Written Answers Nos. 128-132
128. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting for orthodontic treatment, by local health office area, for those up to 16 years of age and for those over 16 years of age at the end of September 2015 in tabular form. [36787/15]
View answerInformation on waiting times for orthodontic treatment is collated by the HSE quarterly and by region. The most recent information available is for Q2 of 2015 and has already been provided to the Deputy. Information for Q3 of 2015 is currently being collated by the HSE.
129. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health his plans to include an illness (details supplied) in the long-term illness scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36795/15]
View answerThe Long Term Illness (LTI) Scheme was established under Section 59(3) of the Health Act, 1970 (as amended). Regulations were made in 1971, 1973 and 1975 specifying the conditions covered by the LTI Scheme.
The conditions covered by the LTI Scheme are as follows: Acute Leukaemia; Mental handicap; Cerebral Palsy; Mental Illness (in a person under 16); Cystic Fibrosis; Multiple Sclerosis; Diabetes Insipidus; Muscular Dystrophies; Diabetes Mellitus; Parkinsonism; Epilepsy; Phenylketonuria; Haemophilia; Spina Bifida; Hydrocephalus; and conditions arising from the use of Thalidomide. There are no plans to extend the list of conditions covered by the LTI Scheme.
130. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36801/15]
View answerThe Health Service Executive provides funding to the National Council for the Blind of Ireland under Section 39 of the Health Act 2004 to provide supports to blind and visually impaired people. The Department has asked the HSE to provide you with details. 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.
131. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health the sources of the additional €131 million non-Vote income to be collected by the Health Service Executive in 2015; the sources of at least €130 million saving to be achieved by the Health Service Executive, each in tabular form; and the amount of each that has been realised so far in 2015 [36804/15]
View answerThe approved level of non-capital expenditure for the HSE in 2015 was to be supported by the collection of an expected €131 million of outstanding private patient fee income.
Negotiations are ongoing with private health insurers in relation to reaching agreement on a Memorandum of Understanding which will address this outstanding debt issue by introducing better payment terms and improved cash collection for the HSE.
In relation to the second questions, specific savings and efficiencies of €130 million were identified by the HSE in the areas of procurement, generic drugs, reference pricing, clinical audit and agency costs and built into the Estimates for 2015. These savings are set out in the following table.
|
Description |
€m |
|
Procurement Savings (including drugs and medicines prices) |
95 |
|
Targeted reduction in agency and overtime costs |
30 |
|
Savings within acute hospitals associated with clinical audit and special investigations |
5 |
|
130 |
It is expected that by year end, the HSE will have generated aggregate saving in excess of €80 million under these headings, including €30 million savings in procurement costs, €25 million savings associated the ongoing implementation of generic substitution and reference pricing and €25 million savings in agency costs. Significantly, these and any further savings made before year end will go back into the development and delivery of services and will not be used to reduce the Exchequer provision
