Written Answers Nos. 227-234
228. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a breakdown of moneys provided to groups opposed to suicide over the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53604/13]
View answerAs this is a service matter this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
229. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a breakdown of the funding provided to the Dyspraxia Association of Ireland over the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53608/13]
View answerAccountability for the management of services is a matter for the Health Service Executive to address within the ambit of its Vote (Vote 39). The level of health services to be delivered each year within the available funding is set out in the HSE's annual National Service Plan. As the Deputy's question relates to a service matter, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
230. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health the measures he is taking to prevent obesity in school children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53614/13]
View answerAs Minister for Health, I have made overweight and obesity and in particular childhood overweight and obesity, a public health priority and have established a Special Action Group on Obesity (SAGO) whom I meet with regularly to progress the obesity agenda. The Special Action Group on Obesity comprises representatives from the Departments of Health, Children and Youth Affairs, Education and Skills, the Health Service Executive, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Safefood and other key stakeholders, to examine and progress a number of issues to address the problem of obesity. The range of measures being implemented by my Department seeks to promote a healthy lifestyle, to encourage people to make healthier food choices, to become more active and take the first steps towards reducing obesity.
The Special Action Group on Obesity is concentrating on a range of measures including actions such as: calorie on menus in restaurants, how best to support healthy eating choices, the supply of healthy food products in vending machines in schools, the detection and treatment of obesity, healthy eating guidelines and the promotion of physical activity. As one of the measures specifically designed to combat Childhood Obesity, on Monday 21st October, I launched the Safefood/Healthy Ireland/HSE three year Childhood Obesity Campaign – Childhood Obesity: Let’s take it on – one small step at a time which is designed to create greater awareness among parents about the threat of childhood overweight and obesity and provide practical tips to help address the problem with the ultimate aim and effecting behaviour change.
I have also tasked SAGO with establishing a sub-committee to investigate and develop a range of options around pricing and other mechanisms in order to reduce consumption of foods and drinks from the top-shelf of the Food Pyramid (as per the Department of Health's Healthy Eating Guidelines) as these foods and drinks are not necessary for health. The sub-committee’s report and recommendations were presented to me on Wednesday, 23rd October when I attended a meeting of SAGO and an action plan is now being developed around these recommendations.
Because the issue of Childhood Obesity is of such serious concern for me I placed it centre stage of the Irish Presidency of the EU and was successful in having the EU mandated to draw up an EU Action Plan to tackle Childhood Obesity. This Plan has been drafted and will be finalised before the end of the year. SAGO will continue to liaise with other Departments and organisations in a cross-sectoral approach to further progress initiatives to help halt the rise in overweight and obesity.
As childhood is a critical period for developing obesity as well as an opportune time to prevent or intervene on it, as eating and physical activity patterns are developed and established during this period, the majority share of HSE Obesity funding is channelled towards childhood obesity prevention programmes, run by the HSE and increasingly with partners both in public and voluntary organisations, who are best placed in the community to provide effective initiatives.
231. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Health the position regarding payment of items in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53620/13]
View answerAs 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.
232. Deputy Damien English asked the Minister for Health if he will evaluate the prospects of the moratorium on recruitment being lifted for the Health Service Executive's orthodontic service in order that clinical staff can be employed to treat children assessed and placed on the category 4c treatment waiting list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53641/13]
View answer234. Deputy Damien English asked the Minister for Health his plans to alleviate the waiting list for treatment for children who have been assessed and have been placed on the category 4c waiting list of the orthodontic services of the Health Service Executive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53643/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 232 and 234 together.
The reduction in size of the public service has been an essential component of the approach to addressing the State’s fiscal difficulties. This has been combined with a firm focus on improving public service efficiency and effectiveness. The Haddington Road Agreement provides for some five million additional working hours annually. These measures will enable the health service to continue to reduce overall numbers, while maintaining services and service levels to the greatest possible extent.
The HSE provides orthodontic treatment to those who have been assessed and referred for treatment before their 16th birthday. Orthodontic referrals are generally received via the Public Dental Service school screening programme. An individual's access to orthodontic treatment is determined in accordance with the Modified Index of Treatment Need. The dental health component has five categories ranging from 1 (no need for treatment) to 5 (great need). Further sub-divisions of these categories are substantially based in accordance with the causes of malocclusion, e.g. misalignment of teeth. Patients with the greatest level of need are provided with treatment and those with urgent clinical need are prioritised. The HSE has commissioned an independent review of orthodontic services. The outcome of this review, which is near completion, will give guidance as to what changes will be desirable to provide the best possible model of care delivery, given the current resources available and future demand for services.
233. Deputy Damien English asked the Minister for Health the options for the transfer of staff within the Health Service Executive, or for the HSE to utilise clinical staff resources within the service, in order to alleviate waiting lists for treatments; the services for which such transfers-utilisation of staff can occur; his plans for enhancing such transfers-utilisation of staff in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53642/13]
View answerThe Public Service Agreements 2010 - 2016 provide for the increased use of staff redeployment arrangements within the health service and across different sectors of the public service.
All staffing arrangements have to be considered in the light of the current budgetary pressures in the health service and the need to reduce the numbers employed throughout the public sector. This has been combined with a firm focus on improving public service efficiency and effectiveness. The Haddington Road Agreement provides for health service staff to increase their working hours. The value ascribed to this element of the Agreement is in the region of five million hours annually for the health workforce as a whole.
The Deputy will be aware that public hospitals are being reorganised into more accountable hospital groups. I am confident that the group structure will allow for more efficient deployment of human resources, facilitating effective and flexible use of staff, thus allowing a better response to service needs.
The HSE has been asked to respond directly to the Deputy in relation to the procedures applicable in the health service for such redeployment.
