Finian McGrath
Question:249. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health if he will support a matter on ability west service (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40192/13]
View answerDisability Support Services Provision
Questions (249)
Written answers
As the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
Health Services Issues
Questions (250)
Finian McGrath
Question:250. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health the position regarding back up support in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Waterford. [40199/13]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
Hospital Waiting Lists
Questions (251)
Gerry Adams
Question:251. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the current waiting list for the chronic pain clinic in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin; the number of persons currently waiting to access the service; the average length of time persons have to wait to access this service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40205/13]
View answerWritten answers
Improving access to outpatient services is a key priority for the Government. Collaborating with individual hospitals, the SDU, together with the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) and the HSE, has developed the outpatient waiting list minimum dataset. This allows data to be submitted to the NTPF from hospitals on a weekly basis and, for the first time, outpatient data is available on www.ntpf.ie. For 2013, a maximum waiting time target has been set of 12 months for a first time consultant-led outpatient appointment and this is reflected in the HSE service plan. The SDU and the NTPF will work closely with hospitals towards achievement of the maximum waiting time.
Should a patient's general practitioner consider that the patient's condition warrants an earlier appointment, he or she would be in the best position to take the matter up with the consultant and hospital involved. 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.
Hospital Waiting Lists
Questions (252)
Jack Wall
Question:252. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a hip replacement in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40209/13]
View answerWritten answers
The National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2013, has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has been adopted by the HSE, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.
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.
Public Relations Contracts Expenditure
Questions (253)
Colm Keaveney
Question:253. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Health the name and business address of all of the providers of public relations services to his Department since the current Government came into office; the total amount spent on such services in the same period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40222/13]
View answerWritten answers
The Press and Communications Office of my Department liaise with the media on behalf of the Department as well as all Ministers and do not use the services of a PR company. My Department did not spent any money on public relations or communications consultants from March 2011 - June 2013. Details in respect of any expenditure in respect of the remaining time is not available at present but will be collated and forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is.
Vaccine Damage Compensation Scheme
Questions (254)
Denis Naughten
Question:254. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health his views on the establishment of a no-fault compensation scheme for those who suffer as a result of vaccine administration; the position regarding the establishment of such a compensation fund for the parents of vaccine damaged children; when a decision will be made on the implementation of the recommendations of this report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40238/13]
View answerWritten answers
The establishment of a no-fault compensation scheme is being considered by my Department as part of the recommendations of the Vaccine Damage Steering Group. However, this issue is complex and needs to be considered in the wider context of how best to address the long term health and social needs of people who may have experienced adverse outcome from other health services.
Departmental Budgets
Questions (255)
Michael McGrath
Question:255. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health the unallocated savings required to meet his Department's expenditure ceiling in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40278/13]
View answerWritten answers
In the context of the forthcoming Budget, the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform has asked my Department to identify savings which will feed into the expenditure decisions by Government for the Estimates 2014 and the setting of future Ministerial ceilings.
The scale of the adjustments for 2014 were set out in part 1 of the Expenditure Report 2013, which was published in December 2012. Government will be making decisions on the future ceilings as part of the forthcoming budgetary deliberations, and decisions regarding the Health Sectors share of the unallocated savings will be taken in this context.
National Drugs Strategy Issues
Questions (256, 257)
Maureen O'Sullivan
Question:256. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the number of times the Oversight Forum on Drugs Committee and the Drugs Advisory Group have met in the past year since September 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40282/13]
View answerMaureen O'Sullivan
Question:257. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update in the review of the structures of the National Drugs Strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40283/13]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 256 and 257 together.
As the Deputy will be aware, I announced details of a series of measures last December arising from a review of Drugs Task Forces and the national structures under which they operate. These measures included the extension of the remit of the Task Forces to include alcohol addiction and the establishment of a National Coordinating Committee for Drug and Alcohol Task Forces. This new committee will replace the Drugs Advisory Group, which has met twice since September 2012. The Oversight Forum on Drugs, which I envisage continuing in its present format, has met four times during that period.
As measures to address the abuse of alcohol remain under consideration by the Government, I am not yet in a position to provide clear time-scales for the establishment of the new committee. I am committed to the implementation of the proposals for reform arising from the review. To this end, I have arranged a series of bilateral meetings with Government departments and agencies, the community and voluntary sector and the drugs task forces in the coming weeks. The purpose of these meetings is to discuss how we can maintain and strengthen the inter-agency approach to the National Drugs Strategy in order to ensure successful implementation of the Drugs Task Force reforms.
Medical Card Applications
Questions (258)
Patrick Nulty
Question:258. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Health if the renewal of a medical card in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 15 will be expedited; the reason for the delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40284/13]
View answerWritten answers
The 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 issued to Oireachtas members.
Mobility Allowance Decision
Questions (259)
Terence Flanagan
Question:259. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health his plans to remove the mobility grant and replace it with a new scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40285/13]
View answerWritten answers
The Government decided in June last that new statutory provisions should be established to provide individual payments to people with severe disabilities who require additional income to address the costs of their mobility needs. An inter-departmental group, chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach, is working to develop detailed proposals for the operation of a new statutory scheme and is due to report back to Government in October.
The Government also decided in June that payments should temporarily continue to be made by the HSE to those persons currently in receipt of the Mobility Allowance for a further number of months, pending the commencement of new statutory provisions, on the basis that this would prevent hardship, and, on an interim basis, alleviate stress, anxiety and uncertainty among a vulnerable group in society.
The Government is very conscious of the needs of people with a disability who have relied on individual payments of Mobility Allowance to support their independence and will take all of this into consideration when making a decision on future arrangements.
Questions Nos. 260 and 261 answered with Question No. 39.