Written Answers Nos. 958-977
958. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Health the position regarding an application for a primary medical certificate by a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31256/15]
View answerAs the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, he can contact my Private Office and they will follow the matter up with the HSE.
959. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Health if he will expedite a medical appointment for a person (details supplied) in County Kildare who is suffering from increased pain on a daily basis and whose work is affected thereby; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31257/15]
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.
960. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a medical card renewal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Longford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31265/15]
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.
961. Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Health his plans to reduce the waiting times for intervention at the Dublin South East Health Service Executive Early Intervention Team based in Ballinteer, Dublin 16 due to staff shortages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31266/15]
View answerThe particular issue raised by the Deputy is a service matter for the Health Service Executive. Accordingly I have arranged for the question 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.
962. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) in County Meath has not completed a course of prescribed laser treatment by their consultant in Temple Street Hospital some four years since the treatment commenced. [31272/15]
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.
963. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health his views, in the interest of collecting information on deaths by suicide, on the benefit of following up all deaths by suicide by contacting the mental health services to ascertain if there was a recent contact with the mental health services by the person who committed suicide prior to their death; his views that this collation of information would help inform future policy in relation to suicide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31279/15]
View answer964. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health the reason no statistics are collected in relation to the number of deaths by suicide of persons who were in the care of the Mental Health Care Service in the days or weeks prior to the suicide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31280/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 963 and 964 together.
National mortality data including that relating to suicide is published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). This data is made available on a quarterly and annual basis and is categorised by county, age and gender. A number of sources of information are used by the CSO to inform the classification of death including the Medical Cause of Death Certificate, the Coroner’s Certificate and Form 104, a statistical form which is completed by An Garda Siochána following an inquest. It should be noted that there can be a considerable delay between the death of a person and the holding of a Coroner’s Inquest. The most recent confirmed figures available for the number of deaths by suicide are for 2012, which show that there were 541 deaths that year. While we have provisional figures for 2013 (475 deaths) and 2014 (459 deaths) these are subject to revision following the Coroners’ Inquests.
I would like to point out however, that all sudden and unexplained deaths of persons availing of mental health services are notified to the Mental Health Commission and are reviewed by the HSE. Approved centres are required, under Article 14(4) of the Mental Health Act 2001 (Approved Centres) Regulations 2006 to notify the Commission of all deaths, including sudden, unexplained deaths, of any resident of an approved centre as soon as possible and in any event within 48 hours of the death occurring.
All other mental health services which may include but are not limited to day hospitals, day centres, 24 hour staffed community residences and other mental health services such as out-patient departments, resource centres, group homes, out-reach teams, home-based treatment teams and other service types are required to notify the Commission of all sudden, unexplained deaths of persons availing of their service as soon as possible and in any event within 7 days of the death occurring.
Details of the deaths notified to the Mental Health Commission in 2014 are published in the Commission’s Annual Report for 2014 which is available at www.mhcirl.ie\publications\reports.
965. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health if he will provide in tabular form a breakdown of the number of nursing and midwife vacancies at each hospital here as of 31 July 2015 or the nearest available date. [31285/15]
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.
966. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health the number of staff at national director level, assistant national director level, general manager level and grade VIII level in voluntary hospitals funded by the Health Service Executive as at 1 July 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. [31286/15]
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.
967. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health the number of staff in the Health Service Executive receiving salaries of more than €100,000 as of the end of 2014, broken down between clinical staff and administrative-managerial staff. [31287/15]
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.
969. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Health the reason that electronic funds transfer is not in place for the reimbursement of the drugs payment scheme instead of issuing cheques; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31318/15]
View answerUnder the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has statutory responsibility for the administration of the primary care schemes, therefore the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to you.
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.
970. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Health if he will provide, in tabular form, the cost for 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, inclusive, for issuing cheques and the cost of postage for the reimbursement of drugs payment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31319/15]
View answerUnder the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has statutory responsibility for the administration of the primary care schemes, therefore the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to you.
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.
971. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Health the reason community pharmacies and suppliers of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machines cannot share information to ensure persons who spend over the €144 cap between renting CPAP machines and getting medicine do not have to submit reimbursement of drugs payment scheme forms; if the Health Service Executive has investigated methods to reduce costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31320/15]
View answerUnder the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has statutory responsibility for the administration of the primary care schemes, therefore the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to you.
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.
973. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health in view of the availability of such programmes in many countries including the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, his plans to establish a vaccination programme to vaccinate against meningitis B, the most common form of meningitis here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31328/15]
View answerThe immunisation programme in Ireland is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). NIAC is a committee of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland comprising of experts in a number of specialties including infectious diseases, paediatrics and public health. The committee's recommendations are informed by public health advice and international best practice.
The Department received a letter from the Chairman of NIAC regarding the introduction of the Meningitis B vaccine into the Primary Childhood Immunisation Schedule. In this letter the committee recommends the inclusion of Meningococcal B vaccine in the primary immunisation programme, if the vaccine can be made available at a cost-effective price.
NIAC has issued guidance in relation to the use of the Meningococcal B vaccine in the control of clusters or outbreaks of the disease. The vaccine has been used in accordance with the NIAC guidance, along with other measures, to control outbreaks of the disease.
Immunisation policy is based on providing a safe, sustainable and cost-effective programme of immunisation. The Department of Health in conjunction with the HSE, is examining evidence based changes to the Primary Childhood and Schools Immunisation Schedule.
The HSE has been asked to engage with the manufacturer with a view to establishing whether a cost effective and sustainable price is achievable in Ireland without prejudice to the ultimate decision on whether the vaccine should be introduced or not. The resource implications of the introduction of any new vaccine will be considered in the context of the Estimates Process, the review of HSE vaccination services, engagement with the manufacturers, and the HSE Service Planning Process.
975. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding general practitioner vacancies here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31339/15]
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.
976. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health if he has provided a general instruction to the Health Service Executive to ensure speedy response to correspondence sent to them; the reason a letter (details supplied) sent to the HSE on 16 July 2015 has not been responded to; if he will ensure this Deputy receives a response to this letter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31362/15]
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.
977. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health his policy in relation to the need for the Health Service Executive to comply with the Freedom for Information Act 2014, section 13, which states that an application under freedom of information is due a reply within four weeks; the reason this Deputy has not yet received a reply to a request received by the HSE on 5 June 2015 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31363/15]
View answerStatutory responsibility for the Health Service Executive's compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act rests entirely with the Health Service Executive.
However, I understand that the Health Service Executive responded to your request on 4 September 2015.
