Written Answers Nos. 219-241
219. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Health the number of dentists that have left the medical card dental scheme in Ballymun and Finglas since 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59660/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
220. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if he plans to apply for homecare workers to be included in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science apprenticeship system in view of the staffing crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59676/21]
View answerGenerally, the development of a new apprenticeship is driven by the individual sector. Employers and education and training providers come together to outline a programme targeting an identified skill need. The Apprenticeship Council (or its successor the National Apprenticeship Alliance) then approve the programme for development and associated funding where the proposal meets certain criteria. It is not a matter of a certain cohort of workers being ‘eligible’ for apprenticeship, but a matter of the sector developing an appropriate education and training response to an identified skill need.
The presence of an apprenticeship in a sector does not drive employment or address labour shortages. Apprenticeship, in common with other education and training options, can support the widening of a recruitment base, retention of staff and deliver the skills needed once a learner is available and willing to work towards a qualification and the associated work-ready competency which apprenticeship delivers.
My colleague the Minister for Mental Health and Older People has committed to establishing a Cross Departmental Strategic Workforce Advisory Group. The role of the group will be to facilitate the views of stakeholders and examine workforce challenges in home support and nursing homes. Potential areas to be considered include recruitment, retention, training, and the career development of home support and nursing home workers into the future.
221. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Health the average waiting time for a HSE travel abroad scheme travel claim to be processed. [59682/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
222. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Health the number of applications submitted for travel reimbursement under the HSE’s travel abroad scheme; the number approved; the total amount paid yearly for approved travel claims from the travel abroad scheme for the past seven years in tabular form. [59683/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
223. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Health the number of approved travel claims paid under the HSE travel abroad scheme that included reimbursement for a travelling companion for the past five years. [59684/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
224. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Health if travel that is not air or sea travel is eligible for reimbursement under the travel abroad scheme; his views on whether it is appropriate for only part of the journey to be recouped by those who are not able to access treatment in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59685/21]
View answerThe Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS) as provided for in EU Regulations, does not include a provision for travel and subsistence expenses for patients or their relatives travelling abroad to avail of approved treatments.
However the HSE, subject to available funding, under the Treatment Abroad Scheme Travel Policy, may provide assistance towards reasonable economic air or sea travel fares for patients, and a travelling companion where appropriate or where the referring consultant identifies a necessity. The HSE Treatment Abroad Scheme National Travel Policy was implemented to standardise and provide equity to the provision of entitlements relating to travel expenses. It does not include provision for expenses other than air/sea fares.
However, patients who experience difficulty funding any additional costs may apply to the Department of Social Protection for assistance as an exceptional needs payment. It should be noted that, in general, patients do not incur subsistence costs when undergoing treatment abroad as such costs are included in the cost of the care that the patient is receiving.
225. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Health if additional staff in the HSE will be made available to process birth registration systems to deal with the current backlog of registrations; if not, the additional resources being provided and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59688/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
226. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Health the number of staff working in each of the 25 civil registration service offices in 2006, 2011, 2016 and to date in 2021, in tabular form. [59689/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy, as soon as possible.
227. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if his Department will ensure those over 50 years of age with underlying medical conditions can be vaccinated by their general practitioners as per the first two rounds of vaccination. [59692/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
228. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the amount expended by his Department in each of the past five years to date in 2021 on lighting and heating costs in tabular form. [59705/21]
View answerMy Department's headquarters is located at Miesian Plaza, Baggot Street, Dublin 2. Below is the total amount expended on electricity and heating from 2017 - 2021. My Department moved from Hawkins House to Miesian Plaza in July 2018.
|
Year |
Electricity |
Heating |
|
2021 |
€ 281,932.17 |
€ 89,692.01 |
|
2020 |
€ 196,285.10 |
€ 36,378.16 |
|
2019 |
€ 301,084.93 |
€ 111,409.86 |
|
2018 |
€ 256,444.60 |
€ 139,480.42 |
|
2017 |
€ 130,291.37 |
€ 62,580.84 |
229. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the steps he has taken to improve ventilation in the office buildings of his Department; if air cleaning and or purification systems have been installed in 2021; and if not, the plans to install same in 2022. [59723/21]
View answerMy Department's offices at Miesian Plaza, Baggot Street are located in one of the most advanced buildings in Ireland with regard to ventilation systems. I am informed that the fresh air changeover rate for the building is 14 litres per person per second which exceeds average values for modern buildings of between 8 – 10 litres per person per second. Air handling systems provide for changeover rates that are 40% above EU minimum requirement levels.
In addition, the building management system monitors CO2 levels to ensure specific concentrated gatherings of people are not producing excessive levels of CO2. All these systems are functional and monitored. No additional air cleaning and or purification systems have been installed in 2021 and none are planned for 2022.
230. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent of any further action to be taken arising from the omicron variant of Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59748/21]
View answer231. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent to which an evaluation has taken place of the benefits or dangers of vaping or other tobacco smoking alternatives with a view ensuring that the alternatives are not a gateway to return to tobacco smoking; whether and to what extent the health issues are being fully examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59749/21]
View answerAt national level a number of evaluations of the harms and benefits of vaping products have been carried out in recent years. In 2017, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) delivered a health technology assessment (HTA) of the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical smoking cessation products and services. In relation to the safety of e-cigarettes, the HIQA assessment concluded that this remains an evolving area of research and that while potentially safer than smoking evidence on long-term safety had yet to be established.
In October of last year, the Health Research Board published the findings of its evidence review on electronic cigarettes. The review focused on the evidence available on three topics; the effectiveness of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation, electronic cigarette use as a gateway to subsequent smoking in adolescents, and on the health harms and benefits of electronic cigarettes and heat - not - burn tobacco products.
The evidence review found that e-cigarettes are not harmless but that they are less harmful than tobacco cigarettes, that e-cigarettes are as effective as nicotine replacement therapies for smoking cessation up to 6 months and that there is a positive association between e-cigarette use and subsequent smoking in adolescents.
The review also made clear that further research was needed on the effects of alternatives such as heat - not - burn tobacco products as there is currently insufficient evidence to draw any conclusions about these products.
The findings of the Health Research Board's research on the use of electronic cigarettes by adolescents underscore the importance of the proposed Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill. The Bill will further regulate nicotine inhaling products by prohibiting their sale to and by persons under the age of 18 and by introducing a licensing system for the retail sale of these products.
232. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent of any detected increase in tobacco smoking and from whence it may have arisen; if measures are likely to deter any return to tobacco consumption; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59750/21]
View answer233. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the steps needed to be taken to dissuade a return to tobacco smoking by whatever means; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59751/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 232 and 233 together.
Adult smoking trends are monitored via the Healthy Ireland Survey in order to measure success against the objective of Tobacco Free Ireland, the national tobacco control policy, to achieve a smokefree Ireland by 2025. Overall smoking prevalence declined by 6% between 2015 and 2019 indicating that increasing numbers of people are successfully quitting long-term.
In relation to relapse rates, the 2019 Survey identified that 46% of those who smoked in that year made an attempt to quit with 25% successfully quitting. The 2019 survey found that 52% of successful quitters did not use any quitting aids, with 38% using e-cigarettes and 10% using nicotine replacement therapies.
While the 2020 survey could not be conducted due to COVID-19 a survey was carried out in 2021 and its findings will be published shortly.
Reducing relapse rates amongst those who have quit smoking is an important part of the overall framework to reduce tobacco-related harm as part of Tobacco Free Ireland . Measures introduced to achieve a reduction in smoking prevalence generally will equally apply to those who have quit smoking and subsequently relapsed; these include access to cessation services, roll out of mass media campaigns under the HSE QUIT programme, increases in the cost of tobacco products and regulation of the retail environment. The Tobacco Free Ireland 2020 Annual Report which was published in September provides details on the progress made in these areas in 2020.
234. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent to which he foresees an adequate supply of hospital beds, access to accident and emergency throughout the winter months notwithstanding the persistent threat of Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59752/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
235. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent to which the construction of the National Children’s Hospital is progressing in accordance with projections; when the hospital will be completed and commissioned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59753/21]
View answerThe New Children’s Hospital Project, comprising the main hospital at St James’s campus in Dublin, and two paediatric outpatient and urgent care centres at Connolly and Tallaght hospitals, is a Government priority. A major milestone was reached in July 2019, when the Urgent Care Centre at the Connolly Hospital campus opened, providing a new model of ambulatory care for children. A second major milestone was reached when the second satellite centre, at Tallaght, was completed in line with contractor’s schedule and formally opened on 15 November 2021.
Despite delays, work on the new children’s hospital building at St James’s is now progressing well with the outer shell almost complete. The infill concrete slabs over the steelwork frame, closing in the concourse, is now complete and the building will be essentially weathertight by end of the year. The fit out of most internal areas is now underway.
The current programme scheduled by the contractor outlines a revised substantial completion date for the main hospital of December 2023. If the contractor can meet its own schedule, the new hospital could open in 2024, after the necessary period of commissioning.
Like many other sectors of the economy, the construction sector has been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and progress on the main building at St James’s campus was delayed. In addition, the sector is challenged by Brexit and global supply chain issues, but the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) and contractors are working hard to mitigate those risks. However, those externalities make more definitive forecasting unwise.
The NPHDB has the statutory responsibility and resources to plan, design, build, furnish and equip the new children’s hospital and continues to engage with the main contractor to achieve delivery of the Programme within the shortest possible timeframe.
236. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health when it is expected that the promised phase of the Naas hospital development plan will be activated in accordance with the original projections; when it is expected the facility will be completed and opened; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59754/21]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.
237. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the number and location of existing primary care facilities throughout County Kildare, those already operational, those promised or pending; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59755/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
238. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the current or proposed regime governing new or orphan drugs; the number of such drugs under review or examination at the moment; the number to be approved in the course of the next year; the extent to which reimbursement will be in line with demand; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59756/21]
View answerThe Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013 gives full statutory powers to the HSE to assess and make decisions on the reimbursement of all medicines taking account of a range of objective factors, clinical benefits, cost effectiveness and expert opinion as appropriate. 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 Drugs Group is the national committee which the HSE has in place to make recommendations on the pricing and reimbursement of medicines. The role of the Drugs Group is to make a recommendation to the HSE Executive Management Team (EMT) in relation to each individual application having considered the criteria under the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013.
The Drugs Group considers the NCPE assessment, the outputs from commercial engagements, patient interest group submissions, any inputs provided by the Rare Disease Technology Review Committee and any other pertinent information in advance of providing its recommendation to the HSE EMT.
As the decision-making authority within the HSE, 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.
While the 2013 Health Act does not include provision for a different ruleset when assessing orphan medicines, the criteria that apply to the evaluation process allow the HSE to take account of evidence of the benefits associated with each given medicine. The budget allocation of €30m funding for new medicines in Budget 2022 will provide for the reimbursement of both orphan and non-orphan medicines.
The number of orphan drugs currently under assessment is an operational issue. I have therefore referred this matter to the HSE for their attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
239. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent to which he expects to be in a position to activate the winter plan while keeping at bay the various forms of Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59757/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
240. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the total number of children currently awaiting orthodontic treatment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59758/21]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
241. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent to which surgery is readily available for the removal of cataracts in this jurisdiction; the number of such surgical interventions undertaken here in the past twelve months; his plans to extend this service in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59759/21]
View answerIt is recognised that waiting times for scheduled appointments and procedures have been impacted in the last twenty months as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While significant progress was made in reducing waiting times from June 2020 onwards, the surge in Covid-19 cases in the first quarter of 2021 and the associated curtailment of acute hospital services, coupled with the ransomware attack of May 2021, has impacted waiting times.
The current surge in Covid-19 cases has put increasing pressures on hospitals and ICUs. As part of the response to this the HSE advised all Hospital Groups on 18th November, to take a series of immediate actions which include a 14 day period of prioritising unscheduled care, COVID care and time sensitive work in particular in Model 4 hospitals. The situation is to be reviewed after that period.
On the 7th October I published the Acute Waiting List Action Plan. This plan, to run until December 2021, has a series of targeted measures that are designed to address the growth in waiting lists caused by Covid-19 and the cyber-attack. In addition, my Department, the HSE and the NTPF are also working on a Multi Annual Waiting List Plan to bring waiting lists in line with Sláintecare targets over the coming years. This process will be overseen by a Ministerial Taskforce, chaired by the Secretary General of my Department and includes representatives from the HSE and National Treatment Purchase Fund. The plan will be informed by the lessons learned from the successful Vaccine Taskforce.
In recent years, my Department has worked with the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to improve access for patients waiting for high volume procedures, including cataracts. Ophthalmology services are provided throughout all hospital groups in the country, with cataract removal one of the key procedures carried out as part of this specialty.
A key development in improving access to Ophthalmology services was the opening of a stand-alone high-volume consultant-led cataract theatre by the University of Limerick Hospital Group in Nenagh Hospital in 2018, with the intention that it would facilitate patients from surrounding geographical areas to avail of their treatment there. The impact of such initiatives can be seen in the reduction in the waiting times to access cataract procedures since 2018. At the end of October 2021 there were 4,717 patients waiting for a cataract procedure compared to 6,452 in October 2018.
For 2022 an additional allocation of €250 million, comprised of €200 million to the HSE and €50 million to the National Treatment Purchase Fund has been provided in respect of work to reduce hospital and community waiting lists. The €250 million will be used to fund additional activity in both the public and private sectors. The €50 million additional funding provided to the NTPF brings its total allocation for 2022 to €150 million, and as a consequence there will be a budget of €350 million available to support vital initiatives to improve access to acute hospitals and community health services.
In relation to the particular queries raised, regarding where surgery is available for the removal of cataracts and the number of procedures that have taken place in the last twelve months, as these are service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
