Written Answers Nos. 52-71
52. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Health the allocation of funding for mental health services over the past five years; if he has changed the allocation for 2016 and the reason for this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8594/16]
View answerThe Budget for Mental Health Services for the years 2011 to 2016 are as follows.
|
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016* |
|
€712 million |
€711 million |
€737 million |
€766 million |
€791.8 million |
€826.6 million |
* includes 2016 €35m provision
With the establishment of the Mental Health Division in mid-2013, the Health Service Executive commenced a process of identifying and correctly reporting budgets and costs on a Care Group basis similar in other HSE service areas. In previous years the finances were reported by Integrated Service Area to support the integrated model of service delivery. HSE expenditure for Mental Health was in the region of €709m in 2013, €735 in 2014, and €785m in 2015 (outturn figure).
Mental health funding for 2016 was set out in the 2016 HSE Service Plan. The plan was subsequently published and made available to all interested parties.
Funding for mental health services will increase this year, no matter what developments take place during the year. Funding for mental health in 2016 will increase from the 2015 outturn of €785m, to a projected budget of €826m in the 2016 NSP, an increase of €41m or 5.2% , which includes the €35m ring fenced for mental health.
The last Government increased the ring-fenced mental health funding by a total of €160 million over 2012 - 16 inclusive.
€35m additional funding has been ring fenced for mental health as part of an additional €97m that has been earmarked for new developments in the HSE's 2016 Service Plan. €58.5m of that is held by the Department of Health, comprising the €35m for mental health services, €13.5m for primary care, €8m for therapy services for young people and €2m for the nursing taskforce pilot implementation.
Some of these proposals for the €35m allocation for mental health involve the recruitment of extra staff for new service developments. As staff recruitment takes time, the Service Plan provides that time related savings of approximately €12m from this, as well as other funding from primary care, therapy services for young people and nursing task force pilot implementation would be used, on a once-off basis, to maintain services in home care and transitional care beds, and for vaccine procurement. As the initiatives planned for mental health and the other areas identified in the Service Plan are approved, arrangements will be made for the release of funding, having regard to the overall Service Plan.
In line with the provisions of the Service Plan, additional funding for specific initiatives in mental health will be allocated as specific implementation plans are agreed. The Department of Health is examining detailed proposals from the HSE for the redevelopment monies.
53. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Health the number of vacancies in community-based health services in Dublin 15, excluding hospitals, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8595/16]
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.
54. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Health for the number of vacancies in all hospitals, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8596/16]
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.
55. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Health his ongoing initiatives to ensure the Vision for Change document is implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8597/16]
View answer'A Vision for Change', published in 2006, sets out a 10 year policy framework for Ireland's mental health services. Since 2012, the Government has provided additional funding ring-fenced for mental health. In 2012, the Mental Health budget was €711m. Today, it is €827m, an increase of €116m, or 16%, over this period. Overall, approximately 1,550 new posts have been approved for the mental health services since 2012 although some existing posts in that time have also been lost due to retirements and normal attrition.
Ongoing developments that occurred under the term of the outgoing Government include the development of the Counselling in Primary Care Service (CIPC) for adults over 18 years who are medical card holders; a greater awareness of fostering mental health promotion in society through campaigns like the 'Let's Talk' campaign and 'The Little Things'; the publication last year of the Expert Review Group Report on the Mental Health Act 2001 and the new Suicide Prevention Strategy 'Connecting for Life'; reducing Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) waiting lists for those waiting over 12 Months; commencing works for the new National Forensic Hospital to replace Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum; the development of counselling services across both primary and secondary care, including early intervention at primary care level, and five new Jigsaw youth mental health services planned for Cork (2), Dublin (2) and Limerick and development of Perinatal Mental Health Services.
In addition, funding has been made available to facilitate the transfer of some patients from the Forensic Mental Health Services to the community, investment in high observation in acute mental health units, the improvement of 24/7 services through additional liaison psychiatry services, new clinical programmes for dual diagnosis and adults with ADHD, provision of additional clinical space in community services and more funds for clinical programmes directed at eating disorders, self-harm in Emergency Departments and early intervention in psychosis.
56. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Health the waiting times for patients for all psychiatric services, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8598/16]
View answerAs this is a service issue this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a reply within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
57. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Health the waiting times for patients for a consultation with a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a psychotherapist, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8599/16]
View answerAs this is a service issue this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a reply within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
58. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Health the status of an application by a person (details supplied) under the medical card scheme. [8600/16]
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 recently 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.
59. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of an operation for a person (details supplied) in Cork University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8605/16]
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 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 HSE, 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.
60. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health the status of providing an operation for a person (details supplied); the reason for the delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8606/16]
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 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 HSE, 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.
61. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of an appointment for a person (details supplied) in Limerick hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8612/16]
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.
62. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the progress and time schedule for providing primary care centres in County Kildare; when he will meet the full requirement; the extent to which this will ease overcrowding at the hospitals Naas and elsewhere in the region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8620/16]
View answerThe HSE has responsibility for the provision and operation of Primary Care Centres. Therefore, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on this issue. 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.
63. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent to which he monitors applications for medical cards by cancer patients if his primary concern is the applicant's health or their means; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8621/16]
View answerIn accordance with the provisions of the Health Act 1970 (as amended), eligibility for a medical card is determined by the HSE. The Act obliges the HSE to assess whether a person is unable, without undue hardship, to arrange general practitioner services for himself or herself and his or her family, having regard to his or her overall financial position and reasonable expenditure and every application must be assessed on that basis. Under the legislation, having a particular illness, in itself, does not establish eligibility for a medical card and therefore, the medical conditions of applicants for this scheme are not monitored on that basis. Where the applicant's income is within the income guidelines, a medical card or GP visit card will be awarded.
Every effort is made by the HSE, within the framework of the legislation, to support applicants in applying for a medical card and, in particular, to take full account of the difficult circumstances in the case of applicants who may be in excess of the income guidelines. In certain circumstances, the HSE may exercise discretion and grant a medical card, even though an applicant exceeds his or her income threshold, where he or she faces difficult financial circumstances, such as extra costs arising from an illness. Social and medical issues are considered when determining whether undue hardship exists for an individual accessing general practitioner or other medical services. The HSE affords applicants the opportunity to furnish supporting information and documentation to fully take account of all the relevant circumstances that may benefit them in the assessment, including medical evidence of cost and necessary expenses.
The HSE has a system in place for the provision of medical cards in response to an emergency situation for persons with a serious medical condition in need of urgent or on-going medical care that they cannot afford and persons in palliative care, who are terminally ill. With the exception of terminally ill patients all medical cards, granted on an emergency basis, are issued on the basis that the patient is eligible for a medical card on the basis of means or undue hardship, and will follow up with a full application within a number of weeks of receiving the medical card eligibility. These cards are issued within 24 hours of receipt of the required patient details and a letter which confirms the medical condition from a doctor or consultant. For terminally ill persons, no means test applies and the cards are not reviewed.
The Deputy may be aware of the "Keane" Report of the Expert Panel on Medical Need for Medical Card Eligibility, which made a recommendation that a person’s means should remain the main qualifier for a medical card. It also recommended that it is neither feasible nor desirable to list conditions in priority order for medical card eligibility.
On foot of the Keane Report, the HSE established a Clinical Advisory Group to develop clinical oversight and guidance for the operation of a more compassionate and trusted medical card system. The Director General of the HSE, on accepting an interim recommendation of the Group, made a decision to award medical card eligibility to all children under 18 years of age with a diagnosis of cancer from 1 July 2015, with the card to be held for a period of five years. The Clinical Advisory Group is continuing its work on the development of guidance on assessing medical card applications involving significant medical conditions.
It is clear that there are people with medical needs and it is important that they should be able to access necessary assistance in a straight forward manner. Greater discretion is being exercised by the HSE as evidenced by the number of discretionary medical cards in circulation, which has increased from about 52,000 in mid-2014 to over 103,000 at 1 April 2016.
I can clarify for the Deputy that 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.
64. Deputy Josepha Madigan asked the Minister for Health when the Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Act 2015 will commence; the funding he has allocated for the Decision Support Service in 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8628/16]
View answerThe Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Act 2015 comes under the remit of my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality who would be best placed to answer and any questions regarding the Act.
65. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Health why a home help (details supplied), serving in a rural area where there is no public transport and depending on another person for transport to and from clients, is not paid travelling expenses. [8631/16]
View answerProvisions for travel expenses are covered under the HSE's National Financial Regulations (NFR) which form part of the overall system of Corporate Governance and Internal Control within the organisation. In relation to NFR 05 - Travel and Subsistence - an employee of the HSE must meet the criteria as set out. Therefore all employees who meet those criteria are eligible to claim travel and subsistence.
66. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Health when he will approve additional night nursing hours for persons (details supplied). [8632/16]
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.
67. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Health why the Mallow intermediate care vehicle would be relocated to Cork city and the cover would be available to north County Cork, given that a paramedic ambulance is not available. [8634/16]
View answerWith regard to the specific query raised by the Deputy, 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.
68. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health the status of a case including when the person (details supplied) will receive an appointment in the Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore, County Offaly. [8637/16]
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.
69. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health the status of a case including when the person (details supplied) will receive an appointment in the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin 2. [8638/16]
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.
70. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 691 and 719 of 14 April 2016 and as summer is fast approaching, and school principals need to get organised, when the announcement will be made. [8526/16]
View answer93. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Education and Skills to revert to this Deputy on a matter (details supplied) regarding the summer works scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8627/16]
View answer95. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Skills to sanction the summer works scheme to enable schools to commence work as soon as students are on holidays, given the lead time to have builders ready for works and given that just over six weeks remain until school holidays begin. [8636/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 70, 93 and 95 together.
I wish to advise the Deputies that it is my intention to publish a list of successful applicants under the Summer Works Scheme 2016-2017 very shortly.
71. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the Foróige Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship and the benefits that accrue to students from involvement in the programme; her plans for funding the programme; if further funds can be made available so that further schools can become members of the network; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8529/16]
View answerThis Department provides capitation to schools which can be used for a number of purposes. It is normally used for mainstream education whether at primary or post primary. Schools would have discretion in relation to the funds. If a school chooses to become involved in the Foroige Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, it could allocate some of its capitation funding to this initiative.
It is not possible for this Department to provide discrete funding for the many initiatives that schools choose to participate in.
