Written Answers Nos. 89-108
89. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 218 of 2 April 2019, when the information will issue (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22934/19]
View answerI have again requested a report from An Garda Síochána in relation to the information sought by the Deputy and I will be in contact with the Deputy directly on receipt of this report.
90. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the current and possible residency status in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22942/19]
View answerI am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the person concerned made an application for a right of residency accompanied by a right to work in this State based on their parentage of an Irish citizen child on 25 June 2018.
The Deputy will appreciate that applications are dealt within chronological order. I understand that INIS wrote to the person concerned on 13 July 2018 and 12 November 2018 seeking further information which has since been received. I also understand that the application is now under consideration and INIS will be in contact with the person concerned, in writing, in due course.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS of my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from the INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
91. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the current and expected residency status in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22944/19]
View answerI am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that it received an application for permission to reside in this State on 18 October 2018. I understand that the application is under consideration and it is expected that INIS will be in contact with the person concerned, in writing, by the end of June, 2019.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS of my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from the INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
92. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí by rank attached to each community policing unit in the Coolock Garda District as of 20 May 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22959/19]
View answerThe Budget for An Garda Síochána is in excess of €1.7 billion this year. As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is statutorily responsible for the management of An Garda Síochána, and I, as Minister, do not have responsibility for this matter.
Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the optimum use is made of these resources.
Community policing is at the heart of An Garda Síochána as it recognises that every community, either urban or rural, has its own concerns and expectations. The role of a community Garda is not a specialist role in An Garda Síochána; rather it is the case that all Gardaí have a role to play in community policing in carrying out their duties. The official categorisation of Community Garda simply refers to those who are exclusively assigned to building relationships with local communities and civil society including giving talks to schools, community groups and others. It is a matter for the Divisional Chief Superintendent to determine the optimum distribution of duties among the personnel available to him or her having regard to the profile of the area and its specific needs.
The strength of the officially categorised Community Gardaí in each station in the DMR North Division on the 30 April 2019, the latest date for which figures are currently available, as supplied by the Garda Commissioner is as set out in the following table.
The Garda strength of the Coolock District for 30 April 2019, as provided by the Commissioner, is in the following file.
For more general information on Garda Facts and Figures please see the following link.
http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/An_Garda_Siochana_facts_and_figures
COMMUNITY GARDA 30/04/2019
|
DMR NORTH |
INSPECTOR |
SERGEANT |
GARDA |
TOTAL |
|
Balbriggan |
0 |
0 |
5 |
5 |
|
Ballymun |
0 |
1 |
7 |
8 |
|
Clontarf |
0 |
0 |
5 |
5 |
|
Coolock |
0 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
|
Howth |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Raheny |
0 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
|
Santry |
0 |
1 |
4 |
5 |
|
Skerries |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Swords |
0 |
1 |
8 |
9 |
|
Total |
0 |
5 |
37 |
42 |
GARDA STATISTICS MONTH ENDING for D.M.R. NORTH on 30 April 2019
|
Division |
District |
Station |
GD |
SG |
IN |
SU |
CS |
AC |
Total |
|
D.M.R. NORTH |
BALBRIGGAN |
BALBRIGGAN |
71 |
9 |
3 |
1 |
84 |
||
|
GARRISTOWN |
2 |
2 |
|||||||
|
LUSK |
12 |
1 |
13 |
||||||
|
SKERRIES |
10 |
1 |
11 |
||||||
|
|
TOTAL |
95 |
11 |
3 |
1 |
110 |
|||
|
BALLYMUN |
BALLYMUN |
103 |
15 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
125 |
||
|
DUBLIN AIRPORT |
20 |
5 |
25 |
||||||
|
SANTRY |
65 |
8 |
1 |
74 |
|||||
|
TOTAL |
188 |
28 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
224 |
|||
|
COOLOCK |
COOLOCK |
95 |
14 |
5 |
1 |
115 |
|||
|
MALAHIDE |
24 |
3 |
27 |
||||||
|
SWORDS |
68 |
11 |
1 |
80 |
|||||
|
TOTAL |
187 |
28 |
6 |
1 |
222 |
||||
|
RAHENY |
CLONTARF |
57 |
8 |
65 |
|||||
|
HOWTH |
24 |
4 |
28 |
||||||
|
RAHENY |
65 |
8 |
4 |
1 |
78 |
||||
|
TOTAL |
146 |
20 |
4 |
1 |
171 |
||||
|
D.M.R. NORTH Total |
616 |
87 |
18 |
5 |
1 |
727 |
93. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to increase the number of Garda vehicles in Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23034/19]
View answerThe resources provided by Government to An Garda Síochána have reached unprecedented levels, with an allocation for 2019 of €1.76 billion. Very significant capital investment is also being made in An Garda Síochána, including a total of €46 million for investment in the Garda fleet between 2016 and 2021. This continuing investment is intended to ensure that An Garda Síochána has a modern, effective and fit-for-purpose fleet and that Gardaí can be mobile, visible and responsive on the roads and in the community to prevent and tackle crime.
As the Deputy will appreciate, in accordance with Section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 as amended, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for managing and controlling the administration and business of An Garda Síochána. Further, the allocation of Garda resources is a matter for the Commissioner, in light of identified operational demands. This includes responsibility for the allocation of Garda vehicles among the various Garda divisions. As Minister, I have no role in these matters. I am assured, however, that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities to ensure their optimum use.
A total of €10 million has been made available for the purchase and fit-out of Garda vehicles in 2019. I understand from the Garda authorities that this allocation will be used for purchase and fit-out of over 300 new vehicles for operational use this year.
I am further informed by the Garda authorities that as of 24 May 2019, there were 499 Garda vehicles attached to the Dublin Metropolitan Region.
94. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation her plans to revise legislation regarding trade unions with particular reference to if it is possible for persons to be in multiple unions and if unions can on that basis request a member to resign and maintain sole membership; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22998/19]
View answerThe right of workers to form associations and the right to join a trade union are enshrined in Article 40 of the Irish Constitution.
Section 13 of the Trade Union Act 1871 provides that when Trade Unions are applying for registration with the Registrar of Friendly Societies they must provide a copy of their rules. Furthermore, Section 12 of the Trade Union Act 1941 provides that an authorised trade union must include in its rules provisions specifying the conditions of entry into and cessation of membership of such trade union.
Therefore, issues relating to trade union membership are matters for individual trade unions and I as Minister have no function in such matters. Furthermore, I have no plans to introduce or amend legislation in this regard.
95. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Health if officials in his Department work with officials in other Departments on the formulation of health policy. [22679/19]
View answerMy Department, like other Government Departments, is committed to a wide range of cross-Departmental and cross-agency policy work.
Recent examples of this collaborative approach to health policy development include the Policy Review of Sexual Assault Treatment Unit Service (Department of Health, HSE, Department of Justice, SATUs); The Housing Options of Our Ageing Population Policy Statement (Department of Health/Department of Housing Planning and Local Government) and the 'Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery' 2017-2025, a whole-of-Government response to the problem of drug and alcohol misuse in Ireland.
Harnessing the collective expertise and experience across Departments strengthens policy coherence, and enhances our understanding of the impact of policy, helping us to better serve the needs of our citizens.
96. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Health the number of assessments of need carried out by the ASD team located in Waterford city and county in each of the years 2016 to 2018, by age groups of zero to six, seven to 12 and 13 to 18 years of age in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22901/19]
View answer97. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Health the average length of time a child may be waiting for an assessment of need for an ASD diagnosis in Waterford city and county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22902/19]
View answer98. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Health the reason some HSE disability services in various CHOs are reluctant to accept privately sourced assessment of needs diagnosis for ASD which parents have privately undertaken from qualified medical personnel due to the length of the waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22903/19]
View answer99. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Health when and the way in which the 15 additional posts promised under the 2019 National Service Plan of the HSE to improve access and assessments for children in County Waterford and the south-east will be allocated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22904/19]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 96 to 99, inclusive, 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 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.
100. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health if the audiologist working with the HSE to screen and monitor persons with hearing impairments in counties Westmeath, Roscommon, Laois and Offaly is no longer employed by the HSE; the length of time the position of audiologist has been vacant; his plans to rectify the situation; the number of patients seeking screening and monitoring who had their appointments cancelled or postponed as a result of there being no audiologist available to provide this service in the counties, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22935/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for reply to the Deputy.
101. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health his plans to address concerns of parents with children with hearing impairments in counties Westmeath, Roscommon, Laois and Offaly that have had their screening and monitoring appointments cancelled due to the fact the audiologist employed by the HSE to provide this service in the counties is no longer employed by the HSE; and the measures being put in place to ensure children are regularly monitored by a hearing specialist. [22936/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for reply to the Deputy.
102. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 43 of 15 May 2019, the recommended medical, infrastructural and accessibility designation criteria for a major trauma centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22937/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to you directly as soon as possible.
103. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health when the HSE plans to provide pembrolizumab to public cancer patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22940/19]
View answerThe HSE has statutory responsibility for medicine pricing and reimbursement decisions, in accordance with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013. As Minister for Health, I do not have any statutory power or function in relation to the reimbursement of medicines.
In Ireland the majority of patients access medicines through the publicly funded Community Drug Schemes.
In line with the 2013 Act and the national framework agreed with industry, if a company would like a medicine to be reimbursed by the HSE, it must apply to have the new medicine added to the reimbursement list.
Reimbursement is for licensed indications which have been granted market authorisation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA).
HSE decisions on which medicines are reimbursed by the taxpayer are made on objective, scientific and economic grounds, on the advice of the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE).
Pembrolizumab has market authorisation in Ireland/the EU for a number of indications.
The HSE has approved the reimbursement of Pembrolizumab for the following indications:
- as monotherapy for the treatment of advanced (unresectable or metastatic) melanoma in adults;
- as monotherapy for the first-line treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) in adults whose tumours express PD-L1 with a 50% tumour proportion score (TPS) with no EGFR or ALK positive tumour mutations;
- as monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) who have failed autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) and brentuximab vedotin (BV), or who are transplant-ineligible and have failed BV.
It should be noted that the first part of the last indication is not reimbursed because the HSE is already reimbursing another immunotherapy with similar efficacy (nivolumab) at lower cost. Patients who are transplant-ineligible and have failed BV can receive reimbursement support for pembrolizumab, as nivolumab does not have market authorisation for this sub-group of patients.
Pembrolizumab is currently being assessed by the HSE, using the criteria as set out in the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, for a number of other indications for which it has received marketing authorisation.
104. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health if pembrolizumab has received marketing authorisation here and in the EU, respectively, for the treatment of cervical and colorectal cancer. [22941/19]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that pembrolizumab has marketing authorisation in Ireland and the EU for a number of indications and is reimbursed by the HSE for some of those indications. However, pembrolizumab does not have marketing authorisation in Ireland or the EU for the treatment of cervical or colorectal cancer.
It should be noted clinical trials for various immunotherapies, including pembrolizumab, are ongoing globally for a range of other possible indications, which may receive marketing authorisation in the EU over the next number of years. Each of those indications will be considered for reimbursement as market authorisations are granted and applications received.
105. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will be given an urgent date for an appointment for an assessment of need, early intervention, genetics and neurodevelopment. [22943/19]
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.
106. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Clare will receive cataract surgery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22947/19]
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 in-patient, 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.
107. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the building of a new HSE nursing home (details supplied) in Dublin 24 has caused significant issues for residents living in an area; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that the construction of the nursing home is ongoing and the lights in the facility are being left on all night each night; the reason for same; and the amount the HSE is spending each week on electricity for the building. [22951/19]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to you in relation to this matter.
108. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Health his plans to appoint a new consultant to the diabetic paediatric service in Cork University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22954/19]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to you directly as soon as possible.
