Written Answers Nos. 1411-1430
1411. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) from County Donegal will receive a rheumatology appointment for Our Lady’s Hospital, Manorhamilton; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42865/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1412. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the areas in which the additional €10 million allocated to mental health due to the impact of Covid-19 in 2021 announced in February 2021 has been spent to date in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42868/21]
View answer1413. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the breakdown of expenditure of the €10 million allocated to mental health due to the impact of Covid-19 in 2021 announced in February 2021 spent to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42869/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1412 and 1413 together.
In February, an Taoiseach announced that €10 million in funding would be made available to meet the projected increase in demand for mental health supports arising from Covid-19 as part of Covid-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021: The Path Ahead. This funding provision was made available as a once-off measure.
My officials have been working with their counterparts in the HSE to identify and develop proposals for where such funding could best be used. While work is ongoing to finalise proposals, indicative areas for consideration have been identified. These include enhanced signposting and access to existing mental health services, increased channels for signposting, increased provision for service delivery, psychosocial response planning at CHO level, and initiatives for children and young people of school age, at third level and in non-education settings. Options for a research, monitoring and evaluation piece are also being examined.
I am closely monitoring work on the proposals and it is envisaged that initiatives will be starting in Quarter 4 2021. Officials in my Department, those in the HSE and I are working hard to ensure measures across the priority areas identified are implemented as soon as possible.
Question No. 1413 answered with Question No. 1412.
1414. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the amount of the 2021 budget for mental health that has been spent in 2021; if he will report on any funding still to be allocated or spent to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42870/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1416. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if an appointment will be expedited for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42882/21]
View answerUnder 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.
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1417. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter regarding the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42883/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1418. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Health the measures being considered to encourage maximum take-up of the 2021 winter flu vaccine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42893/21]
View answerThe HSE is in the advanced stages of planning the 2021/2022 Influenza Vaccination programme. It is anticipated immunisations will begin in early October and will be available free of charge to adults in specified at-risk groups and children aged from 2 to 17 years of age.
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1419. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Health the measures being considered to prepare hospitals for the winter season; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42894/21]
View answerThe Government allocated an unprecedented investment of €600 million to support the roll out of the Winter Plan 2020/2021. The Plan provided additional permanent acute bed capacity, additional home support hours, additional community-based services and an expanded flu vaccination programme to alleviate pressure on hospital emergency departments (EDs).
The HSE is currently working on developing a plan to deal with the additional pressures on hospital EDs during the winter months. The plan will be developed, within allocated resources, in the context of the additional challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Details of the 2021/22 Winter Plan will be published in due course. The HSE is also in the advanced stages of planning the 2021/2022 Influenza Vaccination Programme. It is anticipated that immunisations will begin in early October and will be available free of charge to adults in specified at-risk groups and children aged from 2 to 17 years of age.
The plan will build on the significant resources put in place under the winter plan for 20/21 which provided additional permanent acute bed capacity, additional home support hours, additional community-based services and an expanded flu vaccination programme to alleviate pressure on hospital emergency departments (EDs) and targeted initiatives to address population health needs which combine the need to shift care to home and ambulatory care environments, especially for high-risk cohorts such as elderly patients and those with chronic illnesses.
1420. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Health his plans to exempt those under 18 years old from contact tracing specifically in cases in which it matters to the school environment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42907/21]
View answerThere are no plans at present to exempt children from contact tracing. Contact tracing is an important element in controlling the spread of SARS-Cov-2 and is kept under continuing review by the Department, the HSE and the Health Protection Surveillance Centre. Details regarding the current guidance in place are available at https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/covid19/contact-tracing/
1421. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Health if his ministerial phones have been hacked or attempted to be hacked during his term of office. [42927/21]
View answer1422. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Health if he has ever used his personal phones for Government business; and if so, if the personal phones have been hacked during his term of office. [42945/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1421 and 1422 together.
No hacking incident or attempt at hacking has been identified.
1423. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health the number of freedom of information requests responded to by his Department in each of the years 2016 to 2020 and to date in 2021; the number of responses that included documents related to text messages and other phone message communications such as messages sent through an application (details supplied) in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42967/21]
View answerThe following table sets out, as of 06 September 2021, the number of Freedom of Information requests processed in my Department from 2016 to date*.
|
YEAR |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021* |
|
NUMBER OF REQUESTS PROCESSED |
317 |
351 |
480 |
582 |
465 |
235* |
Please be advised that data on the specific types of documents released in each individual FOI request is not collated by the Department.
1424. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the number of intensive care beds that have been provided since he announced the expansion of critical care capacity to 446 beds in December 2020; the locations in which these beds have been provided; the timescale for providing the outstanding beds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42977/21]
View answerAt the start of last year, permanent adult critical care capacity in Ireland stood at 255 beds, according to the National Office of Clinical Audit. Funding for a further 40 adult critical care beds was provided on a temporary basis in March 2020 as part of the response to Covid-19 in March 2020.
A Strategic Plan for Critical Care was noted by Government in December 2020. This Plan aims to increase capacity to 321 by end-2021 and to 446 in the longer term. Funding of €52m provided for 2021 will see the 40 beds provided in 2020 retained permanently and a further 26 added, to bring permanent baseline capacity to 321 by the end of 2021. The HSE has advised that 41 of these 66 beds are now in place, with the number open on any particular day fluctuating as a result of a variety of factors.
Regarding the locations of these beds, as this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
1425. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of a hospital appointment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42987/21]
View answerUnder 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.
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1426. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the cost of each commission of investigation under the remit of his Department over the preceding decade. [42994/21]
View answerMy Department has has only instituted 1 commission of investigation in this time period, the Commission of Investigation (certain matters relative to a disability service in the South East and related matters), "The Farrelly Commission". Since its establishment in 2017 this commission has incurred costs of €5,640,451.97.
1427. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health the advice he can provide about a dental services issue (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43003/21]
View answerThe Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) provides dental care, free of charge to medical card holders aged 16 and over. The HSE will assist anyone experiencing problems accessing a service.
The approach to future oral health service provision will be aligned with Smile agus Sláinte, the National Oral Health Policy (2019). The aim of the policy is to develop a model of care that will enable preventative approaches to be prioritised, improve access, and support interventions appropriate to current and future oral health needs.
I am committed to ensuring the sustainability of the DTSS, but recognise that it needs to be aligned with the new Policy. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the roll-out of the National Oral Health Policy to be delayed, and the proposed review of the DTSS contract to be deferred. However, officials in my Department and from the HSE are currently engaging with the Irish Dental Association on matters relating to the provision of services under the DTSS.
1428. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Health the number of dentists in County Tipperary currently participating in the dental medical card scheme; and his plans to address the number of dentists leaving the scheme which has left medical card patients in many areas with no access to dental treatment. [43004/21]
View answerThe Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) provides dental care, free of charge to medical card holders aged 16 and over. The HSE will assist anyone experiencing problems accessing a service.
The approach to future oral health service provision will be aligned with Smile agus Sláinte, the National Oral Health Policy (2019). The aim of the policy is to develop a model of care that will enable preventative approaches to be prioritised, improve access, and support interventions appropriate to current and future oral health needs.
I am committed to ensuring the sustainability of the DTSS, but recognise that it needs to be aligned with the new Policy. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the roll-out of the National Oral Health Policy to be delayed, and the proposed review of the DTSS contract to be deferred. However, Officials in my Department and from the HSE are currently engaging with the Irish Dental Association on matters relating to the provision of services under the DTSS.
I have asked the HSE to forward the figures requested to the Deputy as soon as possible.
1429. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the arrangements in place for general practitioner cover in circumstances in which general practitioners take annual leave; and if these arrangements are in place in respect of a general practitioner (details supplied). [43008/21]
View answer1431. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the arrangements that are in place for general practitioner cover in cases in which a general practitioner takes annual leave; and if these arrangements are in place in respect of a general practitioner (details supplied) based in County Kerry. [43018/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1429 and 1431 together.
Under the terms of the GMS contract, a medical practitioner is entitled to take a number of weeks annual leave each year based on his/her average GMS panel size. The maximum entitlement being five weeks or 35 days for those with a GMS panel of 1,500 patients or more and minimum being two weeks or 14 days for those with GMS panels of 100 patients. GPs may apply for reimbursement in respect of a contribution towards the employment of a locum during leave periods. Annual leave entitlement does not apply to GPs with GMS panels of less than 100 patients.
GPs must obtain the prior approval of the HSE CHO before taking annual leave. Should a GP be unable to obtain the services of a locum for periods of annual leave, the CHO, on request, will arrange locum cover where possible. Such a request should normally be submitted to the CHO at least four weeks prior to commencement of the leave period.
In relation to the arrangements referred to by the Deputy, as these are service mattesr, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1430. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 2447 of 27 July 2021, the position with regard to securing a general practitioner for a location (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43015/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
