Written Answers Nos. 26-50
26. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on his plans to issue the first individual health identifiers and increase investment in information and communications technology and in eHealth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8009/15]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, I recently announced priority areas for action in 2015 including one which is to modernise the HSE ICT infrastructure. Two significant areas in that regard are to issue the first health identifiers and to increase investment in ICT and eHealth generally. In late 2013 the Government published its eHealth strategy, An eHealth strategy for Ireland, along with the Health Identifiers Bill which was enacted in 2014. Other foundation steps in support of this work included setting up the Office of the Chief Information Office/Chief Officer for eHealth Ireland in the HSE. The HSE ICT strategy is expected to be finalised in late March and will set out the priority areas for development, investment and modernisation of ICT for the health services. A number of critical areas which will require significant investment over the coming years are emerging, including the new National Children's Hospital, an enterprise financial management system to underpin the HSE's new Financial Operating Model, eReferrals and other initiatives to support the acute and primary care sectors.
The roll out of a system of health identifiers will also be a key priority for 2015. The new identifier registers will be managed and operated by the HSE. The Act provides for the establishment of a system of individual, professional and organisational identifiers. The individual health identifier will be the initial focus of implementation. HSE is currently finalising a project for the initial stages of the roll out and engagement with key stakeholders is under way. It is my intention to commence the relevant parts of the legislation to support the initial roll out in primary care in the coming months. The principal benefits of health identifiers will be improvements in patient safety. Health identifiers will also underpin the wider eHealth agenda and facilitate improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of our health services and benefits in terms of the customer experience. The use of health identifiers will also contribute to maintaining the confidentiality and security of sensitive patient data within health care in both the public and private environment.
27. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in the Voluntary Health Insurance being authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8032/15]
View answerVHI submitted its application to the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) on 16 May 2014. Consideration of the VHI's application for authorisation is a matter for the CBI in its role as independent financial regulator and I cannot anticipate how long that process will take, or its outcome. However, I expect that VHI will be authorised at the earliest opportunity, if approved by the Central Bank.
28. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the Health Service Executive deliberations, following the consultation process on Shaen and Abbeyleix hospitals, County Laois. [7895/15]
View answerIn 2012 the HSE launched a public consultation process regarding a proposal to consolidate the number of public nursing units in the Midlands. At the time almost 100 submissions were received and over 60 meetings took place with interested parties, 55 of which were with residents and next of kin.
The HSE is in the course of considering all of the available relevant information with a view to finalising a recommendation in relation to St. Brigid's Hospital, Shaen and Abbeyleix Community Nursing Unit.
Abbeyleix CNU currently has 18 beds occupied, 7 of which are occupied by long stay residents, the reminder being short stay and respite. The HSE is no longer admitting clients to long stay beds, but the respite service remains open to new clients subject to availability. There are 16 beds occupied at St. Brigid's Hospital, Shaen, 13 of these are for continuing care and 3 are for respite. The HSE is no longer admitting clients for either service.
The Department awaits the HSE's recommendations in respect of both facilities and an announcement will be made as soon as possible once the HSE’s definitive position is received.
29. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Health the positive impact on Galway city and the west of Galway county, following the decision to staff an ambulance station in Tuam, County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8001/15]
View answerIn 2015, a €5.4m budget increase has been provided to the National Ambulance Service to help address service gaps and provision has been made for 50 paramedic posts in the West. Some of these posts will be used to staff ambulance stations at Tuam and Mulranny. Others will assist in the move from on-call to on-duty rostering. On-call rostering means paramedics remain at home waiting to be called out, which on average results in a 20 minute delay in rolling out the ambulance. In moving to on-duty rostering, our crews are in their stations or vehicles, ready to go immediately on dispatch.
We also intend to expand the number of community first response teams, particularly in more rural and sparsely populated areas. These are volunteer groups in the community, who are registered and trained to a certified standard. We have over 100 such teams operating around the country at present but we need more and we are working on that.
Also of particular benefit to western counties is the Emergency Aeromedical Support (EAS) Service. The EAS is specifically targeted at the west and provides rapid access to appropriate treatment for very seriously ill patients, where this might be difficult to achieve by road. I am currently looking at proposals to establish the service on a permanent basis and I am in discussion with my colleague, the Minister for Defence, on the matter.
The Deputy will be aware that there are currently three major reviews of ambulance services: the recently published HIQA review and the awaited national capacity and Dublin ambulance service reviews. These three reviews, when taken together, will provide us with very good information which will help drive further service improvement. I have therefore asked the HSE to prepare an action plan on completion of the three reviews, with timelines to realise a new vision for our ambulance services.
30. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Health the reason the increase of five years, in the age range for BreastCheck, will take six years to be fully rolled out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8038/15]
View answerPlanning for the age extension of BreastCheck to 65 - 69 year olds is under way and screening of the extended cohort will commence in Quarter 4 of 2015. The additional eligible population is approximately 100,000 and, when fully implemented, 540,000 women will be included in the BreastCheck Programme.
Due to the number of people who will be added to the breast screening process, and the fact that women are screened on a two year cycle, the task of extending the age cohort is a major logistical and operational challenge for the service. The age extension will be implemented on an incremental basis, in line with the capacity of the system to manage the additional screening and follow-up workload. As part of this, the National Screening Service will need to recruit and train additional radiographers, medical consultants and administration support to accommodate the increased demand for the BreastCheck programme. Funding for this, and for additional mobile units and medical equipment, will be made available across the implementation period. The age extension will be fully rolled out by 2021.
Women of any age who have concerns about breast cancer should seek the advice of their GP who will, if appropriate, refer them to the symptomatic breast services in one of the eight designated cancer centres.
31. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the recruitment of extra speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and psychological professionals to address the shortfall which exists in all three areas; the amount of the 2014 allocation of €20 million that was spent on this recruitment; the number of positions that are in place; the number that remain to be filled; the number of persons on recruitment panels; if he will provide a breakdown of the locations, where the new-hires are currently employed; if he is satisfied that the new-hires have addressed particular pressure points for these services, around the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8007/15]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on the matter. 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.
32. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Health if he is satisfied with the quality of investigations into complaints, regarding serious allegations of abuse and malpractice within the Health Service Executive; if he will provide details on the persons who carry out these investigations; the way they are chosen and appointed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8053/15]
View answerAs 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, he can contact my Private Office and they will follow the matter up with the HSE.
33. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health his plans to deal with terminations of pregnancy in cases of fatal foetal abnormality. [8043/15]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware Article 40.3.3 of the Irish Constitution states that: 'The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.'
A referendum would be required to amend the Constitution so that terminations in cases of fatal foetal abnormality would be lawful. However, I do believe that this matter should be dealt with in the 32nd Dáil and that is a position I will be advocating within my party and elsewhere.
Finally I wish to extend my sympathy to any family that has to experience it and I would like to take this opportunity to remind everybody that supports are available for women experiencing a crisis pregnancy through the HSE Crisis Pregnancy Programme.
34. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health if he will provide details of the massive increase in numbers waiting for surgery, for over a year, in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9; if a particular plan has been, or will be, put in place to address these lists in Beaumont, in view of the fact that they include those in chronic pain, along with those waiting for essential spinal surgery; if there is a plan for recruiting anaesthetists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7971/15]
View answerAs 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.
35. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Health when he plans to regularise the provision of home care, both public and private, provided to elderly persons, and vulnerable adults, in their own homes; his plans to extend the Health Information and Quality Authority inspection regimes to those organisations, and companies, that provide home care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7897/15]
View answerGovernment for National Recovery, 2011-2016 commits to developing and implementing national standards for home support services which will be subject to HIQA inspection. Primary legislation and resources will be required for the introduction of a statutory regulation system for home care services. This will be considered by Government on a prioritised and phased basis as resources, legislative and planning processes allow. In the meantime the HSE is progressing a range of measures to improve Home Care provision overall, to standardise services nationally and to promote quality and safety.
36. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health his expectations in regard to reducing the cost of medicines to the public and the health services, with particular reference to the need to ensure that such costs here are in line with best practice throughout the European Union, thereby availing of the benefits of the Single Market, and reducing health costs to the Exchequer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7978/15]
View answerThe Government has introduced a series of reforms in recent years to reduce the prices of drugs and medicines which are paid for by the HSE. This has resulted in reductions in the price of thousands of medicines. Price reductions of the order of 30% per item reimbursed have been achieved between 2009 and 2013; the average cost per items reimbursed is now running at 2001/2002 levels.
A major deal on the cost of originator drugs in the State was concluded with the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) in October 2012. It is delivering a number of important benefits, including significant reductions for patients in the cost of drugs, a lowering of the drugs bill to the State, timely access for patients to new cutting-edge drugs for certain conditions, and reducing the cost base of the health system into the future.
The IPHA agreement provides that prices are referenced to the currency adjusted average price to wholesaler in nine EU member states (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, and UK) and these are the maximum prices paid by the HSE for originator drugs supplied through the community drug schemes. The gross savings arising from this deal will be in excess of €400 million over 3 years. Over half of the savings to be delivered - €210m - were to be reinvested by the State into the provision of new and innovative drugs.
As part of the Mid-Term Review of the 2012 Agreement, my Department and the HSE have been engaging with IPHA in seeking to achieve additional savings in expenditure on drugs and medicines to ensure that funding is available to enable patients to have access to new and innovative drugs.
An agreement was also reached with the Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers in Ireland (APMI), which represents the generic drugs industry, in 2012. Under this Agreement the maximum price the HSE pays for generic products is now 40% of the initial price of an originator medicine. This has resulted in the price differential between off-patent drugs and most generic equivalents increasing from 5% to approximately 20%.
It is estimated that the gross combined savings from the 2012 IPHA and APMI deals amounted to €125 million in 2013 with €148 million generated in 2014.
The continued implementation of generic substitution and reference pricing as provided for under Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013 is also contributing to reducing the cost of medicines. It is estimated that reference pricing will yield approximately €50 million in savings in 2014 and a further €25 million in 2015. Reference prices will ensure that generic prices in Ireland will fall towards European norms and once set reference prices must be reviewed every 12 months.
Further reductions in the price of medicines in Ireland remains a priority for the Government, however, it is worth noting that neither the Minister for Health nor the HSE has any power to set the prices of drugs and medicines purchased by private patients. It would none the less be disappointing if all pharmacists were not passing on the benefits of lower prices to patients.
37. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Health when the mobility allowance will be replaced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8035/15]
View answerConscious of the reports of the Ombudsman regarding the legal status of the Motorised Transport Grant and Mobility Allowance Scheme, in the context of the Equal Status Acts, the Government decided to close both schemes. The Government decided that the preparatory work required for a new travel subsidy scheme and associated statutory provisions should be progressed by the Minister for Health. The Department is seeking a solution which would best meet the aim of supporting people with severe disabilities who require additional income to contribute towards the costs of their mobility needs, while remaining within the available budget and satisfying all legal and equality concerns. In the meantime, monthly payments have continued to be made by the Health Service Executive to 4,700 people who were in receipt of the Mobility Allowance at the time that the scheme closed.
Work is ongoing on the policy proposals to be brought to Government for the drafting of primary legislation for a new scheme. Once policy proposals have been finalised and approved by Government, the timeframe for the introduction of a new scheme will become clearer.
38. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health if he will provide details of what has been done, and what will be done, to ensure that kidneys donated here, are not sent abroad, due to a lack of infrastructure to harvest and transplant them here; in particular the plan there is to recruit relevant specialists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7974/15]
View answerThe national renal transplant team in Beaumont Hospital carries out all kidney transplants in Ireland. My Department, the HSE and Beaumont Hospital are working together to ensure that available organs are used for transplantation to patients in Ireland. The export of kidneys that become available for transplant is not envisaged.
All Transplant Surgeons at Beaumont Hospital also work as Consultant Urologists and have significant specialist urology workloads. Two vacancies for Transplant Surgeons/Urologists at Beaumont Hospital arose at the end of 2014. Approval has also been given for the recruitment of an additional Consultant Transplant Surgeon to support the expansion of the living donor transplant programme. These three specialised posts have been advertised both nationally and internationally and Beaumont Hospital continues to pursue the filling of the posts as soon as possible.
39. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if he will provide details of his plan to tackle the accident and emergency crisis in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8002/15]
View answerAs 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.
40. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the various groups and committees that inform Department policy on addiction; and the extent of research undertaken in relation to the policy on the prevention and education aspect of the National Drug Strategy. [7923/15]
View answerMy Department's policy in relation to addiction is informed by the work of a number of key committees set up under the National Drugs Strategy. The Oversight Forum on Drugs (OFD), which I chair, is responsible for considering developments in drugs policies and in dealing with problem drug use generally, at EU and international level. It will oversee the development of a new National Drugs Strategy to cover the period after 2016, which will take account of evidence-based research, information and data sources on the extent and nature of problem drug use in Ireland.
The National Co-ordinating Committee for Drug and Alcohol Task Forces was established on foot of the recommendations of the Review of Drugs Task Forces. It plays a key role in promoting effective local coordination between statutory bodies and the community and voluntary sectors in order to deliver a more comprehensive and effective response to the problem of substance misuse. It also ensures policy on drugs is informed by the work of the Task Forces on the ground.
The National Advisory Committee on Drugs and Alcohol (NACDA) is a critical element of the overall drugs policy in Ireland. It advises Government on the prevalence, prevention, treatment and consequences of problem drug use in Ireland. It is also responsible for conducting and supporting appropriate research to fulfil the information needs of Government and my Department in formulating policies to address problem substance use. The NACDA has produced over a hundred research reports relevant to the substance misuse situation in Ireland. Recent research on prevention includes Risk and Protection Factors for Substance Misuse Among Young People (2010). NACDA research reports can be accessed on its website at www.nacda.ie.
41. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Health his plans are regarding the future provision of public nursing home beds in County Laois, with particular reference to Shaen and Abbeyleix hospitals. [7894/15]
View answerAs 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.
42. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the reconfiguration of residential services, as recommended in the Health Service Excutive report, Time to Move on from Congregated Settings - A Strategy for Community Inclusion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8008/15]
View answerThe HSE’s report “Time to Move on from Congregated Settings – A Strategy for Community Inclusion”, (2011) proposes a new model of support in the community by moving people from institutional settings to the community, over a seven year timeframe. The plan will be rolled out at a regional and local level and will involve full consultation.
In terms of housing, the Department of Health and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government are working in collaboration to support the transition of people with a disability from institutions to social housing in the community under the Government's National Housing Strategy for People with Disability 2011 to 2016.
As part of the implementation process, in 2013 and 2014 one million euro was transferred from the Department of Health’s Vote to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government’s Vote to provide for the ring-fenced social housing costs of up to 150 people leaving disability or mental health institutions. In 2015, one million euro has been allocated to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government to continue this process.
As the HSE is responsible for leading out on the recommendations on “Time to Move on from Congregated Settings – A Strategy for Community Inclusion”, 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, he can contact my Private Office and they will follow the matter up with the HSE.
43. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the number of persons staying on hospital trolleys; and the steps being taken, by his Department, to improve the situation. [8041/15]
View answerED overcrowding is a key priority issue for me and for the Government and I acknowledge the difficulties which the current surge in ED activity is causing for patients, their families and the staff who are doing their utmost to provide safe, quality care in very challenging circumstances.
All hospitals have escalation plans to manage not only patient flow but also patient safety in a responsive, controlled and planned way. The Government has provided additional funding of €3 million in 2014 and €25 million in 2015 to address delayed discharges. Actions currently being taken to address ED overcrowding include the provision of 900 additional transitional care beds in nursing homes (500 in January and an additional 400 in February); 173 short stay public beds being opened across the country for a three month period; up to 300 overflow beds opened in acute hospitals; additional home care packages; 300 additional Fair Deal places and an extension in Community Intervention Teams.
Arrangements are in place in the HSE to allow the recruitment of staff where it has been established that there is an urgent service requirement and this year the number of nurses directly employed by the public health service will increase by at least 500. Builidng on these initiatives, the HSE is currently finalising an action plan under the auspices of the ED Taskforce to address ED issues with a view to a significant reduction in trolley waits over the course of 2015.
44. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health the way his Department will help avoid the prospect of industrial action at the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar, County Westmeath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8036/15]
View answerI am pleased that agreement has been reached between hospital management and the INMO concerning nursing and midwifery staffing levels at the Midland Regional Hospital.
I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on the details. 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.
45. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health if funding will be located by the Health Service Executive, for the exceptional case of a young person with special care needs (details supplied) in County Kildare; if he will provide that person with a full-time residential care setting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8006/15]
View answerAs 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.
46. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health his plans to resume a full-time ambulance service within the National Ambulance Service Health Service Executive at ambulance stations where services were curtailed, due to cutbacks, including services at the following ambulance stations,Tallaght, Swords, Maynooth, Baltinglass, Arklow and Dunshaughlin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8051/15]
View answerAs 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.
47. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health his views on the progress that his Department has made towards implementing universal health insurance; if his Department has assessed the social impact of the policy, in view of the study, by Mr Charles Normand (details supplied), on the matter of the inefficiencies of private health insurance companies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8049/15]
View answerThe Government has embarked on a major reform programme for the health system, the aim of which is to deliver a single-tier health service, supported by universal health insurance (UHI), where access is based on need, not income.
The White Paper on Universal Health Insurance was published on 2nd April 2014 and provides detailed information on the UHI model for Ireland. The model set out in the White Paper contains a number of important protections for the public, including open enrolment, lifetime cover, community rating and a system of financial protection, whereby the State will pay for, or subsidise, the cost of UHI premiums for those who qualify.
While my Department has not undertaken a formal social impact assessment on the UHI model, it is currently engaged in a major costing exercise. This exercise will examine the cost implications of a change to a multi-payer, universal health insurance model, as proposed in the White Paper on UHI. The analysis will include a review of evidence of the effects on healthcare spending of alternative systems of financing, and of changes in financing methods and entitlements. It will also estimate the cost of UHI for individuals, households and the Exchequer. I expect to have the initial results from this exercise in April, following which I will revert to Government with a roadmap on the next steps to UHI.
Finally, I have already indicated that it will not be possible to introduce a full UHI system by 2019, as envisaged in the White Paper. However, I want to emphasise my commitment to implementing key health reforms, as set out in the Programme for Government and the White Paper. In particular, I want to push ahead with critical building blocks for universal healthcare, including the phased extension of universal GP care without fees, improved management of chronic diseases, implementation of financial reforms, including activity-based funding, and the establishment of hospital groups. As well as representing critical building blocks for the future health system, these initiatives are also important reforms in their own right that will drive efficiencies and bring benefits in advance of moving to a system of universal healthcare.
48. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Health if he will provide details on remuneration in 2012, 2013 and 2014 for persons, or companies, tasked with carrying out investigations into complaints, regarding behaviours, and practices, in the Health Service Executive; if there is an assessment of conflict-of-interest, as regards the investigators, before these investigations are initiated; if he will confirm whether, in some cases, current and former high-level employees of the Executive are being contracted to carry out these investigations into internal practices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8054/15]
View answerAs 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, he can contact my Private Office and they will follow the matter up with the HSE.
49. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health if he is satisfied with persons, who were formally employed by the Health Service Executive, being involved in investigations into their practices. [8042/15]
View answerThe HSE has a National Safety Incident Management Policy which sets out the steps to be taken when an investigation is required. In addition, the HSE has a range of processes in place which provide guidance on these matters including, the National Policy for Safeguarding Vulnerable Persons at Risk of Abuse, Trust in Care etc.
The HSE’s National Safety Incident Management Policy was updated in 2014 and is in line with international practice in patient safety and risk management. It requires that those who conduct such investigations are competent investigators who have the requisite training and skills required. Investigators should not have responsibility for the service they investigate, nor should they have been involved in the incident that is being investigated. It does not prevent a person who is or was an employee of the HSE from becoming involved in a review or an investigation of a service managed or funded by the HSE.
In many circumstances, clinical directors and other senior clinicians will, as part of learning and organisational improvement, undertake investigations, look-backs and audits. Furthermore, the HSE as the primary health service employer will employ the majority of individuals in this jurisdiction who would have the specialist skills and expertise required for any given review or investigation. When independence from the HSE is required, the HSE policy does provide for national and international experts to be part of reviews. There are arrangements in place with national and international professional bodies for identifying these experts and this further contributes to the independence of the experts who are participating in these reviews.
50. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Health further to previous parliamentary questions tabled in relation to the new computed tomography scanner, which was donated to University Hospital Waterford by Waterford City and County Infirmary Trust; if he will provide a comprehensive explanation as to the way it is possible that the scanner has been lying idle for the past nine months, while the waiting list for patients receiving scans is steadily increasing; if he will acknowledge that this is a waste of vital scanner diagnostic services, and that lives are being put at risk; if he will commit to ensuring that this scanner will become operational within the lifetime of this current Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8048/15]
View answerAs 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.
