Thursday, 3 Jul 2014

Written Answers Nos 201-220

Hospital Appointments Administration

Questions (201)

Arthur Spring

Question:

201. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health his plans to appoint a paediatric endocrinologist to Kerry General Hospital. [28853/14]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.

Hospital Staff

Questions (202)

Arthur Spring

Question:

202. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health his plans to appoint a paediatric diabetes nurse specialist to Kerry General Hospital. [28854/14]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.

Hospital Staff

Questions (203)

Arthur Spring

Question:

203. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health his plans to appoint additional consultant endocrinologists to Cork University Hospital. [28855/14]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.

Medical Aids and Appliances Provision

Questions (204)

Arthur Spring

Question:

204. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Health his plans to include a diabetic treatment medical device called the I-Port Advance to the updated GMS scheme or the long-term illness scheme. [28856/14]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

The Health Service Executive (HSE) is responsible for the administration of the primary care schemes, therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Question No. 205 answered with Question No. 183.

Legislative Measures

Questions (206)

Róisín Shortall

Question:

206. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the target month for the signing of new regulation updating the misuse of drugs regulations to deal with the pressing problem of the street trading of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs. [28869/14]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

The Misuse of Drugs Regulations, made under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977, are the primary legislative instrument regulating the import, export, manufacture, production, prescribing, supply, possession and administration of controlled drugs.

Draft amendment Regulations were prepared following extensive consultation with key stakeholders and were placed on the Department’s website inviting further comment by early September 2013. The proposed draft Regulations constitute a major amendment to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations. Over 90 submissions were received from a wide range of organisations and individuals. Work is ongoing on the drafting of these regulations. This process is taking longer than anticipated because it is a complex and technical body of work. The regulations will be finalised as soon as possible.

Hospital Appointments Administration

Questions (207)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

207. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if a date for an appointment for a MRI scan will be provided to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28871/14]

Written answers

Minister for Health

The scheduling of appointments for patients is a matter for the hospital to which the patient has been referred. In relation to the specific case raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.

Question No. 208 answered with Question No. 183.

General Practitioner Services

Questions (209)

Timmy Dooley

Question:

209. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Health the current status of a GP service in Feakle, County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28877/14]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.

Hospital Appointments Administration

Questions (210)

Seán Fleming

Question:

210. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health when an operation will be carried out on a person (details supplied) in County Carlow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28881/14]

Written answers

Minister for Health

The National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2014, 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 Health Service Executive, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.

In relation to the particular query raised by the Deputy, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to him on this matter.

National Treatment Purchase Fund Waiting Times

Questions (211)

Billy Kelleher

Question:

211. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the reason the national treatment purchase fund monthly waiting list report for April 2014 was not published at the same time as the Health Service Executive performance report for that month in view of his statement in a response to a Parliamentary Question on 26 November last that both sets of reports will be published at the same time in future [28883/14]

Written answers

Minister for Health

It is general practice for the NTPF monthly reports to be published to coincide with the monthly HSE Performance Assurance Reports and this usually occurs the third week of each month. However in this instance, the HSE Performance Assurance report was published first. It is the intention of both the HSE and NTPF to publish reports simultaneously however this is not always possible due to ongoing data cleansing/validation and current IT technical capabilities.

Question No. 212 answered with Question No. 183.

Proposed Legislation

Questions (213)

Kevin Humphreys

Question:

213. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on progress on the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill; the provisions it will cover; when it will be introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28891/14]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

The 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 and is hoped to publish a General Scheme of a Bill shortly.

Health Services Funding

Questions (214)

Billy Kelleher

Question:

214. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delay with providing funding for the support of lobe dementia patients (details supplied). [28896/14]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

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.

Mobility Allowance Decision

Questions (215)

Martin Heydon

Question:

215. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Health his plans to review the current driving concessions available for persons with disabilities and who require assistance and support with driving; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28903/14]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

Conscious of the reports of the Ombudsman regarding its legal status in the context of the Equal Status Acts, the Government decided to close both the Motorised Transport Grant and the Mobility Allowance schemes to new applicants in February 2013. On 26th November 2013, the Government decided to assign to the Minister for Health, the responsibility for the development of a new statutory travel payment scheme. The Department of Health is working to develop proposals on foot of the Government's decision.

If the Deputy is referring to any plans to review the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Tax Concessions Scheme operated by the Revenue Commissioners, he should enquire of the Minister for Finance in this regard. In addition the Disabled Parking Scheme comes under the Road Traffic Regulations of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.

Legislative Measures

Questions (216)

Mick Wallace

Question:

216. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Health if he has received a report from the Health Service Executive on the operation of Chapter 2 of the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013, as required under section 15 of the Act; his views on whether the reporting requirements contained in sections 15 and 20 of the Act constitute an unnecessary level of ministerial and parliamentary scrutiny that no other area of health area is subject to; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28904/14]

Written answers

Minister for Health

Section 15 and Section 20 of the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act provides that I, as the Minister for Health, must publish a report covering the operation of the Act in the preceding year by 30th June each year and lay it before the Houses of the Oireachtas. As the Act was commenced on the 1st January 2014, the first annual report covering its operation will be published in June 2015. The provisions of Section 15 and Section 20 of the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act were passed by the Houses of the Oireachtas in 2013.

Legislative Measures

Questions (217, 218, 219)

Mick Wallace

Question:

217. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Health if the clinical guidance document to assist health professionals in the implementation of the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 includes a clinically relevant standard for assessing real and substantial risk to life and distinguishing such risk from a risk to health; if doctors will be required under the 2013 Act to wait until a woman’s health deteriorates to the point where their life is at risk; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28905/14]

Mick Wallace

Question:

218. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Health if the clinical guidance document to assist health professionals in the implementation of the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 includes a clear referral pathway for women, who seek treatment under section 7 of the Act because of a risk to life arising from physical health which is not imminent and not inevitable, and for their general practitioners, crisis pregnancy counsellors or other service providers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28906/14]

Mick Wallace

Question:

219. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Health if the clinical guidance document to assist health professionals in the implementation of the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 includes a referral pathway for the continuing care of women who seek treatment under section 7 of the Act because of physical health risk, section 8 for emergency care or section 9 where the risk is due to mental health issues and are refused such treatment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28907/14]

Written answers

Minister for Health

I propose to take Questions Nos. 217 to 219, inclusive, together.

The Guidance Document has been developed to assist health professionals in operating the Act when providing care to pregnant women with life threatening conditions. The document identifies specific referral pathways for the implementation of different sections of the Act as well as setting out the roles and responsibilities of the different health professionals that might be involved in the care of a patient in relevant circumstances.

The relevant professional bodies continue to be responsible for issuing clinical guidelines to their members in relation to medical conditions that might be relevant to the Act as required.

Medical Card Applications

Questions (220)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

220. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health when a medical card will be approved in the case of persons (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28938/14]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

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.