Written Answers Nos. 2327-2345
2327. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Health the breakdown of staff numbers in the HSE in an area (details supplied) in each of the past ten years up to July 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37383/21]
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.
2328. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the expansion of a primary care centre (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37384/21]
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.
2330. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Health the status of the current application process for HSE insulin pumps tendering contract which began in late 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37386/21]
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.
2331. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Health the number of environmental health officers currently working within HSE services in north County Tipperary; the efforts the HSE are making to allocate environmental health officers an office space in a new community primary care centre on Mitchel Street, Thurles, County Tipperary; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37387/21]
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.
2332. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health when full home care support will be reinstated in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37410/21]
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.
2333. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the body responsible if a complaint is made when agents who are contracted by the HSE that do not fall under section 38 or 39 workers fail to provide the service they are contacted to provide. [37411/21]
View answerNotwithstanding the clarification received, I remain unclear as to the exact question being raised. If the Deputy would like to provide additional information in respect of his question, a substantive response can be provided.
In the interim, if the Deputy is referring to complaints made by public health sector employees, then the Deputy may wish to review the HSEs Grievance Policy which is available to view at the link below.
www.hse.ie/eng/staff/resources/hrppg/grievance-and-disciplinary-procedure-for-the-health-service-2004.html.
2334. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the guidelines that have been issued to community centres in relation to dance classes and drama and variety clubs that wish to use their premises. [37412/21]
View answer3257. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if he will provide the current guidelines regarding indoor dance classes, group fitness classes and personal training sessions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41099/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 2334 and 3257 together.
As the Deputies will be aware, on 29 June, Government announced the next phase of reopening the economy and society in line with Recovery and Resilience: The Path Ahead.
While significant progress is being made in relation to the roll-out of our vaccination programme, the rapidly increasing prevalence of the more transmissible Delta variant, and the significant risk this poses, in particular to those who are not yet fully vaccinated, meant that a number of higher risk indoor activities did not recommence as planned on 5 July, pending the implementation of a system to verify vaccination or immunity status.
Disease incidence has increased rapidly in recent weeks, especially among those who are not yet fully protected through vaccination and the outlook for the coming weeks is very uncertain.
Gyms and leisure centres are now open for individual training only.
Unfortunately, due to current uncertainties there is not yet an indication of when indoor dance and drama classes or group fitness classes will be permitted to reopen. Organised indoor events are currently not permitted. The epidemiological situation will be monitored on an ongoing basis and the level of restrictions will be kept under review by Government.
Significant and sustained progress has been made on suppressing the virus over recent months due to the huge effort of people across the country. By working together, we have saved lives and limited the impact of the disease on society in Ireland. To protect the gains of recent months we must continue to practice basic preventative behaviours and to follow public health guidelines.
2335. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Health his plans to issue fully vaccinated persons a hard copy vaccine licence; and the proposed cost of same. [37413/21]
View answerThe Digital COVID Certificate Regulation is intended to facilitate people’s fundamental right to move and reside freely and help to support the lifting of restrictions currently in place in a coordinated manner within the EU.
As the Minister for Health, I am supporting the work of my Department in collaborating with relevant Departments under the leadership of the Department of Taoiseach to assist in the on-going implementation of the EU Digital COVID Certificates.
Individuals should receive their EU Digital COVID Certificate when they are fully vaccinated. If the HSE has a valid email address from the vaccination process – individuals will get their Digital COVID Certificate by email. Otherwise, they will get their certificate via post. These Digital COVID Certificates are currently being emailed or posted.
2336. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health his plans to ensure that all maternity hospitals put in place safe procedures for nominated support partners to attend the 12 week dating and booking scan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37428/21]
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.
2337. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health his plans to ensure that all maternity hospitals put in place safe procedures for nominated support partner to attend for all appointments in which the pregnant person is attending an early pregnancy unit and or attending for pregnancy loss or has been classified as a high-risk pregnancy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37429/21]
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.
2338. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health his plans to ensure that all maternity hospitals put in place safe procedures for nominated support partners to attend for all stages of labour including induction of labour and or early labour; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37430/21]
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.
2339. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health his plans to ensure that all maternity hospitals put in place safe procedures for nominated support partners to attend for all antenatal appointments in relation to the general population; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37431/21]
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.
2340. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health his plans to ensure that all maternity hospitals put in place safe procedures for nominated support partners to attend for all unscheduled emergency care incidents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37432/21]
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.
2341. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health his plans to ensure that the HSE enters into a service level agreement with a facility (details supplied) to provide specialised eating disorder care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37433/21]
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.
2343. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Health when he plans to roll out free general practitioner care for under 8s as announced in budget 2020; if he has engaged with an organisation (details supplied) on the way this will happen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37443/21]
View answerThe Government is committed to increasing access to GP care without charges for children, an important healthcare measure that will remove a potentially prohibitive cost barrier to accessing GP care and will help to improve children’s health as they develop. At present all children under six years of age are eligible for a GP visit card and therefore GP care without charges.
The Health (General Practitioner Service and Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) Act 2020 provides, amongst other things, for the phased expansion of GP care without fees to all children aged 12 years and under. The initial stage of this phased expansion will be the provision of GP care without fees to all children aged between 6 and 8.
The appropriate date for commencing the expansion remains under consideration in light of COVID-19 and the additional pressures the expansion might place on general practice in that context. This date will be determined following consultation with the IMO, to take place closer to the appropriate time for commencement. It is important to ensure that any additional pressures placed on general practice will not limit its capacity to meet the needs of all patients in the community.
2344. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Health the way in which the residents and their families of a facility (details supplied) will be included and consulted on decisions on future service provision for residential care at the site. [37444/21]
View answerCamphill Communities of Ireland (CCoI) provides residential and day services to people with intellectual disabilities and other kinds of special needs in a number of communities in Community Health Care Organisations (CHOs) 4, 5 and 7 under a Section 39 service arrangement with the HSE. Duffcarrig is one of the CCoI communities located in County Wexford, which provides residential services to 24 people.
As the Deputy is aware, following inspections at the Duffcarrig site, HIQA issued a notice to CCoI on the 4th of June 2021, that the registration of Duffcarrig would be cancelled within 28 days, due to ongoing issues of non-compliance at the centre with the regulations governing the provision of residential services to people with disabilities. As CCoI did not contest the decision, the cancellation of the registration of Camphill Community Duffcarrig took effect at 12 midday on Saturday 3 July 2021.
Under Section 64 of the Health Act, the HSE has a responsibility to operate the centre as if it were the registered provider from the date the cancellation came into effect. The HSE are engaging closely with CCoI on a transition plan with a view to transferring the provision of services in the Duffcarrig facility to an alternative provider, with the objective that residents will continue to receive their residential care services at the Duffcarrig site.The HSE have assured my Department that it is engaging closely with all families of service users and is keeping them informed of the process regarding the transfer of provider at the Duffcarrig site.
The foremost concern of Government is to ensure the continuity of services provided by Camphill in the interests of the service users and families who rely on these vital services and supports. I welcome the fact that HIQA inspectors will continue to monitor the centre during this transition to verify the safety and quality of service to residents is prioritised, which is my primary concern.
2345. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter regarding the HPV vaccine (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37445/21]
View answer2698. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if secondary school students who could not avail of the HPV vaccine due to the fact they started the school year in 2018-2019 will be able to avail of it at a later date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38807/21]
View answer2699. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if a student who could not avail of the HPV vaccine in their first year of secondary school can avail of the vaccine at a later date while they are still a student in the school; if not, if this policy will be reviewed in order to encourage as many students as possible to avail of this vaccine before leaving school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38808/21]
View answer2768. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if a catch-up programme will be put in place for the HPV vaccine (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39083/21]
View answer2854. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Health if children that refused the HPV vaccine when originally offered same in their first year of secondary school education can now avail and register to receive the vaccine during the 2021-2022 vaccine programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39382/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 2345, 2698, 2699, 2768 and 2854 together.
The 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.
In June 2017, on foot of the NIAC’s recommendation that the HPV vaccine should also be given to boys, 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 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.
It is important to note that the schools-based immunisation programme for the 2019/2020 academic year has been completed and the uptake rates for the HPV vaccine in that academic year are 82% for the first dose of the vaccine and 77% for the second dose.
This is the highest uptake for the HPV vaccination programme since 2015/2016 and is particularly encouraging because it was the first year that boys were included in the programme and it shows that the provision of vaccine in community clinics did not adversely affect the uptake.
The programme for the academic year 2020/2021 was paused during the first few months of 2021 due to school closures and redeployment of staff to the COVID-19 immunisation programme.
The inputting of uptake information for the schools-based programme has also been delayed due to redeployment of administrative staff. However, Community Healthcare Organisations have reported that the vast majority of second level schools had their first dose of HPV vaccine delivered between October and December 2020.
The uptake rate for the first dose of the HPV vaccine, in the 2020/2021 academic year, is 67% as of the 12th May 2021, and this figure is expected to increase because data input on vaccine uptake is ongoing.
The HSE expects the HPV vaccination programme for 2020/21 to be substantially complete before the start of the 2021/22 academic year.
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. This applies to everyone whether or not they have a medical card/GP visit card, as it is outside of the HPV immunisation programme.
