Michael Healy-Rae
Question:592. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health when the vacant consultant positions at Kerry general hospital will be filled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49764/14]
View answerHospital Consultant Remuneration
Questions (592)
Written answers
As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland
Questions (593)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:593. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the proposed increase in the registration charge for nurses and midwives from €100 to €150; his views that it is unfair to impose this increase and that the level of payment should stay at €100 for the next five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1000/15]
View answerWritten answers
A new Nurses and Midwives Act was passed into legislation in 2011. The Act provides, inter alia, for the protection of the public in its dealings with nurses and midwives and the enhancement of their high standards of professional education and competencies. The Department of Health is responsible for oversight of the governance of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). The Department has no role in setting or approving registration fees.
The Board is an independent body, answerable to the Oireachtas, with the responsibility to ensure that it has the financial capacity to undertake all its legal obligations. The cost of enacting the additional requirements under the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011 was set out in the Regulatory Impact Analysis that was carried out prior to the enactment of the legislation. These costs include an enhanced regulatory process with supporting systems for continued professional development and certain education and training requirements for the professions.
It was also made clear at the time of the legislation that the Board would continue to be self-funding and needed to plan and cost how it would fulfil its legal obligations. Following detailed negotiations with the Executive and Board members in 2013 it was agreed in October 2013 that an initial once-off sum of €1.6m would be granted by the Department to the Board to cover 2013/2014 costs, but that the Board would have to increase its income in 2015 to undertake its commitments in the legislation. The Board of the NMBI made the decision to increase the annual registration fee at its meeting on 17th September, 2014.
The Department of Health has responsibility for the oversight and governance of the NMBI Board but has no role in the setting or approval of fees, so any resolution must come about through discussions between the NMBI and the staff associations. I am monitoring the situation closely and I have asked both sides to reach a satisfactory resolution as soon as possible.
Hospital Appointments Administration
Questions (594)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:594. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a lumbar test in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1001/15]
View answerWritten answers
The scheduling of appointments for patients is a matter for the hospital to which the patient has been referred. Should a patient's general practitioner consider that the patient's condition warrants an earlier appointment, he or she would be in the best position to take the matter up with the consultant and hospital involved. In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up with them.
Hospital Waiting Lists
Questions (595)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:595. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding an operation to remove cataracts in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1002/15]
View answerWritten answers
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, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up with them.
Medical Card Applications
Questions (596)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:596. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a medical card application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1003/15]
View answerWritten answers
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.
If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office who will follow up the matter with them.
Disability Allowance Payments
Questions (597)
Clare Daly
Question:597. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons in receipt of a top-up payment from disability services as they are in units in nursing homes where the weekly cost is in excess of the fair deal limit, due to the specialised nature of the care involved. [1004/15]
View answerWritten answers
As the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, she can contact my Private Office and they will follow the matter up with the HSE.
Departmental Bodies Data
Questions (598)
Patrick O'Donovan
Question:598. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Health the number of agencies quangos or other bodies within, funded by, or established by his Department which have been scrapped, merged or reduced since this Government was formed; the amount saved in each case; the reduction in staff as a result; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1016/15]
View answerWritten answers
Four bodies, National Council for the Professional Development of Nursing and Midwifery, National Social Workers Qualifications Board, Children Acts Advisory Board and the Drug Treatment Centre Board have been dissolved since March 2011.
The extent of savings varied between organisations and the majority of staff were redeployed to other public service bodies. Efficiencies resulted from economies of scale and the elimination of duplication in areas such as recruitment, procurement, payroll and ICT systems. Savings also arose from the dissolution of Agency boards, some of which attracted payment of travel and subsistence and/or board fees.
Decentralisation Programme Data
Questions (599)
Patrick O'Donovan
Question:599. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Health the agencies or sections from his Department that were decentralised during the period 1997 to 2011; and the travel costs and expenses incurred by decentralised personnel travelling to their base Department in that period. [1031/15]
View answerWritten answers
The only agency or section of the Department that was decentralised during the period 1997 to 2011 was the General Registrars Office which was decentralised from Department Offices in Lombard Street in Dublin 2 to Roscommon in April 2005. A total of €49,151.25 was spent between 1997 and 2011 on travel costs and expenses incurred by the staff involved in that decentralisation during the period.
General Practitioner Services Provision
Questions (600)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:600. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding local general practitioners here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1046/15]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
Audiology Services Provision
Questions (601)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:601. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a hearing aid in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1051/15]
View answerWritten answers
The Health Service Executive Community Audiology service administers and monitors hearing tests for adults who are at risk for hearing loss. Appointments for the audiology service are sent in a strict chronology according to clinical priorities and date of receipt of referral. The HSE has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to you as soon as possible. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
Ambulance Service Response Times
Questions (602)
Thomas P. Broughan
Question:602. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 146 of 27 November 2014, if he will indicate precisely, after a road traffic collision has taken place and a call is made to the emergency services, when the fire service is alerted by the National Ambulance Service control centre requesting support from that service to attend to a road traffic collision; and if such a request for support is made after an ambulance has arrived at the scene of a collision or if the request is made as soon as the NAS control centre is notified of the collision. [1055/15]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.
Hospital Waiting Lists
Questions (603)
Paul Murphy
Question:603. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 24; when they may expect a tonsil operation in Tallaght hospital, Dublin 24; and his views on the waiting lists for tonsil surgery in Tallaght hospital. [1072/15]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up with them.
Long-Term Illness Scheme Eligibility
Questions (604)
Mary Lou McDonald
Question:604. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) was refused a long-term illness scheme; if he will add Leukodystrophy 4H syndrome onto the long-term illness scheme in view of the seriousness of this syndrome and the fact that there is only one recorded diagnosis of this rare condition in the State. [1083/15]
View answerWritten answers
The Long Term Illness (LTI) Scheme was established under Section 59(3) of the Health Act, 1970 (as amended). Regulations were made in 1971, 1973 and 1975 specifying the conditions covered by the LTI Scheme, which are as follows: Acute Leukaemia; Mental handicap; Cerebral Palsy; Mental Illness (in a person under 16); Cystic Fibrosis; Multiple Sclerosis; Diabetes Insipidus; Muscular Dystrophies; Diabetes Mellitus; Parkinsonism; Epilepsy; Phenylketonuria; Haemophilia; Spina Bifida; Hydrocephalus; and conditions arising from the use of Thalidomide. There are no plans to extend the list of conditions covered by the LTI Scheme.
Under the Drug Payment Scheme, no individual or family pays more than €144 per calendar month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines. The scheme significantly reduces the cost burden for families and individuals incurring ongoing expenditure on medicines.
Under the provisions of the Health Acts, medical cards are provided to persons who are, in the opinion of the HSE, unable without undue hardship to arrange GP services for themselves and their dependants. In the assessment process, the HSE can take into account medical costs incurred by an individual or a family.
Health Services Provision
Questions (605)
John McGuinness
Question:605. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health the action his Department or the Health Service Executive has taken to date in 2015 to resolve the issues raised by a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny regarding their care while in the psychiatric services in County Kilkenny; if the information sought by them has been granted in full; if he will expedite the matter as the ongoing issues are having a negative effect on their health. [1093/15]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service issue this question has been referred to the HSE for direct response. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland
Questions (606)
Michael McCarthy
Question:606. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Health his views on the registration fees for nurses charged by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland in view of the fact that the fee has risen sharply in the past number of years; if he is satisfied that this is reasonable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1095/15]
View answerWritten answers
A new Nurses and Midwives Act was passed into legislation in 2011. The Act provides, inter alia, for the protection of the public in its dealings with nurses and midwives and the enhancement of their high standards of professional education and competencies. The Department of Health is responsible for oversight of the governance of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). The Department has no role in setting or approving registration fees.
The Board is an independent body, answerable to the Oireachtas, with the responsibility to ensure that it has the financial capacity to undertake all its legal obligations. The cost of enacting the additional requirements under the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011 was set out in the Regulatory Impact Analysis that was carried out prior to the enactment of the legislation. These costs include an enhanced regulatory process with supporting systems for continued professional development and certain education and training requirements for the professions.
It was also made clear at the time of the legislation that the Board would continue to be self-funding and needed to plan and cost how it would fulfil its legal obligations. Following detailed negotiations with the Executive and Board members in 2013 it was agreed in October 2013 that an initial once-off sum of €1.6m would be granted by the Department to the Board to cover 2013/2014 costs, but that the Board would have to increase its income in 2015 to undertake its commitments in the legislation. The Board of the NMBI made the decision to increase the annual registration fee at its meeting on 17th September, 2014.
The Department of Health has responsibility for the oversight and governance of the NMBI Board but has no role in the setting or approval of fees, so any resolution must come about through discussions between the NMBI and the staff associations. I am monitoring the situation closely and I have asked both sides to reach a satisfactory resolution as soon as possible.
Hospital Waiting Lists
Questions (607)
John McGuinness
Question:607. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if an early date will be set for an operation at Waterford Regional Hospital in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny. [1096/15]
View answerWritten answers
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, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up with them.
General Practitioner Co-operatives
Questions (608)
Billy Kelleher
Question:608. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the average waiting time for a North Doc home visit in 2014; the shortest and longest waiting times in 2014; the service target waiting time in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1097/15]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
Ambulance Service Provision
Questions (609)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:609. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a Health Service Executive review of the ambulance service in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1106/15]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.