Parliamentary questions

Medical Qualifications

Róisín Shortall

173. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if, in view of changes to the recruitment process for qualified paramedics, the competency assessment process for qualified paramedics has undergone a review, following the problems identified by the Oireachtas health committee in January 2023, in particular the multiple-choice questions exam; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46793/23]

Medical Qualifications

Róisín Shortall

174. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if newly recruited qualified paramedics will undertake the same multiple-choice questions as part of their induction program commencing October 2023, as were previously used in the competency exam by the National Ambulance Service in the recruitment process at candidate selection stage prior to 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46794/23]

Medical Qualifications

Róisín Shortall

175. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health his views on the competency assessment process for qualified paramedics by the National Ambulance Service; his views on whether the process is clear and transparent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46795/23]

Medical Qualifications

Róisín Shortall

176. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health to confirm that any competency assessments that newly appointed qualified paramedics to the National Ambulance Service undertake will be appropriately structured, so that each question can be referenced to the PHECC paramedic training standard document; if the questions cannot be referenced to the PHECC paramedic training standard document, if this will be considered suitable grounds for appeal and a re-sit of the exam; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46796/23]

Medical Qualifications

Róisín Shortall

177. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if he will put in place an appropriate appeals mechanism for qualified paramedics newly appointed to the National Ambulance Service, whereby they can appeal the result of an exam; if so, if those wishing to appeal their result will be permitted to view their exam papers or their incorrect answers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46797/23]

Housing Schemes

Róisín Shortall

317. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to respond to data in respect of housing adaptation grant waiting lists compiled by an organisation (details supplied); if, in his view, the €75 million allocated to housing adaption in Budget 2024 will be sufficient to clear existing waiting lists and meet projected demand for next year; the steps he is taking to reduce the waiting list of over 3,500 older people and people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46160/23]

Housing Schemes

Róisín Shortall

318. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the overdue review of the housing adaptation grants; the date on which this review will be published; the reason for the delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46161/23]

Health Services Staff

Róisín Shortall

524. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health to provide further details in relation to the HSE recruitment freeze announced following the Budget 2024 allocation for his Department; the expected end date of the recruitment freeze; the roles and disciplines impacted; if the recruitment freeze applies to all services funded under Section 38 and Section 39, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46162/23]

General Practitioner Services

Róisín Shortall

552. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if he intends to make provision for a range of different models of general practice; if his attention has been drawn to the concerns of GPs in relation to the determination by the Tax Appeals Commission regarding GMS income (details supplied); if he intends to examine the GMS contract in view of this clarification of the legal and administrative position; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46327/23]

Abortion Services

Róisín Shortall

614. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the establishment of the HSE's Implementation Group to deliver on the operational recommendations in the Independent Review of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 (details supplied); the members of this group; if terms of reference are in place; whether a copy can be made available to the public; the mechanism there will be for reporting on the progress of this group; the timeline this group will be working towards; the avenues that will be available to civil society to engage with this group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46670/23]

Abortion Services

Róisín Shortall

615. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the engagements he has had with a person (details supplied) in relation to the recommendations in their extensive Independent Review of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018; if any future engagements are planned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46671/23]

Medicinal Products

Róisín Shortall

331. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if he intends to conduct a cost benefit analysis into subsidising essential asthma medications which are excluded from the long-term illness scheme as a means of reducing unscheduled asthma-related GP, ED visits and hospital admissions (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45896/23]

Health Services Staff

Róisín Shortall

332. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health to outline the primary role and responsibilities of the National Director for Mental Health before this post was discontinued; the date this role was discontinued; to clarify which individuals in the HSE have assumed the roles and responsibilities previously held by the National Director for Mental Health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45898/23]

Health Services Staff

Róisín Shortall

333. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the reason the role of National Director for Mental Health within the HSE was discontinued; if, in light of the Mental Health Commission’s call for its reinstatement, if he will agree to this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45899/23]

Mental Health Services

Róisín Shortall

334. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the number of vacancies in each of the 75 CAMHS teams, by post, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45900/23]

Mental Health Services

Róisín Shortall

335. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the steps being taken to enhance the co-ordination and governance of community-based child and youth mental health services and establish a more cohesive and effective continuum of care, particularly given the number of HSE-funded service providers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45901/23]

Mental Health Services

Róisín Shortall

336. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health to provide the names and budgets of organisations funded by the HSE to deliver child and youth mental health services in each of the nine CHOs, in tabular form. [45902/23]

Mental Health Services

Róisín Shortall

337. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the current waiting list for each CAMHS unit and the number of patients that have been waiting for over 6, 12, 18 and 24 months, in tabular form. [45903/23]

Mental Health Services

Róisín Shortall

338. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the rates for acceptance on the first referral for each CAMHS unit, in tabular form. [45904/23]

Mental Health Services

Róisín Shortall

339. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the progress of the working group responsible for the roll-out of Health link and the relevant ICT software in CAMHS units; the expected timeline for implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45905/23]

Mental Health Services

Róisín Shortall

340. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health for an update on the recommendation from the final report on the provision of child and adolescent mental health services in the State by a person (details supplied) for the Mental Health Commission to extend its regulatory remit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45906/23]

Mental Health Services

Róisín Shortall

341. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health for an update on the review of North Kerry CAMHS, including information on the scope of the review, areas or periods it may exclude; the expected timeline for its completion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45907/23]

Budget 2024

Róisín Shortall

342. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health to provide a detailed breakdown of his plans for the €100 million allocated to new measures in Budget 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45909/23]

Departmental Expenditure

Róisín Shortall

343. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health further to the allocation of €40 million to expedite the roll-out of the integrated financial management system, the timeline he is working towards; to provide a detailed breakdown of how he intends to spend this allocation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45910/23]

Budget 2024

Róisín Shortall

344. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the funding provided to digital health in Budget 2024; to provide a detailed breakdown of his plans for this allocation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45911/23]

Budget 2024

Róisín Shortall

345. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the funding provided for implementation of the Nurse Safe Staffing Framework in Budget 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45912/23]

Disability Services

Róisín Shortall

237. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to clarify the new funding provided for disability services in Budget 2024; to provide a breakdown of the allocation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45752/23]

Medical Qualifications

Róisín Shortall

277. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health to respond to matters raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding the registration of psychotherapists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45666/23]

Budget 2024

Róisín Shortall

282. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health to clarify the new funding provided for mental health in Budget 2024; to provide a breakdown of the allocation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45751/23]

Special Educational Needs

Róisín Shortall

266. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to issues raised regarding a school (details supplied) in Dublin 11; the steps her Department is taking to address these issues; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45253/23]

Social Welfare Payments

Róisín Shortall

372. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to a disability allowance appeal (details supplied); the reason for the delay in an appeal decision being made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45255/23]

Tax Code

Róisín Shortall

77. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Finance to respond to matters raised in correspondence (details supplied); the reason for this change in tax treatment for GPs; if he has engaged with the Revenue Commissioners on this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44349/23]

School Accommodation

Róisín Shortall

93. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education to provide an update on the installation of portacabins and a temporary car park at a school (details supplied); the expected timeline for delivery; the reason this work did not commence during the summer months to ensure that these temporary measures were in place for September 2023 to accommodate the increased enrolment that occurred on the basis of a commitment to provide extra rooms; to provide an update on the status of the phase one build of five permanent classrooms; if these classrooms will be delivered for September 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44246/23]

Special Educational Needs

Róisín Shortall

94. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education if she plans to change the current enrolment criteria for specialist ASD units and classes to accommodate children who are on a waiting list for an assessment of needs but have not acquired that assessment, in view of the current backlog (details supplied); if her Department has a process in place to monitor if schools and preschools will be able to fill their specialist ASD classes in September 2024 due to the delays in acquiring formal assessments through the public system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44247/23]

Home Schooling

Róisín Shortall

95. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education to provide details on the level of home tuition support approved for September 2023 versus the levels approved for each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44248/23]

Special Educational Needs

Róisín Shortall

96. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education if she has engaged with the Minister for Health in relation to the assessment of needs waiting list which could prevent children awaiting assessment from accessing specialist classes; if where a child is awaiting an assessment of needs and cannot acquire a place in a specialist class, there are any plans to accelerate their assessments; if there is an alternative process in place (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44249/23]

Mortgage Interest Rates

Róisín Shortall

129. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason local authority home loan mortgage interest rates have risen; his views on this increase; if he is aware of commercial banks now offering lower fixed rates than the State backed scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44347/23]

Health Service Executive

Róisín Shortall

226. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on plans to move all HSE facilities to a single pay-roll system given that this was to be implemented by July 2023 according to a representative organisation (details supplied); the arrangements for Section 38 facilities; the timeline for implementation of a single payroll system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44363/23]

Health Strategies

Róisín Shortall

230. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if he is considering the fortification of bread and flour with folic acid, given its role in the prevention of neural tube defects such as spina bifida; the reason mandatory fortification has not been implemented, in view of the evidence to support this measure and the 2006 recommendation of the National Committee on Folic Acid Food Fortification in relation to white, brown and wholemeal breads (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44428/23]

Healthcare Policy

Róisín Shortall

232. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if there is an ongoing collection of data regarding the relationship between pregnancy outcome indicators and alcohol consumption patterns during pregnancy; if he plans to establish a national register for foetal alcohol spectrum disorder; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44431/23]

Healthcare Policy

Róisín Shortall

233. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if there are plans to develop clear clinical guidelines for the diagnosis of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44432/23]

Healthcare Policy

Róisín Shortall

234. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the concerning prevalence of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Ireland, along with the absence of dedicated health messaging addressing this issue; if there are plans in place to initiate a new public health awareness campaign outlining the dangers of alcohol consumption, and discouraging its use during pregnancy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44433/23]

Health Strategies

Róisín Shortall

235. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health to provide a comprehensive summary of any task forces or committees established within the past decade that have focused on alcohol consumption during pregnancy, including their respective recommendations and the status of implementing these recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44434/23]

Healthcare Policy

Róisín Shortall

236. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the current strategies in place to ensure clinical staff receive sufficient training in foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) to seek information on the efforts being made to enhance awareness of FASD among healthcare professionals and educators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44435/23]

Healthcare Policy

Róisín Shortall

237. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the measures being taken to ensure that individuals with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and their families have access to FASD-informed services in healthcare, education and social services tailored to their specific needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44436/23]

Housing Provision

Róisín Shortall

81. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Finance the number of vacant properties upon which the vacant homes tax will be levied; the source of this calculation; his plans, if any, to expand the cohort of liable properties; the expected revenue from this new tax; the steps the Revenue Commissioners will take in the event of a non-payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43388/23]

Tax Code

Róisín Shortall

201. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Finance if he has considered recommendation one of the Commission on Taxation and Welfare that, given the medium-to long-term threats to the State’s fiscal sustainability, the tax base should be broadened; if he will commit to implementing this recommendation; if he intends to act on this key recommendation in budget 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43389/23]

Raidió Teilifís Éireann

Róisín Shortall

127. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media further to Parliamentary Question No. 415 of 13 July 2023, if, in relation to RTÉ pensioners, many of whom are surviving on low to middle incomes, she intends to sanction RTÉ to release funds so that the pensions' trustees can pay out the pension increase, which has been frozen for a number of years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43088/23]

Medical Cards

Róisín Shortall

212. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a discretionary medical card for a person (details supplied) in Dublin 9; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43023/23]

Legislative Measures

Róisín Shortall

216. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the timeline he is working towards for the publication of his amendments to the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022; when he expects this Bill to reach Committee Stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43036/23]