Written Answers Nos. 701-716
701. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 453 and 455 of 3 March 2015, (details supplied) the number of persons the Health Service Executive exchanged data on with the Revenue Commissioners in 2014; and in 2015 to date. [11954/15]
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.
702. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health when the Health Service Executive will publish its detailed review of the ambulance service gaps across the country (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11955/15]
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.
703. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health if he will support a community programme (details supplied) in Dublin 5 in its efforts to initiate a new care service for young cannabis users; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11972/15]
View answerMy Department approved €38,640 from the Drugs Initiative this year for the Reach Out Project administered by the Kilbarrack Coast Community Programme. This funding was allocated to the project on the basis of a recommendation from Dublin North East Local Drug and Alcohol Task Force. The Reach Out Project is a new service providing support for young people to reduce their cannabis, cocaine and alcohol use.
Kilbarrack Coast Community Programme has also been allocated €317,618 in HSE funding in 2015 for other community based drugs initiatives.
704. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the provision of medical supports in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 9; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11973/15]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive 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.
705. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding a Freedom of Information Act request. [11975/15]
View answerAs stated in my PQ reply of 21 January, 2015, the FOI request referred to above was submitted to the Health Service Executive (HSE), not to the Department. The HSE is, therefore, responsible for the request and I have asked them to reply directly to the Deputy on the matter.
The Deputy will be aware that there is an appeals provision, within the Freedom of Information Act, when a request is not answered within the statutory time frame or a requester is dissatisfied with a decision.
If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE, within 15 working days, he can contact my Private Office and the matter will be followed up.
706. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health his views on reports that wards in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, including (details supplied), are closing down within the coming weeks; his views on the matter; the reason wards in Beaumont Hospital are closing; if this is a short-term measure or otherwise; the way the services of the hospital will be run in the absence of these beds; and if there will be resultant redundancies. [11976/15]
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.
707. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Health if his Department is seeking to fill posts within the pain clinic in University Hospital Waterford; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there is only one half pain post in the hospital, and the standard practice is to prioritise inpatients who are seen first, and that this is causing extended waiting lists for treatment (details supplied); his plans to address the shortfall in the complement of pain consultant positions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11980/15]
View answerIn 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.
708. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Health the position in respect of a matter (details supplied) regarding the community rating for health insurance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12003/15]
View answerLifetime Community Rating (LCR) is being introduced to encourage people to take out health insurance at a younger age, thus helping to spread costs across the market and supporting affordable premiums for all. There is a nine month grace period, which expires on 30 April 2015, during which time as many people as want to can take out health insurance without incurring loadings. From 1 May 2015, late entry loadings will be applied to those who join the private health insurance market at age 35 or over, set at 2% per year for each year over the age of 34, up to a maximum loading of 70% at age 69 and over.
There are exemptions available for people who previously had health insurance but cancelled it. A credited period can apply for any periods of inpatient cover from age 23 years where a full adult premium rate has been paid. In relation to the specific scenario raised, I can confirm that an 'insured person' under a health insurance contract means any person who is party to or named in an inpatient indemnity health insurance contract. Therefore, where a person was named on a health insurance contract and the spouse died, all prior cover is recognised under LCR. Loadings can be avoided where the individual maintains their health insurance cover or has a break in cover of less than 13 weeks.
709. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Clare will be facilitated with a medical appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12008/15]
View answerThe 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 should take the matter up with the consultant and the hospital involved. In relation to the specific case raised, 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.
710. Deputy Eric Byrne asked the Minister for Health if e-cigarettes come within the ambit of the smoking ban; if the use of these is illegal in public premises such as bars and restaurants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12020/15]
View answerThe current position in Ireland is that as e-cigarettes do not contain tobacco they are not regulated under the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts 2002-2015. This means that they are not subject to the workplace smoking ban.
However, while there is no legislation at present banning the use of e-cigarettes in the workplace, it is open to a company/agency to introduce workplace policy which does not permit their use, if they so wish. The Health Service Executive, for example, prohibited the use of e-cigarettes in all of its facilities and campuses from 1 May 2014 under its Tobacco Free Campus policy. Iarnród Éireann also introduced a ban on the use of e-cigarettes in the workplace in 2014.
The Government recognises that while e-cigarettes do not contain tobacco, they do contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance. In order to ensure that e-cigarettes and other non-medicinal nicotine delivery systems are sold in a responsible manner in this country, Government has approved the drafting of legislation to introduce a licensing system for these products. The legislation will also prohibit the sale of these products to, and by, persons under 18 year of age. Work on the legislation is ongoing in my Department and it is expected that the General Scheme of a Bill will be published this year. This legislation comes ahead of the transposition of the EU Tobacco Products Directive which will further regulate some aspects of e-cigarettes across EU Member States.
My Department will continue to monitor existing and emerging evidence on the potential harms and the potential benefits of these products, so as to inform decisions around any future additional regulation in this area.
711. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Health the reason the services of an ophthalmic physician are not being provided locally in County Longford, despite the fact that an ophthalmic physician was appointed to the post of community ophthalmic physician (details supplied); the reason children from County Longford are still being sent to Athlone, County Westmeath, to attend appointments with an orthoptist when two orthoptists attend County Longford on a weekly and monthly basis and now have adequate capacity to assess these children; if ophthalmological services in County Longford are being discontinued or if he will confirm that the services of an ophthalmic physician will again be available in County Longford, from the summer of 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12026/15]
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.
712. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Health if a general practitioner will be appointed in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12030/15]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive 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.
713. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a complaint made in respect of hospital care provided in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 5; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12032/15]
View answerWith regard to specific complaints in relation to experiences of individuals in our hospitals, there is a formal complaints policy, entitled “Your Service Your Say”, details of which are on the HSE website, at http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/yourhealthservice/feedback/complaints/.
In accordance with this procedure, a complaint must be made in the first instance to the hospital in which the incident causing the complaint occurred. If an individual is not satisfied with the response from the hospital, a review can be sought from the HSE Director of Advocacy and the Ombudsman, whose details are set out below.
HSE Director of Advocacy
Oak House
Millennium Park
Naas
Co Kildare
Tel 1890 424 555
Office of the Ombudsman
18, Lower Leeson Street
Dublin 2
Tel 1890 223 030
Email: ombudsman@ombudsman.gov.ie
I wish to acknowledge the contents of the email sent by Ms. Kelly. It goes without saying that, as Minister for Health, I would like to see each patient receive the most appropriate care.
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.
714. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a list of every organisation directly funded by his Department, excluding the Health Service Executive, to provide an advocacy service; the total amount of funding each organisation received for year ended 2014; the number of persons each organisation provided advocacy service for; the issues each organisation addressed for year ended 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12033/15]
View answerIn 2014 the Department provided three sources of direct funding to organisations providing a range of health related services. One was National Lottery Grants through which the Department provides funding for voluntary and community organisations. Details of payments made from this source are available on the Departments web site www.health.gov.ie. The second source is through administration of a Drugs Initiative which primarily funds community based drugs initiatives supported by Local and Regional Drug and Alcohol Task Forces. Funding from the Drugs Initiative supports local projects set up by Drugs Task Forces in the areas of curbing local supply, prevention and awareness and research. A list of Drugs Task Forces are available on the Department's website (www.health.gov.ie/healthy-ireland/national-drugs-strategy/local-and-regional-drugs-task-forces/). Details of 2014 expenditure are presented in a table.
|
Drug and Alcohol Task Force |
2014 Expenditure |
|
RDTF-Midland |
301,514.00 |
|
RDTF-Mid West |
147,982.00 |
|
RDTF-North West |
272,485.00 |
|
RDTF-Western |
136,994.00 |
|
RDTF- East Coast |
58,200.00 |
|
RDTF-South West |
98,006.00 |
|
RDTF-Northern Area |
443,824.00 |
|
LDTF-Ballyfermot |
432,994.33 |
|
LDTF-Ballymun |
632,817.00 |
|
LDTF-Blanchardstown |
175,733.00 |
|
LDTF-Bray |
573,860.00 |
|
LDTF-Canal Communities |
338,605.00 |
|
LDTF-Clondalkin |
384,047.00 |
|
LDTF-Dublin North East |
340,402.41 |
|
LDTF-Cork |
411,988.00 |
|
LDTF-Dublin 12 |
64,555.00 |
|
LDTF-Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown |
94,676.00 |
|
LDTF-Finglas/Cabra |
263,277.00 |
|
LDTF-North Inner City |
572,884.00 |
|
LDTF-South Inner City |
255,720.00 |
|
LDTF-Tallaght |
452,712.00 |
|
Total |
6,453,275.74 |
The Department also funds a number or research, consultative, supervisory and regulatory bodies, details of which are set out in a table.
|
Agency |
2014 Drawdown(€m) |
|
Food Safety Authority of Ireland |
15.303 |
|
Food Safety Promotion Board |
5.712 |
|
Health Research Board |
30.654 |
|
Institute of Public Health |
1.117 |
|
Health and Social Care Professionals Council |
2.050 |
|
Health Information and Quality Authority |
9.400 |
|
Health Products Regulatory Authority |
3.916 |
|
Mental Health Commission |
12.205 |
|
National Cancer Registry |
2.498 |
|
Pre Hospital Emergency Care Council |
2.690 |
|
Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland |
0.600 |
|
International Society for Quality in Healthcare |
0.107 |
|
The National Treatment Purchase Fund |
5.100 |
715. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Health when the public health (alcohol) Bill 2015 will be published and considered by Dáil Éireann; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12038/15]
View answerThe General Scheme of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill was approved by Government on the 3 February 2015. The Scheme includes provisions for minimum unit pricing, health labelling on products that contain alcohol, restrictions on the advertising and marketing of alcohol and the regulation of sports sponsorship. As part of the pre-legislative scrutiny process, the measures are being debated in detail by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children. The hearings commenced on the 10 March and will over the next few weeks.
The Department of Health is continuing to work on the preparation of the legislation. It is expected that the Bill will be published during this session.
716. Deputy Joanna Tuffy asked the Minister for Health the position regarding provision of mental health services in Dublin Mid-West (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12039/15]
View answerAs this is a service issue this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a reply within 15 working days, please contact my private office and they will follow up the matter with them.
