Written Answers Nos. 214-222
214. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on progress made in filling the additional nursing posts at Naas General Hospital, County Kildare in view of the significant overcrowding taking place there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10950/15]
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.
215. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Health the steps being taken to address the contributing factors to ongoing overcrowding in Naas General Hospital, County Kildare; if consideration is being given to providing space for additional wards as part of the endoscopy unit development in Naas due to the demographics of a growing population and increased ongoing demand on the existing facility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10990/15]
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.
216. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health if he will provide support for a cystic fibrosis 20-room adult unit at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10995/15]
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.
217. Deputy Frank Feighan asked the Minister for Health the number of missions to date the Emergency Aeromedical Service has carried out since its launch; the number of those missions that were in counties Roscommon, Leitrim, and Galway; when the service will be made permanent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11010/15]
View answerI am currently considering the report of the emergency aeromedical support service establishment group, which sets out a number of options to place the EAS on a permanent basis. With regard to the statistical information sought by the Deputy, 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.
218. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health the proportion of the population aged 18 to 35 years and 25 to 35 years who hold private medical insurance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11030/15]
View answer219. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health the proportion of all persons who hold private medical insurance who are 35 years of age or younger; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11031/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 218 and 219 together.
The Health Insurance Authority, the independent statutory regulator of the private health insurance market in Ireland, provides my Department with information returns on a twice-yearly basis showing the numbers insured with inpatient health insurance plans in the age categories outlined in the table below. This data is compiled in respect of the commercial health insurers and excludes people serving waiting periods and members of restricted membership undertakings (which provide insurance to people who are members of a particular group, normally a vocational group or employees of a particular organisation). While the data is not collected or available in the specific manner sought, the breakdown will be of interest as an indication of market trends.
|
Age Group |
Membership for the Market as of 31 December 2014 |
|
Aged 17 and under |
453,873 |
|
Aged 18 to age 29 |
203,077 |
|
Aged 30 to age 39 |
281,282 |
|
Aged 40 to age 49 |
293,155 |
|
Aged 50 to age 59 |
261,365 |
|
Aged 60 to age 69 |
217,455 |
|
Aged 70 to age 79 |
125,118 |
|
Aged 80 and over |
51,880 |
|
Total |
1,887,205 |
220. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health his views on any conflict of interests for his Department in promoting that more people take out private medical insurance as a result of the recent change to lifetime community rating; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11032/15]
View answerThe Health Act 1970 (as amended) provides for two categories of eligibility for all persons ordinarily resident in the country, i.e. full eligibility or limited eligibility for health services. Persons with full eligibility (medical card holders) are entitled to a range of services including general practitioner services, prescribed drugs and medicines, all in-patient public hospital services in public wards including consultant services, all out-patient public hospital services including consultant services, dental, ophthalmic and aural services and appliances and maternity and infant care services. People with limited eligibility (non-medical card holders) are entitled, subject to certain charges, to all in-patient public hospital services in public wards including consultant services and out-patient public hospital services including consultant services.
Separate to the public health system, my Department oversees the maintenance of a competitive and sustainable private health insurance market, under the provisions of the Health Insurance Acts 1994 to 2014, and monitors developments on an ongoing basis to ensure that the market is regulated appropriately. As the purchase of private health insurance is optional, I do not consider there to be any conflict of interest, particularly as choosing to purchase health insurance does not impinge on a person's eligibility for public health services.
In the context of private health insurance, community-rated markets depend on a continuing entry of younger people. Younger people claim less on average and, accordingly, continuing participation of younger people keeps premiums down for everybody. Lifetime Community Rating is being introduced to encourage people to take out private health insurance at a younger age, thereby helping to spread the costs of older and less healthy people across the market, helping to support affordable premiums for all.
221. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health the way lifetime community rating will impact on plans to introduce universal health insurance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11033/15]
View answerThe White Paper on Universal Health Insurance, which was published on 2 April 2014, outlines the UHI model for Ireland. Under UHI, everyone will be insured for a standard package of health services and will have their choice of health insurer from a mix of private health insurers and a publicly owned health insurer.
In paving the way for UHI, it is important that we lay a solid foundation for the future health system. Having a healthy, vibrant private health insurance market is a key building block for facilitating the transition to the system of UHI as envisaged in the White Paper.
Lifetime Community Rating is being introduced to encourage people to take out private health insurance at a younger age. Encouraging more people to join the market at younger ages helps spread the costs of older and less healthy people across the market, helping to support affordable premiums for all. Lifetime Community Rating relates only to the current voluntary private health insurance market and will not apply when we move to UHI.
However, it is important to note that any loading that applies when a person purchases private health insurance after 1 May 2015 will continue to apply in all subsequent years, until such time as UHI is in place. Under UHI, everyone will be charged the same premium for the same policy regardless of age or risk profile, i.e. community rating will apply.
222. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position regarding the preparation of guidelines for the labelling of products from Israeli settlements, taking into account that the former Minister for Foreign Affairs in January 2014 stated that if progress was not made at European Union level in respect of the preparation of guidelines then the development of such guidelines would be pursued at national level; if urgent consideration will be given to this issue taking into account that settlement construction has advanced rapidly; his plans to introduce such guidelines on labelling at a national level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10999/15]
View answerI have consistently highlighted the Government’s concern at the continued expansion of Israeli settlements, which are actively undermining the prospects for a comprehensive peace agreement to end the conflict. In my recent visit to the West Bank, I saw at first-hand the impact of settlements, including on the daily life of Palestinians. When I met with Foreign Minister Liberman, I raised the issue of settlements and the fact that their continued expansion is a threat to the viability of a two-State solution.
On 3 July 2014, my Department published advice to Irish citizens and businesses on financial and economic activities in Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The advice is intended to provide advice to the general public, investors and companies on the potential legal, reputational and economic risks arising from conducting economic activity in the settlements which are illegal under international law.
Ireland has consistently pressed the European Union to focus on settlements as a key element to be addressed. I will continue to highlight this issue in discussions with EU colleagues and others on the Middle East Peace Process. The EU has already decided that EU funding grants may not be spent in the settlements.
I expect the April Foreign Affairs Council to discuss the Middle East Peace Process, following the Israeli election on 17 March. I welcome High Representative Mogherini’s indications that she intends to enhance EU engagement in the Middle East Peace Process. I will actively be contributing to our discussions on the role of the EU and I will work to ensure that the question of settlements is to the forefront of EU thinking on these issues. The question of whether it would be timely to resume work on EU guidelines for labelling of settlement products will be considered in that context. While we remain prepared to look at national guidelines, the impact would clearly be better if we were to act collectively at EU level.
