Written Answers Nos. 332-348
333. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health the status of the case of a person (details supplied); when the person can expect an appointment in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3869/19]
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 inpatient, day case and planned procedures, since 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 the Deputy directly.
334. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Health when Parts 2 and 3 of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 will be commenced. [3871/19]
View answerParts 2 & 3 of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 contain provisions relating to the regulation of donor-assisted human reproduction, DAHR, procedures carried out in the State, including dealing with the rights of children born as a result of those procedures. The enactment of the Children and Family Relationships (Amendment) Act 2018 was necessary to correct typographical and technical errors in the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015, to enable the subsequent commencement of Parts 2 & 3 of the Act.
Officials in my Department are working towards putting in place a number of important administrative and operational arrangements that are essential for the implementation of Parts 2 & 3. This includes the establishment of the National Donor-Conceived Person Register (the “Register”), the purpose of which is to vindicate the rights of donor-conceived children to access information on their genetic heritage. This is based on the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child concerning the right of a child to an identity and internationally regarded as best practice. However, as the Register will contain personal and potentially sensitive information about the various parties to a DAHR procedure, and particularly about the children born as a result of the procedures, robust data protection measures must be put in place prior to the establishment of the Register.
The commencement of Parts 2 & 3 of the Act also requires consent forms relating to the parties to a DAHR procedure (donors and intending parents) to be prescribed by regulations. The Department is liaising with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel in relation to the drafting of those regulations.
In addition, the appointment of authorised persons to ensure compliance of DAHR facilities with their obligations under this Act also needs to be finalised. It is my intention that Parts 2 & 3 of the Act will be commenced as soon as possible.
The provisions in Parts 2 & 3 are interconnected with provisions in other areas of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015, particularly Part 9, which includes provisions for the registration and re-registration of the birth of a donor-conceived child. As such, officials from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, the Department of Justice and Equality, the Department of Health and the General Register Office are working together to ensure that the appropriate legislative, regulatory, and operational mechanisms are in place to allow for the earliest possible commencement of all of the relevant legislation that will allow for birth registrations of donor-conceived children.
335. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the status of an application by an organisation (details supplied) for capital funding to redevelop a training facility for adults with intellectual disabilities in County Donegal; when a decision in respect of the application will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3880/19]
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.
336. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the protocol for receiving patients transferred from general practitioner surgeries by ambulance to the psychiatric unit in Letterkenny University Hospital for assessment or admission; if such transfers are received in the psychiatric unit or the accident and emergency department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3881/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
337. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health if home support services are available for persons under 65 years of age under CAMHS; if so, the process by which applications are made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3882/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
338. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the community-based suicide support services in place in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3883/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
339. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if the overrun in the projected cost of building the national children’s hospital will not delay the timeframe for delivery of the modular 60-bed unit and the 96-bed ward promised to alleviate pressure on a hospital (details supplied). [3906/19]
View answerThe Health Service Executive is currently developing its Capital Plan for 2019. The requirements of the new children's hospital and other health capital projects currently at various stages of development, including University Hospital Limerick, are being considered as part of this process.
340. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the budget allocation for the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics in each of the years 2016 to 2019, in tabular form; the number of staff in the centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3922/19]
View answerThe National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics, NCPE, was established in 1998 and its remit is to advise the HSE and the Department of Health in relation to the cost-effectiveness of medicines, through the carrying out of health technology assessments, HTAs.
The NCPE's workload has increased significantly, from less than five assessments per year in 2007 to eighty assessments per year in 2017. In addition, the complexity of individual assessments has increased greatly.
A 2017 Grant Thornton review of the NCPE indicated that it was understaffed, at 8.5 whole-time equivalents, and that an additional nine staff, including senior pharmacists, HTA assessors and statisticians, would be required to meet the additional workload.
I allocated an additional €750,000 to the NCPE in 2018 to support the recruitment of the additional staff, which has been underway since then. Staffing and expenditure levels are outlined in the following table. The 2019 expenditure estimate includes salary and superannuation, and non-pay costs such as ongoing training and development.
NCPE Staffing and expenditure 2016 - 2019:
|
- |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
|
Core funded staff (WTE) |
5.5 |
8.5 |
10.5 |
17.5 |
|
Budget by Year |
||||
|
Core funded staff |
€644,000 |
€844,000 |
€994,000 |
€1,578,000 |
341. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the number of general practitioners participating in the general practitioner visit card scheme for those under six years of age in the Dublin 5, 13 and 17 areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3923/19]
View answerAs this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for it to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
342. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the details of the €667 million capital expenditure in health in 2019, by project, in tabular form. [3928/19]
View answerThe total capital funding for the public Health Services announced in Budget 2019 and published in the Estimates for Public Services 2019 is €667 million, an increase of €174 million (35%) over the capital funding provided in Budget 2018.
|
Description |
€m |
|
HSE Building, equipping and furnishing of health facilities |
567.000 |
|
HSE Information Communication Technology and implementing the eHealth Strategy |
85.000 |
|
Smaller directly funded agencies under the aegis of my Department, including €10 million for HRB research |
14.527 |
|
Information Communication Technology within my Department |
0.473 |
|
Total Capital allocation for 2019: |
667.000 |
Following the publication of the Health Service Executive's National Service Plan for 2019, the Executive is currently developing its Capital Plan for 2019. The HSE Capital Plan for 2019 will determine the projects that can progress in 2019 having regard to the available capital funding, the number of large national capital projects currently underway and the relevant priority of each project.
343. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the number of patients with no fixed address discharged from all public hospitals at the end of December 2018 or on the latest date available; and the number of children discharged with no fixed address in tabular form. [3931/19]
View answerI have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
344. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Health the number of children discharged from hospital accident and emergency departments to no fixed abode (details supplied) in 2018, by hospital in tabular form [3932/19]
View answerI have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
345. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health the construction inflation which he and the HSE are taking into account in terms of the acute hospital capital programme announced in 2018 in the context of the National Development Plan 2018-2027; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3950/19]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of the health capital programme, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly in relation to this matter.
346. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Health when a child (details supplied) will receive services from the multidisciplinary team at a service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3954/19]
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.
347. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the status of the Brexit medicines working group and the Brexit medicines plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3990/19]
View answer348. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the medicines on the watch list of approximately 24 medicines about which the Brexit medicines working group is most concerned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3991/19]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 347 and 348 together.
As part of the overall Government response to Brexit, my Department is working on a comprehensive and coordinated set of actions to ensure, as far as is possible, continuity of supply of medicines in the event of a "no-deal" Brexit.
Significant work has been undertaken by my Department, the HSE, and the Health Products Regulatory Authority, HPRA, together with medicines manufacturers and suppliers, to ensure that risks to the continuity of supply are mitigated to the greatest possible extent.
No major supply issues have been identified through this preparedness and contingency planning work.
The Department of Health, HSE and HPRA do not anticipate an immediate impact on medicine supplies should there be a no-deal Brexit on 29 March. There are already additional stocks of medicines routinely built into the Irish medicine supply chain, and these additional stocks, together with planning by Revenue to allow the fast-tracking of essential drugs into Ireland, will help deal with any delays that may arise.
There is no need for hospitals, pharmacists or patients to order extra quantities of medicines, or for doctors to issue additional prescriptions. To do so could disrupt existing stock levels and hamper the supply of medicines for other patients.
In 2018, the HPRA developed and launched a multi-stakeholder Medicine Shortages Framework to anticipate and manage medicine shortages when they occur. This framework is used to manage and address an average of 45 shortage notifications a month. The health system is therefore well placed to anticipate and respond to any additional shortages, should they arise because of Brexit. Recently, the list of resolved shortages for the past six months, available on the HPRA website, contained 24 medicines.
As an additional safeguard, consideration is being given to those categories of medicines which are considered most essential to public health. HSE and HPRA technical experts are undertaking a process to verify the contingency planning in place for the continuity of supply of medicines essential to public health, in order to determine those medicines that have the potential to be vulnerable to supply disruption and, where necessary, identify clinically appropriate alternatives. Work on this process is ongoing and will continue in the months before and after Brexit.
Both the HPRA and HSE have requested that medicines manufacturers and suppliers highlight any issues regarding the availability of specific products associated with Brexit and, to date, no major issues have been identified through this process.
