Written Answers Nos. 134-152
134. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if a series of matters (details supplied) will be taken into account when issuing appointments for vaccinations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20896/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
136. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the contingency plans put in place with respect to the withdrawal of an organisation (details supplied) and the setting of a transition deadline for the services provided by a facility. [20903/21]
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.
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
137. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the plans for and status of a service (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20904/21]
View answerAlmost ten years ago, the Time to Move on from Congregated Settings Report identified approximately 4,000 people with disabilities living in congregated type settings. The 2011 Report expected that decongregation could happen at a much faster pace than was actually possible.
Since 2014, the Transforming Lives Programme provides the framework for implementation and for putting policy into practice across key reports, including Time to Move on from Congregated Settings in respect of residential centres,
Today less than 2,000 people live in congregated settings.
The Programme for Government – ‘Our Shared Future’ includes a commitment to continue with moving people out of old style congregated settings, into new homes within the community, with the necessary supports.
Today, people are being supported to live lives of their choice out in the community. Several congregated settings have closed fully and many more have closed specific units within the centres.
Thoughtful planning, capacity building work with stakeholders and sharing the learning across services is enabling meaningful person-centred planning and transitions that are sustainable.
While the pace of change has been slow in some services, there is momentum and progress is being made.
Budget 2021 provides for an unprecedented level of investment in disability services, with the investment of €100m for new initiatives in 2021. The increased level of funding in 2021 will enable us to build on initiatives currently underway, including the decongregation programme, with a renewed focus on assisting people to move out of congregated settings to homes in the community. The HSE has prioritised the transition of a further 144 people from congregated settings in 2021 under its Service Plan.
As the numbers in the large settings continues to fall, the people still remaining in these services have access to better living conditions and share with fewer people
As the specific question raised is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
138. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health when a new health service will be established in counties Cavan and Monaghan (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20926/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
139. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Health if there are pregnant women ill with Covid-19 who are currently on life-support or other critical care in a hospital either for their own care and or in order to advance their pregnancies to safe delivery of their babies; if so, the number of women affected from the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic to date; the strains of Covid-19 involved; the number of hospitals involved in care and transfer, both maternity and general; the location of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20930/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
140. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of a primary medical care certificate application by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20932/21]
View answerThe Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Scheme is underpinned by statute and comes under the remit of the Department of Finance and the Revenue Commissioners.
The extent of the involvement of Health Service Executive (HSE) Community Medical Doctors in the Scheme relates to making a clinical determination as to whether an individual applicant meets the specified medical criteria for a Primary Medical Certificate, which is a requirement for the Scheme.
The Deputy may be aware that following a Supreme Court decision of June 2020, the assessment process for Primary Medical Certificates was suspended at the request of the Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe T.D.. Following the approval of the Finance Act 2020 which provides for the medical criteria in primary legislation, the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, T.D., issued an instruction to the HSE to recommence assessments from 1st January, 2021.
The ability to hold assessments has been impacted by, among other things, the public health restrictions in place to suppress and manage the spread of COVID-19. Unfortunately there are delays in the processing of assessments due to the involvement of the HSE Medical Doctors in the national COVID-19 response, which I know are causing undue strain on applicants.
I recently met again with the HSE to discuss the issues around the delay in accessing Primary Medical Certificate assessments. The HSE has confirmed that the assessment process has recommenced and it is continuing to monitor the situation in the context of resuming the range of services that are provided by Community Medical Doctors under the HSE Service Recovery and Restoration Plan, taking into account the pressures and challenges to the health services presented by COVID.
As the query raised by the Deputy relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for consideration and direct reply to the Deputy.
141. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health the estimated number within each vaccine prioritisation group of those who have received two doses, those who have received one dose and those yet to be reached for the most recent date for which estimates are available. [20934/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
142. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Health if new information or clinical presentations are emerging here suggesting that pregnancy does or could put women at particular or greater risk of serious complications or severe illness from Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20951/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
143. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health if he has evaluated all available evidence for prioritisation of pregnant women on the vaccine priority list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20957/21]
View answerPregnant women are at a similar risk to non-pregnant women of contracting COVID-19 disease. Most pregnant women who are infected with COVID-19 will experience mild to moderate symptoms, and the risk of passing COVID-19 virus to the baby is low.
However, pregnant women who become ill from COVID-19 are more likely to be admitted to hospital, to need care in an ICU, and to die when compared with non-pregnant women patients.
Women from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds may be more likely than other pregnant women to be admitted to hospital with COVID-19 disease.
Pregnant women who are healthcare workers or who have medical conditions which put them at high risk of severe disease are included in the respective priority groups. The priority for other pregnant women will be determined when more evidence is available.
It is important to emphasise that vaccination is only one part of our response to the prevention of COVID-19 infection. People who are vaccinated need to continue with all the public health measures that have been proven to reduce the risk of infection, i.e., limiting our social contacts, physical distancing, wearing a mask, hand hygiene, cough etiquette and avoiding non-essential travel until a sufficiently large proportion of the population are immune.
144. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the reimbursement status of patisiran; when it will be next discussed by the HSE drugs group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20959/21]
View answerThe HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of medicines under the community drugs schemes, in accordance with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013.
In line with the 2013 Health Act and the national framework agreed with industry, a company must submit an application to the HSE to have a new medicine added to the reimbursement list.
Reimbursement is for licenced indications which have been granted market authorisation by the European Medicines Agency or the Health Products Regulatory Authority.
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).
The HSE has advised that it received an application in December 2018 for the reimbursement of Patisiran (Onpattro) for the treatment of hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis (hATTR amyloidosis) in adult patients with stage 1 or stage 2 polyneuropathy.
In January 2019, a full health technology assessment (HTA) with respect to this indication was commissioned by the HSE. This assessment was completed in February 2020, with the NCPE recommending that Patisiran not be considered for reimbursement unless cost-effectiveness could be improved relative to existing treatments.
The HTA report with respect to Patisiran was reviewed by the HSE Drugs Group in July 2020, along with the outputs of commercial discussions with the applicant which took place in May 2020, and the patient group submission received during the HTA process.
The HSE Drugs Group requested patient and clinician input via the Rare Diseases Technology Review Committee (RDTRC) to assist the group in making its recommendation to the HSE Executive Management Team (EMT) regarding reimbursement of Patisiran.
The RDTRC convened on 24 September and reviewed the clinical data previously submitted as part of the established pricing and reimbursement process. The Committee also heard from Consultants involved in the specialist management of patients with hATTR amyloidosis.
The RDTRC continued its review of Patisiran at its subsequent meeting on 5 November which included patient input on the impact of hATTR amyloidosis.
Following these meetings, the Committee finalised a statement summarising the clinician and patient engagement on Patisiran which was received by the HSE Drugs Group on 26 November.
The HSE has advised that it met with the applicant company in December 2020 and in early January 2021 for further discussions and deliberations on the pricing position.
At its January 2021 meeting, the HSE Drugs Group reviewed all the relevant documentation concerning the application, including information provided by the RDTRC. The HSE has advised that, having considered all of the criteria of which is obliged to take account, the HSE Drugs Group was unable to recommend in favour of reimbursement.
The decision-making authority in the HSE is the HSE Executive Management Team (EMT). The HSE EMT decides on the basis of all the demands with which it is faced (across all services) whether it can fund a new medicine, or new uses of an existing medicine, from the resources that have been provided to it in line with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013.
The HSE has confirmed that it issued notice to the applicant company of the proposed decision of the EMT not to support reimbursement of Patisiran in February 2021.
Where the HSE EMT team has considered a recommendation of non-reimbursement from the HSE Drugs Group and proposes to accept such a recommendation, the HSE is legally required (in line with the 2013 Health Act) to set out in detail a notice of any proposed decision to an applicant company. The HSE is also legally required in such circumstances to provide at least a 28-day period (from the formal written notice of proposal) to enable an applicant company to consider the proposal not to reimburse and to make representations to the HSE. The HSE is legally required to consider any such representations in advance of a formal decision.
The HSE advises that the applicant company submitted representations on 5 March and 12 March, in response to the EMT’s proposed decision. The application for Patisiran and the applicant's representations are to be included on the agenda for the HSE Drugs Group's May 2021 meeting, with a view to making a recommendation to the HSE EMT on the basis of all of the available evidence, in line with the 2013 Health Act.
The application for the reimbursement of Patisiran remains under consideration with the HSE. As decision-making authority, the HSE EMT will, following receipt of the outcome of the HSE Drugs Group's deliberations, make a decision on whether Patisiran will be reimbursed.
145. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the detox ten-bed unit in St. Michael’s Ward, Beaumont Hospital is currently closed; the status of the unit; when it will reopen as a detox unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20961/21]
View answerBeaumont Hospital advises that St. Michael’s Ward is temporarily being used as a Covid-19 vaccination centre. It is envisaged that it will revert to its previous designation by the end of June 2021.
146. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the treatments available to a person (details supplied) for dental work. [20965/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
147. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the treatments available to a person (details supplied) who requires dental surgery due to medication outside of the medical card limits. [20966/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
148. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will be afforded respite as a matter of urgency. [20967/21]
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.
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
149. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1158 of 31 March 2021, if he will seek an appropriate response that answers the questions asked; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20969/21]
View answerI note the issues raised by the Deputy and have asked the HSE to review the reply issued on April 16th by RCSI Hospital Group with a view to providing a detailed response
150. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Health when persons in the their 60s and 70s who refuse a vaccine (details supplied) due to concerns regarding the possibility of a negative health impact will be able to be vaccinated. [20970/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
151. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding mandatory hotel quarantine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20975/21]
View answerMandatory hotel quarantine has been introduced as one element of Ireland’s public health measures to combat the transmission of COVID-19 variants of concern.
The Health Act 1947, as amended, provides that all persons arriving in Ireland from a designated state, or having travelled through a designated state in the previous 14 days, are required to undergo mandatory quarantine in a designated facility unless they are an exempted traveller under the Act. All applicable travellers must reserve and pay for a place in mandatory hotel quarantine.
Mandatory hotel quarantine is also necessary in circumstances where passengers coming from non-designated states do not provide evidence that they have a negative or ‘not detected’ result from a COVID-19 Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test carried out no more than 72 hours before arrival into Ireland.
Unaccompanied minors who have travelled from or through a designated state in the 14 days prior to arrival in Ireland will not be permitted to enter a mandatory quarantine facility alone. To board a flight/ferry to Ireland, an unaccompanied minor must produce a negative RT-PCR test within the last 72 hours and their passport.
Their adult guardian can enter mandatory hotel quarantine with them, however, if this is not possible a responsible adult collecting the unaccompanied minor must sign a guardian release letter undertaking in writing the legal responsibility for ensuring that, the unaccompanied minor, will complete the mandatory 14 day quarantine at a specified address and that it is possible to effectively isolate at the said address.
In instances where an unaccompanied minor is arriving in Ireland to attend boarding school, a school representative must present themselves to Irish Immigration authorities with proper identification and on arrival, they will fill in, sign and return the Guardian Release Letter to the Irish immigration official. It is a criminal offence to give misleading or fraudulent information to an Irish immigration official.
Further information including the list of designated states can be accessed on www.gov.ie/quarantine.
The Government continues to advise against all non-essential international travel.
152. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health his plans to reinstate a general practitioner service at Enfield Health Centre, Enfield, County Meath given that there are no general practitioners in the town; the length of time it will take to find a general practitioner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20980/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
