Written Answers Nos. 344-358
344. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health if the HPV vaccination will be made available to girls who missed out on their original vaccination; if the vaccine will be made available free of charge via their general practitioners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17862/21]
View answerThe immunisation programme in Ireland is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). The committee's recommendations are based on the prevalence of the relevant disease in Ireland and international best practice in relation to immunisation. It makes recommendations on vaccination policy to my Department. The NIAC continues to revise recommendations to allow for the introduction of new vaccines in Ireland and to keep abreast of changes in the patterns of disease. Therefore, the immunisation schedule will continue to be amended over time.
In 2009, the NIAC recommended HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination for all 12 to 13 year old girls to reduce their risk of developing cervical cancer when they are adults. In September 2010, the HPV vaccination programme was introduced for all girls in first year of secondary school.
The NIAC recommended that the HPV vaccine should also be given to boys. On foot of the NIAC’s recommendation, my Department asked the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to undertake a health technology assessment (HTA) to establish the clinical and cost-effectiveness of extending the current immunisation programme to include boys in the first year of secondary school.
The HIQA completed the HTA in December 2018, recommending that the HPV immunisation programme be extended to include boys. A policy decision was made to extend the HPV immunisation programme to include boys, starting in September 2019, with the introduction of a 9-valent HPV vaccine.
The ages at which vaccines are recommended in the immunisation schedule are chosen by the NIAC in order to give each child the best possible protection against vaccine preventable diseases. As the HPV vaccine is preventative it is intended to be administered, if possible, before a person becomes sexually active, that is, before a person is first exposed to HPV infection.
Therefore, the gender-neutral HPV vaccination programme targets all girls and boys in first year of secondary school to provide maximum coverage. All vaccines administered through the School Immunisation Programme are provided free of charge.
My Department will continue to be guided by NIAC's recommendations on any emerging evidence on this issue in the future.
Anyone not in 1st year of secondary school or age equivalent in special schools or home schooled during the 2020/2021 school year who wishes to get the HPV vaccine, must go to their GP or sexual health clinic and pay privately for the vaccine and its administration.
345. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health if dossiers similar to that exposed in a programme (details supplied) have been compiled and held by his Department or its agents including the State Claims Agency on any other person or groups of persons involved in legal actions against his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17863/21]
View answerI take the allegations made in recent media reports extremely seriously. A team has been set up to establish the facts in respect of specific allegations made in the RTÉ Prime Time programme on 25th March 2021. The Department has engaged with the Data Protection Commissioner.
The allegations which were the subject of the RTÉ Prime Time programme on March 25th were brought to the Department's attention last year. The Department took the matters raised very seriously and commissioned an independent, expert review by an external Senior Counsel. This review was completed in November 2020. Subject to clarification of legal matters, I intend to publish this review at the earliest possible opportunity.
346. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health if dossiers similar to that exposed in a programme have been compiled and held by his Department or its agents including the State Claims Agency on persons (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17865/21]
View answerI take the allegations made in recent media reports extremely seriously. A team has been set up to establish the facts in respect of specific allegations made in the RTÉ Prime Time programme on 25th March 2021. The Department has engaged with the Data Protection Commissioner.
The allegations which were the subject of the RTÉ Prime Time programme on March 25th were brought to the Department's attention last year. The Department took the matters raised very seriously and commissioned an independent, expert review by an external Senior Counsel. This review was completed in November 2020. Subject to clarification of legal matters, I intend to publish this review at the earliest possible opportunity.
347. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health the progress made to date to provide a new emergency department for Galway University Hospital; when the new emergency department will be operational in the hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17897/21]
View answerEnabling works for the temporary ED are in progress and work on construction is due to commence at the end April/early May. It is anticipated that the handover of the internal re-planned area of the temporary ED will be at the end of Q2 2022. Fitting out will then be undertaken.
Separately, a design team has developed a feasibility report for the construction of a permanent ED and Women & Children’s Block at University Hospital Galway.
348. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health if he will seek a report from NIAC on the prioritisation of cohorts of persons on the vaccine priority list including family carers and cardiac patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17898/21]
View answerThe COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy sets out a provisional list of groups for vaccination. The Strategy was developed by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) and my Department , endorsed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), and approved by Government on 8 December 2020.
On the 23rd of February, I announced an update to Ireland’s COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy. In comprising the initial Vaccine Allocation Strategy, the NIAC listed several conditions associated with increased risk of severe disease and death. In the intervening period, national and international evidence has become available which has enabled a more detailed analysis of underlying conditions that may increase the risk of developing severe disease or death. The NIAC has now been able to more comprehensively identify those medical conditions and to distinguish between those which place a person at very high or high risk of severe disease if they contract the virus. Medical conditions and the magnitude of the risk they pose will continue to be monitored and periodically reviewed.
On the 30th of March, the Government approved a further update to the COVID-19 Vaccination Allocation Strategy. Based on clinical, scientific and ethical frameworks produced by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee and the Department of Health, following the vaccination of those most at risk, future groups will be vaccinated by age, in cohorts of 10 years (i.e., 64-55; 54-45, etc.).
The move to an age-based model better supports the programme objectives by:
- protecting those at highest risk of severe disease first, which benefits everyone most;
- facilitating planning and execution of the programme across the entire country;
- improving transparency and fairness.
Further details are available here:
https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/93f8f-minister-donnelly-announces-update-to-irelands-vaccination-prioritisation-list/
349. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a breakdown of the higher executive officers, administration officers, assistant principal officers, principal officers and assistant secretaries in his Department by gender in tabular form. [17912/21]
View answerA breakdown by gender of higher executive officers, administration officers, assistant principal officers, principal officers and assistant secretaries currently employed in the Department of Health is attached in tabular form.
|
Grade |
Gender |
Headcount |
|
Assistant Secretary |
Female |
3 |
|
Male |
3 |
|
|
Principal Officer |
Female |
43 |
|
Male |
39 |
|
|
Assistant Principal Officer |
Female |
109 |
|
Male |
75 |
|
|
Higher Executive Officer |
Female |
64 |
|
Male |
47 |
|
|
Administrative Officer |
Female |
46 |
|
Male |
35 |
350. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health the steps he is taking to ensure that pregnant women can be joined by their partner for maternity appointments and childbirth; the current policy in each maternity hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17926/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
351. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health the progress to date in reducing waiting lists for assessment of need; if additional resources have been provided towards the provision of appropriate follow-up services in circumstances in which they are needed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17932/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly.
352. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health the category branch bank staff fall under in the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out. [17938/21]
View answerThe COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy sets out a provisional list of groups for vaccination. The Strategy was developed by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) and my Department , endorsed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), and approved by Government on 8 December 2020.
On the 23rd of February, I announced an update to Ireland’s COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy. In comprising the initial Vaccine Allocation Strategy, the NIAC listed several conditions associated with increased risk of severe disease and death. In the intervening period, national and international evidence has become available which has enabled a more detailed analysis of underlying conditions that may increase the risk of developing severe disease or death. The NIAC has now been able to more comprehensively identify those medical conditions and to distinguish between those which place a person at very high or high risk of severe disease if they contract the virus. Medical conditions and the magnitude of the risk they pose will continue to be monitored and periodically reviewed.
On the 30th of March, the Government approved a further update to the COVID-19 Vaccination Allocation Strategy. Based on clinical, scientific and ethical frameworks produced by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee and the Department of Health, following the vaccination of those most at risk, future groups will be vaccinated by age, in cohorts of 10 years (i.e., 64-55; 54-45, etc.).
The move to an age-based model better supports the programme objectives by:
- protecting those at highest risk of severe disease first, which benefits everyone most;
- facilitating planning and execution of the programme across the entire country;
- improving transparency and fairness.
Further details are available here:
https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/93f8f-minister-donnelly-announces-update-to-irelands-vaccination-prioritisation-list/
353. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health when a building project will proceed to the next stage in view of the urgent need to provide additional accommodation at a healthcare facility (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17942/21]
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.
354. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that cross-Border workers will be prioritised in receiving surplus UK vaccinations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17943/21]
View answerIreland is participating in a Procurement Exercise being operated by the European Commission on behalf of Member States to procure suitable, safe and effective vaccines, in sufficient quantities, to combat COVID-19. Six APAs have been negotiated by the Commission under this process to date.
Ireland’s COVID-19 vaccination programme strategy is to distribute all available vaccines as quickly as is operationally possible, prioritising those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19.
The programme is based on the principles of safety, effectiveness and fairness, with the objective of reducing severe illness, hospitalisations and deaths from COVID-19 infection.
Vaccine are being made available without charge to all persons resident in the State.
355. Deputy Malcolm Noonan asked the Minister for Health if a risk assessment of families on the grounds of the families' likelihood to pursue legal action against the State was a determinant in the management of such files in view of the fact that his Department manages dossiers on autistic children and their families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17945/21]
View answerI take the allegations made in recent media reports extremely seriously. A team has been set up to establish the facts in respect of specific allegations made in the RTÉ Prime Time programme on 25th March 2021. The Department has engaged with the Data Protection Commissioner.
The allegations which were the subject of the RTÉ Prime Time programme on March 25th were brought to the Department's attention last year. The Department took the matters raised very seriously and commissioned an independent, expert review by an external Senior Counsel. This review was completed in November 2020. Subject to clarification of legal matters, I intend to publish this review at the earliest possible opportunity.
356. Deputy Malcolm Noonan asked the Minister for Health if his Department manages dossiers on autistic adults or their representatives who are seeking appropriate autism specific services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17946/21]
View answerI take the allegations made in recent media reports extremely seriously. A team has been set up to establish the facts in respect of specific allegations made in the RTÉ Prime Time programme on 25th March 2021. The Department has engaged with the Data Protection Commissioner. The allegations which were the subject of the RTÉ Prime Time programme on March 25th were brought to the Department's attention last year. The Department took the matters raised very seriously and commissioned an independent, expert review by an external Senior Counsel. This review was completed in November 2020. Subject to clarification of legal matters, I intend to publish this review at the earliest possible opportunity.
Services for people with disabilities are generally delivered according to need rather than specific diagnosis. Adults with autism are likely to receive services from a range of different areas within the health services. Those services are provided by the HSE. The current Programme for Government contains a range of commitments around improving services for all people with disabilities, including those with Autism. In Budget 2020, the Minister for Health secured €2 million in funding for the further development of an Autism Plan, which includes a range of measures to improve Health services for people with Autism and their families. The funding secured means that a range of priorities can now be further developed and implemented.
357. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the protocol and or procedure he has in place for retrieving patient files, data and information from the HSE for use by his officials. [17983/21]
View answerExchanges of information between the Department and the HSE are subject to compliance with obligations under data protection legislation.
With regard to the very small number of significant patient safety incidents and issues of concern that arise in the health service annually, there is a Patient Safety Communications Protocol in place between the Department and the HSE.
358. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the number of complaints his Department has received from members of the public under the heading of GDPR and data information requests since 2018 to date in 2021; the number of data information requests that have been refused and accepted, respectively; the number of GDPR requests refused; and the basis on which they were declined in tabular form. [17993/21]
View answerMy Department is committed to protecting the rights and privacy of data subjects and adhering to obligations under data protection legislation.
The information sought by the Deputy is enclosed in the table below.
|
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
|
|
Complaints received from members of the public under the GDPR |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
|
Data Information Requests Received |
7 |
17 |
9 |
10 |
|
Data Information Requests Refused/Declined |
0 |
2* |
1* |
0 |
*Reason for Refusal - The Department is not the Data Controller.
