Written Answers Nos. 179-88
179. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if in the context of the common agricultural policy negotiations, he will ensure that those farmers whose entitlements are produced entirely from rented lands both now and in 2011 are protected [52122/12]
View answerNegotiations are ongoing at present but it is too early to predict what the finer detail of the final agreement will be. I am satisfied however that provision will be made for farmers such as those mentioned by the Deputy.
180. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee are in the process of withdrawing funding from the position of catholic youth care education officer and the impact this will have on youth groups across the south inner city (details supplied). [52017/12]
View answerThe Youth Affairs Unit of my Department supports the delivery of a range of youth work programmes and services for all young people, including those from disadvantaged communities, by the voluntary youth sector. Targeted supports for disadvantaged, marginalised and at risk young people are provided through the Special Projects for Youth Scheme, the Young Peoples Facilities and Services Fund Rounds 1 and 2 and Local Drugs Task Force Projects.
Funding of €56.806m has been provided to my Department to support the provision of youth services in 2012. Some 477 projects and youth services throughout the country receive support under the schemes. The annual funding allocations for youth projects are determined by my Department and the funding is administered, on behalf of my Department, by a number of grant administering agencies that includes the City of Dublin Youth Services Board (CDYSB) of the CDVEC.
Funding is provided to CYC by my Department for the provision of services for young people including an allocation of €1,010,735 in 2012 under the Youth Service Grant Scheme. An allocation of €44,506 for the provision of services in Dublin South East inner city has also been provided.
My Department is working on the funding allocation for youth services in 2013. Having regard to the savings requirements identified in the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure my Department is seeking to ensure that, in the determination process for the allocations, the front line youth services, particularly those for the most vulnerable young people are protected as far as is possible from the impact of any necessary reductions in funding.
No decisions have been made by my Department neither in relation to the 2013 funding for youth services throughout the country, nor in relation to the funding allocations to be provided for individual projects, including the CYC.
My Department has been advised that the CDYSB, in anticipation of reductions in the funding allocations next year, has been holding a series of meetings with the projects within its area in relation to 2013.
Any proposals or recommendations that a body administering funding on behalf of my Department, such as CDYSB, makes in relation to the distribution of funding in its locality on account of its local knowledge of the needs of young people would require the approval of my Department before they are implemented.
My Department will be making every effort to advise organisations and projects of their 2013 allocations as soon as possible.
181. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will provide an update regarding the embargo on social workers (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51929/12]
View answerFigures supplied by the HSE indicate that the number of whole-time- equivalent (WTE) social workers employed in the Children and Families Service area of the HSE was 1,300 at the end of July 2012. In advance of the establishment of the new Child and Family Support Agency, work is ongoing regarding the disaggregation of the Children and Families resource base from the HSE. Consequently the number of social workers assigned to the Children and Families Service area will be subject to change as the mapping/classification of posts into care groups is further refined between now and year end.
The HSE has made considerable progress over recent years in recruiting additional social workers, with 260 social workers recruited under the Ryan Implementation Plan at end 2011 as had been committed to. A further 10 social worker posts which were to be recruited after 2011 are currently at various stages of recruitment, with the first four already in position. The National Director of Children and Family Services, Gordon Jeyes, will continue to apply his discretion to the filling of social work vacancies, taking account of identified need and subject to services being delivered within available resources.
182. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) in County Kildare is not permitted to carry out a procedure in their own home that would allow the Health Service Executive treat five extra patients (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51927/12]
View answerThis particular matter is an issue for the Health Service Executive. Therefore, I have asked them to reply to the Deputy directly in this matter.
183. Deputy Brian Walsh asked the Minister for Health the number of induced abortions that have been performed in each of the State's public hospitals in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51928/12]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is not available. The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) manages the Hospital In-patient Enquiry (HIPE), collects administrative, demographic and clinical data on all discharges from all acute public hospitals. However while the Hospital In-patient Enquiry (HIPE) has information on pregnancy with abortive outcome, information on the number of induced abortions is not available.
184. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Health the portion of the €35 million euro that was ring fenced for mental health services for the year 2012 that has been spent; if any unspent moneys will be carried forward to next year in addition to the 2013 funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51940/12]
View answerFunding from the €35 million special allocation for mental health will be used primarily to further strengthen Community Mental Health Teams in both Adult and Children’s mental health services in respect of which €25 million has been estimated. Up to €3 million of the fund will be used to advance activities in the area of suicide prevention and a cost of €5 million has been estimated to initiate the provision of psychological and counselling services in primary care, specifically for people with mental health problems. The remaining €2 million will be made available to facilitate the re-location of mental health service users from institutional care to more independent living arrangements in their communities, in line with A Vision for Change.
414 posts were approved to implement the €35 million package of special measures for mental health. To date 14 posts have been filled and over 270 offers of employment have already been accepted and the appointments are proceeding. Most start dates are expected to be in December 2012 to allow for the process of checking references etc. and costs will start to be incurred from that point. The Government remains committed to engaging these professionals as soon as is feasible and the work of completing the process remains a priority.
The provisional outturn for mental health services to mid-year was, like many other areas, running ahead of budget and the end of year excess in this area will be met from the unexpended portion of the €35 million. The Department is currently in the process of working out the Health Estimates for expenditure in 2013 and in mental health it is planned to provide sufficient resources to meet the cost of commitments entered into in 2012 in respect of the posts described above and related costs in 2013.
185. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Health the reason that the Child and Mental Health Service will not accept children aged between 17 and 18 years of age with mental health issues for admission until January 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51941/12]
View answerThe development of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) has been prioritised by the HSE in recent years and considerable progress has been made to date.
A special allocation of €35 million was provided in Budget 2012 for mental health, in line with commitments in the Programme for Government. Funding from this special allocation will be used primarily to strengthen Community Mental Health Teams in both Adult and Children’s mental health services by ensuring, at a minimum, that at least one of each mental health professional discipline is represented on every team. Of the 414 posts approved to implement the €35 million package, 150 will be allocated to Child and Adolescent Community Mental Health Teams of which 3 posts are filled and 84 posts have been accepted and candidates are currently going through the clearance processes. It is hoped that the bulk of the appointments will be made by the end of the year. It is envisaged that the completion of the multidisciplinary profile of current teams will help progress the expansion of CAMHS to all up to 18 years and reduce the waiting lists for this service.
The Deputy may also wish to note that the HSE has recently finalised "Access Protocols for 16 and 17 year olds to Mental Health Services" and these have been approved by the Management Team and will come into effect from 1 January next. In an effort to ensure that children are treated in an age appropriate manner, the new protocol provides that from 1 January 2013, CAMHS will at least accept referrals of all new cases of children up to their 17th birthday, and from 1 January 2014 or earlier where feasible CAMHS will accept referrals of all new cases of children up to their 18th birthday. Some of the teams are already accepting children up to 18, of which some can only do so on a case by case basis, but all teams continue to see open cases beyond their 16th birthday. The additional resources currently coming on stream will advance progress in this area.
186. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Health if he will include the condition lupos as a long term illness in the medical card scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51942/12]
View answerThere are no plans to extend the list of conditions covered by the Long Term Illness Scheme.
Under the Drug Payment Scheme, no individual or family pays more than €132 per calendar month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines. The scheme significantly reduces the cost burden for families and individuals incurring ongoing expenditure on medicines. In addition, people who cannot, without undue hardship, arrange for the provision of medical services for themselves and their dependants may be entitled to a medical card. In the assessment process, the Health Service Executive can take into account medical costs incurred by an individual or a family. Those who are not eligible for a medical card may still be able to avail of a GP visit card, which covers the cost of general practice consultation.
187. Deputy Ciara Conway asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the review of the breast check screening process; if the service will be extended to include citizens over 40 years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51966/12]
View answerThe BreastCheck Programme provides free mammograms to all women aged 50-64. The Programme for Government includes the extension of BreastCheck to women in the 65-69 age group, in keeping with EU Guidelines on effective screening for breast cancer.
The review of the BreastCheck Programme was commissioned by my Department to explore whether there are potential efficiencies within the BreastCheck screening process, which could be exploited in order to move more quickly towards expanding the target age group for screening.
The review has concluded and has been submitted to my Department. It is being studied by my officials who will brief me shortly on its content.
I am committed to extending the national breast screening programme to women in the 65-69 age group and I will make the review available to all, when I have had a chance to examine it.
188. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the number of persons seeking shelter in Arlington Lodge, Tralee, County Kerry, which is a homeless unit, that were unable to be taken care of for various reasons including the fact that a person has to be on some type of payment to avail of such a service from September 2011 to September 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51975/12]
View answerThe Department of Environment, Community and Local Government and local authorities have statutory responsibility for the provision of homelessness services in Ireland. Local authorities identify and address the level of need through a range of community based accommodation options and related housing supports, and the HSE and its partner agencies arrange health and personal social care supports appropriate to the individual service user's needs within this structure.
As the Deputy’s question relates to numbers of persons seeking shelter in Arlington Lodge this is a matter for Kerry County Council and the Deputy should direct his query to them.
