Written Answers Nos. 152-161
152. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Health when a decision concerning a person (details supplied) in County Clare under the treatment abroad scheme will issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23981/15]
View answerThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible. 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.
153. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a hospital appointment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23982/15]
View answerUnder the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
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.
154. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a hospital appointment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23985/15]
View answerUnder the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
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 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.
155. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a breakdown of the staff numbers employed in the public dental service, including their principal roles, for example, dentist, administrator and so on, currently and in 2008. [23986/15]
View answer156. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of employing an additional 50 dentists in the Health Service Executive. [23987/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 155 and 156 together.
I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on these 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 these matters with them.
157. Deputy Helen McEntee asked the Minister for Health the number of employees under the age of 35 years of age currently working in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23990/15]
View answerThere are currently 35 people under the age of 35 working in my Department.
158. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 121 of 10 June 2015, when the legislation to regulate surrogacy will be enacted; and if it will prevent persons who are unfit to have a child from doing so. [23992/15]
View answerIn February of this year I received Government approval to draft the General Scheme of a Bill for assisted human reproduction, which will include provisions relating to surrogacy and the assignment of parentage in such cases. Drafting is at an early stage and the General Scheme is not expected to be completed before the end of the year.
The General Scheme will provide for welfare of the child assessments which will afford a way of assessing whether intending parents are suitable for assisted human reproduction treatment (assessments will be conducted for all forms of treatment, including surrogacy).
It should be noted that under the proposed legislation commercial surrogacy will be prohibited, however, the reimbursement of reasonable expenses for surrogates will be permitted. There will also be a requirement for intending parents, and surrogates to have counselling and give their genuine and informed consent prior to the commencement of treatment.
It is my intention that the legislation will promote and ensure the health and safety of parents, others involved in the process (such as surrogate mothers) and, most importantly, the children who will be born as a result of assisted reproduction.
159. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a list of all residential psychiatric units; the weekly cost of accommodating a person in these units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24012/15]
View answerA list of acute Psychiatric Units, both public and private, can be found on the Mental Health Commission Website under "Approved Centres" at mhcirl.ie". As the remainder of this question is an operational matter, I have referred it 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.
160. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if he will provide figures for expenditure on the health service for the past ten years; if he will provide details on the amount spent on staffing during this period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24016/15]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table below.
|
Year |
Net Current Health Service Expenditure |
Exchequer Pay/Pensions |
|
€'000 |
€'000 |
|
|
2005 |
9,155,350 |
6,279,589 |
|
2006 |
9,927,485 |
6,779,068 |
|
2007 |
11,339,729 |
7,264,422 |
|
2008 |
13,184,716 |
7,640,691 |
|
2009 |
12,244,320 |
7,521,943 |
|
2010 |
11,224,149 |
6,912,613 |
|
2011 |
12,399,545 |
6,530,351 |
|
2012 |
12,392,024 |
6,631,916 |
|
2013 |
12,436,213 |
6,504,067 |
|
2014 |
12,052,305 |
6,403,104 |
This information has been taken from Revised Estimates Volumes 2006-2015. The Net Current Health Service Expenditure represents the provisional outturn position for the Health Group of Votes for each year. From 2008 - 2010 the Health Group of Votes included the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.
161. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 667 of 26 May 2015, his views on the appropriateness of the reply of the Health Service Executive where it was questioned concerning its attitude in refusing a request from the family of a vulnerable adult for a cognitive assessment to be carried out independently, at the expense of the family, and shared fully with the executive, in order to ascertain the competency of the person to instruct a solicitor, were passed on to that solicitor and a response was subsequently received to the question that this solicitor had persuaded other public representatives to withdraw their representations and that they trusted that this dealt with the issue. [24032/15]
View answerAs the Deputy's question relates to service matters, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply. 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 up the matter with the HSE.
