Written Answers Nos. 440-459
440. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if a person (details supplied) will be facilitated in obtaining the Covid-19 vaccine at the earliest possible date given the necessity for special arrangements in line with their medical condition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33029/21]
View answerAs this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.
442. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 150 of 3 June 2021, the cost of the initial pilot project; the number of staff required; the salary cost of staff inclusive of salary and PRSI costs; the type of training required; the cost of training in tabular form; the duration of the pilot project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33066/21]
View answerAs this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.
443. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health the current and capital cost of a new specialist eating disorder bed per year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33067/21]
View answerAs this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.
444. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health the number of clinicians on each specialist eating disorder team; the estimated cost of employing each clinician, respectively inclusive of salary and PRSI costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33068/21]
View answerAs this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.
445. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health the capital and revenue cost of a mental health bed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33069/21]
View answerAs this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.
446. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health if toilax has been withdrawn for use in Ireland; if there is a supply issue given that it is essential in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33070/21]
View answerThe HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of medicinal products under the community drug schemes, in accordance with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013. The HSE maintains a Reimbursement List of medicinal products that are provided under the General Medical Services Scheme or the Drugs Payment Scheme. These products are approved for the schemes by the HSE.
The HSE have advised that Toilax is not on the Reimbursement List. However, the product has been approved on an individual patient basis through Discretionary Hardship Arrangements.
Pharmacies have recently been unable to source the product as it is now discontinued. Therefore, the HSE has approved alternative therapies prescribed for patients through these arrangements.
447. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Health the annual capital funding received by each agency under section 38 of the Health Act 2004 in each of the years 2016 to 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33073/21]
View answerPlease see attached information on annual capital funding received by agencies, broken down by ICT and non-ICT, in each of the years between 2016 and 2020, and Year to Date in 2021.
448. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the long-term support scheme which will be put in place to support the private nursing home sector in the medium and long term given that the temporary assistance payment scheme is due to cease on 30 June 2021; if he will consider extending the scheme until a permanent scheme which supports the sector continues to ensure measures implemented derived from Covid-19 bring lasting improvements within the sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33074/21]
View answerThe Temporary Assistance Payment Scheme (TAPS) was established in April 2020 as a temporary administrative measure in response to the challenges faced by the nursing home sector at the start of the pandemic. As the pandemic continued, additional support measures for private and voluntary nursing homes have been delivered through the Health Service Executive (HSE).
As of 11th June 2021, 7,148 claims had been submitted as part of the Scheme. In total, €134.5 million has been made available under TAPS between 2020 and 2021.
Due to the ongoing high level of risk associated with COVID-19 during this period, the Department of Health responded by extending the scheme twice, far beyond the originally planned timescale of three months. The further extension of the scheme was outlined in the Government’s Plan 'Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19', published in September 2020. This provided reassurance of the Scheme’s availability and a planned timeframe of operation to the end of June 2021.
The cessation of TAPS at the end of June, as planned and previously announced was communicated with all relevant stakeholders, including Nursing Homes Ireland – the national representative body for the private and voluntary nursing home sector.
There has been a marked improvement in the status of the virus in the community and in nursing homes due to the rollout of the National Vaccination Programme – COVID-19 cases and outbreaks in nursing homes are now at a very low level compared with the first quarter of the year and, overall, the epidemiological situation is very positive. It is the Department’s understanding that currently there is one open outbreak in a nursing home.
(Please note that the cyber-attack on the HSE on 14 May 2021 has prevented the routine notification of cases, associated deaths and outbreaks of COVID-19 to the Computerised Infectious Disease Reporting (CIDR) system. As an interim measure, provisional epidemiological reports are being prepared but have not undergone the data validation procedures undertaken through CIDR. For this reason, data continues to be provisional at this time.)
The Scheme has fulfilled its temporary purpose of providing financial support to nursing homes to address COVID-19. Although the risk is greatly reduced, it has not been completely eliminated, therefore the outbreak assistance element of the Scheme will continue to be available to nursing homes until the end of 2021. Availability of outbreak assistance is subject to the overall sanctioned amount of €42m for 2021.
The substantial package of non-financial supports outlined below will continue to be provided for the time being:
- Provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The continued supply of PPE is a key support mechanism and will be provided in line with clinical and public health recommendations;
- The COVID-19 Response Teams established to support Public Health Outbreak teams covering all residential services as well as home support settings. All stakeholders, including the COVID-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel, have highlighted the significant contribution these new teams have made to supporting nursing homes throughout the pandemic;
- The HSE Temporary Accommodation Scheme;
- HSE training and development resources, including the opening up of HSeLanD to private and voluntary providers.
- IPC support and advice;
- The substantial suite of publicly available guidance developed to support the sector.
These measures and supports reflect a significant investment by the State to support nursing homes and other services and measures, such as the COVID-19 Response Teams, and are a clear signal of the work that is ongoing to integrate the wider health system.
It is also important to reflect that all nursing homes, as registered providers with HIQA, have well established obligations under the legal framework in terms of the delivery of safe care to residents. Nursing homes are required, by law, to ensure that procedures, consistent with the standards for the prevention and control of healthcare associated infections published by HIQA are implemented by staff. The current infection prevention and control standards have been in operation since 2018. Good and effective IPC procedures should be in place across the entire health and social care service as a matter of course.
In February 2021, a revised plan 'Resilience and Recovery 2021 Plan: The Path Ahead' was published by the Government. This plan recognises the need for longer-term reform of both older persons and nursing home care, broadly reflecting the lessons learned from the COVID-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel and the pandemic. However, these structural reforms, including the policy and regulatory framework, extend beyond the scope of a temporary financial support scheme aimed at a specific, time-limited public health objective.
449. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the amount paid to general practitioners in respect of the Covid-19 vaccination programme for 2021 to date. [33091/21]
View answerAs this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.
450. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health if the HSE will work with community groups to publicly identify the location of defibrillators around the country and to establish a publicly accessible list of defibrillator locations. [33099/21]
View answerAs this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.
451. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Health the progress that has been made on the case of a child (details supplied) with complex needs who is having difficulties accessing respite care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33100/21]
View answerAs this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.
453. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Health the recruitment process for leading positions in Safefood; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33137/21]
View answerThe recruitment process for all State Bodies is the responsibility of Commission for Public Service Appointments which has published the Code of Practice for appointment to positions in the Civil Service and Public Service.
Under the British-Irish Agreement Act, 1999, it is up to the North/South Body, in this case Safefood, with the approval of North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) and the Finance Ministers, to determine the remuneration, grading, and numbers and other conditions of service of the CEO and other staff of the Body. This means Safefood must liaise with the Departments of Health, North and South, about any changes with regard to staffing. However, provided Safefood stay within the agreed remuneration levels, grading, and allocated staffing numbers there is no need to seek sanctions from parent departments.
The exception is with regard to the appointment of the CEO. Under the British-Irish Agreement Act, 1999, the appointment of the CEO must be approved by NSMC. The sponsor Departments, therefore, have to agree a selection process and liaise with their prospective Finance Departments and the NSMC to obtain prior approval to fill the position of CEO. Once the selection has been made, the appointment has to be approved by NSMC.
The British-Irish Agreement Act, 1999 provides for the Food Safety Promotion Board/Safefood to have both an Advisory Board and Advisory Committee.
Safefood selects the members of the Advisory Committee (SAC) based on a selection process. Positions on the SAC are publicly advertised. Safefood invites expressions of interest for the committee from suitably qualified professionals. Members are also selected in accordance with Safefood’s Equality Policy. After conclusion of the selection process by Safefood, membership of the SAC is approved by Ministers (North and South) at the North South Ministerial Council.
454. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Health the number of persons who have gone through mandatory hotel quarantine; the number of hotels used for mandatory hotel quarantine; the names and addresses of the hotels used for mandatory hotel quarantine; the number of persons accessing mandatory hotel quarantine from each port of origin, including Rosslare Port, Dublin Port, Port of Cork, Dublin Airport, Cork Airport, Shannon Airport and any other port offering international transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33168/21]
View answerMandatory hotel quarantine (MHQ) has been introduced as one element of Ireland’s public health measures to combat the transmission of Covid-19 and to protect the population when there is a high risk of importation of infection from Covid-19 and from challenges posed by new variants of concern. As of 21st June a total of six hotels with the capacity of 1,376 rooms are in use for MHQ. The hotel quarantine facilities are:
- Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel, Santry
- Holiday Inn Express, Santry
- Red Cow Moran Hotel, Naas Road
- Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Golden Lane
- Croke Park Hotel, Drumcondra
- Crowne Plaza Hotel Blanchardstown
The number of persons recorded for Mandatory Hotel Quarantine at each Port of Entry up to 11 July 2021 is as follows:
- Dublin Airport – 7,927
- Cork Airport – 68
- Shannon Airport – 0
- Dublin Sea Port – 103
- Rosslare Sea Port – 29
- Cork Sea Port - 0
455. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Health if he will extend the remit of HIQA in order that it can investigate specific complaints regarding individual private nursing homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33173/21]
View answerThe Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is an independent authority established to drive high-quality and safe care for people using our health and social care services in Ireland. HIQA’s role is to develop standards, inspect and review health and social care services and support informed decisions on how services are delivered. HIQA's role includes monitoring the safety and quality of health services and investigating as necessary serious concerns about the health and welfare of people who use these services.
HIQA, is the statutory independent regulator in place for the nursing home sector, whether a HSE managed or a private nursing home. The Authority, established under the Health Act 2007, has significant and wide-ranging powers up to and including withdrawing the registration of a nursing home facility, which means that it can no longer operate as a service provider. This responsibility is underpinned by a comprehensive quality framework comprising of Registration Regulations, Care and Welfare Regulations and National Quality Standards.
HIQA does not investigate individual complaints, however the Department understands from HIQA that concerns it receives are used to inform its inspection and monitoring processes, informing the risk profile for the service and where appropriate are passed on to the relevant bodies.
In accordance with Regulation 34 of S.I. No. 415/2013 - Health Act 2007 (Care and Welfare of Residents in Designated Centres for Older People) Regulations 2013, registered providers of nursing home care are obliged to provide an accessible and effective complaints procedure. The registered provider is required to make each resident and their family aware of the complaints procedure as soon as is practicable following admission.
The Office of the Ombudsman can examine complaints about the actions of a range of public bodies including complaints relating to the administrative actions of private nursing homes. Regulatory bodies such as the Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland also has a role in the investigation of individual complaints. The appropriate pathway for making a complaint is dependent on the particular issue of concern.
The Department of Health is currently working on a policy and legislative framework to provide a fit for purpose streamlined and consistent clinical complaints and patient safety incidents legislative scheme that meets the needs of patients and families across health services. This work will include legislation, regulation, and policy and will seek to incorporate a Programme for Government 2020 commitment to expand the remit of the Office of the Ombudsman to consider clinical decisions in health and social care complaints.
In August 2020, the Nursing Home Expert Panel (NHEP) report was published which contained 86 recommendations, across 15 thematic areas, many of which will require legislative measures to implement. HIQA also submitted a paper outlining a number of suggested amendments to the legislation governing the operation of designated centres for older people.
Having regard to the NHEP recommendations, learning from the pandemic and HIQA's suggested regulatory enhancements, the Minister for Health and I approved a two-phased approach to examining the legislation with a view to proposing enhancements to the primary and secondary legislation governing nursing homes, with a primary focus on enforcement, governance, oversight and certain regulatory areas including infection prevention and control. It is expected that, subject to Government approval draft Heads of Bill will be published by the end of the year.
456. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of new food businesses registered with his Department between July 2020 and June 2021, by county; the number of same for the period July 2019 to June 2020, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38770/21]
View answerThe table below contains the number of Meat and Milk FBO’s currently registered with Milk & Meat Hygiene Division within the timeframes under query.
A number of new applications are submitted to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine each year from potential food business operators seeking registration and/or approval for dairy and meat products. Following the relevant inspections, successful applicants are issued with registration and/or approval certificates.
All FBOs must ensure that all stages of production, processing and distribution of food under their control satisfy the relevant hygiene and other requirements laid down in The Hygiene Package and S.I. No. 22 of 2020 which gives legal effect to the Hygiene Package Regulations.
|
July 2020 – June 2021 |
July 2020 – June 2021 |
July 2019 – June 2020 |
July 2019 – June 2020 |
|
|
Meat |
Milk |
Meat |
Milk |
|
|
Carlow |
||||
|
Cavan |
1 |
|||
|
Clare |
1 |
1 |
||
|
Cork |
7 |
5 |
||
|
Donegal |
||||
|
Dublin |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
Galway |
||||
|
Kerry |
1 |
3 |
||
|
Kildare |
||||
|
Kilkenny |
||||
|
Laois |
1 |
|||
|
Leitrim |
||||
|
Limerick |
1 |
3 |
1 |
|
|
Longford |
||||
|
Louth |
2 |
|||
|
Mayo |
1 |
1 |
||
|
Meath |
||||
|
Monaghan |
1 |
|||
|
Offaly |
1 |
|||
|
Roscommon |
||||
|
Sligo |
||||
|
Tipperary |
1 |
3 |
||
|
Waterford |
2 |
|||
|
Westmeath |
1 |
|||
|
Wexford |
||||
|
Wicklow |
1 |
457. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department is in receipt of correspondence (details supplied); and if he will clarify the situation to the correspondent. [38839/21]
View answerI understand from Department officials that this correspondence has been received and officials will contact the individual directly to provide the requested information and clarification.
458. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of staff by location and function in each office of his Department nationally by location; if the property is State owned or leased; and the detail of these leases in the case of those properties on a lease in terms of cost, term and next break date. [38862/21]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is provided in the files attached.
Generally speaking, all issues in relation to leases for premises for Government Departments/Offices, including the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine are a matter for the Office of Public Works (OPW). However, there are a limited number of locations where the Department leases premises.
459. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of a salmon farm (details supplied) which had its licence discontinued in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38867/21]
View answerThe determination in April 2019 in respect of the matter referred to is currently the subject of ongoing legal proceedings and it would not be appropriate for me to comment further on the matter at this time.
