Written Answers Nos. 387-402
387. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath secures a hospital appointment without delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2337/16]
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.
388. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health the cost of the abolition of prescription charges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2344/16]
View answerPrescription charges are part of a set of measures introduced by Government in recent years to reduce pharmaceutical drugs expenditure. Medical card holders are required to pay a prescription charge of €2.50 per item for medicines and other prescription items supplied to them by community pharmacists, subject to a cap of €25 per month for each person or family. Prescription charges do not apply to children in the care of the Health Service Executive, asylum seekers living in direct provision, or to methadone supplied to patients participating in the Methadone Treatment Scheme.
There are no plans to amend the prescription charge; however, the charge remains frozen at the level set in 2014.
The cost of abolishing prescription charges is estimated at approximately €112m, based on net prescription charge income for 2014 and adjusted for projected 2016 medical card numbers.
389. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health the cost of hiring an additional 500 consultants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2345/16]
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 on the matter with them.
390. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health the cost of hiring an additional 500 general practitioner consultants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2346/16]
View answerAs the HSE does not directly hire GPs, it is not possible to quantify the financial implications for the HSE of 500 additional GPs being hired to provide services to the public health system under the General Medical Services (GMS) Scheme and other schemes. GPs are remunerated for these services primarily on a capitation basis, with a range of additional support payments and fees for specific items of service. The amount payable in respect of certain of these supports is related to the doctor's panel size. In addition, medical indemnity insurance premia are refunded to contracted GPs, also based on the size of each doctor's GMS patient panel. The HSE pays into a superannuation scheme a sum equivalent to 10% of total capitation fees payable to contracted GPs.
The most recently published Statistical Analysis of Claims and Payments of the HSE's Primary Care Reimbursement Service relates to the year 2013. This report indicates that payments totalling €451.7 million were made to some 2,400 GMS contract holders. In total these costs related to approximately 1.9 million GMS patients. There was substantial variation in the average amount paid, ranging from €14,753 for a patient panel of up to 100 patients to €448,960 for a panel of 2,001 or more patients. The addition of substantially more contract-holding GPs would enhance the choice available to patients in the first place but any impact on the Exchequer would be dependent on the distribution of the eligible patients across the panels of contracting doctors. Where newly-qualified GPs obtain a GMS contract, they can only attract patients from the existing pool of GMS patients until such time as further phases of universal GP care are introduced.
391. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health the cost of hiring 100 additional nurses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2347/16]
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 on the matter with them.
392. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health the cost of hiring 100 additional therapists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2348/16]
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 on the matter with them
393. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health under the Civil Service reform programme, the number of clerical officers who have been promoted to higher executive officer and the number of executive officers who have been promoted to assistant principal officer in his Department through internal competitions after the significant change in eligibility rules; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2578/16]
View answerNo internal promotion competitions have been completed in my Department since the introduction of the change in eligibility rules for such competitions. Therefore no Clerical Officer has been promoted to Higher Executive Officer and no Executive Officer has been promoted to Assistant Principal Officer.
394. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is aware of the deportation from the United Arab Emirates of a person (details supplied) who was arrested and held overnight before being deported for a human rights investigation for The New York Times in May 2014 which documented how Bangladeshi and Pakistani workers working for Britain's largest construction firm, Balfour Beatty, were beaten, tasered, jailed and deported for going on strike; if he is aware that this person was placed under surveillance before being arrested; and if he has raised this case with the Government of the United Arab Emirates. [2012/16]
View answerIn line with our consular policy, my officials and staff at Irish Embassies, Missions and Consulates overseas stand ready to assist Irish citizens when such assistance is requested. In this case we do not have any record of being contacted by this citizen at the time of his arrest. The Embassy of Ireland in Abu Dhabi was only made aware of the deportation of this Irish citizen six months after it was carried out in October 2014.
395. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is aware that the Jerusalem offices of the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem were damaged in a fire on 10 January 2016; his views on the general and increased incitement against human rights organisations in Israel, particularly since the new Israeli Government came to office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2013/16]
View answerI understand from our contacts with B’Tselem that the fire in their offices is believed to have resulted from an electrical fault. However, Ireland and our EU partners have expressed our concerns about long running efforts by some political elements in Israel to hinder the work of NGOs which are active on justice and human rights issues, particularly in the occupied Palestinian territory. The Foreign Affairs Council yesterday adopted Conclusions on the Middle East which reiterated this concern. It is only fair to recognize however that Israel enjoys a vibrant and highly active civil society, unparalleled in the region, and often deeply critical of official policies, and that other political voices in Israel continue to resist encroachments on this sector.
396. Deputy Eric Byrne asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on correspondence from a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2101/16]
View answerI have seen reports of a further Holocaust cartoon competition being planned in Tehran. I do not have the details, including whether this would be an officially supported event. Media reports of this nature from the region are not always firmly based, and need to be confirmed. However, if true, the holding of such an event would be deeply inappropriate and grossly offensive, and I would condemn it without question. On the basis of the reports, officials of my Department have already raised these concerns with the Embassy of Iran in Dublin and asked that our concerns be passed to Tehran.
397. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his efforts to secure the release of a person (details supplied) from detention in Israel, who has been on hunger strike for in excess of 50 days; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2259/16]
View answerI share the concerns about the detention of this man, who was arrested on 21 November and given a six-month Administrative Detention order on 20 December, after a month of questioning. The subjects of these orders are given no indication of the allegations or concerns for which they are being detained. This person has been on hunger strike, reportedly taking only water, since 25 November, in protest both at his detention without charge and what he states was his questioning under duress. Ireland has consistently made clear our view that administrative detention, which if it exists at all should only be an exceptional emergency measure, is being used far more widely against Palestinian activists. If there are genuine security concerns about individuals, they should be charged and tried under the law.
Ireland has conveyed these views to the Israeli authorities both directly and through our interventions at UN level and, at the urging of Ireland and others, in EU Council Conclusions. We will continue to do so. Our Missions in the area are monitoring this case and have raised it at EU level.
I must however also urge this prisoner to end his hunger strike, which has reached the point where his health is in serious danger. There has been a series of hunger strikes in recent years in relation to administrative detention, although in all cases the prison authorities have achieved a successful resolution. I am deeply concerned however that, however much one might appreciate the frustration of persons detained without trial, such strikes, if repeated, may eventually end in a tragic outcome. I call on all sides to ensure this does not occur.
398. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent of communication and correspondence he has had with the Australian authorities as part of efforts to provide assistance and support to Irish citizens in Australia who have been found to have violated the terms of their visa by remaining in the country beyond the permitted duration of stay; the financial assistance afforded to undocumented Irish citizens who find themselves in this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2288/16]
View answer399. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of Irish citizens who have been deported, returned or removed from Australia as a result of having violated the terms of their visa by remaining in the country beyond the permitted duration of stay in each year since 2010, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2289/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 398 and 399 together.
My Department has three offices in Australia, the Embassy, which is located in Canberra, a Consulate-General in Sydney and an Honorary Consulate in Perth.
The Embassy and Consulates meet regularly with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) and with the Australian Border Force (ABF) on all visa-related issues affecting Irish citizens, including overstaying, deportation and related matters at Federal and State levels as appropriate. Embassy officials met most recently in November with senior officials from DIBP. The Honorary Consul in Perth is in regular contact with the Australian Border Force, and in particular with the Management of the detention facilities in the area.
The Embassy and Consulates work to ensure that Irish citizens are not disadvantaged and are able to avail of all protections which would apply to Australian citizens in comparable circumstances. Typically, cases involving visa issues where citizens are held in detention come to the attention of the Embassy or Consulates if the person involved is in need of a travel document; seeks to challenge a deportation; or if they or their family have particular concerns about their detention. Consular assistance is provided when requested by an Irish citizen.
This assistance is supported by the Consular Assistance Team in my Department in Dublin which liaises with families at home and can request the Embassy and Consulates to raise any issues of concern that they may have with the authorities.
I also wish to acknowledge the excellent support work in this area undertaken across Australia by the Irish Welfare Bureaus, Support Associations and Irish Clubs, many of whom receive financial support from my Department’s Emigrant Support Programme. These groups complement the work of the Embassy and Consulates and provide support and local advice to visiting Irish citizens and to those experiencing difficulty while in Australia.
The Emigrant Support Programme (ESP), which is administered by my Department, provides funding to not-for-profit organisations and projects to support Irish communities overseas and to encourage closer links between these communities and Ireland.
ESP funding allocated to welfare organisations in Australia has increased in recent years, largely due to the challenges associated with the significant increase in young Irish people arriving there, and additional outreach work by the organisations to the elderly in the community. Total ESP funding awarded to Australia based organisations from 2004 to 2014 amounts to over €2.7m.
Organisations supported in Australia include the Irish Australian Support Association of Queensland (Brisbane), Irish Australian Welfare Bureau and Resource Centre New South Wales (Sydney), Irish Australian Support and Resource Bureau Inc. (Melbourne) and the Claddagh Association (Perth).
I have also included a table provided to our Embassy by the Australian authorities showing the numbers of Irish citizens who over-stayed their visas and were returned or removed from Australia from 2010 to 31 December 2015.
Irish national over stayers returned or removed from Australia - 2010-2011 to 2015-2016 (31 Dec)*
|
- |
Programme Year |
|||||
|
- |
2010-11 |
2011-12 |
2012-13 |
2013-14 |
2014-15 |
2015-16 (31 Dec 15) |
|
Returned from the community |
251 |
253 |
255 |
338 |
279 |
125 |
|
Removed from immigration detention |
15 |
26 |
27 |
61 |
61 |
28 |
|
Total |
266 |
279 |
282 |
399 |
340 |
153 |
*This table accounts for onshore compliance departures
400. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the cost of the emigrant support programme in each of the years 2008 to 2015; the estimated cost in 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2343/16]
View answerThe Emigrant Support Programme (ESP) provides funding to not-for-profit organisations and projects to support Irish communities overseas and to facilitate the development of more strategic links between Ireland and the global Irish.The focus of the Emigrant Support Programme is on initiatives that:
- address the needs of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable Irish emigrants;
- enhance access for Irish emigrants and Irish community organisations to local statutory and voluntary services;
- foster a more vibrant sense of community and Irish identity amongst the Irish abroad; and,
- encourage closer links between Irish communities abroad and in Ireland, to the benefit of both.
In addition, since 2009, the Programme also supports projects aimed at creating practical results orientated links between Ireland and the global Irish, and projects that emerged as a consequence of the Global Irish Economic Forum.
The overall spend for the Programme from 2008 to 2015 is set out below. With regard to 2015, end of year accounts are currently being finalised so the figure provided below remains provisional. I would be happy to provide the Deputy with a complete list of 2015 grants in the coming weeks and they will also be published on my Department’s website at https://www.dfa.ie/our-role-policies/the-irish-abroad/emigrant-support-programme
The allocated budget for the Emigrant Support Programme in 2016 is €11,595,000.
|
Funding Year |
Emigrant Support Programme Total |
|
2008 |
€15,182,714 |
|
2009 |
€14,884,660 |
|
2010 |
€11,904,695 |
|
2011 |
€11,297,365 |
|
2012 |
€11,455,364 |
|
2013 |
€10,539,850 |
|
2014 |
€11,998,575 |
|
2015 |
€11,416,077* |
* Provisional figure
401. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade under the Civil Service reform programme, the number of clerical officers who have been promoted to higher executive officer and the number of executive officers who have been promoted to assistant principal officer in his Department through internal competitions after the significant change in eligibility rules; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2577/16]
View answerAll civil servants in my Department with the requisite skills and experience are eligible to apply for internal promotion competitions irrespective of their grade. Since the change in eligibility rules for promotion came into effect in December 2013, one Clerical Officer has been promoted to Higher Executive Officer. No Executive Officer has been promoted to Assistant Principal Officer.
402. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of her Department's engagement with the College for Every Student scheme in 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2001/16]
View answerThe College for Every Student (CFES) scheme is run by Trinity College Dublin (TCD) through its Trinity Access 21 (TA21) initiative. The aim of the scheme is to address educational disadvantage and to develop and disseminate innovative education models. TA21 was established in 2014 with support from Google Ireland. The scheme mainly focuses on students in second level schools that are targeted by the social inclusion measures of the Department through the DEIS Programme. The objective of CFES is to increase students' college and career aspirations through participation in three core practices which are: mentoring; leadership through service; and pathways to college. The CFES model has been adapted from the USA to the Irish context and is based on a strong evidence base in the US showing a 90% college progression rate for participating students.
One of the objectives of the new National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2015-2019 is that the HEA support the dissemination of best practice in the provision of mentoring programmes for students in second level. In 2015 the HEA allocated €4,795 to support a symposium by TA21 to share the practices developed through CFES with a wider group of stakeholders, including those from other higher education institutions and second level schools.
