Written Answers Nos. 198-210
198. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the statutory protection for archaeological and historical sites that post-date 1700; if this protection has been changed in the past ten years; if so, the reason this protection was changed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44778/17]
View answerMy role, as Minister, with regard to the protection and management of our built heritage is set out in the provisions of relevant legislation, as are the role of local authorities and the responsibilities of owners as regards heritage assets.
Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, provides for the protection of architectural heritage irrespective of age. The Act gives primary responsibility to planning authorities to identify and protect the architectural heritage by including relevant structures on the Record of Protected Structures. Inclusion on the Record of Protected Structures places a duty of care on the owners and occupiers of protected structures and also gives planning authorities powers to deal with development proposals affecting them and to seek to safeguard their future.
As regards the protection of architectural heritage, there have been no relevant amendments to the Act in the past ten years. A comprehensive review of Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, was carried out in 2014 by my Department, assisted by an expert advisory committee. The final report of the review is available on my Department’s website.
My Department is fully committed to protecting our unique archaeological heritage under the provisions of the National Monuments Acts. There are no date related limitations in the Acts. Under the 1987 Act any monument that is earlier than 1700AD is automatically deemed an historic monument and thus eligible for inclusion in the Register of Historic Monuments. For later structures, I can, as Minister, form a view that they are also historic monuments and thus entitled to the same protections.
New monuments legislation is currently being drafted which will allow for the establishment of a Register of Monuments. This new Register will similarly not be date limited though monument age might of course be taken into account in formulating policies on categories of monuments to be entered in it.
199. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if the arts and cultural enhancement support scheme will open in 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44924/17]
View answerIn February this year I announced details of more than €9 million in capital funding for existing dedicated arts and culture centres across the country under Stream 1 and 2 of the Arts and Culture Capital Scheme 2016-2018. This is the most significant investment in arts and cultural centres in a decade and is targeting investment at a range of different facilities, including arts centres, theatres, galleries and museums, as well as artists’ studios and creative spaces.
In August, I announced further capital funding of almost €750,000 for 60 arts organisations around the country under Stream 3 of the Scheme for minor capital improvements and equipment upgrades.
It is my intention to re-open the scheme and I expect to make an announcement in this regard in due course.
200. Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if ACCESS II funding allocated to a centre (details supplied) is still available to the project. [44954/17]
View answerIn 2007, a capital grant of €2 million was approved in principle for the centre to which the Deputy refers.
The approval in relation to this project remains open and my Department continues to maintain contact with the local authority in question in regard to it.
201. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the status of the application of the extension of funds for the Cork event centre; her plans to include it in the capital plan; and the reason for the delay. [44984/17]
View answerThe Cork Event Centre is a project being developed and managed by Cork City Council and the Council is responsible for the delivery of the project.
My Department has allocated €12 million to the City Council towards the cost of the Centre. This allocation is subject to a Service Level Agreement with the City Council to ensure compliance with all relevant requirements in relation to major capital projects.
On 27 September 2017, Cork City Council made an application to my Department for a further grant of €10 million to assist in the development of the project. My Department will now assess the application. There are complex legal, state aid and match funding issues to be considered in relation to this application and the Department is engaging with the City Council in relation to these.
202. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the estimated full-year cost of recruiting an extra 25 full-time conservation rangers for the National Parks and Wildlife Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45020/17]
View answerI am advised that, based on current pay levels, the estimated cost of recruiting an additional 25 Conservation Rangers for the National Parks and Wildlife Service would be €638,086.
My Department is currently engaged with the Public Appointments Service in recruiting Conservation Rangers and I am further advised that 11 Rangers have been appointed so far this year.
203. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health the accident and emergency departments in hospitals throughout the country in respect of which reports or plans have been drafted regarding changing the services available in these departments; the status of such plans and reports in draft or in final form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44555/17]
View answerThe Smaller Hospitals Framework defines the role of smaller hospitals and outlines the need for smaller hospitals and larger hospitals to operate as Hospital Groups. It identifies the activities that can be performed in smaller, or Model 2, hospitals in a safe and sustainable manner, including extended day surgery, selected acute medicine, a local injuries service, a large range of diagnostic services, specialist rehabilitation medicine and palliative care. In developing our smaller hospitals, as set out in the Smaller Hospitals Framework the first and over-riding concern is the safety of patients. Through continued progress in the implementation of Hospital Groups, hospitals are starting to work together to support each other, providing a stronger role for smaller hospitals in delivering less complex care and ensuring that patients who require true emergency or complex planned care are managed safely in larger hospitals. The Smaller Hospitals Framework focused in particular on nine hospitals.
The Dublin Midlands Hospital Group has been working for some time on a draft plan for a new model of clinical service delivery at Portlaoise Hospital which takes account of the need to develop services at Portlaoise in the context of developing the model of service provision for the entire Hospital Group. The draft plan has been submitted to my Department and, as with all draft plans or reports, it is now under detailed consideration. Once there is an agreed position on the draft plan, there will be further engagement with all interested parties to ensure that the needs of patients, staff, the local and wider community are addressed.
The Deputy may also wish to note that the final report of the Trauma Steering Group is under consideration in my Department, given that Emergency Departments are one of the elements in a trauma care pathway that goes from prevention through to rehabilitation and the report considers their services in that context. However, it is important to be clear that major trauma patients represent only a very small proportion of total Emergency Department activity and, having regard to past media reports on trauma services, that the report is not about closing Emergency Departments or diminishing services.
204. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in a person (details supplied) obtaining an appointment to see a consultant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44558/17]
View answerUnder the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
The National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2014, has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has been adopted by the HSE, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
205. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding Health Service Executive overtime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44569/17]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this matter.
206. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the extent of services and treatments that will be available to children on an all-island basis in the new national children's hospital; the way in which it is anticipated that Brexit will impact on plans to achieve and implement this proposed care delivery model; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44573/17]
View answerThe development of the new children’s hospital will have a positive impact on paediatric healthcare for the island of Ireland. The hospital will provide tertiary and quaternary paediatric services, including on an all-island basis, where agreed between the Department of Health and the Department of Health in Northern Ireland. There is potential to develop further clinical networks bringing benefit to patients across the island of Ireland building on the all-island Congenital Heart Disease Network established in March 2015.
The Department of Health and its agencies have been conducting detailed analysis on the impacts of Brexit in the area of health. A number of issues are being examined and contingency planning for a range of eventualities is underway. A key issue will be to ensure that there is minimum disruption to health services and that essential services are maintained on a cross-border, all-island and Ireland-UK basis. The health sector has a highly mobile workforce and free movement issues and the mutual recognition and assurance of professional qualifications are being considered.
These issues are currently being examined by my Department and its agencies and this work will continue over the period ahead. The key priorities for my Department are to ensure continuity in the provision of health services and provision of health services and to avoid, or mitigate against, changes to the current situation that would have a negative impact on human health. These are also key factors in considering the prioritisation of risks.
The Department of Health will continue to work closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and other departments on Brexit, and to work and contribute as required to the cross Governmental response, including on the themes identified, in light of the ongoing cross-Government research, analysis and consultations with stakeholders.
An extensive programme of engagement with all other EU Governments and the EU institutions is under way. I am continuing to engage with my EU counterparts on an ongoing basis.
207. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if an appointment for a person (details supplied) will be scheduled. [44575/17]
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.
208. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 319 of 10 October 2017, the status of routine blood tests, for example, as part of a general check-up or as part of a liver check (details supplied). [44577/17]
View answerAs previously stated, there is no provision under the GMS GP contract for persons who hold a medical card or GP visit card to be charged for routine phlebotomy services provided by their GP, or the practice nurse on behalf of the GP, which are required to either assist in the diagnosis of illness or the treatment of a condition. The HSE has advised GPs that where a blood test forms part of the investigation or necessary treatment of a patient’s symptoms or conditions, this should be free of charge for patients who hold a medical card or GP visit card. Notwithstanding this, I am aware that in recent times some GPs have begun to charge GMS patients for phlebotomy services in some circumstances and this is a matter of concern for me.
If the Deputy is aware of specific incidents of patients being inappropriately charged, he or the patients concerned, may make a complaint to the HSE Local Health Office with all the information available, where it will be dealt with in accordance with the HSE's Complaints Policy.
209. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the amount of Health Service Executive mental health division funding for 2017 expected to be used to cover agency staff and external placements. [44579/17]
View answerBudget 2018 provided significant additional funding for mental health, which means that HSE funding for this key care programme will increase from around €853 million in 2017 to €912 million next year.
As the remainder of this question relates to a service issue, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
210. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Health the amount of Health Service Executive mental health division programme for Government funding that has been delayed in 2017 in order to meet the need to maintain existing levels of service. [44580/17]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
