

 

 

To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of vessels boarded and searched with sniffer dogs at western seaboard ports for 2006 and 2007; the names of the ports in question; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

- John O’Mahony.
* For WRITTEN answer on Thursday, 17th April 2008.
Ref No: 14530/08

 

 

To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number and value of drug seizures made at Carrickfin, Sligo, Ireland West and Galway Airports and ports along the western seaboard in 2006 and 2007; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

- John O’Mahony.
* For WRITTEN answer on Thursday, 17th April, 2008.
Ref No: 14531/08

 

 

To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of customs staff employed at the various ports along the western seaboard; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

- John O’Mahony.
* For WRITTEN answer on Thursday, 17th April, 2008.
Ref No: 14532/08

 

 

To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of hours and dates that the customs staff were on duty at the Carrickfin, Sligo, Ireland West and Galway Airports; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

- John O’Mahony.
* For WRITTEN answer on Thursday, 17th April, 2008.
Ref No: 14533/08

 

 

To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of customs staff employed at Carrickfin, Sligo, Ireland West and Galway Airports; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

- John O’Mahony.
* For WRITTEN answer on Thursday, 17th April, 2008.
Ref No: 14534/08

REPLY

Tánaiste and Minister For Finance (Mr Cowen):
I propose to take questions 124, 125, 126, 127, 128 and 129 together.

I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that there is a full time dog detector unit based in Sligo which covers the areas mentioned. Dog detector units are also located in Shannon and Dublin which can be called upon if required. The Commissioners are satisfied that the dog detector unit located in Sligo is sufficient to meet current demands. During 2006 and 2007, a drug detector dog was used on a number of occasions to assist in the search of vessels for drugs. It is not the policy of the Revenue Commissioners to publish details of the usage of sniffer dogs as this could prejudice current or future operations.

In 2006, eight seizures (value €233) were made at Ireland West Airport Knock. In 2007, eight seizures were made at Ireland West Airport Knock (value €291) and one seizure at Galway (value €36). No seizures took place at Galway Airport in 2006 and none at Carrickfin or Sligo Airports in 2006 or 2007. No seizures took place in the ports along the Western seaboard during 2006 or 2007. During 2007, 362 kgs of Cannabis was recovered from the seaboard off the west coast by a number of fishing trawlers. The drugs were seized by the Revenue Customs Service and intensive enquiries were carried out nationally and internationally into the source of the cannabis.

One Officer is employed full time in Killybegs Port. Shipping duties in Galway and Sligo Ports are covered, as required, by local Officers based at Galway and Sligo. Other coverage of ports along the western seaboard is provided by mobile Revenue Customs Officers on a risk analysis basis. The Revenue Customs cutter patrols the Western seaboard from time to time and where there is a significant maritime threat, the Customs Service receives invaluable assistance from the Naval Service and the Air Corps. Assistance is also received from foreign Customs. Revenue is actively promoting the Customs Drugs Watch programme in the coastal area.

For the first three months of 2008, Customs Officers carried out a total of 34 visits to the airports at Carrickfin, Sligo, Ireland West and Galway. The total staff hours spent on these visits was 446 hours. It is not the policy of the Revenue Commissioners to publish details of the dates and times of enforcement activities as this could prejudice current or future operations. A number of new flights are due to start shortly and existing flights are due to increase under summer schedules. Enforcement visits will increase accordingly.

Customs Officers are not permanently based at Carrickfin, Sligo, Ireland West or Galway airports. Customs controls at such aerodromes are risk-based and are carried out by mobile Revenue Customs Officers. Attendance by these Officers is selective and targeted and is based on analysis and evaluation of national and international seizure trends, traffic frequency, routes and other risk indicators. Attendance can also be as a result of specific intelligence. Flights with origins and destinations with a high-risk rating attract particular interest. These attendances cover the full range of flight times and are kept under constant review in particular to take account of emerging smuggling trends and any traffic increases at these airfields.

In addition to drugs enforcement work, other duties are undertaken by officers in attending airfields/aerodromes, including controls against the smuggling of excise products, the clearance of aircraft and passengers arriving from third countries, spot checks on EU flights and checks on private aircraft to ensure compliance with import procedures.

It is important to note, by way of context, that the operating environment for Customs has been shaped to a significant degree by the introduction of the Internal Market and the related principles of freedom of movement within the EU. Of specific relevance are the abolition of routine and systematic Customs checks on goods and passengers moving within any part of the EU and the elimination of Customs controls on the baggage of intra-Community passengers other than for anti-smuggling checks. This is particularly relevant in the case of these aerodromes where passenger traffic is predominantly intra-Community. In this context, Revenue’s approach has, of necessity, been to balance the freedom of movement principle in regard to people and goods with the need to control smuggling and enforce prohibitions and restrictions.

The Revenue Commissioners assure me that, having regard to the context set out above, they are satisfied that their risk based approach remains valid and their operations are on a par with, and may even exceed, those of many other EU Member States. The risk rating for all of the airports mentioned is due for review by 30 June 2008 and any change in the risks will be addressed. I am also assured by the Revenue Commissioners of their strong ongoing commitment to playing their part in combating smuggling and criminal activity, as reiterated in their recently published statement of strategy.

O’Mahony calls on Health Minister to clarify plans for distributing medicine

“People are starting to get really worried now. If they are unable to get their medicine from their local pharmacies they want to know where they will get it. To date, the HSE have said that they have contingency plans in place but what I want to find out from the Minister is the exact details. “For example, how is an elderly person living in a rural area supposed to get their medicines? What about the highly technical drugs that people with specific conditions require on a daily basis? Where will they get them? They are the questions that we need answers to and we need them immediately,” he said.

Mayo would be hard hit by disastrous WTO proposals – O’Mahony

When we joined the European Community in the 1970s, the big selling point was the benefit it would bring to our farming community. This was proved correct in a number of ways with benefits accruing from many policies, such as the Common Agricultural Policy. However, the good news for Irish agriculture will come to an abrupt halt unless we have a major change in direction in the WTO talks.

“IFA figures suggest that in my county of Mayo, the estimated cost would be €123 million. The blow would be felt in our county not only among the farming community. In the small town of Ballyhaunis, 600 people are employed in meat and poultry plants with a further 100 employed in Ballinrobe. The 600 jobs in Ballyhaunis are equivalent to at least 6,000 jobs in a larger urban area. It should be noted that in recent years farmers were able to top up their incomes with part-time employment outside agriculture. However, this avenue will be greatly reduced with the downturn in our economy.

“In recent times we have heard about problems with global food shortages and the dramatic rise in prices. Food security needs to be made a top priority in these talks and this is not the case at present. With the beef and dairy industries contributing 17% of our total exports and contributing €6 billion in goods and services to the economy it is crucial that these talks have a positive outcome for Irish farmers.

“The Minister and the Government must do whatever is necessary to protect Irish farming by ensuring there is no sell-out in the WTO talks. Time is running out and a marker must be put down quickly. It is not sufficient and it is too vague to suggest that we will negotiate a balanced agreement. The future of Irish farming must not be put at risk.”

Support to older drivers is a welcome move –O’Mahony

“It is important that older people in our society are given all the assistance they need in preparation for their test and they should not feel intimidated in any way as most of them only use their cars on short journeys.

 

“It will be of great benefit and incentive to them to apply for their test when they know that they will be given more time and greater understanding while not compromising standards. It is vital that the older people are made feel comfortable when sitting their test and it will enable them to continue driving and not in any way feel isolated in rural areas”.

O’Mahony calls on Ballina Court Office to be kept open.

“My understanding is that a decision is imminent on the future of the office and I’m calling on the Minister to ensure that the decision is a positive one. It just doesn’t make any sense to close an office of its significance and force the people who use it on a daily basis to have to travel to Castlebar to do their business, ” he said.
Deputy O’Mahony added that apart from the obvious impact on the staff that work in the office, the court users such as solicitors, gardai, probation service and social workers would all be inconvenienced by having to travel to Castlebar to do their business. He said that family law orders are processed in the Ballina office whereby maintenance is paid in and collected from there and if the office is closed, those people will have to travel to Castlebar.

Ballina District Court is the busiest court in the county and in the last few years, smaller courts such as Foxford, Crossmolina and Killala have all been closed and merged with Ballina. The office serves the communities of Ballina, Swinford, Ballycroy and Belmullet.

“It’s a huge geographical area and for the Courts Service to consider closing the Ballina office just doesn’t make any sense. Indeed, it flies in the face of the policy of decentralisation that we hear so much about and is in stark contrast to the policy of Mayo County Council whose services are being constantly decentralised. It’s ironic that one arm of officialdom is spreading out while another arm is contracting inwards. If this is allowed to happen it will be another blow for the town and its people and it cannot be allowed to happen,’ he said

O’Mahony calls for bus shelter in Swinford

“A lot of elderly people use the bus service and they are exposed to all types of weather as they wait for their bus to arrive. It’s not acceptable and I believe that Bus Eireann should set about providing a proper shelter as soon as possible. I see them in other towns and the people of Swinford are as entitled as anyone to remain dry while they wait for a bus,” he said.

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