Written Answers Nos. 636-654
637. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the impact that cuts to Health Service Executive Beechpark Autism services are having on schools with ASD classes, particularly in relation to schools in Dublin North Central and Dublin North-East; and if he has any plans to ease the burden on both schools and children affected by these cuts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18822/13]
View answerThe Government is committed to protecting front-line services, including services for children with disabilities and autism, to the greatest possible extent by seeking to maximise the provision of services within available resources. Beechpark is a regional HSE service which provides clinical supports for children with a specific diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder up to 18 years of age who attend designated special schools, outreach preschools and outreach classes in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow. The service has to operate within the financial and other parameters applying.
Importantly, the Beechpark service is working with local implementation groups to progress disability services for children and young people across the HSE's Dublin north-east and Dublin-mid-Leinster areas. They are focussing on the current service model and service delivery structure provided by all service providers in the area, with a view to addressing the realignment of resources in the context of the report of the national reference group, the national review of autism services report and the progressing disability services programme. This issue is also being examined by the independent Dublin Beechpark service review group.
While the current economic position presents challenges in how best to maximise the provision of services with available resources, I am committed to protecting front-line services, including children's disability and autism services to the greatest extent possible. In that context, I have raised my concerns with the HSE regarding staff rotation and the impact of the public sector recruitment moratorium on front-line staff, especially therapists. I will also continue to work closely with the Minister of State responsible, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, to address this matter.
638. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health if he will support the cystic fibrosis unit at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, in 2013 as a matter of urgency. [18852/13]
View answerI have been informed by the HSE that a Cystic Fibrosis day unit opened in Beaumont in 2010/2011 and that the HSE has not received any project application in respect of improving Cystic Fibrosis facilities at Beaumont. In relation to the specific query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
639. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health if he will provide in tabular form the number of civil/public servants under the remit of his Department who earn more than €500,000, between €400,000-€500,00, €300,000 - €250,000, €250,000 - €200,000, €200,000 - €150,000, €150,000 - €100,000, €100,000 - €80,000, €80,000 - €60,000, €60,000 - €40,000 and less than €30,000. [18871/13]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy in relation to the permanent staff of my Department is detailed below in tabular format:
|
Salary Range |
Number of Staff |
|
Less than €30,000 |
50 |
|
€30,001 - €40,000 |
71 |
|
€40,001- €60,000 |
123 |
|
€60,001 - €80,000 |
61 |
|
€80,001 - €100,000 |
40 |
|
€100,001- €150,000 |
14 |
|
€150,001 - €200,000 |
3 |
|
Greater than €200,000 |
Nil |
|
TOTAL |
362 |
The Health Service Executive has been asked to collate the data sought as soon as possible and it will be provided to the Deputy by them when available.
The information in relation to the Non-Commercial State Agencies is currently being collated and will be forwarded directly to the Deputy as soon as it is available
640. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the position regarding reviewing the system of organ donation to a presumed opt out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18888/13]
View answerThe Programme for Government envisages the introduction of an opt-out system of organ donation, with a view to improving the availability of organs for patients in need of transplantation. This will of course require detailed consideration and further consultation and I am developing proposals for Government on this matter.
In addition to consent systems, there is evidence from other countries that good co-ordination at hospital level and counselling arrangements for relatives are significant factors in achieving high organ donation rates. In conjunction with the HSE's National Organ Donation and Transplantation Office I am also examining what practices and organisational changes could further improve donation rates in this country.
The Deputy may also wish to note that following discussions between my Department and the Road Safety Authority, the new Driving Licence Application Form contains a question asking applicants if they would like a code to be placed on their driving licence indicating their wish to become an organ donor. Since the introduction of a new type of driving licence on 19 January, the code that will appear on new driving licences issued to people who indicate that they wish to become an organ donor, is 115. My Department has written to the National Organ Donation and Transplantation Office and the Regional Directors of Operations in the HSE asking them to alert relevant hospital staff to this initiative and to the code which will appear on new driving licences of people who wish to donate. My Department is also in discussion with the Department of Social Protection with a view to including a similar code on the Public Services Card.
641. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the funding provided for Carndonagh Community Hospital, County Donegal, in each of the past seven years; and the funding available to the hospital in 2013 [18894/13]
View answer642. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the number of staff employed at Carndonagh Community Hospital, County Donegal, in each of the past seven years. [18895/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 641 and 642 together.
As these are service matters they have been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
643. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Health the position regarding home help in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18897/13]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
644. Deputy Ciara Conway asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a detailed breakdown of the way the palliative care budget was spent for the period 2010, 2011 and 2012 for the Waterford/Wexford, Carlow/Kilkenny and south Tipperary areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18907/13]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
645. Deputy Nicky McFadden asked the Minister for Health if adequate transport will be provided to a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath to travel to necessary hospital appointments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18912/13]
View answerIn relation to the specific query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
646. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny will receive an appointment to see a consultant regarding their illness, following a referral from their doctor [18916/13]
View answerImproving access to outpatient services is a key priority for the Government. Building on work already undertaken by the HSE, the National Treatment Purchase Fund has now taken over the reporting of outpatient waiting time data. For the first time data is available on www.ntpf.ie. The collation and analysis of outpatient waiting time data in a standardised format will reveal the distribution of long waiters across all hospitals. In the first instance, this will allow resources to be targeted towards those patients who are waiting longest and ensure that they are seen and assessed. For 2013, a maximum waiting time target has now been set of 12 months for a first time outpatient appointment.
In parallel with reducing the numbers of longest waiters, the Special Delivery Unit will also work with the HSE Clinical Programmes to reform the structure, organisation and delivery of outpatient services to ensure that the right patient is seen and assessed by the right health professional at the right time. In relation to this particular query raised by the Deputy, I have asked the Health Service Executive to investigate the situation and respond directly to the Deputy in this matter.
647. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the number of bariatric surgeries that have taken place in St Colmcilles Hospital, Dublin, in each of the years 2010, 2011, 2012 and to date in 2013; the amount of money that has been allocated to deal with these type of surgeries in each of the past four years; if he will consider making available ICU beds in St Colmcilles Hospital; the arrangements in place to address the long waiting lists at St Colmcilles Hospital; when bariatric operations will be undertaken at St. Vincent's Hospital, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18927/13]
View answerIn relation to the specific queries raised by the Deputy, as these are service issues they have been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
648. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Health the reason treatment for a person (details supplied) in County Louth has had their request for the treatment abroad scheme refused despite strong medical evidence which supports their application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18976/13]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information has recently reissued to Oireachtas members.
649. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Health the options available to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare who has recently had a heart operation, privately, and is now trying to recoup the cost of the operation;; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18977/13]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information has recently reissued to Oireachtas members.
650. Deputy Ciara Conway asked the Minister for Health the number of patients cared for by the palliative care homecare teams in 2011 and 2012 in each of the counties Waterford, Wexford, Carlow, Kilkenny and south Tipperary; the total cost of providing these services in each of these counties; if he will provide a breakdown of the amount of these costs that are met by the Health Service Executive and the amount provided by the voluntary hospice groups in each county in each of the years in question; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19012/13]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
651. Deputy Ciara Conway asked the Minister for Health the number of patients cared for by the palliative care homecare teams in 2011 and 2012 in each of the counties Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal; the total cost of providing these services in each of these counties; if he will provide a breakdown of the amount of these costs that are met by the Health Service Executive and the amount provided by voluntary hospice groups in each county in each of the years in question; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19013/13]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
652. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health if any further progress has been made with the way an alternative scheme to the mobility allowance and motorised transport grant will be administered; if a decision will be made prior to the cessation of payments to those currently in receipt of mobility allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19014/13]
View answerA special Project Group, which is independently chaired, has been established to seek an alternative method to provide for the priority transport needs of people in a manner that does not run counter to the Equal Status Acts. The Group will report to Government next month. The results of the review will be presented to the Government before any final decisions are made on future arrangements. At this stage, I am not in a position to pre-empt the outcome of the review or the decision of the Government.
654. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health his views on the recently published peer reviewed paper (details supplied), a leading authority on abortion and psychiatry, to the effect that the law cannot rely on mental health as a grounds for abortion [19051/13]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the law in Ireland in this area is set out in Article 40.3.3 of the Constitution, which states: ‘The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.’ The law was further clarified by the judgment of the Supreme Court, in the case of Attorney General v X & Others (the X case) in 1992. This held that if it were established as a matter of probability that there was a real and substantial risk to the life, as distinct from the health, of the mother which could only be averted by the termination of her pregnancy, such a termination was lawful. A termination of pregnancy arising from a risk to life from suicide was deemed lawful under this judgment.
Therefore, it is inaccurate to suggest that termination will be permitted in cases where there are mental health risks - rather it will only be permitted where it is established by expert medical opinion that as a matter of probability there is a real and substantial risk to the life, as opposed to the health, of the mother which can only be avoided by the termination of her pregnancy.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Government has approved the implementation of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the A, B and C v Ireland case by way of legislation with regulations, within the parameters of Article 40.3.3 of the Constitution as interpreted by the Supreme Court in the X case. The aim of the Bill is to bring clarity and certainty in relation to the process for the determination of whether a termination of pregnancy is permissible on the basis that there is a real and substantial risk to the life, as opposed to the health, of a woman as a result of that pregnancy.
