Written Answers Nos. 426-447
426. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the number of persons awaiting assessment from the occupational health department in north Dublin for up to three months, from three months plus to six months, and for six months plus; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41727/15]
View answer427. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the number of persons awaiting allocation of services from the occupational health department in north Dublin once their application has been deemed successful for up to three months, from three months plus to six months, and from six months plus; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41728/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 426 and 427 together.
As these are service issues, they have 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.
428. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health his plans to reinstate a service (details supplied) in County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41741/15]
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.
430. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Health the number of social workers employed in the community for the years 2005, 2010 and 2015 by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41765/15]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this 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.
431. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Health the number of public health nurses employed and operational in communities for the years 2005, 2010 and 2015 by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41766/15]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this 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.
432. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the provision of the tuberculosis, BCG, vaccine for infants and the anticipated timelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41767/15]
View answerThere is currently a worldwide shortage of BCG and Ireland is not the only country affected by this. The BCG vaccine has not been available in Ireland since the end of April 2015. BCG vaccination clinics in HSE Clinics and Maternity hospitals have been postponed until new stock arrives.
Since this problem became apparent, the HSE National Immunisation Office has been in regular contact with the manufacturer of BCG and with the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) who licenses vaccines in Ireland as well as with other relevant stakeholders. The HPRA have been seeking to find an alternative supply of BCG that meets safety, quality and effectiveness standards and that could be used in Ireland. To date no appropriate alternative manufacturer of BCG vaccine has been found.
In Ireland the number of cases of Tuberculosis (TB) has been falling and there were no cases of TB in young children in 2014. Young children are not at risk of TB because of the delay in getting BCG vaccine in Ireland.
The supplier of BCG vaccine has informed the HSE that the vaccine will not be delivered to Ireland until the beginning of January 2016 at the earliest. When the vaccine is delivered there will be sufficient quantity to vaccinate all babies who have not received the vaccine. The HSE will arrange appointments for vaccination clinics when the BCG vaccine supply is received.
433. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health why the home help hours for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal were withdrawn; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41801/15]
View answerAs 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.
434. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in processing a discretionary medical card for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41802/15]
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.
435. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of consultants recruited in 2015 to date; the full-year cost of their recruitment; and the net increase in consultant numbers resulting from this recruitment. [41803/15]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this 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.
436. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of newly recruited nurses in 2015 to date; the full-year cost of their recruitment; and the net increase in nursing numbers resulting from this recruitment. [41804/15]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this 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.
438. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health when the Health Service Executive will publish its service plan for 2016; and when he received the first draft of it. [41829/15]
View answerThe HSE is expected to adopt and submit its 2016 National Service Plan towards in the near future. The relevant legislation provides the Minister for Health with 21 days thereafter to consider, seek amendment to, or approve the Service Plan. My Department was provided with an initial post-budget draft of the Service Plan on Wednesday 11 November, 2015.
439. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health given his comments on radio that an additional 1,000 general practitioners are required for our health services, the full-year cost of providing them. [41830/15]
View answerOn 1st July 2010, the GP trainee intake increased from 120 to 157 places per year. After discussions earlier this year between the HSE and the Irish College of General Practitioners, the annual number of training places increased to 161.
The HSE’s National Doctors’ Training and Planning Unit is working on developing detailed workforce plans for different medical specialties. Medical workforce planning for General Practice has been prioritised in this context. Its report on Future Demand for General Practitioners 2015-2025, which found that there is an under-supply of GPs, is now available on the HSE’s website. In this context, the Department and the HSE are currently exploring the scope for phasing in additional training places over the next five years.
Trainees are paid an average annual salary of €76,000 for the two years they spend training in a GP practice, whilst the average annual training cost per trainee is €33,000. Therefore, the full year cost per trainee per year is approximately €109,000.
440. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of medical cards, general practitioner cards and each type of card issued on a discretionary basis as of 1 November 2015. [41831/15]
View answerThe table details the medical and GP visit card numbers at 1 November 2015, as requested by the Deputy.
|
Card Type |
No. of Cards |
|
Medical cards |
1,728,755 |
|
of which granted involving discretion |
95,887 |
|
GP Visit cards |
409,785 |
|
of which granted involving discretion |
40,257 |
441. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of applications under the nursing home support scheme approved and awaiting funding as of 13 November 2015. [41832/15]
View answerThe Nursing Homes Support Scheme, which commenced in 2009, provides financial support towards the cost of long-term residential care services in nursing homes. The HSE operates a national placement list for the Scheme to enable it to operate within budget. All applicants who are approved for funding are put on the placement list in chronological order by the date of determination of their application, and funding issues to applicants in this order to ensure equity nationally. As of 13th November 2015 there were 163 people on the national placement list awaiting funding, down from almost 2,000 in late 2014. The average waiting time on the national placement list is currently 3-4 weeks, down from almost 17 weeks in late 2014 and 11 weeks in March 2015.
442. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Health if occipital nerve stimulators are recognised by his Department as providing effective treatment methods for treating chronic pain in the head; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41838/15]
View answerAs the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive 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.
443. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if progress has made in relation to the death of a person (details supplied); the steps he is taking to engage with the parents of the person concerned; the nature and frequency of contact; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41328/15]
View answerThe Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been providing consular assistance to the family of the Irish citizen through the Embassy of Ireland in New Delhi, the Honorary Consul in Mumbai and the Consular Assistance Unit in Dublin, and we are in ongoing direct contact with the family.
My Department recently assisted the family in having the death certificate authenticated by the Indian authorities. In India, our Honorary Consul in Mumbai met with the Police Inspector who is handling the investigation and presented a letter requesting an update on the investigation. In addition to the toxicological report that was forwarded to the family, the Embassy has also written to the relevant Hospital’s Pathology Department requesting that any additional toxicological material which may be forthcoming be expedited.
Last week officials of my Department contacted the family with a view to arranging a further meeting with them.
Let me assure the Deputy again that my Department will continue to offer all possible consular assistance to the family and continue to keep them updated on developments while also remaining engaged with the relevant Indian authorities on this matter.
444. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will support the concerns victim groups have regarding the draft legislation presented by the British Government to the Stormont House implementation talks regarding their measures to deal with the past; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41386/15]
View answer452. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is aware of the concerns expressed by the Wave Trauma Centre in relation to the lack of a comprehensive plan to deal with the legacy of the past in the recent agreement entitled A Fresh Start - The Stormont Agreement and Implementation Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41840/15]
View answer453. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is aware of the disappointment expressed by the Commissioner for Victims and Survivors, Ms Judith Thompson, in relation to the lack of a comprehensive plan to deal with the legacy of the past in the recent agreement entitled A Fresh Start - The Stormont Agreement and Implementation Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41841/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 444, 452 and 453 together.
I am very much aware of, and would share, the disappointment expressed by a number of Victims’ Groups and NGOs regarding the fact that the Fresh Start Agreement does not comprehensively address the implementation of the provisions of the Stormont House Agreement dealing with the legacy of the past.
I want to underline that all parties and both Governments engaged in great detail on legacy issues during the talks and significant progress was made across a range of issues. Regrettably, it was not possible to find an overall agreement, with a particular difficulty around finding the appropriate balance between the onward disclosure needs of families and arrangements necessary to protect national security. In the final hours of the talks it became clear that the choice was between removing the legacy elements from the agreement or having no agreement and thus seeing a grave risk to the future of power-sharing institutions. I argued strongly for at least those elements on which agreement had been reached remaining in the text. To my disappointment this did not prove possible.
It is important to stress that good progress was made on agreeing many of the details necessary for the establishment of the new institutional framework for dealing with the legacy of the past. Based on the talks we have had over ten weeks, I believe that agreement is very close on many of the details necessary for the establishment of these new institutions, including on; ensuring the operational independence of the Historical Investigations Unit (HIU); guaranteeing the anonymity and inadmissibility of information provided to the Independent Commission for Information Retrieval (ICIR) while making clear that there would be no amnesty for any criminal offences; placing the Implementation and Reconciliation Group (IRG) on a statutory footing and settling on the purpose and functions of the IRG; and on the detail and operation of the Oral History Archive (OHA).
Building on this substantial progress made in the talks, the two Governments will reflect further on the remaining open issues and on how they will be advanced. This will involve engaging with the other parties to find an agreed basis for the establishment of the institutions dealing with the past.
As part of this process I will meet the NI Victims Commissioner this week and my officials are undertaking a round of consultations with victims groups in order to ensure that they are at the heart of how we take this forward. I know that victims and their families feel let down and I am determined that this Government will not be found wanting in playing its part to put things back on track.
The Irish Government is committed to fulfilling its specific commitments on establishing the institutions dealing with the past and the necessary enabling legislation will be introduced in the Oireachtas at the appropriate time. The international agreement necessary for the establishment of the ICIR has also been agreed between the British and Irish Governments.
I remain convinced that the new legacy institutions as envisaged in the Stormont House Agreement are the best way of providing whatever healing is possible to the victims and survivors of the Troubles and their families, including those affected by collusion.
The establishment of these institutions in accordance with the Stormont House Agreement remains a priority for the Government. The needs of victims and survivors will remain central to our work. We are determined to achieve the establishment of these institutions so that we can in a fundamental way deal with the past, foster reconciliation and build a society for future generations that is free from hurt and suspicion.
445. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the reason a passport has been issued to one person but not to another (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41667/15]
View answerThe Passports Act, 2008 (the Act) provides, among other things, that only Irish citizens are entitled to be issued with Irish passports. Each application received by the Department must, therefore, contain evidence that demonstrates that person’s entitlement to Irish citizenship before a passport can issue.
The two children in question were born in the State in 2011 and 2013. Their entitlement to Irish citizenship is therefore subject to the terms of section 6A of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, as amended in 2004 (the 1956 Act). This provides that a person born in the State on or after 1 January 2005, where neither parent is an Irish or British citizen or otherwise entitled to reside in the State or Northern Ireland without restriction at the time of that person’s birth, may claim citizenship by birth in the State (and thereby establish eligibility for an Irish passport) only where a parent has been lawfully resident in the State for three years of the four years preceding that person’s birth.
Moreover, the 2004 amendment allows nationals of EU Member States to make a declaration (Form A) in respect of their residence in the island of Ireland within the four years preceding their children’s birth. In such cases, the EU national is regarded as having resided in the island of Ireland for the declared periods for the purposes of the 1956 Act, unless the contrary is proven. These declarations must be supported in passport applications for children by original documentary evidence that must verify the actual and continuous residence of the parents in question.
A passport application for the older of the two siblings was received in August 2011. The applicant’s father submitted a fully complete Form A in which he declared that he had been resident in the State since May 2004. The evidence submitted, comprising tax documents, showed that he had the required residence within the four year period preceding this child’s date of birth (i.e. March 2007 to March 2011) to demonstrate his child’s entitlement to Irish citizenship. In view of this and given that all other aspects of the application were compliant with the Act, a passport was issued.
In the case of the youngest child, a passport application was submitted to the Department by her mother last July. This application differs from the oldest child in the following respects:
- This child was born in April 2013. The four year period of evidence of residence of a parent extends from April 2009 to April 2013 which is a later timeframe to that of the older child; and
- The submitted Form A was completed by the applicant’s mother. The evidence required of her residence in State is therefore different from that of the father in the case of the older child.
To verify evidence of residence within the review period of April 2009 to April 2013, the applicant’s mother has submitted the following documents:
- Correspondence from Roscommon County Council, dated from 22 February 2010 to 18 May 2012, in regard to the allocation and rental of council property to her; and
- Correspondence from the Department of Social Protection, dated 4 March 2010 regarding the payment of benefits.
The evidence above is insufficient to demonstrate the youngest child’s entitlement to Irish citizenship. The Department has been in direct contact with the applicant’s mother to inform her of this position and to outline the outstanding requirements to finalise this child’s application to passport issue. She has two options in this regard:
- Provide further documentary evidence (tax certificates, utility bills, bank statements etc) in respect of residence from April 2009 to February 2010 and/or May 2012 to April 2013; or
- A Form A is provided by the child’s father and similar documentary evidence (as in (a) above) in respect of his residence in the State between April 2009 and April 2013 is submitted.
Once the required evidence of residence is submitted the application process will be completed in a timely manner.
446. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is aware of the charges which have been brought against the Colombian Senator Mr. Iván Cepeda; that the Senator is one of Colombia’s most recognised human rights defenders and has dedicated his life to helping to secure peace; that these charges have been tabled by Inspector General Alejandro Ordoñez, who is a close ally of the former President, Mr. Álvaro Uribe, and that the charges follow the Senator's highlighting of alleged links between the former President and right-wing paramilitary groups during the 1980s and 1990s; and if he believes that these charges are politically motivated and without foundation. [41720/15]
View answer447. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is aware that around 1,000 Fuerzas Armadas Revolutionarias de Colombia, FARC, prisoners being held in 15 different prisons across Colombia have gone on hunger strike to demand an improvement in their conditions, particularly with regard to health care; that human rights organisations have long documented the cruel treatment to which FARC prisoners are subjected once they are captured; that the Constitutional Court of Colombia ruled that prison authorities must protect the basic rights of the prisoners but that, as yet, these rulings have not been met with a positive response; and if he will raise the issue with Colombian authorities. [41721/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 446 and 447 together.
I am aware of the reports referred to by the Deputy. I also note that, in the case of Senator Iván Cepeda, an application for precautionary measures has been made to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
Both matters are stark reminders that Colombia faces significant challenges in overcoming decades of violence. Peace talks are continuing in Havana and I welcome the major announcement last September between the Colombian government and the main guerrilla organisation, FARC, on a final date for the signature of a peace accord (23 March 2016) and of the transitional justice measures that will be part of this agreement. This agreement underscores the extent to which the Colombian peace process has now reached a point of no return.
I also welcome the recent announcement by High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission, Federica Mogherini, appointing the former Tánaiste, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, as Special Envoy to the Colombian peace process. Deputy Gilmore made his first visit to Bogotá last week in his capacity as special envoy and his programme included a meeting with President Santos who has underlined the importance he attaches to Deputy Gilmore's appointment as a political signal of the EU's commitment to Colombia and the successful conclusion and implementation of the peace process.
Ireland will continue to support efforts towards achieving a lasting peace in Colombia.
The promotion and protection of human rights is also a core principle of Ireland's foreign policy. When I met with the Colombian Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ms. Patti Londoño, in Dublin on 18 June 2015 I raised the human rights situation in Colombia with her, emphasising the importance Ireland places on protecting trades unionists, human rights defenders, journalists and others.
Officers from our Embassy in Mexico regularly discuss human rights issues with government interlocutors during their visits to Colombia and meet with international and local civil society organisations working on human rights issues there, including on environmental rights. In addition, Irish Aid provides funding to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Colombia which is specifically targeted on the work of promoting human rights in Colombia.
Human rights in Colombia are a major concern for the EU, including Ireland and other member states, and are addressed in detail in the context of the EU-Colombia Human Rights Dialogue. Through this mechanism, which addresses the subject directly with the Colombian authorities at official level, the EU engages in a structured manner across the full range of human rights issues, including as regards human rights defenders and trade unionists, prisoners, land restitution and environmental issues. I believe that our policy of regular engagement, dialogue, and scrutiny within this structured framework is the best way to promote human rights in Colombia.
