Written Answers Nos. 248 - 270
248. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health if he will provide the name, costs, date of commission, date or expected date of publication and name of the external consultant of all external reports commissioned by his Department since March 2011. [47078/12]
View answerThe detailed information sought by the Deputy is set out in the following table.
Health is an extremely complex environment involving a broad spectrum of services for the entire population. The nature, cost and burgeoning demand for services require that a strong emphasis be placed on the evidence base for policy and resource usage. The commissioning of external reports is very much part of a modern and effective administrative system and helps to inform the development of policy, regulation and legislation for the health sector as well as serving the public interest. There is, and will continue to be, a need for objective, independent and expert review and evaluation of health services and health outcomes into the future.
|
Title / subject matter of report |
Persons drafting report |
Costs to date |
Has the report been completed? |
|
National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD) Annual Report 2010 |
Translator: Ariel Killick, Translation of NACD 2010 Annual report |
813 |
Report completed. Published 05/2011 |
|
An Overview of New Psychoactive Substances and the Outlets Supplying Them (Headshop report) |
Editor: Brenda O’Hanlon (published June 2011) First Impression/Clever Cat Design (design and layout) |
1,313
4,812 |
Report completed. Published 06/2011 |
|
Parental Substance Misuse – Literature Review. Main report |
Author: Dr. Justine Horgan, Senior Researcher, NACD Editor: Mr. David Quinn, Swiftwrite Ovo (report design and layout) |
880 1,694 |
Report completed. Published 10/2011 |
|
Parental Substance Misuse - Key Messages and Recommendations |
Author: Dr. Justine Horgan, Senior Researcher, NACD.
Ovo (design, layout and printing) |
1,192 |
Report completed. Published 10/2011 |
|
Responding to Challenges of Substance Use Among Young People |
Author: Ms. Peigin Doyle, Writer/Editor/Publicist |
1,512 |
Report completed. Published 11/2011 |
|
The Potency of THC in Cannabis Products (Working Paper Series, No. 1) |
Author: Ms Colette Arnold, Forensic Science Laboratory Ovo (Working paper series design, layout, printing) |
841 |
Report completed. Published 11/2011 |
|
Research into methods and data sources for the estimation of prevalence of problematic opiate and cocaine use in Ireland (Working Paper Series, No. 2) |
Commissioned by NACD. Work carried out by Gannon, Hay & McKell. Paid for prior to February 2011 Clever Cat Design (report design, layout, printing) |
1,065 |
Report completed. Published 12/2011 |
|
Protocol for National Substance Misuse Rehabilitation Cohort Study (Working Paper Series, No. 3) |
Commissioned by NACD. Work carried out by Gannon, Hay & McKeganey. Paid for prior to February 2011 Clever Cat Design (report design, layout, printing) |
830 |
Report completed Published 12/2011 |
|
A Family Affair – Supporting Children Living with Parental Substance Misuse. A Report of the Conference |
Author: Ms. Peigin Doyle, Writer/Editor/Publicist Ovo (report design and layout) |
2,602 553 |
Report completed Published 01/2012 |
|
General Population Survey on Drug Prevalence 2010/11 Technical report |
Work carried out by IPSOS MORI. Paid for prior February 2011 Publisher: CleverCat (design and layout) |
423 |
Reported completed Published 02/2012 |
|
Study on the prevalence of drug use, including intravenous drug use and blood borne viruses among the Irish prisoner population |
Authors: Dr. A. Drummond, Dr. M. Codd, Ms N. Donnelly, Mr. D. McCausland, Dr. J Mehegan, L.Daly and Professor C. Kelleher |
115,859 |
Report completed, not yet published. |
|
Illicit Drug Markets in Ireland |
Author: Mr. Johnny Connolly, Research Officer, Health Research Board Editor: Ms. Winifred Power |
10,000 4,930 |
Report not yet completed. Currently at copy-editing stage. |
|
Health Behaviour in School Children Report (HBSC) |
External (Health Promotion Research Centre-NUI Galway) |
100,641
|
Yes |
|
School Survey Project on Alcohol and Drugs (ESPAD) |
External ( Mark Morgan, St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, Dublin) |
22,687 |
Yes |
|
National Narcolepsy Study Steering Committee Report – Study of increase incidence of narcolepsy in young people following receipt of H1N1 (Swine Flu) vaccination |
HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre – Dr Darina O’Flanagan (Chair of Steering Committee) |
Nil |
Yes. Report was published on Department’s website in April 2012 |
|
Positive ageing: indicators of well-being in older people |
Health Research Board |
Nil |
Report not yet completed. |
|
Towards a Restraint Free Environment in Nursing Homes – a Policy Document |
Geraldine Fitzpatrick PO (Chair), Michael Smith, AP, Sheila O'Malley, Chief Nursing Advisor, Marita Kinsella, Chief Pharmacist, Noreen Quinn, Pharmacist, Dr Colette Bonner, DCMO, (all DoH); Dr Shaun O’Keeffe, Geriatrician, University College Hospital Galway; Ann Ryan, Inspector Manager, & Vicky Blomfield, Regional Operations Manager, both HIQA; Suzanne Cahill, Director of Dementia Services Information and Development Centre's research programme at Trinity College Dublin; Ann Coyle, Planning Specialist for Older People, HSE; Sinéad Fitzpatrick, Practice Development Facilitator & Vena Doyle, Practice Development Facilitator, Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI) |
Department paid for printing and translation costs - 2,075 |
Yes and published 4 October 2011 |
|
High Level Issues Analysis of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme |
Accenture |
No costs incurred |
Yes |
|
Strategic Framework for Role Expansion of Nurses and Midwives: Promoting Quality Patient Care |
Sheila O’Malley (Chief Nursing Officer in this Dept. who retired February 2012) and Steering Group with members from various outside agencies. |
8,567 (printing costs) |
Yes |
|
National Policy & Strategy for the Provision of Neuro-Rehabilitation Services in Ireland 2011 - 2015 |
Drafted by Department Staff – James O’Grady – now retired Editing and Proofing by Ms. Carole Devanney Formatting, Design & Printing by Brunswick Press |
Cost for editing and proofing 2,890 Cost for formatting, design and printing of 200 copies 6,738 |
Yes - Published Dec 2011 |
|
Commissioned to undertake a review of the Irish private health insurance market in relation to the options which may exist for rebalancing. |
Goodbody Stockbrokers and Matheson Ormsby Prentice Solicitors |
300,080 |
Yes |
|
Further Analysis of Options in relation to the restructuring of the Private Health Insurance Market |
Goodbody Stockbrokers and Matheson Ormsby Prentice Solicitors |
Not available as yet |
Draft report under consideration |
|
Review of Parliamentary and Legislative Processes by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform |
Report drafted by Mr Owen Jacob, Principal Officer, Business Consulting Unit, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform – Assistance was provided by Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) |
18,020 (PWC) |
Yes |
|
All Ireland Traveller Health Study (AITHS) |
UCD, School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Population Science |
139,000 paid in 2011.
|
Yes |
|
Evaluation of the Suboxone Feasibility Study |
Create Consultancy Ltd. External Consultants |
A total of 10,863 was spent in 2011. |
Yes |
|
Financial Report on the HSE |
Mark Ogden |
€15,851 |
Yes |
|
Development of a Model of Demand and Supply of GP and Practice Nurse Services in the Republic of Ireland |
Trinity College Dublin |
30,552
|
Yes |
|
Financial Management in the HSE |
PA Consulting |
No payment to date |
Yes |
|
TOTAL |
€807,283 |
|
249. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Health his views on a health Service Executive position which requires Community First Responder volunteers in an area of west Cork to pay a €30 fee for inoculation purposes in order to meet the Health Information and Quality Authority standards being imposed on the National Ambulance Service; if his attention has been drawn to the costs that one west Cork CFR group (details supplied) will be expected to meet as a result of this requirement; his views on whether this is acceptable in view of the volunteering dimension of the work involved; if he will engage with the HSE to examine whether a less costly solution is available to volunteers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47112/12]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
250. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Health if he will provide revenue funding for a new daycare centre in an area (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47132/12]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
251. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the full cost to the Exchequer in the previous 12 months for his Department staff attending conferences including registration fees and travel. [47151/12]
View answerThe total cost in the previous 12 months for staff in my Department attending conferences was €24,345.43, which includes registration fees where relevant. The total cost of travel associated with their attendance was €3,986.54
252. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the number of staff members of his Department that have been awarded internal promotions and or additional acting up or temporary allowances to perform more senior roles since 27 March 2009; the details of the grades involved; the pre-promotion temporary acting and post promotion temporaryacting pay scales; the total increase in salary payments to each staff member involved; the duration of assignments; the area to which each person was assigned; the business reasons supporting any such decision; the details of sanction received from the Department of Finance and or Public Expenditure and Reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47166/12]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is outlined in the table below. The Programme for Government commits to a fundamental reform and restructuring of the health service, the ultimate objective of which is to ensure equal access to healthcare based on need, not income, and this requires greatly increased and enhanced outputs right across my Department. Since 2009, my Department has lost 12.5 Principal Officers and 24.3 Assistant Principals. These limited promotions were therefore essential against the background of the major health reform programme that we have now embarked upon. Promotions or the award of acting up allowances require the sanction of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
|
Promotion |
Number |
Salary Scale @ 01/01/2010 |
Units to which Assigned |
Duration |
|
Assistant Principal to Principal Officer |
4 |
AP €61,966 - € 76,768 PO €80,051 - €98,424 |
Corporate Legislation Unit |
Permanent Position |
|
- |
- |
- |
Universal Health Insurance |
Permanent Position |
|
- |
- |
- |
Disability Unit |
Permanent Position |
|
- |
- |
- |
Health Attaché, Brussels |
Permanent Position |
|
- |
- |
- |
||
|
Higher Executive Officer to Assistant Principal |
4 |
HEO €43,816 - €55,415 AP €61,966 - €76,768 |
Health Reform |
Permanent Position |
|
- |
- |
- |
Social Inclusion |
Permanent Position |
|
- |
- |
- |
Special Delivery Unit |
Permanent Position |
|
- |
- |
- |
Universal Health Insurance |
Permanent Position |
|
- |
-- |
Salary Scale @ June 2011 |
- |
- |
|
Assistant Secretary to Deputy Secretary |
1 |
Asst Secretary €127,796 - €146,191 Deputy Sec €165,000 |
Deputy Secretary position |
Permanent Position |
|
Acting Up Allowance |
- |
Salary Scale @ 01/01/2010 |
- |
- |
|
Higher Executive Officer to Assistant Principal |
0.6 |
HEO €43,816 - €55,415 AP €61,966 - €76,768 |
EU/International Unit |
From 30/04/2012 to 31/07/2013 |
All salary scales shown are those that apply to staff who originally joined the Civil Service before 1995. Salary scales for those who joined after that time are adjusted to allow for new PRSI arrangements that took effect at that point.
253. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the number of staff members from his Department that have been temporarily and or permanently redeployed to other Government Departments or agencies since 27 March 2009; the details of the grades and pay scales of same; the total amount of savings achieved in salary payments in respect of the persons concerned; the duration of assignments; the business reasons supporting the redeployment of staff; the details of sanction received from the Department of Finance and or Public Expenditure and Reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47182/12]
View answer254. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the number of staff members that have been temporarily and or permanently redeployed to his Department from other Government Departments or agencies since 27 March 2009; the details of the grades and pay scales involved; the total increase in salary payments for his Department in respect of the persons concerned; the duration of assignments; the area to which each person was assigned; the business reasons supporting the redeployment of staff; the details of sanction received from the Department of Finance and or Public Expenditure and Reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47197/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 253 and 254 together.
As there have been significant staff changes in my Department, and my Department was significantly restructured when the new Department of Children and Youth Affairs was formed, the information will take some time to collate. The information will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
255. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Health if he will provide details of all the Gaeltacht allowance payable to civil and public servants; the level of each allowance payable to each category and the monetary level of each allowance together with the total amount payable in 2009, 2010 and 2011. [47475/12]
View answerThe Gaeltacht Allowance is paid to various grades of staff whose duties are performed mainly or entirely in the Gaeltacht and the Health Service Executive is satisfied he or she possess a sufficient knowledge of the Irish language to enable him or her to perform the duties of the office competently through Irish - 1966 Local Offices Irish Language Statutory Instrument 221 refers. The allowance may not exceed 7.5% of basic salary.
With regard to staff in my Department, none of them are in receipt of this allowance. In 2011 the total number of Health Service Executive staff in receipt of the allowance was estimated at 103, with an overall cost of €296,439. Data in relation to 2010 and 2009 is being collated by the HSE and will be forwarded to the Deputy upon receipt. Of the remaining agencies under my Department's aegis, none of them pay their staff such an allowance.
256. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the discussions he has had to date in relation to possible sources of funding for the construction of the Narrow Water Bridge between Omeath and Warrenpoint for which planning permission has been granted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47089/12]
View answerThe Narrow Water bridge project was submitted for INTERREG IVA funding and yesterday the steering group of the Special European Union Programmes Body (SEUPB) responsible for overseeing the INTERREG programme approved funding of €17.4 million for the project. As part of the proposed financial arrangements, my Department together with the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland will be contributing towards the cost of the project.
257. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will indicate if in cases where an Irish drivers licence has been held by an Irish citizen for several years prior to emigration to the US and or Australia or other jurisdiction during which the applicant qualified for a full drivers licence in that country, on returning home has found that the Irish licence has expired for more than a year, if any arrangements can be entered into whereby the Irish licence can be reinstated without having to go through the procedure of re-testing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47099/12]
View answerThe legislation in this area provides that a person who held an Irish driving licence which has expired - whether or not they were living outside the jurisdiction - is entitled to apply for a new licence in the normal way within ten years of the expiry of their old licence, and does not need to go through retesting. The purpose of driver licensing rules is to ensure that people who are allowed to drive on our roads meet certain standards. Irish driver licensing law operates within the framework of European law. As all EU Member States share the same standards for driver licensing, people coming to live in Ireland with EU Member State licences may exchange them for the equivalent Irish licence without undergoing a test.
In the case of non-EU states, we have agreements on mutual recognition of driving licences where studies have shown that our licence regime and that obtaining in the other jurisdiction are comparable. We do not have such arrangements with the United States of America or with Australia. This is in part because neither of those jurisdictions has a single national driver licensing system: in the USA driver licensing is operated at State level, and in Australia at provincial level. While I sympathise with people who return to Ireland after a long absence and find that they are treated as learner drivers, I must balance this against the need to ensure that drivers on our roads are qualified to do so. I would point out however that people in this position are not required to wait the usual six months as a learner before taking the driving test.
258. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport further to Parliamentary Question 86 of 18 October 2012, if he is satisfied that the local authorities are exercising and enforcing the powers they have to ensure the maintenance of hedgerows and verges on regional and local roads. [46852/12]
View answerThe Roads Act 1993 as amended is very clear as to the responsibilities of the local authorities and landowners in relation to maintaining verges and hedgerows along public roadways. As such, I have no function in the matter. This is a matter for the individual local authorities and their elected members.
259. Deputy Frank Feighan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide details on current staffing levels, salaries and the operational budget at the Taxi Regulator’s office since the Taxi Regulator was subsumed into the National Transport Authority. [46976/12]
View answer260. Deputy Frank Feighan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide details on the staffing levels, total salaries figure and operational budget at the Taxi Regulator’s office before the Taxi Regulator was subsumed into the National Transport Authority. [46977/12]
View answer261. Deputy Frank Feighan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide details on the current staffing levels, total salaries figure and operational budget at the National Transport Authority since the Taxi Regulator was subsumed into the National Transport Authority. [46978/12]
View answer262. Deputy Frank Feighan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide details on the current staffing levels, total salaries figure and operational budget at the National Transport Authority before the Taxi Regulator was subsumed into the National Transport Authority. [46979/12]
View answer263. Deputy Frank Feighan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of public relation companies currently contracted to do work on behalf of the National Transport Authority. [46980/12]
View answer264. Deputy Frank Feighan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the total current financial cost to the National Transport Authority of hiring these public relation companies for this contract work. [46981/12]
View answer265. Deputy Frank Feighan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide the names of all the public relation companies currently contracted to do work on behalf of the National Transport Authority. [46982/12]
View answer266. Deputy Frank Feighan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will specify the work specification and their costs of each of these public relation contracts. [46983/12]
View answer267. Deputy Frank Feighan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of public relation companies in total that have worked, past and present, on behalf of the National Transport Authority since the National Transport Authority was established. [46984/12]
View answer268. Deputy Frank Feighan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the total cumulative cost to the National Transport Authority of hiring all public relation companies for contract work since the National Transport Authority was established. [46985/12]
View answer269. Deputy Frank Feighan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will specify the names of all the public relation companies, past and present, contracted to do work on behalf of the National Transport Authority since it was established. [46986/12]
View answer270. Deputy Frank Feighan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the amount of the National Transport Authority budget that has been allocated to improvements for the taxi industry since the National Transport Authority was established. [46987/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 259 to 270, inclusive, together.
The issues raised are operational matters for the National Transport Authority (NTA) and I have forwarded the Deputy's questions to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
