Written Answers Nos. 565-580
565. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the proposed soft opt-out system for organ donation; when this will come before Dáil Éireann; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11208/15]
View answer694. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Health his legislative plans to change the current practice to an opt-out consent as per the Government's consultative process for organ donation; the timeframe for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11928/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 565 and 694 together.
Legislative proposals to give effect to the opt-out system of consent for organ donation are being progressed and it is hoped to finalise the Heads of a Bill this year.
566. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health when an operation will be carried out in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Laois; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11209/15]
View answerThe 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.
567. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health if he will examine an application for a medical card in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11211/15]
View answerThe 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.
568. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No.428 of 24 February 2015, if he will provide, in tabular form the way the Health Service Executive distributed funding in 2014 and 2015 for each of the local and regional drugs task forces with regard to the €21.04 million in funding transferred to the executive on 1 January 2014, with a further €1.02 million transferring on 1 January 2015. [11220/15]
View answerThe distribution of funding by the Health Service Executive to each of the Local and Regional Drug and Alcohol Task Forces for 2014 and 2015 is set out in the table hereunder. The table also shows the breakdown by Task Force of the 1.02m which transferred from my Department's Vote to the HSE Vote on 1 January 2015.
|
LDATFs |
2014 |
Funding transferred 01.01.15 |
2015 Total |
|
Ballyfermot |
1,025,582 |
205,704 |
1,231,286 |
|
Ballymun |
488,098 |
209,859 |
697,957 |
|
Blanchardstown |
913,589 |
0 |
913,589 |
|
Bray |
916,271 |
0 |
916,271 |
|
Canal Communities |
1,141,309 |
0 |
1,141,309 |
|
Clondalkin |
1,007,948 |
0 |
1,007,948 |
|
Cork |
1,108,299 |
0 |
1,108,299 |
|
Dublin 12 |
990,134 |
3,016 |
993,150 |
|
Dublin North East |
594,836 |
0 |
594,836 |
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown |
786,755 |
0 |
786,755 |
|
Finglas Cabra |
627,960 |
0 |
627,960 |
|
North Inner City |
1,652,623 |
82,100 |
1,734,723 |
|
South Inner City |
1,788,337 |
79,677 |
1,868,014 |
|
Tallaght |
782,240 |
111,274 |
893,514 |
|
RDATFs |
# |
# |
# |
|
East Coast |
508,500 |
0 |
508,500 |
|
Midlands |
491,497 |
170,994 |
662,491 |
|
Mid-West |
1,260,007 |
0 |
1,260,007 |
|
North East |
927,813 |
0 |
927,813 |
|
North West |
447,878 |
13,852 |
461,730 |
|
North Dublin |
321,184 |
146,302 |
467,486 |
|
South East |
1,065,760 |
0 |
1,065,760 |
|
South West |
696,497 |
0 |
696,497 |
|
Southern |
973,178 |
0 |
973,178 |
|
Western |
524,155 |
0 |
524,155 |
|
Total |
21,040,450 |
1,022,778 |
22,063,228 |
569. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in Dublin 20 who was diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum will be provided a date for an appointment with a speech and language therapist. [11222/15]
View answer570. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in Dublin 20 who was diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum will be provided a date for an appointment with a occupational therapist. [11223/15]
View answer571. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in Dublin 20 who was diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum will be provided a date for an appointment with a psychologist. [11224/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 569 to 571, inclusive, together.
As the particular issues raised by the Deputy relate to an individual case, these are service matters for the Health Service Executive. Accordingly, I have arranged for the questions to be referred to the 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.
572. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Health if corrective surgeries or equivalent non-surgical procedures are performed on intersex children in Irish hospitals to make their genitalia more typically male/female; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11225/15]
View answer573. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Health the number of corrective surgeries or equivalent non-surgical procedures that are performed on intersex children in Irish hospitals each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11226/15]
View answer574. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Health regarding corrective surgeries or equivalent non-surgical procedures that are performed on intersex children in Irish hospitals, if these procedures are performed with informed parental consent; the criteria that qualifies as informed parental consent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11227/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 572 to 574, inclusive, together.
As these are service matters, 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.
575. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the level of oversight of care provider companies; the required level of training and competency of their staff; how often are they required to up-skill their staff; if the Health Service Executive conduct unannounced inspections at clients' homes; if these companies fall under the remit of Health Information and Quality Authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11233/15]
View answerExternal home care providers engaged by the HSE are not currently subject to regulation by HIQA.
The HSE uses private and voluntary providers mainly for the delivery of enhanced home support services where direct HSE services are not available. In 2012, the HSE introduced a procurement framework for external providers. This included quality standards in terms of governance & accountability, person centred care, complaints management, training and qualifications. Providers are monitored through Service Level Agreements and are required to provide a range of information in relation to the services provided. They are supervised through regular operational meetings and care plan reviews.
Government 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.
As the specific issues raised by the Deputy relate to service matters, the question has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply in relation to those matters. 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.
576. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 365 of 25 November 2014, the action he will take on inaccurate information provided in the reply from the Health Service Executive stating that it had approved 12 women for home birth services when the person's indemnity (details supplied) was withdrawn on 12 September 2014, when in fact 20 women were already known to the executive and had notified it of their application prior to that date. [11240/15]
View answer577. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 365 of 25 November 2014, if he will correct the record for a person's clients being left without cover as a result of the person failing to accept the terms of their indemnity re-instatement when the Health Service Executive was aware that this was not the case. [11241/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 576 and 577 together.
I wish to thank the Deputy for her questions. I have asked the HSE again to confirm the number of women contracted for home birth with the independent midwife prior to her suspension. The position remains as stated in my previous reply to the four questions (10090/10091/10092/10093/15) of 10 March, 2015.
At the time of the suspension there were 12 mothers-to-be contracted to the services of the suspended independent midwife. In these circumstances, the information provided to Parliamentary Question No 365 of 25 November, 2014, is correct.
578. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Health if the Health Service Executive's intern health care assistant scheme is regarded as a government-approved or sponsored incentive scheme for the purposes of retaining a medical card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11244/15]
View answerThe 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.
579. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding the treatment of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 5; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11246/15]
View answerIn relation to the particular patient query raised by you, 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.
580. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 525 of 14 January 2015 and subsequent correspondence (details supplied) detailing the absence of a reply from the Health Service Executive concerning the treatment of a person, his views on the procedure of referring parliamentary questions to the executive for direct reply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11266/15]
View answerAs Minister for Health I am accountable to the Oireachtas for the health services but it is appropriate that the Health Service Executive answer directly questions that relate to day - to - day operational matters. I can assure the Deputy that I, and the HSE are committed to ensuring comprehensive, accurate and timely responses to parliamentary questions. The HSE currently has a commitment in its service plan to answer 75% of questions referred to it within 15 working days. The Deputy will be aware that, since taking office, I have introduced a practice whereby Deputies who have not received a response from the HSE within 15 days can contact my private office and the matter will be followed up.
In relation to the individual query raised by the Deputy, I am assured by the HSE that a reply will issue shortly.
