Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 4 February 2015
105. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the progress that has been made to date on the mechanism to deal with health care for survivors of the Magdalen laundries who live overseas, as referred to by her on 24 September 2014. [5103/15]
View answer107. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if private general practitioner services will be made available to survivors of the Magdalen laundries under the provisions of the Redress for Women Resident in Certain Institutions Bill 2014. [5106/15]
View answer108. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if any and all prescribed drugs including high-tech drugs, medicines, aids and appliances, will be made available to survivors of the Magdalen laundries under the provisions of the Redress for Women Resident in Certain Institutions Bill 2014, or if provision of drugs, medicines, aids and appliances will be restricted to the reimbursement list within the meaning of the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, as stated in the Bill as originally published; and if the latter is the case, the types of drugs, medicines, aids and appliances that will consequently not be made available to these women. [5107/15]
View answer109. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if any and all chiropody and podiatry services from any qualified chiropodist or podiatrist, including those in private practice, will be made available to survivors of the Magdalen laundries under the provisions of the Redress for Women Resident in Certain Institutions Bill 2014 without the need for a general practitioner’s referral. [5108/15]
View answer110. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if complementary therapies, including massage, reflexology, acupuncture, aroma therapy or hydrotherapy, once referred by a general practitioner, will be made available to survivors of the Magdalen laundries under the provisions of the Redress for Women Resident in Certain Institutions Bill 2014; if not, if in making this decision, she has considered the international medical evidence in relation to massage therapy and acupuncture in particular; and if consideration has been provided to the international scientific evidence in relation to the use of aroma therapy specifically in the counselling treatment of survivors of physical and-or sexual abuse. [5109/15]
View answer111. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if counselling, including psychological and psychotherapy services, from any professionally accredited counsellor will be made available to survivors of the Magdalen laundries and their immediate relatives under the provisions of the Redress for Women Resident In Certain Institutions Bill 2014, without restriction or limit on the number of sessions attended and without the need for general practitioner referral. [5110/15]
View answer112. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if comprehensive dental care, including access to private dentists not within the dental treatment services scheme available to medical card holders, will be made available to survivors of the Magdalen laundries under the provisions of the Redress for Women Resident In Certain Institutions Bill 2014. [5111/15]
View answer113. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if, where necessary services are not available within the public health service, audiology services from private practitioners will be made available to survivors of the Magdalen laundries under the provisions of the Redress for Women Resident In Certain Institutions Bill 2014. [5112/15]
View answer114. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if dedicated liaison officers, such as those available to HAA cardholders to help obtain optimum home nursing and home support services, will be made available to survivors of the Magdalen laundries under the provisions of the Redress for Women Resident In Certain Institutions Bill 2014. [5113/15]
View answer115. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if enhanced ophthalmic services provided to HAA cardholders, will be made available to survivors of the Magdalen laundries under the provisions of the Redress for Women Resident In Certain Institutions Bill 2014, or if these survivor will be restricted to those ophthalmic services already available to medical card holders. [5114/15]
View answer116. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if private physiotherapy services will be made available to survivors of the Magdalen laundries under the provisions of the Redress for Women Resident In Certain Institutions Bill 2014. [5115/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 105 and 105 to 116, inclusive, together.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Redress for Women Resident in Certain Institutions Bill 2014, which was published by the Minister for Justice, completed Second Stage in the Dáil last week. The Committee Stage of the debate is scheduled to commence today.
It is anticipated that the Bill, which provides, inter alia, for health services to be made available without charge to participants in the redress scheme, will continue its passage through both Houses over the coming weeks. The final provisions of the Bill will be determined in the course of the Oireachtas debate.
It will be a matter for the HSE to decide on the practical arrangements to be put in place for access to health services for participants living in the State and abroad when the legislation is in place. These arrangements are currently being considered by the HSE.
