Written Answers Nos. 440-463
440. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if there will be no building works on the graveyards at St. Loman's Hospital, Mullingar, and whether there are no plans for building works or sale of the graveyards at St. Loman's Hospital; and if the currently unmarked graves will be restored and identified, as was their status up to 2011. [29624/16]
View answerAs this is a service issue, this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
441. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Minister for Health if the seven-point home care criteria (details supplied) are standard criteria throughout the country or unique to County Roscommon; the reason the issue of being in receipt of carer's allowance is not included as being a factor in assessment despite the fact that this seems to have been an issue in so many persons losing home care hours in County Roscommon; the reason cognitive ability is not assessed as part of the home care criteria when it is obviously a major factor in determining a person's vulnerability and dependence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29643/16]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
442. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Minister for Health the number of persons in counties Roscommon and Galway currently awaiting implementation of a home care package for 2015 and 2016, in tabular form; the average waiting time for the delivery of a home care package in the respective counties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29644/16]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
443. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Minister for Health the status of an application for increased home care package hours for a person (details supplied); and the expected timeframe for delivery of the approved 8.75 home care hours. [29645/16]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
444. Deputy Shane Cassells asked the Minister for Health if extra home nursing hours will be provided for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29659/16]
View answerThe Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. This commitment is outlined in A Programme for Partnership Government, which is guided by two principles: equality of opportunity and improving the quality of life for people with disabilities.
As 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.
445. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will be seen for an appointment; the waiting time until they are seen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29662/16]
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.
446. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Health the amount which was provided specifically to County Kerry from the €20 million allocated to maintain home help hours and home care packages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29674/16]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
447. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Health the total annual spend currently on mental health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29676/16]
View answerThe amount allocated to mental health services under the HSE’s National Service Plan will increase by €41 million, or just over 5%, to €826 million for 2016. This represents a net increase of €115 million to the mental health Budget since 2012.
This increase has helped to fund additional posts to strengthen Community Mental Health Teams for both adults and children. It has also been used to enhance specialist community mental health and forensic services, improve the access to counselling and psychotherapy and for suicide prevention initiatives. In the region of 1,550 new posts have been approved since 2012. These posts have helped to facilitate the policy of moving away from traditional institutional based care to a patient-centred, flexible and community based mental health service where hospital admissions are greatly reduced, while still providing in-patient care when appropriate.
448. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the number of part-time and full-time staffing roles in each grade and area of responsibility which are filled by participants by their registration for the roles and acceptance into the job roles by CE, Gateway and Tús schemes within his Department specifically by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29679/16]
View answerThe staff of my Department are recruited through the Public Appointments Service with a small number of staff seconded from the Health Service Executive and other health related agencies. Accordingly none of the positions in the Department are filled from participants on community employment schemes, gateway schemes or tús schemes.
449. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Health the considerations that are being made to ensure any increases in pension payments for those aged over 70 will not result in these persons losing their entitlement to a means tested medical card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29681/16]
View answerThe Health Service Executive issues income guidelines to assist in determining entitlement to Medical/GP Visit cards. In revising the income guidelines, the HSE has regard to Government policy as outlined by the Minister for Health, increases in the consumer price index and to other issues which may be relevant.
There are no proposals at present to amend the current income guidelines for the granting of eligibility for medical cards for persons aged 70 and over. Any decision to amend the current income guidelines would only arise after the announcement of Budget 2017.
450. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health if there has been a change of policy in respect of the supports to children diagnosed by a service provider after a certain date (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29685/16]
View answerThe Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose, and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. This commitment is outlined in the Programme for Partnership Government, which is guided by two principles: equality of opportunity and improving the quality of life for people with disabilities.
As 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.
451. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Health if there is any research being carried out on muscular dystrophy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29686/16]
View answerThe Health Research Board is the statutory agency under the aegis of my Department responsible for supporting and funding health research, information and evidence. It funds research in all areas including clinical, population health and health services research.
The Health Research Board has advised my department that it has identified three research projects it previously supported for the condition referred to by the deputy. The total amount awarded - of which two projects were co-funded with the Medical Research Charities Group - was €398,254.
452. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Health if a drug that has recently come on the market in the USA will be available to persons with muscular dystrophy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29687/16]
View answerUnder European and Irish legislation, before a medicine can be placed on the Irish market the manufacturer has to seek an authorisation from the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) or in the case of certain medicinal products, the European Medicines Agency (EMA). A determination on an application for authorisation of a medicine is based on a rigorous scientific assessment of the application against the criteria of safety, quality, efficacy, legal and regulatory requirements.
If the Deputy would identify the medication concerned, my officials can investigate further.
453. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Health if his Department provided funding to the Irish Cancer Society in each of the years 2010 to 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29689/16]
View answerMy Department has provided funding to the Irish Cancer Society (ICS) on two occasions between 2010 and 2015.
In 2014, my Department provided funding of €8,000 to the ICS for an advertising campaign around the launch of the Public Health (Sunbeds) Act 2014.
A further €7,934.73 was provided to the ICS in 2015, as a contribution towards their Sunbed Social Media Campaign, which coincided with the launch of Phase 2 of the Public Health (Sunbeds) Act 2014.
Separately, the HSE National Cancer Control Programme provides funding to the ICS towards the cost of running the Travel to Care scheme.
454. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Health his views on the findings of the European Commission which endorsed the conclusion of the European Medicines Agency on 12 January 2016 that there is no need to change the way Gardasil HPV vaccines are used or to amend the product information, considering the current concern here in regard to over 400 young girls who are suffering side effects from this drug; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29690/16]
View answer455. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Health if he will meet representatives of an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29694/16]
View answer456. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Health if he will arrange for a State-funded free independent medical assessment for each girl suffering illnesses that they associate with the HPV vaccine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29695/16]
View answer467. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Health if he is satisfied that the Gardasil vaccine is totally safe; and the reason the information from Gardasil is not included as part of the information to parents before vaccination (details supplied). [29772/16]
View answer469. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Health his views on the fact that up until 2012, reporting of suspected vaccine reactions including Gardasil vaccine here depended on the voluntary submission of a report from a doctor, consultant or medical professional (details supplied); and his views on whether the incidence of adverse reactions is under-reported in view of the fact that most doctors will not acknowledge any connection between a vaccine including the Gardasil vaccine and a subsequent serious medical condition that manifests in the weeks or months afterwards. [29774/16]
View answer471. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Health if he is satisfied that the human papilloma virus Gardasil vaccine is totally safe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29791/16]
View answer472. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Health his views on whether the information from Gardasil vaccine makers should be provided as part of the information package provided by the HSE to parents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29792/16]
View answer473. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Health his views on the claims made by the HSE which state that the Gardasil HPV vaccine is the safest and most cost effective of health care interventions available currently and that it is the best way to prevent most disease due to human papilloma virus, HPV; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29793/16]
View answer476. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Health his plans to arrange training for general practitioners in dealing with girls who have received the Gardasil HPV vaccine and the reported side effects. [29796/16]
View answer494. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health the number of adverse effect reports received by the HPRA regarding a drug (details supplied) since that drug was licensed for use here. [29877/16]
View answer495. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health if his Department has performed any lifetime analysis of the cost of support to persons reporting serious adverse effects following the administration of a drug (details supplied). [29878/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 454 to 456, inclusive, 467, 469, 471 to 473, inclusive, 476, 494 and 495 together.
The immunisation programme in Ireland is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). NIAC is a committee of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland comprising of experts in a number of specialties including infectious diseases, paediatrics and public health. The committee's recommendations are informed by public health advice and international best practice.
Each year in Ireland around 300 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer. The HPV vaccine protects against two high risk types of HPV (16 & 18) that cause 73% of all cervical cancers. Vaccinated women and girls will still be at risk from other high risk types of HPV that can cause cervical cancer and will therefore need to continue to have regular cervical smear tests. NIAC recommended that the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine be given to all girls aged 12-13 in 2009 and in September 2010 the HPV vaccination programme was introduced for all girls in first year of second level schools.
By January 2016, over 200 million doses of Gardasil had been distributed worldwide. In Ireland over 580,000 doses of Gardasil have been administered and over 200,000 girls have been fully vaccinated against HPV since it was introduced in 2010.
No medicine, including vaccines, is entirely without risk, there is therefore on-going pharmacovigilance and monitoring of medicinal products once they are authorised for use. The safety profile of Gardasil has been continuously monitored since it was first authorised.
In Ireland, the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) is the statutory regulatory authority for medicines in Ireland. While no medicine (including vaccines) is entirely without risk, the safety profile of Gardasil has been continuously monitored since it was first authorised both nationally and at EU level.
As part of its monitoring of the safety of medicines, the HPRA operates an adverse reaction reporting system, where healthcare professionals and patients are encouraged to report adverse reactions they consider may be associated with their treatment, through the range of options in place for reporting. The national adverse reaction reporting programme in Ireland has been in place since 1968, initially operated by the HPRA's predecessor organisations, the National Drugs Advisory Board (NDAB) and the Irish Medicines Board (IMB). This reporting system has continuously evolved over the years to encourage increased participation across healthcare professional groups as well as patients/consumers. A variety of methods are in place to facilitate reporting such as on-line reporting tools, or submitting a form by post, email or reporting by telephone. The HPRA website includes a dedicated section on reporting for healthcare professionals as well as members of the public and regularly highlights reporting recommendations in its Drug Safety Newsletter. In addition, a number of leaflets have been issued by the HPRA to highlight patient awareness around taking medicines safely and advising patients of reporting options. These leaflets have been distributed to the public through a number of channels, including being made available in GP surgeries.
Reporting rates in Ireland for suspected adverse drug reactions associated with HPV vaccines have been high since the introduction of Gardasil into the Schools Immunisation Programme in 2010. This level of reporting reflects the very positive response to calls from the HPRA for reporting of national experience associated with use of the vaccine. All reports of suspected adverse reactions submitted to the HPRA are reviewed and followed up as necessary to ensure all relevant information is available, prior to onward reporting to relevant stakeholders, including the European Medicines Agency (EMA). At EU level, regulators continuously monitor this cumulative reporting experience as part of the ongoing assessment of the safety of HPV vaccines.
In terms of overall reporting rates, the HPRA actively participates in the WHO Collaborating Programme for International Drug Monitoring. Information on reporting rates from countries in the WHO programme is published on the centre's website and Ireland was ranked as the thirteenth highest reporter across 121 participating countries during the period 2011-2015.
I am aware of claims of an association between HPV vaccination and a number of conditions experienced by a group of young women. It appears that some girls first suffered symptoms around the time they received the HPV vaccine, and understandably some parents have connected the vaccine to their daughter’s condition. It is important to reassure people that anyone who is suffering ill health is eligible to seek medical attention, and to access appropriate health and social care services, irrespective of the cause of their symptoms. The individual nature of the needs of some children may require access to specialist services. The HSE are currently working to put in place a clinical care pathway appropriate to the medical needs of this group.
In November 2015, the European Medicines Agency completed a detailed scientific review of the HPV vaccine. The review, which the HPRA participated in, specifically focused on rare reports of two conditions, complex regional pain syndrome and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome associated with heart rate increase. The outcome of the review which was carried out by the EMA Pharmacovigilance and Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) found no evidence of a causal link between the vaccine and the two conditions examined. The European Medicines Agency has advised healthcare professionals that available data does not warrant any change to the use of HPV vaccines as there are no new safety concerns regarding HPV vaccines. Healthcare professionals should therefore continue using the vaccines in accordance with the current product information.
On 12 January 2016, the European Commission endorsed the conclusion of the European Medicines Agency stating that there is no need to change the way HPV vaccines are used or to amend the product information. This final outcome by the Commission is now binding in all member states.
The HSE provides information for parents about diseases, the vaccines to prevent them and side effects to allow them to choose whether or not to give consent to vaccination. All vaccination information provided to parents is prepared from the available licensed documentation for each vaccine, the Summary of Products Characteristics and Patient Information Leaflet. The information booklets include information on the most common adverse events that can occur after each vaccination. The information is presented in clear simple language and approved by the National Adult Literacy Agency so that it can be understood by all adults as the average reading age in Ireland is 12 years of age. Parents are also given contact details for their local immunisation office and advised to speak to a member of the school immunisation team if they have any further questions.
Should parents require additional information about vaccines the immunisation leaflet refers to the HSE’s national immunisation website (www.immunisation.ie). The national immunisation website has been accredited by the World Health Organisation for content and for good information practices. The website allows members of the public to contact the National Immunisation Office to ask a question if they require further information. These questions, when possible, are answered by the staff of the National Immunisation Office within one working day.
No specific training was provided to GPs when HPV vaccine was introduced in 2010 other than as part of the information sent in the regular Immunisation newsletters. Recent updates to GPs have included updated information in national immunisation newsletter, a letter sent to all GPs with copies of a HPV information leaflet and the information leaflet given to parents, collaboration with ICGP in production of 2 e-learning modules on HPV vaccine and the development of workshops on HPV vaccine which will take place shortly. In addition the HSE immunisation website (www.immunisation.ie) is constantly updated with the latest information.
My Department is aware that representatives from REGRET have already met with the HSE and I hope to be in a position to meet with them in the near future.
458. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Health when theatre space will be made available at University Hospital Waterford for children in the Waterford area with special needs and who have dental requirements that necessitate general anaesthetic procedures as in the case of a person (details supplied). [29710/16]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for reply to the Deputy.
459. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the amount of funding available to cancer trial research units in hospitals around the country; the amount of funding which is going to each cancer trial research unit in tabular form; if results from such trials are carefully reviewed; his plans to increase funds to such research; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29756/16]
View answerSince 2005, the Health Research Board (HRB), a statutory agency under the aegis of my Department, has invested approximately €53 million in the development of a network of cancer clinical trials in hospitals across Ireland.
The aims of this initiative are to ensure that a significant proportion of patients have the option to participate in the latest clinical trials, to improve the quality of care and access to the latest therapies and to establish a coordinated approach to cancer trials.
The HRB funding is provided to Clinical Trials Ireland (CTI) to support clinical trials at hospital sites, as well as the CTI Group Central Office, and a Statistics and Data Management Office based in Galway. The HRB is committed to investing a further €8.995 million in Clinical Trials Ireland and €1.284 million in the Statistics and Data Management Office in the three years from 2016 to 2018.
The amount of funding provided to individual clinical trials units in hospitals is decided by CTI. These allocations vary from year to year depending on the progress of individual trials. Aside from the HRB, funding is also provided for clinical trials in hospitals by the pharmaceutical industry and voluntary organisations such as the Irish Cancer Society.
460. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the number and location of primary care centres currently undergoing construction but due to open to the public by end of quarter 1 of 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29758/16]
View answerAs this 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.
461. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the full year cost of increasing the number of inpatient rooms at the cystic fibrosis unit from four to 15 at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29759/16]
View answerIn relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
462. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the number of student nursing places and student doctor places available in each of the years 2013 to 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29760/16]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this matter.
463. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Health when the gratuity payment due to certain home help workers will be made in lieu of pension payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29766/16]
View answerThe Deputy is referring to Home Help workers who are employed by voluntary providers of home help services which are funded under section 39 of the Health Act 2004. I advised the Deputy previously that as these home help workers are not employed by the HSE, the HSE and the Department have no role in determining the salaries or other terms and conditions applying to these staff including any pension arrangements.
As the Deputy is aware a joint working group has been established, as agreed as part of the Lansdowne Road talks, to consider a number of issues in relation to section 39 organisations. The work of this group is still ongoing and is expected to conclude in the coming weeks.
