Written Answers Nos. 811-830
811. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health if he will provide assurances that the Mount Carmel eating disorder service will be open to the public in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16571/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
812. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health if he will confirm when a person (details supplied) will receive an orthodontic appointment. [16573/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
813. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health if he will reimburse the cost of dental care for a person (details supplied). [16577/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
814. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health when a review will be completed in order that payment may issue to a person (details supplied). [16580/22]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.
815. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health the reason he has not accepted the recommendation made by an organisation (details supplied) on rules to regulate the operation of pharmacies in respect of the temporary absence of pharmacists and as this relates to the functions and role of pharmaceutical assistants; the next steps he plans to take to resolve this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16584/22]
View answerUnder Section 11 of the Pharmacy Act 2007 the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (Temporary Absence of Pharmacist from Pharmacy) Rules 2019 pursuant to Section 30 of the Act were subject to the consent of the Minister for Health. The Minister for Health did not consent to the Rules.
Since the Rules were approved by PSI Council amendments have been made to Section 7 of the Pharmacy Act 2007 by the provisions of Section 53 of the Regulated Professional Health and Social Care Amendment Act 2020, specifically an amendment to Section 7(1)(d) whereby it is now a function of the Society “to ensure that pharmacists and pharmaceutical assistants undertake appropriate continuing professional development, including the acquisition of specialisation”.
Rules under Section 30 of the Pharmacy Act 2007 should take this legislative amendment into consideration.
The Department has requested the PSI to develop an updated set of Rules for the Minister’s consideration.
816. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the way the HSE will ensure clinical and operational governance in identifying relevant stakeholders with the required knowledge and skills who will represent an organisation (details supplied) that seeks to comply with the requirements of the Disability Act 2005 within the current progressing disability services model of services, both at primary care and children's disability network team level, ensuring interventions are at the forefront of the progressing disability services for all children, regardless of their diagnosis, as close to home as possible. [16585/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
817. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Health when the pre-legislative scrutiny report of the public health (tobacco and nicotine inhaling products) Bill 2019 will be available for public release; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16614/22]
View answerPre Legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill began on 3rd November 2021. It is a matter for the Joint Committee on Health as to when that scrutiny will be completed and the Report published.
818. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Health the timeline for the enactment of the public health (tobacco and nicotine inhaling products) Bill 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16615/22]
View answerThe General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill is with the Office for Parliamentary Counsel for drafting. My Department is working with Parliamentary Counsel on the draft which, subject to Government approval, will then be brought through the Houses of the Oireachtas and ultimately signed into law by the President. At this stage I cannot predict the date by which that process will be complete.
819. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Health the progress of the Tobacco Free Ireland strategy; the way it is planned to achieve the objectives of the strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16616/22]
View answerIreland's national tobacco control policy is Tobacco Free Ireland which was approved by Government in 2013. It contains more than 60 recommendations aimed at reducing Ireland's smoking prevalence. The Tobacco Free Ireland Annual Report is published each year and provides an update on progress on the recommendations.
Recommendations that have been delivered up include the introduction of plain packaging for all tobacco products sold in Ireland, a consistent increase on excise duty on tobacco products in each budget and a continual increase in the number of campus, parks and playgrounds being voluntarily made smoke - free spaces.
According to the annual Healthy Ireland Survey, Ireland's smoking prevalence among people aged 15 and above declined from 23% in 2015, when the survey was first conducted, to 18% in 2021.
820. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health his plans to treat the trauma experienced by children arriving from Ukraine who are displaced because of war; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16619/22]
View answerThe Government is committed to delivering a humanitarian response to welcome people fleeing the war in Ukraine and seeking protection in Ireland as part of the EU response.
The Government has done very significant planning and preparatory work is taking place across Government to provide accommodation and other essential supports to those who have arrived here already, as well as the large numbers of further people expected to arrive. This work is taking place with the support of the Irish Red Cross and NGOs and charities across the country.
A webpage on the whole-of-Government response is available at www.gov.ie/Ukraine and includes information on supports and services available to people arriving from Ukraine. This webpage will be supplemented and updated on an ongoing basis with the support of the relevant Departments.
My department is liaising with other Government departments and agencies to provide humanitarian support for Ukrainian refugees. It is a priority for the Department and the HSE to ensure that Ukrainian refugees are provided with appropriate health and social care services.
Refugees from Ukraine will be granted temporary protection status. Under this measure, refugees will be considered ordinarily resident in Ireland for a limited time period and therefore will be entitled to access health care services, in line with other refugee groups and Irish citizens.
A one-stop-shop is being provided in Dublin airport for Ukrainian refugees. This will include application for temporary protection status, PPSN and welfare payment, emergency accommodation and information on other public services. Translation support is also being provided.
My Department and the HSE are working together to coordinate the provision of health care services for Ukrainian refugees granted temporary protection status. They are also liaising with other Government departments and agencies supporting the arrival of Ukrainian refugees in Ireland.
Health care services will include primary health care services for adults, children and older people, ongoing care of priority medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and other chronic illness, services for psychological stress and mental health, and social care services for people with special needs. It is the intention to provide these services in a culturally appropriate manner and to take into account language and other factors.
A significant CHO Health response has been mobilised to meet immediate health and support needs, which includes multidisciplinary teams providing in reach services to hotels/B&Bs to assess the urgent needs of individuals and refer to appropriate services e.g. maternity, paediatrics, disability, MHS etc.
821. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health the plans that are in place to increase inpatient adult beds capacity in St. Vincent's University Hospital for eating disorders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16630/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
822. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health if the delays in the Mount Carmel eating disorder hub will impact on the increasing inpatient capacity in other eating disorder facilities like that at St. Vincent's University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16631/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
823. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health if the HSE will be using a facility (details supplied) for inpatient eating disorder patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16632/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
824. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health if he will address the matter raised in correspondence by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16662/22]
View answerMy Office has forwarded recently-received correspondence on this matter to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for appropriate attention and direct reply and my Office has also conveyed my Department’s advice that all persons involved should co-operate as fully as possible with the HSE’s Safeguarding and Protection Teams.
As this is an operational matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
825. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health if he will consider the introduction of a national statutory support scheme for the licensing and regulation of home care providers. [16668/22]
View answer827. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health if he will consider the right to receive care in a nursing home on a statutory basis; if he will consider giving the same statutory right to receive care at home, which is the preferred option of the majority of older persons in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16671/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 825 and 827 together.
The Programme for Government agreed in 2020 commits the government to ‘Introduce a statutory scheme to support people to live in their own homes, which will provide equitable access to high-quality, regulated home care’.
Consequently, work is on-going within the Department of Health to progress the development of the new statutory scheme for the financing and regulation of home-support services. Taking place within the broader context of the Sláintecare reforms, this work encompasses the development of the regulatory framework for the new scheme; the examination of the options for the financing model for the scheme; and the development of a reformed model of service-delivery.
With the aim of ensuring that all service-users are provided with a standard, high-quality level of care which is safe, effective, and person-centred, it is envisaged that the regulatory framework will comprise: (i) primary legislation for the licensing of public and private home-support providers; (ii) minimum requirements (i.e., regulations); and (iii) HIQA National Standards for Home Support Services.
In April 2021, Government gave approval to draft a General Scheme and Heads of a Bill to establish a licensing framework for home-support providers. This is being progressed by the Department with a view to bringing it through the Houses of the Oireachtas at the earliest opportunity. It is expected that the primary legislation will give the Minister for Health the power to make regulations in respect of minimum requirements which will form the criteria against which a provider’s eligibility to hold a licence will be determined. A regulatory impact analysis will be undertaken by the Department in 2022 to ensure effectiveness and mitigate risks.
In collaboration with HIQA and in consultation with the Health Service Executive and other key informants, the Department developed draft regulations and a targeted stakeholder consultation was undertaken in January 2022. Evaluating the feedback of this consultation is informing amendments in the draft regulations in advance of a public consultation planned in Q2 2022.
On 24th February, the ESRI published a report on the demand for and cost of home support. This is the final output from a programme of research that the ESRI has undertaken to support the Department of Health to progress the development of the new home support scheme. This research will form an important part of the evidence base for the development of a sustainable funding model for home support services in the context of our ageing population. Government approval will be sought in due course on any proposed legislation to provide for a financial support scheme, taking into consideration the cost associated with the various options.
In addition, work is ongoing in relation to the development of a reformed model of service delivery for the new scheme. In 2021, funding was secured for the Health Service Executive to: (i) progress the roll-out of interRAI as the standard assessment tool for care-needs in the community; (ii) pilot a reformed model of service-delivery for home-support; and (iii) establish a National Office for Home Support Services.
The Pilot for testing of a reformed model of service for the delivery for home-support is fully operational. It commenced in November in CHO 8, which is the first of the four pilot sites. The three other sites CHO2, CHO 4 and CHO 7 became operational in January 2022. Funding has been approved for 128 interRAI Care Needs Facilitators to progress the national rollout of interRAI as the standard assessment tool for care-needs. The interRAI outputs and pilot site evaluation will be critical to the development of the new home-support scheme. A National Home Support Office is in the process of being established.
826. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health if he will instruct his Department officials to review the current practice by which his Department obstructs the payment of travel time to tendered service providers in the home care sector even though they provide it to their own staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16669/22]
View answerThe type of payment referred to by the Deputy is a matter between the home support providers and their employees and I have no role in relation to this matter.
828. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Health the status of an appointment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16700/22]
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.
In 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.
829. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health the number of civil servants in his Department currently on secondment to the private sector; if he will list the entities that they are working for in each instance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17154/22]
View answerThere are no civil servants from my Department seconded to the private sector.
830. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied with the current regulations in place for the operation of domestic animal cremation services; if he plans to amend these regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15866/22]
View answerDomestic animal cremation is typically carried out in low-capacity incineration facilities and seven such incinerators are currently approved by my Department.
Deceased pets are classified in law as animal by-products. Plants carrying out low-capacity incineration of animal by-products are approved and supervised by my Department in accordance with the EU Animal By-Products Regulations (EC) No 1069 of 2009 and its implementing Regulation (EU) No 142 of 2011, which lay down the health rules regarding animal by products and derived products not intended for human consumption. These regulations are binding, with direct effect on all Member States.
Official controls are carried out by Department veterinary inspectors to ensure compliance with the regulations and with the specific operational conditions laid down for plants involved in the low-capacity incineration of animal by-products including pets.
I am satisfied that these regulations are operating effectively and there are no plans for amendment at this time.
