Written Answers Nos. 321-340
321. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Health if additional resources will be provided to address the delays in orthodontic treatment in County Kerry; if the HSE will fund treatment from private orthodontists; if the case of a person (details supplied) will be addressed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28980/18]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
322. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if he will issue an apology to the family of a person (details supplied) in view of the circumstances of the person's death; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28984/18]
View answerI would like to thank the Deputy for raising the matter and wish to advise him that I am already aware of this case.
My Department has been in regular contact with the HSE and has received confirmation that the HSE has apologised to the family. Indeed, you will recall that I advised in my reply to your previous Question of 29 May 2018, (Dáil Question No. 439), that I wrote to the family last May and offered my sincere sympathies on their sad loss.
I trust that this clarifies the matter.
323. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Health the status of a vacant building (details supplied) in County Cork; if the use of the building has been refused by the other relevant State bodies and is now available to be offered to the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28996/18]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the management of the health care property estate, my Department has asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly in relation to the status of a building in County Cork.
324. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 436 of 29 May 2018, the agencies used by the HSE in each of the years detailed; and the amount paid to each agency in tabular form. [28997/18]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.
325. Deputy Brendan Ryan asked the Minister for Health if the drafting of legislation to allow termination of pregnancies will include provisions to protect advice centres, medical practitioners and hospitals from protests and other measures to protect women and medical practitioners from harassment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28998/18]
View answerWork is ongoing on the legislation to regulate termination of pregnancy. This legislation will be based on the General Scheme of a Bill to Regulate Termination of Pregnancy approved by Government on the 27 of March and published on the Department of Health website.
A range of issues are being considered in developing the legislation and operational response to the referendum including the issue the Deputy raises.
326. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of home help for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29001/18]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
327. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health the number of children and adolescents on the waiting list at the South Lee child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, in Cork; the length of time they are waiting; the posts that are vacant; if recruitment is planned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29015/18]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
328. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health his plans to increase the level of pay in line with international comparators (details supplied). [29016/18]
View answerAs Minister for Health, I have no direct role in regard to pay of private sector employees.
With regard to difficulties being reported by the private nursing home sector in relation to recruitment of health care assistants, officials from my Department have agreed to meet with Nursing Homes Ireland as the umbrella body for private and voluntary nursing homes in Ireland, along with the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, to examine the matter further.
329. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Health the number of respite beds available in County Louth in each of the years 2007, 2008 and 2009. [29017/18]
View answer330. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Health the location of respite beds in County Louth in each of the years 2007, 2008 and 2009. [29018/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 329 and 330 together.
As these are service matters I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
331. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Health the number of long-stay beds in County Louth in each of the years 2007, 2008 and 2009; and the locations of these beds in each of those years. [29019/18]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
332. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Health the number of step-down beds available in County Louth in each of the years 2007, 2008 and 2009, by location. [29020/18]
View answer333. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Health the number of step-down beds available in the Cottage Hospital, Drogheda, in each of the years 2007, 2008 and 2009. [29021/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 332 and 333 together.
As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
334. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter raised in correspondence (details supplied) concerning the qualification of a qualified pharmacy assistant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29037/18]
View answerThe Pharmacy Act 2007 established the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) and the functions of the Society are set out in the Act. The functions of the PSI are carried out on its behalf by the Council of the Society.
Section 30 of the Act provides for an exception to the general provision in the Act which requires the sale and supply and medicines at a pharmacy to be conducted under the personal supervision of a registered pharmacist, and specifies that no offence is committed where a registered pharmaceutical assistant “acts on behalf of a registered pharmacist during the temporary absence of the registered pharmacist”.
Section 30 also permits the Council to make rules as to:
1. what may or may not be done by a registered pharmaceutical assistant when acting on behalf of a registered pharmacist; and
2. what constitutes the temporary absence of a registered pharmacist.
On June 21 the Council of the Society approved for issuance for public consultation the proposed draft Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (Temporary Absence of Pharmacist from Pharmacy) Rules 2018. It is hoped that this public consultation will commence over the coming weeks. When the public consultation phase has been completed any Rules made by the Council are subject to Ministerial consent as per the Act.
I await the receipt of the Rules for my consideration from the PSI on completion of the public consultation phase and until that time I am unfortunately not in a position to comment any further on the matter raised.
335. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Health if he will liaise with the HSE with a view to ensuring that the necessary capital investment is provided to enable a purpose-built ambulance station to be provided in Mullingar (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29069/18]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of health care infrastructure, my Department has asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly in relation to Mullingar ambulance station.
336. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Health the steps he will take to request the north Leinster division of the national ambulance service to honour a recommendation made by the rights commissioner in a case (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29070/18]
View answerMy Department has been informed that the National Ambulance Service (NAS) has accepted the findings of the Rights Commissioner in relation to this case. The NAS is now working towards meeting and delivering the recommendations as outlined in the determination. The payment of compensation has been forwarded for processing and the Service shall be engaging with the staff member to discuss the process for implementing the findings.
The NAS has noted that there has been some practical challenges due to the nature of the specific service but has confirmed that they are committed to working through these.
337. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health the progress being made in the investigation of the abuse suffered by persons (details supplied) while in the care of the HSE; if the investigation is operating within the timeframe envisaged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29071/18]
View answerThe Commission of Investigation (certain matters relative to a disability service in the South East and related matters) (the Farrelly Commission) is an independent statutory Commission of Investigation. It commenced its investigations in May 2017 and its work is ongoing. The Commission was established to investigate the care and protection of "Grace" (pseudonym) and other in a former foster home in the South East, which has been the subject of abuse allegations. The first phase of the Commission's work is to investigate the role of public authorities in the care and protection of Grace, who resided with a former foster family in the South East of Ireland between 1989 and 2009. Under the Commission's Terms of Reference a final report on the Commission's phase 1 work was due to be submitted to the Minister for Health within one year of the Commission commencing its work, i.e., 15th May 2018.
The Sole Member of the Commission, Marjorie Farrelly, S.C, wrote to Minister Harris on 27 April 2018 seeking a 12 month extension to allow the Commission to complete its phase 1 investigations and prepare its report on this. The request for an extension was on the basis of the enormous volume of documentation disclosed to it from a wide range of public bodies, organisations and individuals and also the number of potential witnesses involved.
The Minister granted the Commission's request for a 12 month extension to complete its phase 1 investigations on 15 May 2018. In doing this the Minister specified that the Commission must submit a minimum of two interim reports by 15 September 2018 and 15 January 2019 setting out its progress and including a summary of work left to complete.
As required by its term of reference, the Commission presented its first interim report to the Department of Health on 15 November 2017. A second interim report was enclosed with the Commission's application for a time extension on 27 April 2018. Both of these interim reports are available on the Department's website.
338. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health the status of a pilot autism strategy to examine the existing services and supports available to individuals with autism and their families in the south east, with a view to improving services and learning from the lived experiences of those involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29072/18]
View answer377. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health the status of a pilot autism strategy to examine the existing services and supports available to persons with autism and their families in the south east in order to improve services and learning from the lived experiences of those involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29279/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 338 and 377 together.
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 questions relate to service matters, I have arranged for the questions to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
339. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health his plans to address the restoration of pay in section 39 agencies; his further plans to consider applying the new pay levels retrospectively; his views on the HSE report into the matter; if he has costed the restoration of pay, the realignment of incremental scales and the payment of arrears due for all of the section 39 agencies; his further views on the talks between the unions concerned and the HSE relative to these matters and the possibility of strike action; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29076/18]
View answerOn 9 February 2018, an agreement was reached at the WRC between the Department of Health, the HSE and health sector Trade Unions in relation to a process aimed at resolving the pay restoration issue for staff employed by section 39 bodies.
While it is understood that pay savings were made by the organisations, the precise mix of pay cuts or other savings measures will have varied. Also, where there were pay cuts, it is not at all clear that they were applied in a universally consistent manner, as in the public sector.
Therefore, the Government has put in place a process to establish a deeper understanding of the funding position in these grant - aided organisations and the true extent of the pay reductions applied.
The Minister for Health asked the HSE to engage with the Section 39 organisations to establish the facts around what cuts were applied and how and when they were implemented.
On foot of agreement at the WRC, a data gathering exercise was conducted. Following discussions with the Trade Unions on a draft of the report, the HSE submitted their completed interim report to the Department on 11 June 2018.
This report covers a sample of 50 agencies identified in the WRC agreement. The Department of Health is currently considering the findings of the report.
A conciliation conference has been scheduled between the parties at the Workplace Relations Commission for Monday 9 July 2018.
340. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Health if funding is available for a group (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29115/18]
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 a service matter, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
