Wednesday, 12 Mar 2014

Written Answers Nos. 196 - 201

Primary Care Services Provision

Questions (196, 198)

Colm Keaveney

Question:

196. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Health if he will provide further details on the Health Service Executive initiative of providing speech, language and psychology interventions in group workshops to parents of children with special needs rather than providing these supports directly to the children; the savings generated through this initiative in each of the four HSE areas; the number of parents who have been removed from the waiting list for these therapies as a result of their being unable to attend a group workshop in each of the four HSE areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12261/14]

Colm Keaveney

Question:

198. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Health if he will provide further detail on the criteria used to assign priority status to children with disabilities in relation to psychology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech and language supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12265/14]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

I propose to take Questions Nos. 196 and 198 together.

Health related therapy supports and interventions for children can be accessed through both the Health Service Executive’s primary care services and its disability services. The National Service Plan 2013 provided for additional funding of €20m to strengthen primary care services. This comprises over €18.5m for the recruitment of over 260 primary care team posts and over €1.4m to support community intervention team development.

In terms of disability services, therapy services for children are currently being reconfigured into geographically-based multidisciplinary teams, as part of the HSE’s Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People (0-18years) Programme. The objective of this Programme is to achieve a national, unified approach to delivering disability health services so that there is a clear pathway to services for all children, regardless of where they live, what school they go to or the nature of their disability. The National Service Plan 2014 provides for targeted investment of €4m for the roll-out of this Programme which equates to 80 additional therapy posts.

I have asked the HSE to reply directly to the Deputy in respect of the specific operational matters he has raised.

Primary Care Services Provision

Questions (197, 199, 200)

Colm Keaveney

Question:

197. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a breakdown in tabular form of the number of children aged under 18 years who are on the waiting list for psychology services, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech and language therapy for between one and two years, two and three years, three and four years and over four years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12264/14]

Colm Keaveney

Question:

199. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Health the number of children discharged from the HSE's books each week in relation to psychology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech and language supports; the number of children assigned an inactive status due to inadequate resources; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12266/14]

Colm Keaveney

Question:

200. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Health if he will provide in tabular form, and by therapy, the total budget to provide the speech and language, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and psychology services in each of the four Health Service Executive areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12267/14]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

I propose to take Questions Nos. 197, 199 and 200 together.

The key objective of the Primary Care Strategy is to develop services in the community which will give people direct access to integrated multi-disciplinary teams of general practitioners, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and others. Up to 95% of people's health and social service needs can be properly met within a primary care setting.

As the information requested by the Deputy is not routinely provided to the Department by the HSE, which has responsibility for the provision of Primary Care services, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on these matters.

Question No. 198 answered with Question No. 196.

Questions Nos. 199 and 200 answered with Question No. 197.

Water Fluoridation

Questions (201)

Derek Nolan

Question:

201. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the working group that was to be established to look at the fluoridation of our water; the specific timeline for progress on this issue; when he expects to have recommendations from the working group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12275/14]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

There is no specific working group looking at water fluoridation issues at present. The Department of Health keeps the policy of water fluoridation under constant review. As part of this ongoing work, a review of evidence on the impact of water fluoridation at its current level on the health of the population and on the environment is being conducted by the Health Research Board on behalf of the Department. This review is due to commence in April 2014 and will be completed by December 2014.

The Department is also collaborating in a University College Cork-led research project, "Fluoride and Caring for Children's Teeth" (FACCT). The study will consider the impact of changes on the oral health of children, following policy decisions relating to toothpaste use by infants and young children made in 2002 and the reduction in the level of fluoridation in drinking water introduced in 2007. In addition, a study on general and oral health findings in adults linked to the duration of exposure to fluoridated water as part of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging (TILDA) is expected to commence shortly.