Thursday, 7 Jul 2016

Written Answers Nos. 261-275

Respite Care Services

Questions (261)

Martin Kenny

Question:

261. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) was charged for respite care. [20283/16]

Written answers

Minister for Health

Long-stay charges for in-patient services only apply to the further provision of in-patient services to persons who have already received at least 30 days of in-patient services during the immediately preceding 12-month period. Accordingly, many respite episodes would not attract any charge.

Charges for the maintenance element of long-stay in-patient services – which may include in-patient respite care services – are provided for under the Health (Amendment) Act 2005 and the Health (Charges for In-Patient Services) Regulations 2005, as amended.

The Regulations provide for two different classes of income-based charges in respect of the maintenance element of the in-patient services provided:

- Class 1 relates to charges for those receiving in-patient services on premises where 24-hour nursing care is provided, subject to a current maximum of €175 per week for a person whose income is €208 or more, and

- Class 2 charges apply where 24-hour nursing care is not provided, subject to a current maximum of €130 per week for a person whose income is €194 or more.

Affordability and the avoidance of financial hardship are built-in features of the charging provisions under the 2005 Act and Regulations:

- Firstly, the Act caps the amount which may be charged – at 80% of the non-contributory State Pension weekly rate. At present, that means an upper limit of €177.60 per week.

- Secondly, the charges are structured to ensure that those paying them retain a reasonable income for personal use: at least €33 per week for those paying Class 1 rates and at least €64 per week for those paying Class 2 rates

- Thirdly, the Act provides that the HSE may reduce or waive a charge imposed on a person if necessary to avoid undue financial hardship.

To assist in the fair application of the provisions of the 2005 Act and Regulations, the HSE has developed national guidelines for the determination of long-stay charges for in-patient services. These include the need to have regard to the individual circumstances of each service user and his or her dependants. The guidelines ensure that the applicable charge is determined taking account of each person’s income and necessary outgoings while receiving care, including reasonable regular financial commitments. This avoids any unfair burden on the service user or his or her dependants.

As the issue raised by the Deputy relates to an individual case, this is a service matter for the Health Service Executive. I have asked the HSE to look into the particular matter raised and to reply directly 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.

Hospital Waiting Lists

Questions (262)

Hildegarde Naughton

Question:

262. Deputy Hildegarde Naughton asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in providing ultrasound scans to new born infants with potential hip dysplasia at University Hospital Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20287/16]

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 Waiting Lists

Questions (263)

Hildegarde Naughton

Question:

263. Deputy Hildegarde Naughton asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of the long waiting lists for cataract operations at University Hospital Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20288/16]

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.

UK Referendum on EU Membership

Questions (264)

Michael McGrath

Question:

264. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health the number of staff dedicated to managing Ireland's response to the decision of the United Kingdom to exit the European Union; the structure of this team; how it will work with teams in other Departments; who has overall responsibility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20304/16]

Written answers

Minister for Health

The result of the referendum means that the UK electorate have declared their wish to leave the EU. It is important to be clear that the UK has not yet left the EU. Until it formally withdraws from the Union, the UK remains a full member, with all of its existing rights and obligations.

The terms of a British exit from the EU are unknown at this stage. Negotiations between all EU member states, including Ireland, on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU are expected to take place over at least two years and possibly longer. The Department of Health will be fully involved in these negotiations.

A sub-committee of the Management Board was set up in advance of the UK referendum to examine the potential consequences of a UK decision to leave the EU on healthcare in Ireland and for Irish citizens. This sub-committee will build on initial work completed to undertake a full audit of the possible impacts, risks, opportunities and contingencies arising over the longer term, in the phases preceding and following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. It includes representatives from each division within the Department and is chaired at senior level.

Staff from my Department are in regular contact with other Departments on the issue of the UK vote to leave the EU. The Department of Health is also represented on the Senior Officials Group on EU Affairs and on the Interdepartmental Group on EU/UK Affairs, which are both coordinated centrally by the Department of the Taoiseach.

Health Services

Questions (265)

Thomas Byrne

Question:

265. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Health the long-term plan for the regional administrative centre and current positions which are held in Kells, County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20310/16]

Written answers

Minister for Health

I 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.

Consultancy Contracts Data

Questions (266)

Robert Troy

Question:

266. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health to provide, per annum, all external consultant reports commissioned by his Department since March, 2011, in tabular form; the costs per report; the company involved; the title of the report and the publication date. [20348/16]

Written answers

Minister for Health

The information requested by the Deputy is being collated and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

It is the policy in my Department only to engage the services of external consultants where it is felt to be appropriate and cost-effective, taking account of Government decisions and policy on the matter.

Departmental Expenditure

Questions (267)

Robert Troy

Question:

267. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health the total photography costs per annum for his Department since coming to office, inclusive of costs incurred from use of the Ministerial allowance, in tabular form; the list of occasions for which photographers were booked; the photographers used; the breakdown of costs associated with each occasion that a photographer was used; if there is a policy regarding the booking of photographers within his Department. [20378/16]

Written answers

Minister for Health

It is the policy of the Department to keep costs in relation to the use of photographers to a minimum. Photographers are usually booked through the Press and Communications Office.

No photography costs are met from my Ministerial Allowance. From time to time individual units may incur other photography costs.

The detailed information requested by the Deputy is currently being collated and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is available.

Public Relations Contracts Data

Questions (268)

Robert Troy

Question:

268. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health to provide, broken down per annum, the use of external public relations firms employed by his Department since coming into office, in tabular form; the external public relations firm used; to outline the internal departmental policy with regard to employing external groups; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20393/16]

Written answers

Minister for Health

The Press and Communications Office of the Department liaises with the media on behalf of the Department and does not use the services of public relations firms.

It is the policy in my Department only to engage the services of external groups where it is felt to be appropriate and cost-effective, taking account of Government decisions and policy on the matter.

I will advise the Deputy separately if any public relations firms have been employed by other units in the Department since I took office.

Beef Data Programme

Questions (269)

Paul Kehoe

Question:

269. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person (details supplied) will not receive payment under a scheme; the options available to this person; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20128/16]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The person name applied to participate in the Beef Data and Genomics Programme on 18 May 2015. An initial payment of €2,231.42 issued in December 2015.

At the time of the initial payment, all of the required survey details had not been received in the Department in order to facilitate full payment .

The person named subsequently submitted the remainder of their outstanding survey information to the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation on 20 May 2016 and a supplementary payment will issue as a result. This payment will issue in the coming weeks.

Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme

Questions (270)

Paul Kehoe

Question:

270. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of an application by a person (details supplied) under a scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20129/16]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The person concerned is an applicant under the TAMS II Animal Welfare, Safety and Nutrient Storage Scheme. The application is currently being processed and once it has been determined that all the terms and conditions of the Scheme have been complied with a letter of approval to carry out the works will issue.

TB Eradication Scheme

Questions (271)

Clare Daly

Question:

271. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the claim by the Irish Wildlife Trust that his Department regularly breaches the terms of special licences to snare and shoot 6,000 badgers a year as part of the State’s bovine tuberculosis eradication programme. [20130/16]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine fully complies with the terms and conditions of licences issued by the National Parks and Wildlife Service to remove badgers in the context of its Bovine TB eradication programme. My officials work very closely with those of the NPWS in implementing this policy and are in constant contact on the badger capturing programme, including at local level, to ensure that the conditions of the licences are being monitored and met.

Our policy of removing badgers is based on very considerable scientific evidence of a link between badgers and cattle in the context of the spread of bovine Tuberculosis. Research conducted by the Department and others has demonstrated that the eradication of bovine TB is not a practicable proposition until the issue of the reservoir of infection in badgers, which is seeding infection into the cattle population, is addressed. It is therefore necessary to eradicate TB in both species. I would stress that the removal of badgers is undertaken only in areas where badgers are the likely source of infection.

Furthermore, my Department believes that the removal of badgers has contributed significantly to the very substantial reduction in the incidence of TB in cattle in recent years. The incidence of bovine TB in Ireland has declined significantly since 2008 when approximately 30,000 animals were removed as reactors to just c. 15,300 in 2015. Herd incidence, which is another measure of trends, was at c.3.37% in 2015 compared with 5.88% in 2008. This is a historically low level. I am satisfied that the badger removal policy is the main factor in the reduction in the incidence of the disease and I would draw attention to the situation in Northern Ireland, which does not implement a badger culling programme, and where the incidence of TB is almost twice as high as ours.

It is important to note that the badger removal policy is a temporary measure pending the development of a suitable vaccine for use in badgers as it is our intention to gradually replace culling with vaccination. Accordingly, the Department has been collaborating for some years with the Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology and Risk Analysis (CVERA) in UCD and with DEFRA in the UK on research into a vaccine to control tuberculosis in badgers. A number of vaccination projects, replacing repeated culling in already culled areas, have been implemented since 2013. If these projects are ultimately successful in demonstrating that vaccination is as effective as continued culling, vaccination will become an increasingly important part of the national eradication strategy, provided that any obstacles relating to the delivery of the vaccine are overcome.

Agrifood Sector

Questions (272)

Willie Penrose

Question:

272. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is concerned at the recent survey by Bord Bia which found that some 40% of Irish food and drink exporters expect their sales to decline in the wake of the British exit from the European Union; his contingency plans to mitigate the effects of this on the agrifood sector, given that Irish food and drink exports to the United Kingdom accounted for 41% of total exports in 2015, valued at €4.4 billion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20317/16]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

I fully acknowledge the concerns of the agrifood sector about the potential implications of the UK’s decision to leave the EU. My Department and our agencies, in association with our stakeholders, have been giving careful consideration to this issue for some time, looking at the areas in which the greatest risks may arise and on which we will need to focus when negotiations begin.

The most immediate concerns for agrifood exporters centre on exchange rates. In that regard, the Central Bank of Ireland has pre-established contingency plans to deal with market volatility surrounding the referendum result. The Bank will engage with the Department of Finance and individual financial institutions regarding potential risks. Actions by ECB and other global actors will be monitored closely. In addition, I asked Bord Bia to provide practical guidance to SMEs to assist them in dealing with marketing challenges arising in the short term, and yesterday it announced a number of measures to support food and drink businesses. These measures cover areas such as managing volatility impacts, the provision of consumer and market insight, deepening customer engagement, and extending market reach, with the aim of helping companies maintain their competitiveness.

Aside from currency fluctuations, the main areas in which potential impacts are foreseen are in relation to tariffs and trade, the EU budget, regulations and standards, and customs controls and certification, while complex issues also arise for the fisheries sector.

However, we must remember that our trading relationship with the UK is not altered in any way until the negotiation process that will dictate the terms and conditions of the UK’s departure is completed. In the meantime, and as part of our overall contingency planning, I have established a dedicated unit in my Department to work on all of the issues that I have mentioned, and I have convened a consultative committee of stakeholders to ensure a full exchange of information as the negotiations proceed. The Department will also continue to feed into the central Contingency Framework being co-ordinated by the Department of the Taoiseach.

Food Security

Questions (273)

Willie Penrose

Question:

273. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will urgently conduct a national food security review with clear timelines on the implementation of a national food security strategy until 2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20318/16]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The FAO definition of food security states that: "food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life” (World Food Summit, 1996). Food security has four main dimensions - food availability, food access, utilisation and stability. At national level, food security is addressed through a range of Government policies providing social protection and supports for low income, disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. At EU level, Ireland is engaged in research under a number of  EU Joint Programming Initiatives (JPIs).

Within my Department planning for food availability takes place with in the context of FoodWise 2025, the 10-year vision of sustainable growth for Irish agrifood. This strategy identified significant growth opportunities across the Irish agrifood industry. Cumulatively, it projects that exports have the potential to grow to €19bn per annum in value by 2015, representing a considerable increase on the €10.8 billion in agrifood and drink products exported in 2015 to over 175 markets worldwide. Implementation of the strategy overall and at sectoral level is monitored by a High Level Implementation Committee, which I chair.

In most sectors Ireland is a net exporter, indeed Ireland exports over 80% of the agrifood it produces. In the case of horticulture, Food Wise 2025 outlines the potential to grow the farm gate value of Irish horticultural output to over €500m in the medium term. Exports are less of a feature than in other sectors, with the exception of mushrooms.

While there is potential to increase production of certain horticultural crops in Ireland, in some cases it may not be economic to do so. Some crops can’t be grown under Irish climatic conditions; other crops can only be grown economically at certain times of year or in certain parts of the country. Consumer desire for high quality fresh fruit and vegetables coupled with the high perishability of certain fresh fruit combine to create a situation where Ireland can’t be fully self-sufficient in terms of horticultural production. Notwithstanding this situation the Government is committed to maintaining and where possible developing Ireland’s potential to produce food.

My Department implements two specific schemes to promote development of the horticulture sector. These are the State funded Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector and the EU funded Producer Organisation Scheme. Both schemes aim to promote the sustainable development of the industry with a focus on maximising grower competitiveness, aligning production with consumer demand and respect for the environment. The EU has co-funded mushroom promotions undertaken by Bord Bia in partnership with the sector for several years. My own Department has also contributed funding, together with the EU and the trade for a successful three year potato promotion "Potatoes – More than a Bit on the Side".

The Food Dudes and Food Dudes Boost programmes, co-funded by my Department under the EU School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme, have developed in schoolchildren in national schools a taste for fresh fruit and vegetables leading to increased consumption.

The Grocery Goods Regulations, 2016, which were signed by my colleague the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, entered into force in April this year with the aim of improving the supply chain.

Horticulture Sector

Questions (274)

Willie Penrose

Question:

274. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is considering providing funding for the Horticulture Industry Forum, given that this important sector does not receive funding to a level commensurate with the other sectors in agriculture and the need to develop education and research; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20319/16]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The Horticulture Industry Forum was established in Summer 2014 to allow the horticulture industry work together to discuss and seek solutions to the issues it faces. The Forum consists of growers representing all the main sectors within Ireland’s edible horticulture industry. Teagasc and the IFA are associate members of the Forum.

In line with the recommendation set down in Food Wise 2025, the industry is funding the work of the Forum. There are no plans at present to provide State funding for the Forum.

To allow the Forum continue as an industry representative group which can effectively lobby Government, it is important that their independence be maintained.

Horticulture Sector

Questions (275)

Willie Penrose

Question:

275. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has considered proposals to give special status to the horticulture sector in order to encourage the development of this vital sector of agriculture; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20320/16]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

There are no proposals at present to give special status to the horticulture sector, however the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine implements two schemes that specifically facilitate development of Ireland’s horticulture sector.

The nationally funded Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector provides grant aid at a rate of 40% (50% in the case of young applicant’s under 35 years of age) on approved costs associated with investment in a broad range of specialised horticultural equipment and buildings that contribute to at least one of the Scheme’s objectives of facilitating environmentally friendly practices, promoting the diversification of on-farm activities, improving the quality of products or improving working conditions in the sector. Earlier this year the Minister of State with special responsibility for horticulture, Andrew Doyle, T.D. issued approvals to 154 applicants with a total value of €5.4m under the 2016 Round of the Scheme. This will facilitate grower investment costing approximately €13.5m over the coming months.

The EU funded Producer Organisation Scheme provides aid to encourage producers of fruit and vegetables to set up an organisation to jointly market their production in order to strengthen the producer’s position in the marketplace. The Scheme also aims to increase market orientation among EU growers, encourage innovation, promote fruit and vegetables, increase grower’s competitiveness and improve marketing, product quality and the environmental aspects of production.

A fruit or vegetable Producer Organisation may claim 50% EU aid on approved actions implemented through their Operational Programme up to a ceiling of 4.1% of their Value of Marketed Production, which is essentially their turnover.

There are currently two recognised horticultural Producer Organisations in Ireland. In line with the recommendation set down in FoodWise 2025 the Department’s policy is to encourage grower participation in horticultural Producer Organisations.