Written Answers Nos. 167-182
167. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Justice if she has committed to establishing a reception centre for refugees at Shannon airport similar to the one established at Dublin Airport; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15245/22]
View answer168. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Justice when the reception centre for refugees at Shannon airport will become operational; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15246/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 167 and 168 together.
As the Deputy will be aware, the EU Temporary Protection Directive (2001/55/EC) has been activated in response to the Ukraine crisis. Ireland participates in this measure, which is given legal effect under Section 60 of the International Protection Act 2015.
Those eligible for Temporary Protection (granted initially for one year, but renewable) will have immediate access to the labour market, social welfare, accommodation and other State supports as necessary. A whole-of-Government response is being mobilised to implement the practical arrangements to give effect to these commitments.
My Department is responsible for immigration controls and permissions at Dublin Airport. Immigration duties at all other airports and ports of entry to the State are the responsibility of the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB).
So far, approximately 85 per cent of people who have entered the State having fled Ukraine have been welcomed at Dublin Airport. Shannon Airport currently accounts for approximately 4 per cent of all arrivals.
As a result of the large numbers of Ukrainians arriving via Dublin Airport beneficiaries of temporary protection are being provided with their permission letter on arrival in the 'one-stop-shop' established by my Department for that purpose, to ensure early access to all necessary supports.
Arrangements have also now been put in place to provide permission letters to those who arrived at Dublin Airport prior to 9 March (when permission letters started to issue) and to those who have arrived at other ports of entry to the State, including Shannon Airport.
For people who are staying in State provided accommodation, staff from my Department are visiting these accommodation locations and will provide permission letters there.
Alternatively, permission letters can be obtained by visiting the Ukraine Support Centre in Cork Street, Dublin 8. There, people can also receive assistance from the Department of Social Protection to obtain PPSN numbers, social welfare income supports, and to receive referrals to other State services.
Arrangements are also being put in place that will allow people to obtain their permission letters from the Ukraine Support Centre in Hanover Street in Cork City and from the third Support Centre that will open shortly in Limerick and is intended to serve the midwest area, including Shannon.
Further details on this will be announced shortly.
Over 5,800 temporary protection permission letters have been issued by my Department since the EU Directive was activated on 4 March.
Representatives from the Citizens Information Service are also available in the Ukraine Support Centres to help people from Ukraine with enquiries of a more general nature. Community Welfare Officers are also present to assist with applications for financial support. Interpretation services are available at the Centres.
Any person arriving from Ukraine can also attend any of the Department’ of Social Protection's Intreo Centres, located around the country, to register for a PPS Number and apply for income supports.
A centralised Government information portal is available at: www.gov.ie/ukraine, which is regularly updated. My Department’s Irish Immigration website also contains a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, which can be viewed at: www.irishimmigration.ie/faqs-for-ukraine-nationals-and-residents-of-ukraine/.
169. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Justice if the naturalisation case of a person (details supplied) will be examined given that they are currently unable to represent the national team in an upcoming international competition if citizenship is not awarded in time; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15295/22]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that the Citizenship Division of my Department will make contact with the person concerned shortly, regarding their application for a certificate of naturalisation.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility (inisoireachtasmail@justice.ie), which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
170. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Justice the number of contracts that her Department has with a company (details supplied); the location, nature, value and type of contract in each case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15412/22]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that my Department has no contracts with the company named.
171. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the appointment of a dietitian post to the oncology day unit in Cavan General Hospital (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15112/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
172. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Health if he will support the request to establish a working group under the joint auspices of the National Dementia Office and the Integrated Care Programme to determine the needs and solutions to provide people with Huntington’s disease and their families a good standard of care in Ireland (details suppled). [15114/22]
View answerAs the issues raised in this question are service matters, I have referred this question to the HSE for direct response to the Deputy.
173. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Health if a person (details supplied) will qualify for the bonus payment for health care workers or part thereof; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15119/22]
View answerFirstly I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all healthcare workers for their efforts during this most challenging period.
The Government announced a COVID-19 recognition payment for frontline public sector healthcare workers, to recognise their unique role during the pandemic. The measure will be ring fenced to staff ordinarily onsite in COVID-19 exposed healthcare environments within the period between 1 March 2020 and 30 June 2021.
This payment will be made to those eligible public sector frontline healthcare staff (inclusive of agency staff working for the HSE) who worked in clinical settings (eg – and noting this list is not exhaustive: those Doctors / Nurses / Health Care Assistants / Porters / Cleaners etc. that work in clinical settings). The measure encompasses Health Care Support Assistants (also known as Home Carers / Home Help) employed by or carrying out duties contracted to the HSE.
The Department of Health will also introduce a measure for making a similar payment to staff in private sector nursing homes and hospices that were affected by Covid-19.
The Department of Health appreciates the levels of interest this announcement has generated. We are working together with the HSE to provide additional details on this measure including full eligibility criteria, particulars and terms and conditions that apply. Additionally, the Department and the HSE are currently consulting with health sector trade unions on this matter. This consultation is part of the Department and HSE’s objective to finalise the application of this measure fairly.
Upon conclusion of consultations with the trade unions, full details of the application process, FAQs and other particulars shall be published by the HSE. While the details will be finalised once this consultation has concluded, and the Department is not in a position to comment on individual cases, I trust that further clarity on the implementation of this measure will be publicly available in the very near future.
174. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if a mobility scooter will be facilitated in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15129/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
175. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding the Fair Deal Scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15130/22]
View answerThe Nursing Home Support Scheme (NHSS), commonly referred to as 'Fair Deal', is a system of financial support for people who require long-term residential care. The primary legislation underpinning the NHSS is the Nursing Home Support Scheme Act 2009. Participants in the NHSS contribute to the cost of their care according to their means while the State pays the balance of the cost. The Scheme aims to ensure that long-term nursing home care is accessible and affordable for everyone and that people are cared for in the most appropriate settings.
Funding to support people to access services in the sector continues to be provided in line with the long-established statutory mechanisms under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009. This is the mechanism established by the Oireachtas to provide for the processes relating to funding under the NHSS and the negotiation of prices for services for private and voluntary providers with the designated State agency, the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF). Accordingly, the NTPF does not discuss publicly the details of negotiations with individual nursing homes. Neither Ministers nor the Department have a role in individual price negotiations.
The Department of Health has also provided significant specific supports to the private and voluntary nursing home sector over the course of the pandemic. As you are aware, the COVID-19 Temporary Assistance Payment Scheme, also known as TAPS, was established as part of a package of support measures for nursing homes at the start of the pandemic. €134.5 million was made available under the scheme from March 2020 to June 2021. The outbreak assistance element of the scheme is still in payment. In addition to TAPS, direct support has been provided by the HSE to private nursing homes in many areas, including the provision of PPE, serial testing and support with staffing.
The Department published a review of the NTPF pricing system in June 2021. This review was conducted by the NTPF with input from stakeholders and external experts. It recommended several actions to improve the pricing system. These are now being taken forward by the Department and NTPF. Given the size and scope of the NHSS, which is expected to cost the State more than €1.04 billion this year, any changes must be delivered carefully and with due consideration to their impact and any unexpected consequences.
The department is also taking forward the 9 recommendations of the Value for Money Review on Nursing Home Costs, which was published in December 2021. The purpose of the VFM Review was to identify, quantify and analyse the reasons for any cost differential between private/voluntary and public nursing homes and, following analysis, to make recommendations for improving the value for money obtained by the Health sector.
176. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Health if there have been additional resources allocated to the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS,, to help deal with the sharp increase in referrals to the service in Galway, especially in children being referred for ADHD; if there are plans for additional resources for complementary treatments for ADHD other than medicinal treatment to be allocated to CAMHS such as psychotherapy and behavioural therapy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15131/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
177. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health his plans to implement a specialised unit facility that will have a multi-disciplinary team to deal with Huntington’s disease in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15163/22]
View answerAs this question is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
178. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 457 of 21 February 2022, the breakdown of values across each of the years since 2003; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15167/22]
View answerThe State Claims Agency (SCA) has a statutory remit to manage personal injury claims on behalf of Delegated State Authorities including the Health Service Executive. I have been informed by the SCA that the information contained in the attached report has been extracted from the National Incident Manager.
As per the previous PQ, the information relates to clams where damages have been paid but includes all category of payments in respect of these claims i.e.
damages, legal fees and other/expert fees.
Criteria
- Payments relate to Acute Statutory and Voluntary Hospitals only.
- Payments are in respect of the Clinical and General Indemnity Schemes.
- Only claims where damages have been paid are included in this report.
- Payments issued on claims since inception from 2003-2022 YTD (31/01/2022).
- The amount paid relates to all fees: Damages (special and general), Legal and Expert costs.
- This report is correct as of 31/01/2022
179. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Health if an expert advisory group has been appointed to support an independent chair (details supplied) with the three year review of the operation of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018; if so, the members of this group; their role and remit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15170/22]
View answerThe Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 was signed into law on 20 December 2018 and commenced on 1 January 2019. Under section 7 of the Act, a review of the operation of the Act must be initiated within three years of the commencement of the Act, i.e., before January 2022.
The role of the Chair in Review of the operation of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 is to carry out their work independently. It is a matter for the Chair to determine the nature and composition of any expert input she may require in carrying out the review. I understand that, at this juncture, a process for additional expert advice inputs has not been established.
180. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he has engaged a company (details supplied) in respect of the services it provides from 2011 to date in 2022; the number of times he has engaged this company; the services used; and the total cost of all engagements with this company. [15183/22]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is being collated by Department officials and a deferred reply will be submitted within ten working days.
181. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health if he will review a report (detail supplied); if his attention has been drawn to this issue; the actions he is taking on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15192/22]
View answerThe Government is aware of the workforce issues currently facing general practice, including changing demographics, the number of GPs nearing retirement and the difficulties in filling a small number of GMS vacancies in certain areas. We are working to ensure patients across the country continue to have access to GP services and that general practice is sustainable in all areas into the future.
Recent developments in relation to general practice, in particular the 2019 Agreement on Contractual Reform and Service Development, have helped to re-establish general practice in Ireland as an attractive career choice. The additional investment, which will amount to €210 million annually once the Agreement is fully implemented, provides for an increase in capitation fees, improved maternity and paternity arrangements as well as enhanced supports for rural practices. In addition, targeted funding of €2 million will also be set aside to provide additional support to practices in deprived urban areas.
Several efforts to increase the number of practising GPs have been undertaken in recent years. The number of entrants to GP training has increased from 120 in 2009 to 233 in 2021, with further increases planned. Changes have been made to the entry provisions to the GMS scheme to facilitate more flexible/shared GMS contracts, and to the retirement provisions for GPs under the GMS scheme. An enhanced supports package for rural GP practices was also introduced.
Importantly, the 2019 GP Agreement includes a commitment to undertake a strategic review of GP services within the lifetime of the Agreement, to examine how best to ensure the provision of GP services in Ireland for the future. Work on the review is to commence this year. The review will examine the broad range of issues affecting general practice and will set out measures necessary to deliver a sustainable service into the future.
Currently, 2,542 GPs are contracted by the HSE to provide services to GMS patients. As of 1st March, 32 GMS panels (or just over 1%) are vacant, including one panel in Monaghan. This vacancy was advertised in last round, but regrettably no suitable applicant was found. The position will be advertised again shortly. In the meantime, the HSE will continue to provide locum cover thereby ensuring a GP service will continue to be provided to the affected patients.
182. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Health if a person (details supplied) working in a section 39 residential setting for persons with intellectual disabilities with Covid positive patients will receive the €1,000 bonus; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15193/22]
View answerFirstly I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all healthcare workers for their efforts during this most challenging period.
The Government announced a COVID-19 recognition payment for frontline public sector healthcare workers, to recognise their unique role during the pandemic. The measure will be ring fenced to staff ordinarily onsite in COVID-19 exposed healthcare environments within the period between 1 March 2020 and 30 June 2021. Those public sector frontline healthcare workers eligible for the payment will be directly employed public health sector staff working in clinical settings. A pro-rata arrangement will apply for eligible part time staff / equivalents and supernumerary students who were required to perform training in clinical sites.
The Department of Health will also introduce a measure for making a similar payment to staff in private sector nursing homes and hospices (eg: nursing homes and hospices that are private, public, section 39, voluntary etc.) that were affected by Covid-19. The measure also encompasses those eligible working on site in long term residential care facilities for people with disabilities (inclusive of those facilities whether HSE or section 39). Arrangements for this sector encompassed by this measure are currently being progressed by the Department of Health.
As the HSE is not the employer in these instances, the arrangements will require further analysis before finalising. It is important for the Deputy to note that eligibility will be subject to a number of factors and not solely based on individual healthcare employers / organisations.
