Tuesday, 3 Nov 2015

Written Answers Nos. 634 - 650

Assisted Human Reproduction

Questions (634)

Robert Troy

Question:

634. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health the current legislation relating to Irish citizens and their choice to use a surrogate internationally. [37251/15]

Written answers

Minister for Health

In February 2012, the Department of Justice and Equality published guidelines on citizenship, parentage, guardianship and travel document issues in relation to children born as a result of surrogacy arrangements entered into outside the State, where it is intended that the child and the intending parents will reside within the State.

In 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 ongoing and the General Scheme is not expected to be completed before the end of this year.

Under the proposed legislation commercial surrogacy will be prohibited, however, the reimbursement of defined 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. In addition, the proposed legislation will take cognisance of the 2014 Supreme Court judgment in the MR & Anor v An tArd Chláraitheoir & Ors (surrogacy) case, which found that the birth mother, rather than the genetic mother, is the legal mother of twins born via surrogacy and should be registered as such on the birth certificates.

Health Services

Questions (635)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

635. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the progress that has been made or is proposed to be made to reform the Misuse of Drugs Acts to allow a cannabis nasal spray to be sold and used by persons suffering from cancer and brain tumours, and used strictly by persons who are in poor health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37487/15]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

Under the Misuse of Drugs Acts, 1977 to 2015 and the Regulations made thereunder, the manufacture, production, preparation, sale, supply, distribution and possession of cannabis is currently unlawful except for the purposes of research.

My Department is aware that cannabis for medicinal use has been legalised in some countries and that there have been several studies internationally on the therapeutic effects of cannabinoids for a number of medical issues. Under European and Irish legislation, before a medicine can be placed on the Irish market the manufacturer has to seek an authorisation from the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) or in the case of certain medicinal products, the European Medicines Agency (EMA). A determination on an application for authorisation of a medicine is based on a rigorous scientific assessment of the application against legal and regulatory requirements.

In July 2014, the Misuse of Drugs Regulations were amended to allow for certain cannabis based medicinal products to be used in Ireland. Subsequently the HPRA granted a marketing authorisation for a cannabis based medicinal product which is indicated for the relief of certain symptoms for people with multiple sclerosis. It is not indicated for use by persons suffering from cancer and brain tumours.

My Department will continue to keep developments in relation to cannabis based medical products under review.

Health Services Provision

Questions (636, 637, 638, 639)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

636. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health in respect of statements made by Mr. Justice Quirke (details supplied), if he has taken into account that Mr. Justice Quirke also said, that he reproduced the entitlements enjoyed by Health (Amendment) Act cardholders, for the purposes of illustrating the type and extent of the primary and community services, which should be available to the Magdalen women. [37675/15]

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

637. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if he has taken into account Mr. Justice Quirke’s statement in his report, that the Magdalen women should be provided with access to a comprehensive suite of health care services [37676/15]

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

638. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if the health care entitlements under the redress for women resident in central institutions card, could realistically be considered a comprehensive suite of health care services, compared to the standard medical card. [37677/15]

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

639. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the precise differences between the redress for women resident in central institutions card and the standard medical card. [37678/15]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

I propose to take Questions Nos. 636 to 639, inclusive, together.

In Annexe G of his report, Judge Quirke reproduced the Health Amendment Act (HAA) description of services for the purposes of illustrating the type and extent of the primary and community services which he recommended should be available to the Magdalen women. He found that the health status of Magdalen women was diverse in nature, that not all the HAA services might be directly relevant to the Magdalen women and that any comparable set of services for the Magdalen women would require suitable adaptation.

Judge Quirke specified what the suite of services should be - GP services, prescribed drugs, medicines, aids and appliances, dental, ophthalmic, aural, home support, home nursing, counselling, chiropody and physiotherapy services. Under the Redress for Women Resident in Certain Institutions Act 2015, all of the primary and community health services made available free of charge from 1 July 2015 to Magdalen women in Ireland are as specified by Judge Quirke.

Judge Quirke recommended, the women are eligible for a greater range of services than those provided under the standard medical card. The Redress for Women Resident in Certain Institutions Act provides a statutory basis to more services than the medical card, e.g., physiotherapy, chiropody, counselling and home support. Moreover, a participant in the scheme can chose a private GP or chose a GP who has a contract with the HSE. With regard to dental services, participants are categorised as high risk/priority patients and are entitled to a greater range of services than those provided under the standard medical card. The enhanced care provided to them is not limited to services currently available under the Dental Treatment Service Scheme (DTSS) but includes the wider range of services which were available prior to 2010. In addition, the prescription fee is not be payable for all medicines, medical devices or other medical products that are reimbursed by the community drug schemes.

Speech and Language Therapy Provision

Questions (640, 700, 741)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

640. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Health if he will provide details of the costs of introducing speech language therapy on-site in primary schools for children with assessed special needs, which would involve the transfer of approximately 350 public speech and language therapists for children, from the employment of the Health Service Executive to his Department. [37874/15]

Eoghan Murphy

Question:

700. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Health the way in which speech and language therapy services will be improved in future years, in order that children requiring these services, will be offered something more meaningful than six lessons in one year, as is currently being offered, when six lessons in one month would be more in keeping with what might be of tangible benefit to the child [37588/15]

Eoghan Murphy

Question:

741. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Health the way speech and language therapy services will be improved in the coming years, so that children needing these services will be offered something more meaningful than six lessons in one year, as is currently being offered, when six lessons in one month would be more in keeping with what might be of tangible benefit to the child [37801/15]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

I propose to take Questions Nos. 640, 700 and 741 together.

Health related therapy supports and interventions for children, such as speech and language therapy, can be accessed through both the Health Service Executive’s primary care services and its disability services, depending on the level of need. It is estimated that up to 95% of people’s health and social service needs can be met within a primary care setting.

Significant additional resources have been invested over the past number of years in the State’s primary care and disability services with a view to enhancing therapy service provision. For example, additional funding of €20 million was allocated in 2013 to strengthen primary care services and to support the recruitment of prioritised front-line posts. As part of this initiative, the HSE commenced the recruitment of over 260 additional posts for Primary Care Teams. This included 52 speech and language therapist posts, all of which have now been filled. In addition, the HSE has introduced a number of initiatives specifically in relation to speech and language therapy services that are aimed at improving access to these services, such as therapists increasing clinic based work and providing family centred interventions in a group, as opposed to a one-to-one setting, whenever possible.

The HSE is also currently engaged in a major reconfiguration of its existing therapy resources for children with disabilities into multi-disciplinary geographically based teams, as part of its National Programme on Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People (0-18 years). The key objective of this Programme is to bring about equity of access to disability services and consistency of service delivery, with a clear pathway for children with disabilities and their families to services, regardless of where they live, what school they go to or the nature of the individual child’s difficulties.

An additional €4 million was allocated in 2014 to assist in implementing the Progressing Disability Services Programme, equating to approximately 80 additional therapy posts, including speech and language therapist posts. Further investment of €4 million (equating to €6 million in a full year) has been provided this year to support its ongoing implementation.

Improving access to therapy services for children in primary care and in disability services is a particular priority for the Government. Within this context, funding is being provided in 2016 to expand the provision of speech and language therapy in primary care and to support the reorganisation and expansion of speech and language and other therapies under the Progressing Disability Services Programme. Full implementation of the Programme is expected before the end of 2016.

The HSE has convened a dedicated Group to examine its current speech and language therapy service provision with a view to enhancing its model of service delivery into the future, based on international best evidence. This Group is expected to conclude its work in 2016. The focus of its deliberations will be on ensuring that each child receives the type of speech and language treatment most appropriate to its individual needs. It should be noted, in this context, that not all children with speech and language impairment require individual clinical treatment sessions; significant outcomes can be achieved by therapists educating parents, families and teachers in how best to support children in learning to speak within their home, pre-school or school environment.

While close intersectoral collaboration is important the provision of health related therapy supports and interventions such as speech and language therapy is and should remain the responsibility of the health sector. Therefore the transfer of speech and language therapists employed by the HSE to the Department of Education and Skills as suggested by the Deputy does not arise.

Health Services

Questions (641)

Sandra McLellan

Question:

641. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Health if an immediate stream of funding is available for a social club for the elderly (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38106/15]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply. 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.

Departmental Staff Recruitment

Questions (642)

Pádraig MacLochlainn

Question:

642. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the reason supplementary panels are being commenced by the national recruitment service to fill nursing posts, given that panels are in place since 2012; and his views that this is fair to applicants. [37178/15]

Written answers

Minister for Health

Health Business Services HR (National Recruitment Service) conducts the majority of recruitment on behalf of the HSE. All of this recruitment is conducted under legislation, the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004, which is underpinned by codes of practice. This includes recruitment for the majority of nursing posts. These codes of practice can be found at (www.cpsa.ie).

The Health Business Services HR continuously conducts recruitment processes to supplement existing candidate pools/ panels. In addition, it is sometimes the case that additional recruitment campaigns are conducted in order to fill specialist posts or posts in specific regional locations. As nurses form the largest cohort of healthcare staff it is essential that the HSE makes every effort to ensure that appropriate panels are in place and constantly replenished to ensure that as nursing vacancies arise these posts can be filled in a timely manner. It is common practice within the HSE to operate supplementary panels to ensure that there is an ongoing supply of suitably qualified nurses to meet the service demand.

National Lottery Funding Applications

Questions (643)

Noel Coonan

Question:

643. Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Minister for Health when an application for national lottery funding will be finalised for a group (details supplied) in County Tipperary; the current status of the application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37188/15]

Written answers

Minister for Health

My Department received an application for National Lottery funding from the organisation referred to by the Deputy. Applications for National Lottery grants far exceed the resources available. The lottery fund for 2015 has recently been allocated and, unfortunately on this occasion, it was not possible to assist in this particular case. My Department is in the process of notifying organisations of the outcome of their applications.

If funding for this project is required in 2016, the organisation may wish to apply for a grant from the 2016 National Lottery allocation which will open next January. I would encourage the organisation in question to reapply.

HSE Staff

Questions (644)

Billy Kelleher

Question:

644. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of staff at national director level; at assistant national director level, general manager level and grade VIII level, in the Health Service Executive, as well as in section 38 organisations funded by the HSE, on 1 October 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. [37164/15]

Written answers

Minister for Health

I 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.

Hospital Appointments Status

Questions (645)

Colm Keaveney

Question:

645. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Galway will receive an appointment for an urgently required orthopaedic procedure at Merlin Park University Hospital in County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37169/15]

Written answers

Minister for Health

Under 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.

Speech and Language Therapy Provision

Questions (646)

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

646. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health the reason there is no specialised speech and language therapy for children with a speech delay and a hearing impairment; the reason the current system only provides speech therapy to children who can hear. [37245/15]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As this is a service issue, 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 the Executive.

Speech and Language Therapy Provision

Questions (647)

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

647. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health if he is aware that specialised speech therapy, known as auditory verbal therapy, is necessary for children who receive cochlear implants; the reason children do not receive this here. [37246/15]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As this is a service issue, 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 the Executive.

Health Services Provision

Questions (648)

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

648. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health if any child has had advanced vision technology overseas funded by the Health Service Executive or his Department; the number of these children; the year this therapy took place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37247/15]

Written answers

Minister for Health

The 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.

Hospital Services

Questions (649)

Ciara Conway

Question:

649. Deputy Ciara Conway asked the Minister for Health the funding allocations provided for the implementation of the winter resilience plan, by hospital; if he is satisfied that all hospitals have been granted adequate resources to deal with a surge in admissions over the winter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37250/15]

Written answers

Minister for Health

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.

Hospital Admissions

Questions (650)

Ciaran Lynch

Question:

650. Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Clare will be provided with a necessary ophthalmic procedure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37306/15]

Written answers

Minister for Health

Under 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.