Written Answers Nos. 199-205
199. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding an appointment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17151/14]
View answerIn relation to the particular patient query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to him directly.
200. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Health if he will consider extending the counselling in primary care service to non-medical card holders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17158/14]
View answerIn 2012, €5m was made available from the special allocation of €35m for mental health to initiate the provision of psychological and counselling services in primary care, specifically for people with mental health problems who are eligible under the General Medical Services Scheme. A further additional €2.5m was provided in 2013 for the continued roll-out of this service from the special allocation for mental health.
The Counselling in Primary Care Service (CIPC), launched in July 2013, is a new national service which will improve access for people to counselling in a primary care setting. At full capacity, CIPC will be able to deliver short term counselling to approx. 13,000 people over a full year. Medical card holders aged 18 and over who are referred by their GP or other member of the primary care team can have up to 8 counselling sessions to address mild to moderate psychological difficulties.
I have no plans to extend this Service to include people who are not eligible under the General Medical Services Scheme.
201. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health his response to statements made recently on behalf of the drinks industry leaders calling for a collaborative approach in addressing alcohol consumption levels here; if he will provide an update on the progress on its priorities for tackling alcohol abuse here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17164/14]
View answerAs the Deputy might be aware, in 2009 the Department of Health established a Steering Group to advise Ministers on a new Substance Misuse Strategy. The Group included cross-departmental and cross-sectoral representation in order to effectively reflect a whole-population approach. The Steering Group comprised representatives from relevant Departments and agencies, medical professional bodies, the community and voluntary sectors and the alcohol industry. The Group published its report in 2012 and the two representatives of the alcohol industry, the Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland (ABFI) and Mature Enjoyment of Alcohol in Society Ltd (MEAS), published separate minority reports at the same time.
Last year Government has approved an extensive package of measures to deal with alcohol misuse to be incorporated in a Public Health (Alcohol) Bill. These measures are based on the recommendations contained in the Steering Group Report on a National Substance Misuse Strategy , 2012. The package of measures to be implemented will include provision for minimum unit pricing, regulation of the marketing and advertising of alcohol, regulation of sports sponsorship, structural separation of alcohol from other products in mixed trading outlets and labelling of alcohol products. Work on developing a framework for the necessary Department of Health legislation is continuing. It is hoped to publish a General Scheme of a Bill in the coming months.
As I mentioned earlier, this work is based on the recommendations of the Steering Group Report, in which the alcohol industry was represented. However, its is for my Department, with the assistance of the Office of the Attorney General and in conjunction with other relevant Departments, to draft legislation to implement the Government decision. In this regard, the alcohol industry seeks a role for itself in public health policy areas that extends far beyond their role as producers and retailers of alcohol. They, like all other relevant stakeholders, will have an opportunity to put forward their views during the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill.
The Government decision also endorsed the other recommendations in the Report of the Steering Group on a Substance Misuse Strategy. My Department has written to the lead Departments and Agencies requesting them to commence work on the implementation of these recommendations. The Health Service Executive has responsibility for implementing a number of these recommendations and this is reflected in their service plan for 2014.
202. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health the position regarding entitlement to home help hours in respect of a person, details supplied, in County Limerick; the reason for a reduction in hours; and if the decision will be reviewed. [17167/14]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
203. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health the number of persons on the waiting list for the purchase of new aids and appliances in Roscommon and Galway PCCC, respectively; the corresponding figure for those on the prioritised list; the cost of purchasing the aids and appliances on each list; the total budget in each PCCC for aids and appliances in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17168/14]
View answerThe HSE is responsible for the administration of primary care schemes, therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
204. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the current interest rate applied to applicants for the medical card who are over 70. [17172/14]
View answerIn the case of the special assessment process for persons aged 70 years and over, savings or investment amounts up to €36,000 for a single person and €72,000 for couples are disregarded for assessment purposes.
For savings or investments amounts over these limits, a notional rate of interest will be applied to determine the amount to be taken into account as income for assessment purposes. The notional rate is currently 2.3%. with effect from 1st January 2014.
Alternatively, a medical card applicant may opt to have the actual income in interest received from the financial institution applied for the purpose of means assessment. The applicant must provide a certificate of interest paid in the last full calendar year.
In respect of fixed term or long term savings products where interest is applied after a fixed number of years, and if the applicant so wishes, the HSE can take account of the interest earned in the year of maturity of the investment or can apply the notional rate to determine the income.
205. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health if a complainant, either a service user, employee or a member of the public, is entitled to know the outcome of an investigation under the Health Service Executive's internal disciplinary procedure for employees where his or her complaint has been the reason for the investigation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17174/14]
View answerAs this is an operational matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
