Written Answers Nos. 982-1006
982. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the funding allowance for the orthodontic department in Letterkenny University Hospital from 2011 to 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13499/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
983. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health when a new x-ray machine will be made available for the orthodontic department in Letterkenny University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13500/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
984. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health when new dental chairs and spaces for surgeries will be made available to tackle the waiting lists for orthodontic treatment at Letterkenny University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13501/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
985. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health if he plans to employ a full-time orthodontic consultant at Letterkenny University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13502/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
986. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the number of x-rays carried out in Donegal and Killybegs community hospitals in 2018, 2019 and 2020, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13503/21]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
987. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the number of radiology staff working in Donegal and Killybegs community hospitals in 2018, 2019 and 2020, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13504/21]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
988. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health if there are plans to recruit further radiology staff in Donegal and Killybegs community hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13505/21]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
989. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the number of patients in 2020 who were referred from Donegal and Killybegs community hospitals to other community hospitals for x-rays; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13506/21]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
990. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Donegal can expect to receive an appointment in Letterkenny University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13507/21]
View answerIt is recognised that waiting times for scheduled appointments and procedures have been impacted in the last year as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The HSE is currently recommending that only critical time dependent elective procedures are undertaken at this time due to the on-going and significant increased demand for bed capacity related to Covid-19.
This decision was made arising from the rapid increase in Covid-19 admissions and to ensure patient safety and that all appropriate resources were made available for Covid-19 related activity and time-critical essential work.
Patient safety remains at the centre of all hospital activity and elective care scheduling. To ensure services are provided in a safe, clinically-aligned and prioritised way, hospitals are following HSE clinical guidelines and protocols.
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 National Waiting List Management Policy is a standardised approach used by the HSE to manage scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures. It sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists and was developed in 2014 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.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
991. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Health if hospital parking fees should be applied for HSE employees when attending a hospital to receive the Covid-19 vaccine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13511/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
992. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Health if there is an explanation for the extraordinarily high incidence of Covid placentitis of which there were eleven cases reported worldwide up to November 2020 and four suspected cases in Ireland announced on 4 March 2021; and if he will provide any such explanation. [13514/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
993. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Health if the four stillbirths in Ireland suspected to be linked to Covid placentitis were recorded as Covid-19 related deaths; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13515/21]
View answerThe Department of Health has been informed of four reports of stillbirth potentially associated with a complication of COVID-19 known as Covid placentitis.
Two of the four stillbirths associated with COVID-19 have been notified to HPSC on CIDR as COVID-19 deaths and are included in the COVID-19 deaths total. The notification of the remaining two cases as COVID-19 deaths is under review/investigation.
These reports should be interpreted with caution as coroners have not yet concluded their findings. While COVID placentitis is a recognised pathological entity, this is an evolving area of practice and the pathophysiology of this condition is not fully understood.
International experience generally suggests there has been no increase in stillbirths since the pandemic began.
The HSE's National Women and Infants Programme is aware of and is monitoring the situation and has issued a related notice to obstetric departments.
994. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Health when primary care services and a new primary care facility will be established in Tullow, County Carlow; the timescale for this service to be established; the planned location of the facility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13518/21]
View answerAs the HSE has responsibility for the provision, along with the maintenance and operation of Primary Care Centres and other Primary Care facilities, the Executive has been asked to reply directly to the Deputy.
995. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health if the outpatient service at Mullingar Regional Hospital is still under consideration for temporary relocation to a hospital (details supplied) in view of the recent announcement of increased investment in the outpatient department. [13532/21]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.
996. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health if Mullingar Regional Hospital is still considering relocating its paediatric emergency department to its current outpatient department given the recent announcement of increased investment in the outpatient department. [13533/21]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.
997. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health if provisions have been made to ensure that the paediatric emergency department at Mullingar Regional Hospital will be able to function within social distance guidelines if the outpatient service is not relocated to a hospital (details supplied) on a temporary basis. [13534/21]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.
999. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the reason only 8,630 vaccines (details supplied) had been administered at the end of February 2021 out of a total received of 40,200; the reason the proportion of such vaccines administered out of those received is significantly lower than other vaccines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13537/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1000. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the status of the completion date for the transfer of shares from a group to a company (details supplied); if his attention has been drawn to ongoing public concern in relation to the new maternity hospital in respect of protecting the investment as a public asset and in respect of religious influence from the company; and the latest position on the matter. [13538/21]
View answerThe Deputy may wish to note that the approval of the HSE is required to facilitate the transfer by the Religious Sisters of Charity of their shareholding in St Vincent’s Healthcare Group (SVHG) to St Vincent’s Holdings CLG. I understand that the SVHG has sought this approval and engagement between the parties is ongoing.
The Deputy can be assured that I fully appreciate the need to protect the State's investment in the new National Maternity Hospital (NMH). My Department and the HSE have had very significant engagement with NMH and SVHG to agree the legal framework, the overall objective of which is to ensure that the new hospital will remain in State ownership, and that health services at the hospital will be provided without religious, ethnic or other distinction or ethos.
The development of the legal framework has proved to be more protracted than originally anticipated; however, I am hopeful that discussions will be concluded, and the drafting of the legal documents finalised, in the coming weeks. Once finalised, the legal framework will be brought to Government for approval.
1001. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Health the amount spent across his Department on advertising in relation to Covid-19 by month and by media outlet (details supplied) from 1 March 2020 to 1 March 2021. [13561/21]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is being collated by Department officials and a deferred reply will be submitted within ten working days.
As this question is also relevant to the Health Service Executive, I have asked them to reply directly to the Deputy, as soon as possible.
1002. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on correspondence in relation to pedigree boer goat breeders (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12490/21]
View answerMy Department has been proactive in terms of its engagement with breed societies and pedigree breeders and is currently assisting Irish breeders including representatives of the Boer Goats explore their options so they can continue to enter their purebred breeding animals in breeding books now that the UK has left the Union. These options include establishing a breed society in Ireland, entering their animals in another EU recognised breed society for the same breed in Ireland or another member state.
My Department has recognised and approved a significant number of new breed societies under Animal Breeding legislation.
Unfortunately, there is no funding available to assist the establishment of a breed society in Ireland.
1003. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the person or body responsible for introducing a policy change (details supplied) to the forestry planting programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12491/21]
View answerThe decision to limit the amount of unenclosed land being planted to 20% of any one application and to reduce grants and premiums for such land was made by the Department in 2010. The decision was made based on economic, environmental and value for money reasons and informed by EU Commission views on forestry and environment policy, both at the time and subsequently in bilateral discussions.
The issue of afforestation on unenclosed land will be examined in the context of the implementation of the Mackinnon report which has made specific recommendations on land availability and suitability. I am implementing this through Project Woodland and have specifically tasked one of the working groups with examining this issue in more detail.
1004. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when point-to-point racing will resume; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12516/21]
View answerHorse Racing Ireland (HRI) is a commercial state body established under the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act, 2001, and is responsible for the overall administration, promotion and development of the horse racing industry.
Government has requested that Point-to-Point racing be discontinued under current regulations relating to COVID-19. HRI has informed my Department that this request is being complied with.
The pre-eminence of the protection of public health in the current pandemic situation is at the fore of such considerations.
The situation will continue to be actively monitored.
1005. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if Horse Sport Ireland signed a lease for a centre (details supplied) on 1 March 2021; if proper procedures and protocols have been followed in the process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12604/21]
View answerHorse Sport Ireland (HSI) is a company limited by guarantee. It is not a State Body established by legislation and it is operationally independent of my Department.
I am advised that a selection process to decide on a site and location for its new Headquarters and Centre of Excellence was carried out by a sub-committee of the Board. HSI advises that the work of the sub-committee has been ongoing for two years and has involved the consideration of many different locations. It engaged with a range of potential sites and hired a property valuer and advisor to review property and land offerings as well as availability of property to purchase, rent or develop.
HSI appointed an independent consultant to carry out a detailed feasibility study in this regard, following a competitive request for tender. This report is currently being examined by my Department along with the draft lease. Following this process, it is a decision for the Board of HSI regarding the new site and venue for its Headquarters and Centre of Excellence.
1006. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 485 and 486 of 10 December 2020, the out-turn at year end; the meat plants concerned for the breach of trim regulations and the dates; the number of times plants have had to revert to mechanical grading in 2022; the breaches of carcass trim, the dates and plants involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12622/21]
View answerCommission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/1184 of 20 April 2017 governs the monitoring of carcase classification, carcase presentation and weighing. In 2020, officers from the Carcase Classification Division of my Department conducted 420 inspections across 32 factories. Over 37,000 carcasses were inspected.
The average number of inspections in 2020 per factory was 13 and the average number of carcasses inspected at each inspection was 89. The legal requirement is eight inspections per year and a minimum of 40 carcasses at each inspection. These inspection figures significantly exceed the numbers required under the relevant EU legislation.
These unannounced checks by classification officers verify the ongoing accuracy of the automated beef grading methods by using a system of points and limits defined in EU legislation. The mechanical classification method must operate within legally defined tolerances at all times. When any mechanical system is found to be working outside of these tolerances, the meat plants concerned are instructed to revert to manual grading. Farmers are advised through their remittance dockets where manual grading is applied.
The suspension of mechanical grading following an inspection by DAFM occurred on four occasions in 2020 and the factories in questions were instructed to revert to manual grading. In all instances, classification officers from my Department conducted a classification check before a factory was allowed to recommence mechanical grading.
During these 420 inspections, classification officers also monitored compliance with the EU reference carcase presentation specification. Monitoring of carcase presentation continues to be carried out by my Department's Veterinary Public Health staff based in the factories, on a daily basis.
In 2020, one factory has been fined for non-compliance with carcase presentation, details of which are published on the Department Website. Any payments made to a Farmer Supplier, including in relation to issues such as this, are a matter between the Farmer/Supplier and the Processor/plant.
