Written Answers Nos. 131-153
131. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Health when a clinical paediatric diabetes nurse will be appointed at Letterkenny General Hospital, County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14849/14]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.
132. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Health when he will address the regulatory position of the VHI; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14857/14]
View answerThe Government agreed in December 2011 to address the European Court of Justice ruling of September 2011 and to work with the VHI in its application process for authorisation by the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI), subject to further Government consideration of any application for authorisation. Despite good progress, it was not possible to authorise the VHI before the deadline of 31 December 2013, and the EU Commission was notified accordingly. The Government has committed itself to continuing the work towards authorising the VHI as soon as possible and agreed that a request be made to the EU Commission to extend the deadline, with a commitment to seek to have VHI authorised by end 2014. The VHI Board has committed to this approach.
VHI's readiness for authorisation will be determined by the CBI after its assessment of VHI's application. Officials from my Department, the VHI and CBI continue to engage regularly to progress the application and my officials are also in regular contact with the EU Commission in relation to the authorisation and related issues.
133. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Health his views on the practice of sending a €100 hospital invoice to grieving families in the aftermath of road traffic accidents; and if he will initiate the process to stop this practice. [14700/14]
View answerCurrently those exempted from the Emergency Department charge are persons with a medical card, persons who have a referral letter from a General Practitioner, a person whose attendance results in admission as an in-patient or other exemptions as provided for by the Health (Out-Patient Charges) Regulations 2013 (S.I. No 45 of 2013) made under Section 56 of the Health Act 1970 (as amended). The charge is currently €100 per visit.
The Emergency Department charge is levied as a contribution towards the costs of providing emergency services to all patients requiring treatment. There are no plans at the moment to review the exemptions to this charge.
136. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health if he intends to bring forward further legislation or other measures to protect consumers from the continuing over-pricing of drugs and medicines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14910/14]
View answerThe Government has introduced a series of reforms in recent years to reduce the prices of drugs and medicines which are paid for by the HSE. This has resulted in reductions in the price of thousands of medicines. Price reductions of the order of 30% per item reimbursed have been achieved between 2009 and 2013; the average cost per items reimbursed is now running at 2001/2002 levels.
A major new deal on the cost of originator drugs in the State was concluded with the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) in October 2012. It will deliver a number of important benefits, including, significant reductions for patients in the cost of drugs, a lowering of the drugs bill to the State, timely access for patients to new cutting-edge drugs for certain conditions, and reducing the cost base of the health system into the future. The IPHA agreement provides that prices are referenced to the currency adjusted average price to wholesaler in the nine EU member states and these are the maximum prices paid by the HSE for originator drugs supplied through the community drug schemes. The gross savings arising from this deal will be in excess of €400 million over 3 years. €210 million from the gross savings will be available to fund new drugs.
A new agreement was also reached with the Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers in Ireland (APMI), which represents the generic drugs industry. Since 01 November 2012, the maximum price the HSE pays for generic products is 50% of the initial price of an originator medicine. Recent negotiations with the APMI have resulted in agreement on additional price reductions and, from 1 May 2014, the maximum price the HSE will pay will be 40% of the initial price of an originator medicine. This will result in the price differential between off-patent drugs and most generic equivalents increasing from 5% currently to approximately 20%.
The Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013 provides that from June 2013 the maximum price of all new medicinal products reimbursed under the community drug schemes will be set in accordance with the criteria set out in the Act. The Act also provides that the HSE must review all items currently reimbursable under the GMS and other community drug schemes (including prices) within three years to determine if they should remain on the reimbursement list and, if so, what price should apply. In addition, the Act introduces a system of generic substitution and reference pricing. This legislation will promote price competition among suppliers and ensure that lower prices are paid for these medicines resulting in further savings for both taxpayers and patients. It is estimated that reference pricing will yield €50 million in savings in 2014. Reference pricing involves the setting of a common reimbursement price, or reference price, for a group of interchangeable medicines. It means that one reference price is set for each group or list of interchangeable medicines, and this is the maximum price that the HSE will reimburse to pharmacies for all medicines in the group, regardless of the individual medicine's prices.
In the case of drugs and medicines which are paid for by the HSE, prices are set in accordance with the provisions of the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013 or the terms of the framework agreements between the Department of Health and the HSE and the representative bodies for pharmaceutical manufacturers in Ireland. However, neither the Minister for Health nor the HSE has any power to set the prices of drugs and medicines purchased by private patients. However, I would be disappointed if all pharmacists were not passing on the benefits of lower prices to patients. The HSE advises the public that if they are being charged prices which exceed the reimbursement price listed on the HSE website (http://www.pcrs.ie/), plus a dispensing fee of between €3.50 and €5, then they should discuss the differential with their pharmacist to ensure they get the best possible price for the medicine concerned.
Finally, my Department has asked the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (the pharmacy regulator) to consider how to provide greater price transparency in retail pharmacies. This examination is ongoing.
137. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health the progress that has been made in the Health Service Executive west region since the introduction of standardised ambulance response times; the steps being taken to improve ambulance response times in the region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14709/14]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.
138. Deputy Ciara Conway asked the Minister for Health if he has given consideration to setting up a mechanism whereby accident and emergency fees could be paid via the local post office; if he will commit to examining this as a means of paying accident and emergency bills; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14703/14]
View answerThis proposal has been drawn to the attention of the Health Service Executive with a request that the HSE consider this matter and reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
139. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Health his plans to address the midwife shortage at Wexford General Hospital where the ratio of midwives to births stands at 1:47, which is significantly above the internationally recommended midwife to birth ratio of 1:29.5; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14903/14]
View answerThe HSE has the authority to appoint additional frontline staff to ensure the provision of safe care. While the numbers employed across the public service must be reduced in order to meet fiscal and budgetary targets, it is recognised that certain services, such as maternity, are demand led and require specialist staffing. Arrangements are in place in the HSE to allow the recruitment of such staff where it has been established that there is an urgent service requirement.
The Deputy may wish to note that a Midwifery Workforce Planning Project has been established within the HSE to examine the current levels of midwifery staffing and healthcare assistants and recommend appropriate staffing levels and or initiatives to improve skill mix. The Project Group recently held its first meeting; it is expected that the review, when finalised, will assist in determining the midwifery skill mix/workforce requirements in the future for Wexford General Hospital.
140. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health if submissions from the Irish Medical Organisation and individual general practitioners are being taken into account in the drafting of legislation to introduce free GP care for children under six years of age. [14704/14]
View answerA public consultation process commenced on 31st January last on the content and scope of a new GP contract to facilitate the provision of GP care, free at the point of use, for all children aged under six years of age. However, this consultation process does not relate to the legislation, which is currently being drafted, on foot of a Government decision, to provide the necessary legislative framework for the provision of GP care, free at the point of use, for all children aged five years of age and under. I expect the Bill to be published shortly.
141. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Taoiseach the position regarding the 1926 census (details supplied). [15059/14]
View answerThe Censuses of Population carried out between 1926 and 1991 were undertaken under the 1926 Statistics Act which did not permit access to Census records at any time. The Statistics Act, 1993 repealed the 1926 and 1946 Statistics Acts, and provided for the release of census forms from these censuses 100 years after the date of the relevant Census.
When the 100 years access was debated in the Seanad the view was expressed that this time period should be reduced to 75, or even 50 years. However, while the retrospective introduction of the 100 years exemption was seen by some as undermining the original guarantee given to householders, it was generally accepted that 100 years was a reasonable compromise given that relatively few people would still be alive after 100 years. I am satisfied that the timeframe provided for in the Statistics Act strikes the right balance between facilitating legitimate historical and genealogical research on the one hand, while protecting the confidentiality of census data and maintaining the integrity of CSO guarantees procedures.
142. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Taoiseach the number of persons employed in County Galway at the end of 2011, 2012 and 2013, respectively, both full-time and part-time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15096/14]
View answerThe exact information requested by the Deputy is not available. The Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) is the official source of estimates of employment in the State. Estimates of employment are produced at NUTS 3 Region level. Due to methodology and sample size it is not possible to produce reliable county level estimates from the QNHS. County Galway is part of the West NUTS3 Region.
The Q4 2013 estimates are the most recent QNHS figures available. The following table shows the number of employed (ILO) persons aged 15 years and over classified by the West NUTS3 Region and full-time and part-time employment for Q4 2011, 2012 and 2013. Persons aged 15 years and over in employment (ILO) classified by NUTS3 region (West) and full-time/part-time employment.
|
NUTS3 Region (West) |
Q4 2011 |
Q4 2012 |
Q4 2013 |
|
Full-time employment |
135.1 |
134.5 |
138.8 |
|
Part-time employment |
43.7 |
46.4 |
47.1 |
|
Total employment |
178.8 |
180.9 |
185.9 |
Source: Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS), Central Statistics Office, Ireland. Data may be subject to future revision.
Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values or estimates of change.
Reference period: q4=Oct-Dec.
143. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Taoiseach the instructions he gave the Secretary General of the Department of Justice and Equality before his meeting with the former Garda Commissioner, Martin Callinan. [15414/14]
View answerI have already outlined to the House how the Attorney General brought matters of very serious concern relating to An Garda Síochána to my attention on Sunday 23rd March and the action that I took as a consequence. On Monday 24 March, I asked the Secretary General of the Department of Justice and Equality to convey to the then Commissioner my deep concern about these matters, and the fact that I would be reporting them to the Cabinet and to the Dáil.
144. Deputy Eric Byrne asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position regarding the Ireland-Russia Joint Economic Commission; his views on same and the upcoming meeting in April; if it is envisaged that this meeting will go ahead in view of the unfolding events in Ukraine; the persons who are the members of the Ireland-Russia Joint Economic Commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14986/14]
View answerA session of the Russia-Ireland Joint Economic Commission (JEC) has been scheduled in Ireland on 8 April. The JEC, which gives impetus to important areas of bilateral cooperation with the Russian Federation in the fields of agriculture, transport, science and technology and others, will be co-chaired by Minister of State Joe Costello for Ireland and Deputy Minister Travnikov on the Russian side. The other participants are officials drawn from various Government Departments, State Agencies and Russian Ministries with specialist knowledge and expertise in the different sectors discussed in the JEC's working groups. The meeting will also provide us with another opportunity to restate our concerns on the crisis in Ukraine to Russia.
Since there is no Council decision on such meetings or on the imposition of economic or trade sanctions, at this stage, we would envisage proceeding as planned. In view of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, however we are keeping matters under review and are engaged in the continuing discussions with our partners in Brussels.
145. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of hours overtime worked by staff of the Passport Office in 2011, 2012 and 2013; the cost associated with this overtime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15285/14]
View answerThe following is a summary of the overtime hours worked in the Passport Offices in Molesworth Street, Balbriggan and Cork for the years 2011, 2012 and 2013 and the salary costs associated with those overtime hours.
|
Year |
Hours |
Cost |
|
2011 |
27600 |
€762,118.78 |
|
2012 |
8212 |
€228,723.88 |
|
2013 |
775 |
€86,871.33 |
In recent years the Department has made strenuous efforts to reduce its overtime bill, particularly in the Passport Service, and it will be noted from the figures that there has been a substantial reduction on overtime costs between 2011 and 2013. This has been achieved in the face of record levels of demand in 2012 and with continuing reductions in full-time staff. The achievement of savings in overtime costs has resulted from a number of factors, including the streamlining of existing arrangements for processing of applications at the public counters and the introduction of a scheduled appointment service. The old system for processing applications at public counters was a particularly time-consuming and staff-intensive feature of the service.
Other changes have been introduced with regard to acceptance of applications by ordinary post which had a high rejection rate and consequently more processing time and cost. This change has resulted in greater use of the Passport Express service provided by An Post and this has also contributed to efficiencies. A further significant change has been the earlier deployment of temporary staff for seasonal demand. This has resulted in better levels of efficiency and productivity being achieved in dealing with the summer peak period.
The following revised table was received on 6 May 2014
|
Year |
Hours |
Cost |
|
2011 |
27600 |
€762,118.78 |
|
2012 |
8212 |
€228,723.88 |
|
2013 |
3787 |
€86,871.33 |
146. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of cases of alleged or suspected misappropriation being investigated against members of staff at the Passport Office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15286/14]
View answerA joint Passport Office and Garda Síochána investigation is currently taking place into the alleged fraudulent issuing of genuine Irish passports. As the Garda investigations are at an advanced stage, and with the Gardaí currently interviewing in relation to the matters of concern, I am unable to provide detailed comments at this time.
147. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on the policy of sanctions agreed at the Brussels EU summit meeting in respect of Russia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14766/14]
View answer148. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will set out the circumstances under which the Government will support increased sanctions against Russia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14767/14]
View answer149. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if any of those Russian citizens against whom sanctions have been applied by the European Union are known to have interests here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14769/14]
View answer150. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is concerned at developments in Ukraine; if he will discuss this issue with other EU leaders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10348/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 147 to 150, inclusive, together.
At its meeting on 20-21 March, the European Council held a comprehensive discussion on the situation in Ukraine. The Taoiseach, who attended the European Council, has already reported to this House on those discussions and on the decisions of the Heads of State and Government. The European Council adopted a strong message of support to Ukraine and agreed on a number of concrete measures in that regard. It called for rapid agreement on macro-financial assistance to Ukraine and underlined that an agreement with the IMF is critical to enable this assistance. I am pleased to say that the IMF has since announced a standby assistance package worth between $14 and $18 billion. EU Member States have agreed to coordinate their positions in the IMF regarding the conditions for assistance to Ukraine.
As a sign of the Union's support for, and solidarity with the people and government of Ukraine, the EU leaders also signed the political provisions of the Association Agreement with Ukraine. The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Arseniy Yatseniuk, signed on behalf of his country. In its Conclusions, the European Council commended the measured response shown so far by Ukraine and welcomed the government's commitment to ensure the representative nature and inclusiveness of governmental structures, reflecting regional diversity, to ensure the full protection of the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, to undertake constitutional reform, to investigate all human rights violations and acts of violence and to fight extremism. In this context, the EU encouraged the government of Ukraine to ensure that the Presidential election on 25 May will be free and fair.
The European Council strongly condemned the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol to the Russian Federation and made clear that the Union would not recognise it. The European Council was clear that there is no place for the use of force and coercion to change borders in Europe in the 21st century. The Russian actions are in clear breach of the Helsinki process, which in the past 40 years has contributed to overcoming divisions in Europe and building a peaceful and united continent. In view of the absence of any steps towards de-escalation, the Heads of State and Government decided on an extension of the visa ban and asset freeze and cancelled the next EU-Russia summit which had been scheduled to take place in Sochi in June.
While remaining open for dialogue, the European Council recalled in its Conclusions that any further steps by the Russian Federation to destabilise the situation in Ukraine would lead to additional and far reaching consequences for relations in a broad range of economic areas between the European Union and its Member States, on the one hand, and the Russian Federation, on the other hand. In this respect, the European Council asked the Commission and the Member States to prepare possible targeted measures. In the meantime, the European Council has asked the Commission to evaluate the legal consequences of the annexation of Crimea and to propose economic, trade and financial restrictions regarding Crimea for rapid implementation.
The question of the nature and scope of sanctions is always a complex and difficult issue and, as the Taoiseach said in Brussels, inevitably will have negative economic consequences for the EU, including Ireland, as well as for Russia. It is only right, therefore, that we prepare such decisions carefully and we have tasked the Commission accordingly. Ireland is engaged in the continuing discussions with our partners in Brussels on this matter.
In relation to the Deputy's question regarding those Russian citizens against whom sanctions have been applied by the European Union, it would not be appropriate to comment on any individuals. I can assure the Deputy, however, that Ireland is complying with its obligations. While the EU Regulations concerned have direct effect in Ireland, it is necessary to introduce secondary legislation provisions to create the necessary offences and penalties which are to apply and these are currently being drafted.
151. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he or his departmental officials attend Export Trade Council meetings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10482/14]
View answerMy Department has responsibility for the Export Trade Council, which I chair, and which works to strengthen cooperation and coordination across all Government Departments and State agencies involved in the promotion and development of trade, tourism and investment and to oversee the coordination and implementation of the Government Trade, Tourism and Investment Strategy. I have chaired every meeting of the Export Trade Council since its inception in 2011 accompanied by officials from my Department. The Secretariat to the Council is provided by the Trade and Promotion Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The membership of the Export Trade Council consists of the Ministers for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation; Agriculture, Food and the Marine; Transport, Tourism and Sport and the Minister of State for Trade and Development; senior officials from other Government Departments/offices (Department of the Taoiseach; Department of Education and Skills; Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht; Revenue Commissioners) as well as the heads of Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Bord Bia, Tourism Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland and representatives of the private sector, including IBEC and the Irish Exporters Association.
152. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has spoken to the First Minister and or Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland regarding the recently announced judicial review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12778/14]
View answerThe two Governments made an undertaking to advance schemes to deal with On the Runs (OTRs) in both jurisdictions at Weston Park in July 2001 and in the Joint Declaration of April 2003. Following the Weston Park Agreement, the British government set up an administrative scheme to deal with OTRs. While the Government was not directly involved in the establishment of this scheme, nor was a similar scheme established in this jurisdiction, we would see the administrative scheme for OTRs established by the British government as a natural progression from the agreement made at Weston Park.
On 27 February Prime Minister Cameron announced that he would appoint a judge to provide an independent review of the OTRs scheme in light of the errors identified in the John Downey case. The terms of reference of the review are:
- to produce a full public account of the operation and extent of the administrative scheme for OTRs
- to determine whether any letters sent through the scheme contained errors
- to make recommendations as necessary on this or related matters that are drawn to the attention of the inquiry
On 11 March, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Theresa Villiers announced further details relating to the scheme. The review will be chaired by Lady Justice Hallett, with a view to completing the review by the end of May 2014, and no later than the end of June. It is intended that the review itself will be published. Lady Justice Hallett has made clear that she will be both independent and impartial in carrying out her task. This is, of course, an independent judge-led review.
I continue to maintain regular and ongoing contact with not only the First Minister and deputy First Minister but with the other Party Leaders in the context of the ongoing political talks. I will continue to emphasise the need for a successful conclusion to these talks, and the need to deal with the legacy of the past in a meaningful and comprehensive manner.
153. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the actions he has taken to progress the completion of the Haass talks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15252/14]
View answerI met with the Secretary of State most recently on 31 March 2014 to discuss the current political talks and how to take forward the compromise proposals on contentious issues facing Northern Ireland. We welcomed last week's resumption of the talks between Party Leaders and we reaffirmed that we wish to see the Northern Ireland Parties reach agreement without further delay.
In the meantime our officials have been working together to ensure the two governments provide the closest possible support to the talks process. I have made clear to all participants and stakeholders that there is now a unique opportunity to make further progress. I will continue my engagement with the Northern Ireland Political Parties and the British Government to that end.
