Written Answers Nos. 468-489
468. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health if the new emergency department at University Hospital Limerick will be allocated additional new staff; if not, if this will affect the operation of the new emergency department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31512/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
469. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in the new sarcoma specialist starting in their role at St. Vincent's University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31513/17]
View answer470. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the name of the new sarcoma specialist selected for appointment at St. Vincent's University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31514/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 469 and 470 together.
The recruitment of an additional post of consultant medical oncologist with a special interest in sarcoma, based in St. Vincent’s University Hospital, was prioritised to facilitate further development of the service there. St Vincent's University Hospital is responsible for the recruitment process and the announcement of the successful candidate. The Department has been advised that, following interviews for the post, a successful candidate has been identified and an appointment will be made in due course. In the interim, patients requiring treatment for sarcoma cancer will continue to receive high quality care at St Vincent’s Hospital with care being managed by one of the hospital’s full-time oncologists.
471. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the number of sarcoma surgeries carried out in each of the years 2010 to 2016, and to date in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31515/17]
View answerThis question relates to service delivery matters and as such is a matter for the HSE.
472. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health his views on whether it is possible to provide 24-7 primary percutaneous coronary intervention, PPCI, at University Hospital Waterford with a single catheterisation laboratory; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31522/17]
View answer473. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health his plans to rule out ceasing primary percutaneous coronary intervention, pPCI, services at University Hospital Waterford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31523/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 472 and 473 together.
The Programme for Government committed to the development of a second cath lab at University Hospital Waterford (UHW), subject to a favourable recommendation from an independent clinical review. This independent clinical review was completed by Dr. Niall Herity, one of the foremost cardiologists on these islands and a doctor of international repute. Dr Herity concluded that the needs of the effective UHW catchment population could be accommodated from a single cath lab. However, he recommended investment to enhance cardiac services at the hospital to address waiting times and to provide improved access for patients. Accordingly, an additional €500,000 has been allocated to the hospital for 2017 to provide two additional cath lab sessions per week. This entails an additional eight hours provision per week or a 20% expansion in operating hours. It is expected that this capacity will facilitate the provision of an increased volume of scheduled cardiology care at the hospital. I have asked the HSE to maximise the benefit for patients from that funding, in respect of both additional sessions at the existing cath lab and the temporary use of a mobile cath lab for a specific period. The mobile cath lab is currently being procured in line with the normal HSE procurement process.
Dr. Herity further recommended that the UHW cath lab should operate as an elective lab which provides all specialised cardiac services except interventional treatment for patients who are having heart attacks (PPCI), and that the current 9 to 5 provision of these services should cease in order to allow the hospital to focus on the much larger volume of planned cath lab work. This is because highly specialised services such as primary PCI need to be carried out in a small number of hospitals where the volume of patients supports the provision of a safe service.
However, as Minister for Health, I want to be sure that any service changes that are implemented will result in improved services for patients. Therefore, I have asked my Department to address the implications of Dr. Herity's recommendations by undertaking a national review of all PPCI services, with the aim of ensuring that as many patients as possible have access, on a 24/7 basis, to safe and sustainable emergency interventions following a heart attack.
474. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Health if the Government levy imposed on health insurance policies means the charge accounts for more than a third of the cost of annual premiums for some persons, such as a case (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31531/17]
View answerThe voluntary health insurance system in Ireland operates on the basis of community rating, whereby everyone pays the same price for the same product, and is supported by a Risk Equalisation Scheme which aims to keep health insurance more affordable for older and less healthy citizens.
The Risk Equalisation Scheme works by spreading the cost of insuring older and sicker people across the market, through the imposition of a stamp duty levy on every health insurance contract issued. These levies are paid into a fund, out of which risk equalisation credits are paid to insurers in order to reduce some of the additional costs they incur when insuring older, less healthy members.
Recommendations are made each year by the independent Health Insurance Authority regarding the appropriate level for risk equalisation credits. The risk equalisation scheme is self-funding and exchequer neutral, neither a cost nor a benefit to the State.
475. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a person (details supplied) applied to renew a medical card in 2016; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that when the person contacted the medical card registration office to make a complaint regarding the delay in the application being processed the person was requested to resubmit information which was previously submitted; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that when the person submitted the requested information, the person was advised that the application would be speedily processed; when the application will be processed; when a medical card will issue to the person; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31559/17]
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 was issued to Oireachtas members.
476. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health the number of civil servants in his Department that have requested a transfer to a location outside County Dublin; the number of civil servants in his Department that have requested a transfer from a location outside of Dublin into County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31822/17]
View answerMy Department does not currently have a transfer list.
As you will be aware, Action 15 of the Civil Service Renewal Plan has a commitment to develop a mobility scheme within the Civil Service. Work on this scheme is ongoing with the Civil Service Management Board, Departments and staff interests.
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is currently developing Phase 1 of the scheme for the general service grades of CO - EO which they plan to launch later in the year. Phase 2 of the scheme will be developed following implementation of Phase 1 and will include the general service grades of HEO, AO and AP.
The scheme will be centralised and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform will have the facility to report on numbers on lists per department and location following its successful launch.
477. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a decision will issue to a person (details supplied) regarding an application for a 2016 organics payment. [30845/17]
View answerThe person named was subject to an on-farm inspection which resulted in a 5% cross compliance penalty on his Organic Farming Scheme payment. Payment due to the person concerned less the appropriate penalty will issue shortly.
478. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the proportion of expenditure that is invested in the public amenities of the various public parks managed by Coillte; if there are publically available strategic plans regarding the management of these resources and amenities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30904/17]
View answerCoillte was established as a private commercial company under the Forestry Act 1988 and day-to-day operational matters, such as the management of their forest estate, are the responsibility of the company.
The matter was raised with Coillte who advise that the company invests more than €2.6 million per annum in the recreation service it provides. This includes the management and maintenance of considerable infrastructure including 12 forest parks, 270 recreation sites and more than 3,000kms of waymarked trails, which are accessible by the public free of charge and I am advised that this cost is fully funded by Coillte.
I understand that the economic activity arising from use of state-owned facilities by visitors accrues to local and largely rural economies. The main beneficiaries are those businesses that provide services to support the visitors (for example local retailers, hire and guiding services) and not to the providers of this infrastructure.
Coillte further advise that the company, along with four of the other main public landowners, have developed an Outdoor Recreation Plan for Public Lands and Waters (ORP) to highlight the need to develop, manage and maintain infrastructure for public recreation. The ORP quantifies that €1.5 billion per annum of visitor spending accrues as a result of the provision of recreation infrastructure by public landowners. Coillte and the other public landowners will publish the ORP in the coming weeks.
The strategic plans for each of Coillte’s Business Area Units which detail recreational facilities and plans are located on their website at http://www.coillte.ie/about-us/media/publications/
479. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the discussions he has had with his EU counterparts and the European Commission to ensure that beef is not included in a potential Mercosur deal with South American countries in view of the fact that the United States Department of Agriculture, USDA, has banned fresh Brazilian beef, which clearly would likewise fail the appropriate EU standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31194/17]
View answerI and my officials have been very active in highlighting the potentially very damaging impact of a Mercosur deal on the European agriculture sector, and on the beef sector in particular.
At political level, I have raised the issue with my Member State colleagues and with Commissioners Hogan and Malmström, both within the Council of Agriculture Ministers and in written form.
These efforts have been reinforced at official level through similar contacts with Member States and the Commission, particularly through the Special Committee on Agriculture and the Trade Policy Committee.
At the recent Agri Fish Council of Ministers meeting in June, Ireland, along with a number of other Member States, has requested that negotiations should not proceed any further until the Agriculture Council is given the opportunity to assess the balance between offers and commitments.
I also continue to monitor the situation closely in co-operation with my Government colleagues, particularly the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, who leads the Government's approach in relation to trade matters.
While the Commission responded to the strong lobbying by Ireland and others by excluding a beef Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) from the offers exchanged with Mercosur on 11 May 2016, there is a need for continued vigilance in relation to the conduct of these trade negotiations. We are also insisting that the timing and content of any beef TRQ offer is handled appropriately, and in a manner that safeguards the interests of the Irish and European beef sector in particular.
This must also take into account the findings of the Commission’s recent cumulative impact assessment, which strongly reinforce Ireland’s position in relation to beef. They are also a very effective reminder of the need for great caution in our approach to the issue of beef TRQs.
Of course the recent issues with Brazilian beef exports have been worrying. However, I would point out that the Commission was quick to react as soon as the practices uncovered in Brazil came to light. Its actions in seeking immediate suspension of certification for the establishments responsible, together with the rejection of consignments en route to the EU from those establishments, were appropriate and effective. I also welcome the harmonised approach being taken to the more intensified checks that are now being carried out on product from Brazil at EU Border Inspection Posts, and in which Ireland is playing a full part.
It is vitally important that meat and meat products being exported from any country to the EU fully comply with EU standards, and that there are robust and reliable systems in place to ensure that this is the case. We cannot tolerate a situation in which EU requirements are flouted, given the potential risks for food safety and consumer health.
These events demonstrate that we must remain vigilant at all times. I believe that we must therefore continue to keep this situation under ongoing review, and be ready to take additional measures if the circumstances demand it.
480. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of an appeal regarding GLAS by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31205/17]
View answerThe Agriculture Appeals Office has confirmed that the person named lodged an appeal in relation to the Green, Low-Carbon, Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS). When all of the facts of the case have been fully considered a comprehensive decision letter will issue. It is hoped that the decision will be finalised shortly.
481. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there is a senior official with designated responsibility for Brexit matters in his Department; if so, the grade of the designated official; the funding allocated to the said Brexit unit; the cost to date in 2017; the anticipated cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31266/17]
View answerFollowing the UK referendum in June 2016, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine established a dedicated Brexit Unit within its EU and International Trade Division. This Unit now forms part of a newly-formed Brexit and International Trade Division and reports to a full-time Head of Division at Principal Officer level, who in turn reports to an Assistant Secretary General deeply engaged in Brexit issues.
The Unit co-ordinates the on-going analysis, consultation and engagement activities being undertaken by a large number of administrative, technical and veterinary staff, through an internal Brexit Response Committee comprised of 16 people drawn from the wide range of Divisions affected by Brexit (including, for example, Meat and Milk Policy, Animal Health and Welfare, Food Industry Development, Economics and Planning, and Seafood Policy and Development). It also feeds into the whole-of-Government co-ordination being undertaken by the Department of the Taoiseach.
The staff and administrative costs associated with the activities of the unit are paid from the Department’s Administrative Budget as required.
My Department will continue to assess resource requirements on an ongoing basis as the Brexit process evolves. However the reality is that the co-ordination of responses to Brexit involves a significant number of staff across a range of divisions dealing with sectors and issues potentially impacted by Brexit.
482. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 22 of June 2017, if a projection has been carried out by his Department in relation to emissions reduction from the agricultural sector in 2020, 2030 and 2050; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31303/17]
View answerThe long-term ambition for the sector is to move towards an approach to carbon neutrality which does not compromise capacity for sustainable food production. This effectively means that agricultural emissions are balanced by increasing carbon-sequestration, reducing emissions from the land sector, increasing fossil fuel and energy intensive materials displacement. However, further elaboration of the concept of carbon neutrality and how it will be achieved over time is required.
The 2012 Teagasc Marginal Abatement Cost Curve identified 1.1 Mt CO2 abatement potential by 2020.
Agriculture accounts for about 33% of national emissions. This figure reflects the importance of agriculture to the Irish economy, the significance of an efficient grass based livestock industry and Ireland’s lack of heavy industry.
The most recent EPA figues indicate that agriculture emissions are 5.5% below 1990 figures. This overall reduction in emissions from agriculture has also been influenced by measures such as the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme, Agriculture Environmental Options Scheme, Green Low Carbon Agri Environmental Scheme, Organic Scheme, supports for manure management in line with the EU Nitrates Directive, and through development of renewable energy resources. It is also of note that improvements in sustainable intensification, such as improved fertiliser use and grassland management, have occurred alongside the afforestation of 300,000 hectares of agricultural land since 1990, which has helped to maintain agricultural output.
Over the period 2021 to 2030, afforestation since 1990 (i.e. all new forests planted since 1990 and up to 2020) will remove an estimated net 4.5 million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere per annum based on the current method of accounting in EU Decision 529/2013.
As the Deputy will be aware from my previous reply, my Department and its agencies have been strongly focussed on improving the efficiency of Irish farming which is fundamental to reducing emissions.
Current analysis suggests that the emissions intensity per kcal of food output in 2013 is reduced approximately 14% relative to 2005 and early estimates project that the BAU 2030 emission intensity will be a quarter below the emission intensity in 2005. Further, early estimates of agriculture with additional measures is approximately 35% below 2005, although absolute emissions remain reasonably stable.
It is also worth noting that we are one of a small number of EU countries to have elected to report on grassland and cropland management activities for the 2nd commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol (KP) (2013-2020) so we are endeavouring to improve our understanding of the drivers of emissions from these activities with a view to developing policies and measures to reducing the source of these emissions. This will allow Ireland to take advantage of any sequestration benefits that may be allowed in the future from these activities.
483. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will allow an extension of time for persons that have been unable to plant native hedging as part of their GLAS measures due to a shortage of native hedging plants with horticultural suppliers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31323/17]
View answerHedgerow planting was an available action under tranche 1 of the GLAS scheme and due to the fact that the delivery target for the entire programming period to 2020 was exceeded in the first tranche, this action was suspended for tranche 2 & 3 applications.
Accordingly, the situation whereby an extension to the date for the completion of this action is required could only apply in respect of GLAS 1 participants whose contract start date was 1 October 2015. For these participants the action was required to have been completed by 31 March 2017. This deadline has not been extended and there are no plans to do so.
484. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the Marine Institute plans to recommence the blue fin tuna tag and release scientific scheme off County Donegal; the results to date; his views on the possibility of applying for a quota to allow the development of a recreational fishery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31324/17]
View answerWith regard to the tag and release Bluefin Tuna scientific research project, my Department made funds available to the Marine Institute, with the support of the European Commission, to actively engage in developing Ireland's involvement in the ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) Atlantic wide research programme for bluefin tuna.
Intensive preparations in September by the Marine Institute (MI), Stanford University (SU), University of Exeter (UoE) and Acadia University (AU) allowed the Irish Bluefin Tagging Programme to commence off the Co. Donegal coast in the second week of October 2016. The first tagging surveys took place between 9 and 12 October, with the second phase taking place between 22 and 26 October and 28 October and 1 November.
Preliminary reporting from the Marine Institute indicates that the tagging operations were successful with 16 Wildlife Computers MinPAT tags deployed. The data transmitted by these tags gives scientists information about the location of BFT and will help the partners involved in the project to construct migratory patterns using light, temperature and depth data. A number of the tags are continuing to transmit data that will be useful in the broader context of the ICCAT scientific research to assess the abundance and distribution of blue fin tuna in the waters off the Irish coast. In that context I have asked the Marine Institute to expand the tagging programme for 2017 and this is currently in the planning phase.
In future, it may prove possible to extend the scope of this project and I am committed to actively pursuing any opportunity to improve the scientific knowledge base for the stock of bluefin tuna in the waters off Ireland. I am hopeful that the gathering of such information could help build a case that might allow for an angling catch and release fishery in the future.
Any such proposal would have to be based on a scientific assessment from the Marine Institute and would also need to be developed in conjunction with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment and Inland Fisheries Ireland who have responsibility for recreational fishing. Any such case will require the support of the EU Commission and approval of ICCAT.
The current legal situation is that a recreational angling fishery in Ireland for bluefin tuna, even on a catch and release basis, is not possible in the absence of a national bluefin tuna quota. We do not have such a quota and it is extremely unlikely that we could obtain one in the short term as it would involve reducing the share of the Total Allowable Catch of those EU Member States that do have quota and for whom bluefin is an important commercial fishery.
A small bluefin by-catch quota is available to Ireland for use in our Northern Albacore Tuna fishery and Celtic Sea herring fishery. This bycatch quota is also available to other Member States of the European Union without national quotas for bluefin tuna. Under the TAC & Quota Regulation, it is specifically prohibited to utilize this by-catch quota for recreational and/or sport fisheries, even in the context of a catch and release programme.
485. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a GLAS payment will issue to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31333/17]
View answerThe person named approved into GLAS 1 with a contract commencement date of 1 January 2016.
The person named has requested that the length of new hedgerow to be planted which the applicant committed to delivering in his application be reduced and this has resulted in the delay in issuing payment. My Department is actively working to resolve the issue with a view to further processing the application for payment at the earliest opportunity.
486. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to put forward at EU level the need to protect the CAP budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31524/17]
View answer487. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the discussions he has had with the EU agriculture and budget Commissioners regarding the need to protect CAP funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31525/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 486 and 487 together.
The CAP budget is an issue of enormous importance to Ireland and the European agri-food sector. It accounts for some 37% of the overall EU budget.
The recent “Reflections Paper on the future of the EU Finances” by the European Budget Commissioner outlines the demands on the EU budget post 2020 against the background of the potential impact of the UK's exit from the European Union. Other spending priorities may include areas such as migration, security, defence and development co-operation. The reflection paper points to the need to ensure that European Union budget adds value. That is a principle to which Ireland can subscribe.
The CAP is a policy which has adapted over time to the needs of citizens and contributes to development in rural areas, employment creation, environmental sustainability and the provision of safe food that meets the high standards that EU consumers have come to expect. It also plays a central role in delivering the smart, sustainable and inclusive growth sought under the Europe 2020 strategy. It is important that the CAP continues to evolve in a way that supports the achievements of European priorities, particularly in the context of securing a strong CAP budget for the post-2020 period. This can only be achieved by reinforcing the relevance and effectiveness of the policy in helping to achieve broader societal goals.
For now, it is worth noting that the amount of CAP funding per Member State for pillar 1, direct payments, and pillar 2, rural development, is fixed until 2020 in Regulations of the Council and European Parliament. Any change to these figures will require a co-decided amendment to these Regulations.
While formal discussions on the Multi Annual Financial Framework have not yet commenced, Ireland supports the retention of a strong and well funded CAP and its position on this matter has been articulated at official and political level and is well understood in other member States and in the Commission. I will be working hard with my European counterparts to ensure that the CAP budget post 2020 provides a solid and effective foundation for the development of the sector into the future, when discussions do commence. In addition officials in my Department are also working closely with the Department of Finance on the next MFF.
488. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he will take following the publication of a report (details supplied) on an organisation. [31552/17]
View answerThe report by Indecon International Consultants, ‘Review of Certain Matters relating to Horse Sport Ireland’ was published by my Department on 27 June 2017. The report will first be examined by Horse Sport Ireland and will be discussed by its board and management at their next board meeting, which I understand is scheduled for 18 July. My Department, following this meeting, will work closely with Horse Sport Ireland on the implementation of the recommendations.
489. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of persons in receipt of GLAS 1 and GLAS 2 that have received the 15% of their total 2016 payment, by county, in tabular form; the number of persons that have passed all payment approval checks and are awaiting their 15% portion of the 2016 payment; the number of GLAS recipients that have yet to receive this portion of the payment, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31553/17]
View answerThe processing of GLAS 2016 balancing payments which represents 15% of the total 2016 payment due is due to commence soon. When the first processing run has been completed the details requested by the deputy will be available.
