Thursday, 21 Sep 2017

Written Answers Nos. 161-179

Services for People with Disabilities

Questions (161)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

161. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health when a full-time nurse will be available in a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40041/17]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

The 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.

However, 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.

Hospital Appointments Status

Questions (162)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

162. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of a cataract operation for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40042/17]

Written answers

Minister for Health

Under 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.

Hospital Appointments Status

Questions (163)

Willie Penrose

Question:

163. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Health if a person (details supplied) who has been assessed and who is deemed eligible to have non-elective surgery, in particular a right hip replacement, can have same expedited without further delay in view of the fact all the necessary assessments have now been carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40095/17]

Written answers

Minister for Health

Under 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.

Cancer Screening Programmes

Questions (164)

Róisín Shortall

Question:

164. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the waiting times for general practitioner referrals to each of the breast health clinics; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40096/17]

Written answers

Minister for Health

The HSE’s National Cancer Control Programme set up Symptomatic Breast Disease clinics at eight designated cancer centres with a satellite clinic of the Galway University Hospital service at Letterkenny University Hospital.

The national target for Symptomatic Breast Disease clinics is that 95% of all urgent referrals are offered an appointment within 10 working days of the date of receipt of a referral letter. In June, 79% of patients nationally were offered an appointment within this time frame. The performance at each of the 9 clinics in June was as follows:

Hospital	% Patients triaged as urgent seen within 2 Weeks
Beaumont	100%
Mater	57%
St. Vincent’s	100%
St. James’	18%
Waterford	91%
Cork	97%
Limerick	100%
Galway	96%
Letterkenny	24%

In relation to the above table, the majority of patients triaged as urgent who were not seen within 2 weeks, were seen within 3 weeks.

A review of all Symptomatic Breast Disease Clinics and Rapid Access Clinics for lung cancer and prostate cancer has been completed by the HSE's National Cancer Control Programme. Recommendations for hospitals and Hospital Groups to support sustainable improvement in the performance of clinics have been developed and implementation has commenced.

The National Cancer Control Programme will vigorously pursue the implementation of the recommendations in conjunction with the hospitals and Hospital Groups.

Hospital Appointments Status

Questions (165)

Róisín Shortall

Question:

165. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in Dublin 11 will receive a hospital appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40097/17]

Written answers

Minister for Health

The Deputy's question relates to service delivery matters and, accordingly, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to her.

Hospital Waiting Lists

Questions (166)

Róisín Shortall

Question:

166. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the steps he will take to reduce the waiting lists for eye procedures; and if he will implement reforms that would see community and hospital based services working more closely together to improve service delivery. [40099/17]

Written answers

Minister for Health

Reducing waiting times for the longest waiting patients is one of this Government's key priorities. Consequently, Budget 2017 allocated €20 million to the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), rising to €55 million in 2018.

In order to reduce the numbers of long-waiting patients, I asked the HSE to develop Waiting List Action Plans for 2017 in the areas of Inpatient/Daycase, Scoliosis and Outpatient Services. The Inpatient/Daycase Action Plan is being delivered through a combination of normal hospital activity, as well as insourcing and outsourcing initiatives utilising NTPF funding. Under the Inpatient/Daycase Plan, since early February, over 23,000 patients have come off the Inpatient/Daycase Waiting List.

The NTPF has advised that to date 4,250 patients have been authorised for treatment in private hospitals under its Day Case Initiative, 2,000 patients have accepted an offer of treatment in a private hospital and that 1,016 patients have received their procedure. Over 700 of these patients have had ophthalmology procedures.

The Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital is a national tertiary referral centre for complex eye diseases. A new cataract theatre in the hospital opened in July 2017. The new unit has the capacity to perform an additional 3,000 cataract procedures annually and has already significantly reduced public waiting lists for cataract surgery in the hospital.

The Report of the HSE-led Primary Care Eye Services Review Group was published in June 2017. The Review Group determined that there is a need to move from community ophthalmic physicians managing all primary care referrals to a model centred on a multi-disciplinary Primary Eye Care Team and also for the Primary Care Eye Team to liaise closely with the local hospital ophthalmic service to ensure that all patients are managed within the most appropriate clinical service and location.

Home Help Service Provision

Questions (167)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

167. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of home help hours for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40102/17]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

The 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 an individual case, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.

Nursing Home Fees

Questions (168, 169)

Billy Kelleher

Question:

168. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health his plans to survey individual nursing homes on the amount they are charging in additional fees to residents under the nursing home support scheme and the services they are delivering for these levies. [40112/17]

Billy Kelleher

Question:

169. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health his plans to regulate the charging of additional fees to residents under the nursing home support scheme. [40113/17]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

I propose to take Questions Nos. 168 and 169 together.

The Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS), commonly referred to as A Fair Deal, is a system of financial support for people who require long-term residential care. Participants contribute to the cost of their care according to their means while the State pays the balance of the cost.

The NHSS covers the cost of the standard components of long-term residential care which are:

- Nursing and personal care appropriate to the level of care needs of the person;

- Bed and board;

- Basic aids and appliances necessary to assist a person with the activities of daily living; and

- Laundry service.

A person's eligibility for other schemes, such as the medical card scheme or the drugs payment scheme, is unaffected by participation in the NHSS or residence in a nursing home. In determining the services covered by the NHSS it was considered very important that the care recipient and the taxpayer would be protected and would not end up paying for the same services twice. For this reason, medications and aids that are already prescribed for individuals under an existing scheme are not included in the services covered by the NHSS, as this would involve effectively paying twice for the same service.

Although the NHSS covers core living expenses, residents can still incur some costs in a nursing home, such as social programmes, newspapers or hairdressing. In recognition of this, anyone in receipt of financial support under the NHSS retains at least 20% of their income. The minimum amount that is retained is the equivalent of 20% of the State Pension (Non-Contributory). An operator should not seek payment from residents for items which are covered by the NHSS, the medical card or any other existing scheme.

Part 7 of the Health Act 2007 (Care and Welfare of Residents in Designated Centres for Older People) Regulations 2013 stipulates that the registered provider of the nursing home must agree a contract in writing with each resident on their admission to the nursing home. This contract must include details of the services to be provided to that resident and the fees to be charged. Residents should never be charged fees which are not set out in the contract. The Department of Health and the HSE are not a party to such contracts which are concluded between each resident and the private or voluntary nursing home.

Registered providers of nursing home care are obliged to provide an accessible and effective complaints procedure. Concerns about additional charges should in the first instance be taken up with the nursing home provider. The Office of the Ombudsman can examine complaints about the actions of a range of public bodies and, from 24 August 2015, complaints relating to the administrative actions of private nursing homes. The Office of the Ombudsman normally only deals with a complaint once the individual has already gone through the complaints procedure of the private nursing home concerned.

I have met with both Nursing Homes Ireland and Age Action to discuss this issue in detail. In order to improve the transparency of these additional charges, I outlined that a schedule of charges should be provided to potential residents on enquiry to an individual nursing home, rather than at the point of admission. Nursing Homes Ireland undertook to advise their members to do so. I have also recently met with the National Treatment Purchase Fund, the Office of the Ombudsman and HIQA to discuss this matter further.

I have asked the Interdepartmental/Agency Working Group established to oversee the implementation of certain recommendations contained in the 2015 Review of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme to also consider this matter and examine the options that might be available, as part of its ongoing work. It is not envisaged that a survey of individual nursing homes would be carried out.

I am committed to ensuring that our older population are protected, that they get the care that they deserve, and that they have access to all of the information they need in order to be able to make an informed decision, especially at such a vulnerable stage in their lives. The main priority is to ensure that nursing homes continue to provide a wide and engaging range of activities for their residents and to provide maximum and optimum transparency and consistency on all charges associated with same.

Ambulance Service Data

Questions (170)

Billy Kelleher

Question:

170. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health the number of ambulance attendances at each emergency department nationwide in July 2017; the number of such ambulances that waited more than 20, 40, 60, 90, 120 and 180 minutes respectively to hand over patients, get their trolleys back and return to responding to calls, in tabular form. [40114/17]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.

Health Services Funding

Questions (171)

Dara Calleary

Question:

171. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Health the savings made by cutting payments to section 39 organisations since 2007; the date on which the cuts were imposed; the cost of restoring payments to section 39 organisations to pre-2007 levels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40115/17]

Written answers

Minister for Health

I have arranged for this question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply.

Medical Aids and Appliances Provision

Questions (172)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

172. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if the provision of a new motorised scooter can be expedited for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40116/17]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.

Equine Industry

Questions (173)

Seán Fleming

Question:

173. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the person or body that is in receipt of the recent report published regarding Government funding and the value of the equine industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39999/17]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The Economic Impact Study of Irish Breeding and Racing 2017 was carried out by Deloitte on behalf of Horse Racing Ireland.

Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme Eligibility

Questions (174)

Willie Penrose

Question:

174. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if lands belonging to a person (details supplied) will now be included in the ANC scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40101/17]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The position in respect of farm partnerships under the ANC scheme is laid out in the 2017 scheme Terms and Conditions document as follows:

ANC and Partnerships

Applicants registered under Farm Partnership Registration are required to submit one 2017 Basic Payment Scheme and other Area-based Schemes application form through the Departments online facility. In order to be considered under the ANC scheme at an individual level each partner should individually declare all land farmed by them within the partnership.

1. All partners who declare designated ANC lands at individual level will be considered under the ANC scheme.

2. Individual maximum land thresholds will be applicable to each individual partner in respect of designated ANC lands declared.

3. Thereafter, scheme eligibility requirements in respect of the 7 month stock retention period and the annual average stocking density must be met at overall partnership level in respect of all forage hectares.

NOTE: Where the overall partnership holding fails to meet scheme eligibility requirements in respect of either the 7 month stock retention period or the annual average stocking density no payment will be due to the partnership or any of the partners.

Only one payment under ANC will issue to the Partnership. All Payments due to the individual partners will be combined into a single payment which will issue to the partnership.

The circumstances of this case have been reviewed and it is noted that in 2017 a total of 42.90 hectares was declared under farm partnership in question, which is a one herd partnership with only one registered herd number. As outlined above, the ANC Terms and Conditions provide for multiple payments within a partnership where lands are declared at an individual level and payments are based on individual maximum area thresholds as declared on the 2017 BPS/ANC application. However, as there is only one herd in the partnership in question, with all lands declared under same, only one ANC payment calculation is due on the 42.90 hectares declared and the maximum payable threshold of 30 ha being applied.

Rural Development Programme Data

Questions (175)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

175. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount spent under the rural development programme in each of the years 2010 to 2016 in the implementation of EU Habitats and Birds Directives, in tabular form. [40103/17]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Expenditure under the GLAS scheme  related to actions under the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive is set out in the following table

	AEOS	REPS	GLAS	Total
2010	€210,287.12	€21,788,746.05		€21,999,033.17
2011	€2,005,774.96	€21,936,700.05		€23,942,475.01
2012	€3,461,661.29	€20,571,557.67		€24,033,218.96
2013	€6,366,146.76	€19,372,354.92		€25,738,501.68
2014	€7,606,918.91	€9,243,441.05		€16,850,359.96
2015	€7,274,720.67	€828,456.05		€8,103,176.72
2016	€3,726,674.02	€9,985.28	€34,510,207	€38,246,866.30

Beef Industry

Questions (176)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

176. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the date on which the beef forum is due to meet next; and the number of meetings the forum has held to date since it was established. [40104/17]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The Beef Roundtable was established in April 2014 in order to bring all the relevant stakeholders together and to facilitate open discussion between industry, farming organisations and others on the strategic path forward for the beef sector. The forum has been held on ten occasions, the last being held on the 12th July 2017. No date has yet been set for the next meeting of the forum.

Dairy Sector

Questions (177)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

177. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the date on which the dairy forum is due to meet next; and the number of meetings it has held to date since it was established. [40105/17]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The next meeting of the Dairy Forum will be held on Monday 25th September. This will be the fifth meeting of the Dairy Forum.

Legislative Reviews

Questions (178)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

178. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has given consideration to including farmers representation on the Agriculture Appeals Act review committee. [40106/17]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The Programme for Partnership Government provided for a review of the Agriculture Appeals Act, 2001, to ensure the independence and efficiency of the office in dealing with appeals from farmers. In fulfilment of this undertaking, I have established a Review Committee to carry out the review and furnish its Report, to me by the end of this year.  This is to include recommendations as regards the legislation governing, and the future operation of, the Agriculture Appeals office.

In order to ensure that the review is as comprehensive as possible, consultation will take place with relevant stakeholders. In this regard written submissions have been invited from all interested parties including individual farmers and/or their representative bodies.

I am satisfied that all submissions received will be fully considered by the Review Committee.

EU Regulations

Questions (179)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

179. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the reauthorisation of glyphosate at EU level; and if a position paper been submitted by his Department on the issue to the European Commission in this regard. [40108/17]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The European Commission extended the approval of glyphosate for a limited interim period in June 2016 to allow for the completion of an assessment by the Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). The extension followed a comprehensive review by the European Food Safety Authority. This review, which included detailed consideration of a report produced by the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organisation, concluded that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic hazard to humans and can be used safely without putting consumers or users at risk.

The RAC delivered its opinion in March 2017 and concluded that glyphosate does not warrant classification as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction. This means that legally glyphosate does not meet any of the substance non-approval criteria specified in Regulation 1107/2009. The RAC opinion was adopted by consensus with the full support of all members and was formally submitted to the Commission by ECHA on 15 June 2017. A final decision on renewing the approval of glyphosate under the Plant Protection Products Regulation (Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009) is due to be taken by 15 December 2017.

The Commission has prepared a first draft of a proposal for renewal of the approval of glyphosate, which was discussed by Member State representatives at the technical experts standing committee meeting in July. The draft proposal is to renew the approval of glyphosate for a 10-year period, instead of the normal 15-year period, with various conditions of use specified. A further meeting of the standing committee is scheduled but it is not yet known if the renewal of glyphosate will be included on the meeting agenda.

The current proposal is being considered and a position will be taken when the current text or any amended text is tabled again at the standing committee. The Department has supported previous Commission proposals in relation to the renewal of the approval of glyphosate.