Written Answers Nos. 733-752
733. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1429 of 9 September 2021, if the required permission cited in the question for general practitioners taking annual leave was given in the case of a general practitioner (details supplied) for 2021; if an application for reimbursement for a locum was received by the HSE to date in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46299/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
734. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if a hospital (details supplied) will be allocated additional resources; and if he will make a statement on the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46338/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
735. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a hospital (details supplied) has the busiest orthopaedic trauma unit nationally but is only being funded in 15th place nationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46339/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
736. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the measures being taken to increase staffing levels in the orthopaedic unit in a hospital (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46340/21]
View answerIn relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
737. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of CAAC-approved consultant posts across each specialty; the basis on which they are filled as per DIME; and the number of each type of contract, that is, A, B and C across specialties filled and or allocated for all 3,613 posts. [46348/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to revert to the Deputy with the details sought as soon as possible.
738. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the reason a student (details supplied) is currently being denied access to their clinical placement on the grounds that they declined to disclose their Covid-19 vaccination status by a person, despite the fact that they were previously placed in the Mater Hospital for the month of May 2021 and the HSE guidelines do not preclude unvaccinated students from going on placement; if advice can be provided to this student detailing the measures they may take to ensure that their placement hours are met this year, as they have now missed four weeks of placement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46351/21]
View answerIn relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
739. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of CAAC-approved consultant posts across each discipline and specialty; the basis on which they are filled, that is, permanent, temporary and agency, as per DIME; and the number of each type of contract, that is, A, B and C across disciplines filled and or allocated for all approved posts including the number on post-2012 pay rates. [46354/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to revert to the Deputy with the details sought as soon as possible.
740. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Health the number of applications for the home support grant which were approved in counties Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo and Mayo in the period 2011 to 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46355/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
741. Deputy Charles Flanagan asked the Minister for Health the circumstances surrounding the relocation of the adult audiology service from St. Fintan’s, Portlaoise to Tullamore; when this service will resume in County Laois; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46361/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
742. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health the average waiting time for an appointment in each Jigsaw for video and phone support appointments and face-to-face appointments in tabular form. [46368/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
743. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health the average waiting time for an appointment in Jigsaw Dublin south west for video and phone support appointments and face-to-face appointments. [46369/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
744. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health if young persons who did not partake in the HPV vaccine programme during their first year of secondary school may still avail of the programme at a later date; the procedure to avail of the HPV vaccine for young persons under such circumstances, for example, after first year of secondary school; if a charge will be incurred for persons who are seeking to avail of the HPV vaccine programme beyond their first year of secondary school; and if his attention has been drawn to the matter. [46373/21]
View answer766. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Health if students who missed or refused the HPV vaccine while in first year are able to access the vaccine through their school if they are still in secondary school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46530/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 744 and 766 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.
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.
At the request of my Department, the HIQA are conducting a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) on a school based HPV mop-up vaccination programme (for those that were previously eligible and missed or turned down the vaccine). The HIQA has confirmed that this HTA has been added to its work programme for 2021/2022 and I have requested that my officials give consideration to the outcome of this work in the context of the immunisation programme.
745. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health if a person (details supplied) will be allocated a full-time residential place. [46379/21]
View answerAs the Deputy's question relates to a service matter, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
746. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the status of support networks for a person (details supplied). [46380/21]
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.
749. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health when the terms of reference for the three-year review of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 will be published; if a company or organisation has or will be commissioned to deal with the service user and service provider strands of the review; if a company has been appointed or chosen, the name of the organisation; the terms of reference it has been given; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46430/21]
View answerThe review of the operation of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 is being progressed this year, in line with statutory and Government commitments. Under section 7 of the Act, the review must be initiated by January 2022. It will comprise a three-part approach to appraise the operation of the Act, with strands focusing on service users, service providers and a public consultation.
An independent expert will be appointed to lead the review. Independent research commissioned to inform the service user and service provider strands will form key elements of the review. An invitation will also be extended to all interested groups, organisations and members of the public to provide their views to inform the review of the operation of the legislation.
The service provider strand of the review will be commissioned in due course. The service user strand of the review will draw on a research study commissioned by the HSE Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme. The research is a large-scale qualitative on women’s experiences of abortion and unplanned pregnancy support services since the implementation of the Act on 1 January 2019.
A full report collating all three strands of the review, and including any necessary recommendations, will be submitted to me, as Minister for Health, for consideration once complete.
751. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health the status of the processing of applications for primary medical certificates; if processing has resumed since it was stalled due to Covid-19; if there is a substantial backlog of applications to be processed; the number of applications that are currently waiting to be processed; and the breakdown of pending applications in each CHO in tabular form. [46437/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
752. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health the number of additional therapeutic staff under the newly established children’s disability network model that have been resourced to date in 2021 as per the National Service Plan. [46438/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
