Terence Flanagan
Question:200. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in the appointment of a doctor (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6515/15]
View answerHealth Services
Questions (200)
Written 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.
Health Insurance Levy
Questions (201)
Michael McGrath
Question:201. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health the amount raised from the levy on private medical insurance policies each year in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014; the rates of payment, for different categories of insured person, under the scheme; and the amounts paid to each of the medical insurers. [6534/15]
View answerWritten answers
The interim scheme of Age-Related Tax Credits and Community Rating Levy (ARTC) was in operation from 2009-2012. The Department of Finance has advised that the total Stamp Duty levied on health insurance products for the specified years is as follows:
|
YEAR |
ARTC SCHEME |
|
2011 |
€347m |
|
2012 |
€437m |
The interim scheme was replaced by a permanent Risk Equalisation Scheme from 1 January 2013. Stamp duty levies payable on policies commencing or renewing on or after 1 January 2013 are paid by registered undertakings to the Office of the Revenue Commissioners and transferred to the Risk Equalisation Scheme (RES) Fund, administered by the Health Insurance Authority (HIA). The Department of Finance has confirmed the figures for 2013 and 2014 as follows:
|
YEAR |
RISK EQUALISATION SCHEME |
|
2013 |
€413m |
|
2014 |
€413m |
The Community Rating Levy for the years in question are shown in the following table:
|
Year |
Rate (Under 18) |
Rate (over 18) |
|
2014 (from 1 March 2014 to 28 February 2015) |
€100 (non-advanced cover) €135 (advanced cover) |
€290 (non-advanced cover) €399 (advanced cover) |
|
2013 (from 31 March 2013 to 28 February 2014) |
€100 (non-advanced cover) €120 (advanced cover) |
€290 (non-advanced cover) €350 (advanced cover) |
|
2012/Q1 2013 |
€95 |
€285 |
|
2011 |
€66 |
€205 |
The age-related credits provided under the scheme amounted to €333m in 2011 and €436m in 2012. The HIA's published figures for the scheme in 2013 show that the RES credits paid to insurers by the RES Fund was €299.42m, plus €112.58 balance from the ARTC scheme, giving a total of €412m. The amounts paid to individual insurers is commercially sensitive information, however it may be available in the published accounts of the individual insurers. The comparable figures for 2014 will be included in the RES Fund accounts which will be published by the Health Insurance Authority in mid-2015.
Tobacco Control Measures
Questions (202)
Finian McGrath
Question:202. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the report on Australian youth smoking habits in the years 2010 to 2013; and if so, his views on this report [6545/15]
View answerWritten answers
I assume the Deputy is referring to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s National Drug Strategy Household Survey detailed report 2013, published last November. The report has been misrepresented in some quarters, quoting a finding that between 2010 and 2013 there appeared to be a slight rise in the proportion of people aged 12–17 smoking daily. However, the report itself points out that this increase in daily smoking was not statistically significant and that the trend for those aged 12–17 should be interpreted with caution due to a high relative standard error.
I find the report hugely encouraging in that it found that in Australia, 95% of 12-17 year olds have never smoked. Of greater importance was the finding that there has been a statistically significant decrease in daily smokers aged 14 years or older in Australia, falling from 16.6% in 2007, 15.1% in 2010 to 12.8% in 2013.
The protection of children is one of the main themes of Tobacco Free Ireland. Ireland has also experienced a decrease in the numbers of children smoking in recent years. The Irish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Survey (2010) found that 27% of children reported that they had ever smoked tobacco - a decrease of nine percentage points since the 2006 Survey, in which 36% of children reported that they had ever smoked. In the survey, 12% of children aged 10-17 reported that they were current smokers; which again represents a decrease since the figure of 15% recorded in 2006.
The year 2025 has been identified as the date on which Ireland will become tobacco free, i.e. with a smoking prevalence of 5% or less. It is anticipated that the recommendations made in Tobacco Free Ireland will make a significant contribution to achieving this target.
Home Help Service Provision
Questions (203)
Bernard Durkan
Question:203. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if basic home help hours will be awarded in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6563/15]
View answerWritten 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.
Hospital Appointments Administration
Questions (204)
Bernard Durkan
Question:204. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if it will be possible to facilitate an early hospital appointment and attention in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6564/15]
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 (205)
Willie Penrose
Question:205. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Health the steps he will take to have a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath admitted to the Eye and Ear Hospital, Dublin 2, to have a necessary procedure carried out, as they are suffering significant difficulties in respect of their ongoing medical complaint; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6574/15]
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.
State Visits
Questions (206)
Clare Daly
Question:206. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide details of Irish State, ministerial, Minister of State and any other official State visits which are planned to Israel and-or Palestine this year. [6372/15]
View answerWritten answers
I will myself be visiting Israel and Palestine, as well as Lebanon and Jordan, next week. Minister of State Sherlock is planning a visit later in the year to see how Irish development and humanitarian funding is employed in the region, but no dates have yet been decided upon. I am not at this point aware of other visits to Israel or Palestine.
Mental Health Awareness
Questions (207)
Colm Keaveney
Question:207. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will consider flying the Amber Flag from his Department buildings, on a chosen day, in order to raise awareness of the Amber Flag programme, which works to raise awareness of mental health issues within second level schools, sports clubs and youth organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6431/15]
View answerWritten answers
The National Flag and the flag of the European Union are flown daily at Iveagh House. It is not the practice of my Department to fly other flags except on the occasion of a State Visit to Ireland when the flag of the visiting country is also flown from Iveagh House.
Passport Services
Questions (208)
Robert Troy
Question:208. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide permission for the passport office to release a copy of a birth certificate in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath to this Deputy. [6481/15]
View answerWritten answers
As provided for under data protection legislation my Department will release a copy of records held in respect of person upon their request. The Deputy, or applicant, should contact the Passport Service, (Ms. Liz Finn, Head of the Molesworth Street Passport Office) to discuss the specifics of this request.
Passport Services
Questions (209)
Pat Deering
Question:209. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Further to Parliamentary Question No. 417 of 27 January 2015, if he will provide an update on the investigation into stolen passports (details supplied) in respect of persons with Irish citizenship; and if the persons will be expected to pay the full application fee when applying for replacement passports. [6509/15]
View answerWritten answers
Passports belonging to a mother and her four children were declared lost in October 2012. As outlined in my recent reply to the house the Passport Office has referred the circumstances of the loss of these passports to An Garda Síochána and investigations are still ongoing regarding this matter. A decision on issuance of any further passports and fees required to the people in question will be made on conclusion of the investigation. An update on this investigation will be provided to the family early next month.