Written Answers Nos. 710-729
710. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will report on the case of a child (details supplied) in Dublin West who has had interaction with a number of State services. [31995/15]
View answerI have asked Tusla, the Child and Family Agency to look into the case raised by the Deputy and provide a report to me on the situation. I will revert to the Deputy when the report is to hand
711. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of annual pension payments made by his Department that exceed €60,000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32000/15]
View answerMy Department does not make pension payments to retired civil servants. All civil service pensions are paid directly by the Paymaster General's Office which falls under the aegis of my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. As such I am not in a position to provide the information requested.
712. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will respond to the call for supports for children in County Donegal with special needs attending the free preschool year, as it has been recently revealed by the Donegal county child care census 2015, that 63% of children with special needs participating in the free preschool year are unsupported by any form of grant assistance or specialist support, the highest concentration in Donegal located in the Glenties and the Inishowen region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32014/15]
View answer713. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will confirm that no specific budget is available to train staff to provide specialised supports for children with special needs attending the free preschool year scheme; if a commitment will be made in budget 2016 to have funding ring-fenced to increase supports for children in the free preschool year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32015/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 712 and 713 together.
The majority of children with special needs are able to access the free pre-school year, provided under the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, in mainstream pre-school services, without the provision of any additional supports. In the region of 67,000, including children with special needs, avail of the free pre-school provision each year.
My Department is committed to ensuring that all children have the opportunity to access and benefit from this free pre-school year and has, in addition to the HSE, made various practical efforts in recent years to support mainstreamed provision for children with special needs. These include: more flexible rules regarding access to the free pre-school year, the provision on a limited ad hoc basis by the HSE of funding towards the cost of pre-school support assistants in some areas, elective modules on special needs in mandatory courses for early years practitioners, and various initiatives by City and County Childcare Committees, HSE/HSE funded services, and by Better Start’s Early Years Specialist Service to support providers who need expert advice and guidance. In addition, the on-going reorganisation of disability therapy services into multi-disciplinary geographic-based teams by the HSE under the Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People Programme and the early intervention and support that reconfigured teams provide is of importance in the context of mainstreaming.
Nevertheless, this Government recognises that co-ordination and provision of appropriate supports for pre-school children with special needs could be improved. Accordingly, when I established the Inter-Departmental Group on Future Investment in Early Years and School Age Care and Education, I included in its terms of reference the need to examine how best to provide for children with special needs within mainstream pre-school settings.
To advance this, the Departments of Children and Youth Affairs, Education and Skills, and Health are working together to develop a new model of supports for pre-school children with special needs. My Department is leading the process, with full and active support from the other two Departments and their respective agencies.
An Inter-Departmental Group comprising representatives from these three Departments, the HSE, Tusla, the National Council for Special Education, the National Disability Authority, Better Start and the Dublin City Childcare Committee has completed its work and is expected to make a cross-departmentally supported proposal for the resources required in time for the Estimates process.
714. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the position regarding access to a child (details supplied) in foster care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32019/15]
View answerI want to thank the Deputy for bringing this to my attention. The Deputy will appreciate that this is an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, and it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the matter raised. My Department has, however, referred this to Tusla for attention and asked that they liaise directly with the person concerned.
716. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason a community child care facility capital funding application (details supplied) in County Kerry was unsuccessful in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32046/15]
View answerA total of €7 million was made available under the Early Years Capital Programme in 2015. €5 million of the grant funding was made available specifically for community/not for profit childcare services while the other €2 million was made available to both private and community/not for profit childcare facilities to access grants for quality improvement measures, specifically in the area of upgrading IT facilities.
Under the criteria of this Programme, projects must be completed, and grant funds fully reported, by December 2015. As such, the “readiness” of a project to proceed, and be completed within the timeframe, was a major consideration when the applications were being reviewed. Applicants that could best demonstrate “readiness” were those that:
a) had obtained full planning permission, or could demonstrate that planning was not required;
b) had completed an appropriate tendering process where tenders were still in date and valid; and
c) had confirmation that the project could be completed within the timeframe available.
Applications that were successful were those that represented the most complete, coherent, precise and compelling cases for funding. The investment is being directed, to the best extent possible, to making the greatest impact by addressing the most urgent works and supporting the quality of services making the greatest impact for disadvantaged children and communities.
Pobal, who administers the Programme on behalf of my Department has responsibility for evaluating each application against the Programmes criteria. Pobal has informed my Department that while the need for a new service was justified in this case, on an overall basis, the applicants did not demonstrate that this proposal was the best option for addressing the need. The group's application fell below the threshold for the following reasons:-
1. The scale of the project proposed was not justified;
2. Value for money was difficult to assess as there was not a clear rationale for costings provided. In comparison to similar rural type applications, the amount requested was well over other applications where the costings were based on a clear rationale; and
3. It was noted that rock excavation may be required to prepare the site. The vagueness of the costings and the length of time it would take to carry out a full procurement process were matters of concern in terms of the readiness of this proposal as well as value for money
There is provision under the Programme for a service not approved for funding under the Programme to appeal the decision to Pobal but no appeal was lodged in this case.
717. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the position regarding foster care in respect of persons (details supplied) in Dublin 3; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32096/15]
View answerI want to thank the Deputy for bringing this to my attention. The Deputy will appreciate that this is an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, and it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the matter raised. My Department has, however, referred this to Tusla for attention and asked that they liaise directly with the person concerned.
718. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the monthly funding made available by his Department to mediation agencies for inter-country adoption, ARC Adoption and Helping Hands; if this funding is still available and will be available in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32140/15]
View answerInterim funding of €10,000 on a monthly basis has been provided to Arc Adoption and Helping Hands Mediation Agency, who are both currently accredited to provide intercountry adoption mediation services since January 2014. This interim funding was suspended in June 2015, until deliberations in relation to the provision of intercountry adoption services, including the issue of the funding of agencies accredited are finalised.
This is a complex issue which requires careful consideration. I hope be in a position to finalise this matter shortly.
719. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of internal audit across his Department; internal audit's relationship with external auditors and audit committees, as well as internal audit's adherence to professional standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32546/15]
View answerMy Department has an established Internal Audit Unit and an Audit Committee both of which operate under charters approved by the Secretary General and the Audit Committee. The Department’s Audit Committee is part of its control environment, tasked with providing independent advice to the Secretary General, as Accounting Officer, regarding the suitability and robustness of the Department’s internal control systems and procedures. Internal Audit meets with the Audit Committee at least 4 times per year and has full and free access to the Audit Committee and Accounting Officer as required.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) is the Department’s external auditor. Internal Audit provides copies of: minutes of Audit Committee meetings; the Audit Committee Annual Report, and completed audit reports to his office. Internal Audit also tracks the implementation of issues raised in the Internal and C&AG audits of the appropriation accounts. The Audit Committee meets with the C&AG annually to discuss their audit and other issues of common concern which may arise.
Internal Audit is guided by the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, determined in November 2012, that these standards should apply across all Departments and other Vote Holders.
720. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding personal assistant services for persons with physical disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31034/15]
View answer921. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health his views on the proposals by the Irish Wheelchair Association for the provision of €500,000 for additional personal assistants to help people with disabilities to live independently and contribute to society; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31125/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 720 and 921 together.
Work is currently underway in the Department of Health in relation to the preparation of budget estimates for 2016. As part of this process, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has submitted an estimate of its proposed expenditure for 2016, including health and personal social services for people with a disability. As discussions on budgetary issues are ongoing within the Department of Health, with the HSE and with the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform, I am not in a position to comment on the outcome of the process at this stage.
721. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health if he will provide, in tabular form, a breakdown of the total number of medical malpractice and clinical negligence claims that were filed against all publicly-funded hospitals, including voluntary hospitals, in each year from 2010 to 2014, inclusive; and if he will provide this information by specialty for each year at each of those individual hospitals. [31562/15]
View answerThe State Claims Agency has supplied the information requested by the Deputy in aggregate format, by specialty, as set out in the table below. The State Claims Agency has indicated that the reason it does not publish data concerning the number of legal claims against individual hospitals is that publication of such data could potentially identify a particular plaintiff. Many claims are settled in circumstances where the plaintiffs wish to retain confidentiality concerning the settlement of their cases. The other concern that the Agency has is that if it publishes claims’ data by individual hospital, this could lead to a “league tables” interpretation of the data without any further contextualisation of the data. Under Freedom of Information legislation claims’ data is expressly exempt.
|
Location |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
Grand Total |
|
Hospital Groups 1 - 7 |
||||||
|
Allied Health & Social Care & other specialties |
1 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
||
|
Anaesthesia |
2 |
4 |
7 |
3 |
5 |
21 |
|
Dental |
1 |
1 |
||||
|
Gynaecology |
25 |
17 |
31 |
121 |
33 |
227 |
|
Laboratory Services |
3 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
15 |
|
Maternity Services |
117 |
123 |
131 |
184 |
130 |
685 |
|
Medicine |
116 |
151 |
134 |
145 |
150 |
696 |
|
Mental Health Services |
1 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
9 |
|
Other Services |
22 |
30 |
18 |
9 |
12 |
91 |
|
Radiology |
14 |
7 |
5 |
8 |
11 |
45 |
|
Radiotherapy |
2 |
4 |
6 |
|||
|
Specialist Services |
1 |
1 |
||||
|
Surgery |
109 |
167 |
406 |
197 |
192 |
1071 |
|
Unknown (Legacy Data) |
1 |
1 |
1 |
25 |
28 |
|
|
Hospital Groups 1-7 Total |
413 |
509 |
735 |
674 |
569 |
2900 |
|
Community Hospitals |
||||||
|
Allied Health & Social Care & other specialties |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
||
|
Ambulance Service (Road and Air) |
3 |
3 |
||||
|
Dental |
3 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
9 |
|
Maternity Services |
3 |
6 |
9 |
|||
|
Medicine |
2 |
1 |
3 |
|||
|
Older Persons |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|||
|
Other Services |
1 |
1 |
||||
|
Surgery |
1 |
2 |
3 |
|||
|
Unknown (Legacy Data) |
1 |
1 |
||||
|
Community Hospitals Total |
10 |
7 |
3 |
3 |
11 |
34 |
|
Grand Total for all Hospitals |
423 |
516 |
738 |
677 |
580 |
2934 |
Table 1: The number of "clinical care" claims created per year 2010 - to date per Speciality for the Hospital Group's 1-7 & the Community Hospitals.
Definitions:
1. A claim refers to notification of intention to seek compensation for personal injury and/or property damage where it is alleged the State was negligent. The application may be in the form of a letter of claim, an InjuriesBoard.ie application, or a written/oral request.
2. Incident Hazard Category - 'Clinical Care' - This includes incidents relating to the provision of services of a diagnostic or palliative nature. It also includes incidents relating to the provision of clinical treatment. Incidents present in this category will be relating to clinical procedures, medication incidents, or nutrition/blood related incidents etc.
3. Unknown - 'Legacy Data' refers to incidents whereby the specific category was not available prior to the NIMS upgrade.
722. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Health if the policy of fluoridation of the national water system has been reviewed recently; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31602/15]
View answerThe Department of Health keeps the policy of water fluoridation under constant review. As part of this ongoing work, a review of evidence on the impact of water fluoridation at its current level on the health of the population was conducted by the Health Research Board (HRB) on behalf of the Department. This review was published by the HRB in June 2015.
723. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health his plans to introduce new legislation or to amend existing legislation to clarify the definition of an assistance dog and to ensure there is the appropriate oversight and accreditation of the training of assistance dogs and their provision to persons with disabilities. [31666/15]
View answer1126. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the legislation governing persons providing trained service dogs or training or both, where the dogs are intended to work with both adults and children with a disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32148/15]
View answer1127. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the accreditation system in operation for those who supply or train, or both, service dogs, intended to work with adults and children with disabilities; the way such accreditations are measured or awarded; and if such service providers must be affiliated with particular professional bodies. [32149/15]
View answer1128. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the legislation governing the definition of a service dog; the criteria which must be met in order to be certified as service dog; the criteria which must be met in order to supply and train service dogs as a commercial company in view of the need to ensure that the safety, rights and dignity of adults and children with disabilities are paramount; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32150/15]
View answer1146. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health his plans to introduce new legislation or to amend existing legislation to clarify the definition of an assistance dog, and to ensure there is the appropriate oversight and accreditation of the training of assistance dogs and their provision to persons with disabilities. [32279/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 723, 1126 to 1128, inclusive, and 1146 together.
The Minister for Health has no function in relation to legislation governing the definition or the provision of assistance/service dogs for use by children or adults with disabilities. The Department of Health does not commission the provision or training of assistance/service dogs for children or adults with disabilities. The Health Service Executive's (HSE's) focus is on the protection of core activities such as residential, respite, day and core-therapy provision. Provision of assistance/service dogs to people with a disability is not considered a core health service and is not prioritised for funding by the HSE.
In accordance with the Disability Act and in the context of Government policy on mainstreaming, every Department has responsibility for disability within its own policy remit. Responsibility for existing legislation regarding the control of dogs rests with the Department of Environment and Local Government.
724. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding the cost of medication for single-person households; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31815/15]
View answerUnder the Drugs Payment Scheme, no individual or family has to pay more than €144 per month for approved prescribed drugs, medicines and certain appliances for use by that person or his or her family in that month. The definition of a family for this Scheme is an adult, their spouse, and any children under 18 years. Dependents over 18 years and under 23 years who are in full time education may also be included.
There are no plans at present to change the operation of the Scheme.
725. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the multiple sclerosis drug fampridine being included in the medical card scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30419/15]
View answer968. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Health the position in respect of the multiple sclerosis drug Fampyra; and when it will be made available to patients with multiple sclerosis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31317/15]
View answer974. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health the steps taken to ensure that multiple sclerosis sufferers are provided with access to the drug Fampyra; the reason the issue has not been resolved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31333/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 725, 968 and 974 together.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) has confirmed that it is in the final stages of putting in place the governance arrangements and processes around a responder-based reimbursement programme for the multiple sclerosis drug Fampridine (brand name Fampyra®).
It is expected that reimbursement will be extended where a demonstration of clinical response (based on objective criteria agreed with clinical experts) is recorded and where that clinical response is shown to persist, based on objective measurement at six-month intervals.
The HSE expects to confirm the reimbursement date in the very near future once all of the required governance arrangements are in place.
726. Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Kildare, who is currently on a waiting list for tonsillectomy surgery, will be called for an urgently-needed procedure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30422/15]
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.
727. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update regarding proposed suicide awareness training, which was to be provided to general practitioners; the number of general practitioners who have received this training to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30423/15]
View answerGeneral Practice has long been identified as the most frequent first point of contact for people with suicidal thoughts, and international evidence highlights GP training in depression and the management of suicidal behaviour as critical to reducing suicide rates. In 2011, the Irish College of General Practitioners and the HSE’s National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) partnered in the development of a skills-based training programme in suicide prevention for general practitioners.
As at September 2015 some 2,400 General Practitioners and 618 Practice Nurses have access to this online learning module and 500 resource packs have been distributed.
728. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will clarify the current role of the Health Service Executive in counties Louth and Meath in working with suicide awareness and prevention groups; the mechanisms in place to ensure continuity of care for persons referred from general practitioners, or discharged from psychiatric services, who then engage with suicide prevention groups such as Save Our Sons and Daughters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30424/15]
View answer729. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he will clarify if his Department, in conjunction with the National Suicide Prevention Office, meets with local groups which provide suicide awareness and prevention services; his plans to provide ongoing supports to such groups, and to establish formal structures to allow for cohesive services between various bodies involved in these services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30425/15]
View answer738. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if he is familiar with the services provided by the suicide prevention group Save Our Sons and Daughters; if he will consider providing funding for suicide prevention and bereavement support to this group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30473/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 728, 729 and 738 together.
The role of the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) is to oversee the implementation of the present suicide prevention strategy Connecting for Life, and to coordinate suicide prevention initiatives around the country.
NOSP helps to support a wide array of work in communities, in partnership with the voluntary sector, across the country that focus on promoting positive mental health and reducing suicide and self-harm by providing significant grant funding each year as well as by assisting in coordinating and giving strategic direction to the work undertaken.
As the issues raised are service issues these questions have been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a response within 15 working days, please contact my private office and they will follow up the matter with them.
