Written Answers Nos. 227-247
227. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 178 of 18 May 2022, if he will advise on a matter raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26787/22]
View answerFurther to the response to Parliamentary Question No. 178 of 18 May 2022, I can confirm that the Department has received the correspondence but in line with the provisions of the Protected Disclosures Act, 2014, the Department cannot comment on individual cases.
228. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the risk posed by an asbestos water tank. [26788/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
229. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he will request his Department to make cariban available through the drugs payment scheme and the medical card as soon as possible, ensuring that the drug is licensed for use in Ireland; if he will plan for reimbursement for those who have had to pay for it to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26789/22]
View answerUnder the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for the administration of the community drug schemes; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
230. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 123 of 30 March 2022, the status of the development of a primary care centre on Inisbofin; if he will provide a progress update on the site acquisition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26803/22]
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.
231. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health the details of the indemnity provided to pharmaceutical companies in respect of the Covid-19 vaccines; the cost of same to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26804/22]
View answerIn order to secure an adequate supply of safe and effective vaccines Ireland participated in an EU led procurement process, where the Commission negotiated a range of contractual agreements with various vaccine suppliers across a range of technologies on behalf of Member States. Ireland has, through its participation in this process, gained access to a broad range of vaccines that it might not otherwise have access to, and at the cost negotiated collectively by the EU.
As part of the exercise, Ireland has opted into Purchase Agreements with several pharmaceutical companies. The content of the Purchase Agreements, including with regard to liability / indemnity, are negotiated with vaccine suppliers by the European Commission and its negotiation team acting on behalf of Member States. Member States may decide to opt in / opt out, but do not have scope to recast the provisions of any such Purchase Agreements.
Government approval was obtained in relation to entering into the indemnity provisions of each Agreement. The State Claims Agency has agreed to take responsibility for any claims arising from these agreements. To date there has been no costs associated with any such claims.
232. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 124 of 30 March 2022, the status of the construction of the two orthopaedic theatres with ancillary accommodation for the provision of elective procedures in Merlin Park Hospital, Galway; if the handover of the facility has occurred yet; if the theatres are operational yet; the estimated timeline for when both theatres will be fully operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26805/22]
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.
233. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the reason that a person (details supplied) is waiting so long for a medical operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26814/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
234. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Health if greater funding can be made for the day-to-day upkeep of societies (details supplied) given that many are struggling to keep these programmes going; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26850/22]
View answerIn 2022, Men’s Sheds received funding as follows from the overall Health budget –
- 122,000 for the “Shed’s for Life” Programme from Healthy Ireland
- 287,000 from the HSE
This is total funding of €409,000
In relation to any additional HSE funding for future years, the process is that organisations fill out an application annually applying for funding. All applications are reviewed by a committee along with output from previous years grant aid agreement and decisions are made annually on agreeing funding. Decisions are also informed by overall projected spend within the HSE Health & Wellbeing budget, other cost pressures and new funding available. Men’s Sheds, along with other NGOs, are very familiar with this process.
235. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health if he has plans to establish a sickle cell and thalassaemia day centre; if he will meet with an association (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26856/22]
View answerWhile I make every effort to meet with as many stakeholders as possible, it is not always possible to commit to every meeting request. However, it is a normal and productive practice for interest groups to engage formally through my office in respect of any representations they wish to make.
As this question also relates to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
236. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health if he will engage with section 39 healthcare workers and ensure concerns with pay and conditions is speedily resolved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26857/22]
View answerUnder section 39 of the Health Act 2004, the HSE provides financial assistance to organisations to provide services similar or supplementary to a service that the HSE may provide. The Department of Health acknowledges the important role that Section 39 organisations and staff play in our health sector. They have a key role in providing services to people with disabilities and older people.
However, Section 39 organisations are privately owned and run and their terms and conditions of employment, once in line with employment legislation, are strictly between the employer and the employee. These organisations were not and are not party to the Public Service Agreements. It is not a matter for the Government to set pay rates in respect of these workers.
237. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update of the roll-out of the pandemic bonus payment to healthcare workers with respect to his Department's responsibilities in the payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26858/22]
View answerHSE officials advise that payment of the pandemic recognition payment to eligible HSE and Section 38 staff is currently in progress, with some cohorts having received the payment and the remainder being processed through local payroll.
Regarding eligible employees of other organisations covered by the Government decision, my Department shall shortly arrange publication of information and the process available to their employers to implement this measure for their eligible staff.
238. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1816 of 26 April 2022, the status of the proposed lots for the upcoming homecare tender which will be based on volume as opposed to community-healthcare organisations; when providers can expect to receive the details of these lots; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26893/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
239. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health the steps that he will take to improve mental health services within the University Hospital Limerick Hospital Group for the large number of persons who are suffering with mental health issues who are being let down by the system in place in the hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26900/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
240. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health the way it is proposed to alleviate pressures on University Hospital Limerick; the role Ennis General Hospital can and will play in this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26922/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
241. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the steps that he is taking to address the long waiting lists for occupational therapy for adults in County Cork. [26930/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
242. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the status of the development of addiction services in Cork south-west. [26931/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
243. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to address the concerns of the forgotten farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26609/22]
View answerThe Programme for Government ‘Our Shared Future’ contains a commitment to seek to resolve the issue of support for the category of farmers known as Forgotten Farmers.
I am examining options to address the issue of forgotten farmers both through the next CAP and also through other measures to support this group.
I am committed to helping this cohort of farmers and I will bring forward proposals as soon as possible. Many of these farmers find themselves in this situation through no fault of their own and we will work with them to address this issue.
244. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the engagements that he has had with an organisation (details supplied) and the Farm Safe School Programme concerning efforts to better support and promote the importance of farm safety; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26848/22]
View answerI thank Deputy Moynihan for asking this question on such an important topic.
Over the past 10 years, 22 children have died on Irish farms. In order to reduce the rate of fatal and serious accidents and to instil the message of farm safety into children from a young age, Agri Aware, AgriKids and the Irish Farmers Association (IFA), supported by my Department, teamed up to bring the Farm Safe Schools programme to Irish classrooms in spring 2022 for the second year running.
This collaborative, programme aims to engage, educate and empower Irish children to become farm safety ambassadors and in doing so help create a safer, brighter future on Irish farms by assisting teachers in educating their students about the potential dangers associated with farming and agriculture.
My Department has fully sponsored the programme for the current school year. My Ministerial colleague Martin Heydon with special responsibility for Farm Safety is very supportive of this initiative and was actively involved in supporting this year’s programme. Minister Heydon recorded a message of support for the Farm Safe Schools website along with three short videos introducing each module of the programme.
This year over 452 primary schools and 19,500 pupils are taking part in the programme. The winners of the 2022 Farm Safe School competition will be announced in the coming weeks, and similar to last year, Minister Heydon will be attending the awards ceremony to present the prizes.
245. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the proposals being considered from the VistaMilk research programme to reduce Ireland’s emissions of greenhouse gases while maximising dairy output; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26849/22]
View answerAs a unique collaboration between Science Foundation Ireland and the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine, VistaMilk has become an established focal point for precision, pasture-based dairying research and innovation in Ireland and is centred on 4 principle areas; pasture management and production, animal nutrition, health and breeding, dairy foods and agri-digitalisation.
Although climate and environmental sustainability are intrinsic to all aspects of the centres scientific research, key elements of the dairy production system have been targeted for their potential to deliver increased productivity and efficiency while simultaneously reducing the emissions profile of the sector.
To date, significant impacts have been achieved through, for example, research targeting reduced methane emissions, improved grass utilisation and enhanced soil carbon sequestration. As the VistaMilk centre moves into its next phase, there is likely to be an increased focus on nitrogen fertiliser use, slurry management, manure deposition during grazing, and associated nitrous oxide, nitrate, and ammonia emissions.
The VistaMilk centre has established itself as a critical tool in addressing the needs of the dairy sector and providing coherent direction for the scientific community in this area. It will be fundamental to facilitate the development and deployment of new knowledge, new technologies and new decision support tools to maximise the productivity and sustainability of milk production in Ireland.
246. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his proposals to allocate funds from the European Crisis Reserve. [26920/22]
View answerOn 23rd March, the EU Commission announced the adoption of exceptional adjustment aid to producers in agricultural sectors which have been impacted by Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. The aid provided for was granted as a measure supporting agricultural markets following the transfer of funds from the reserve for crisis in the agricultural sector. The exceptional aid allocation to Ireland was €15.8 million in EU funding and there are detailed requirements and conditionality attached to this allocation; set out in Commission Delegated Regulation 2022/467 of 23rd March 2022.On 13th April, I announced the Government's approval for exceptional aid supports of €15.8 million for the pig and horticulture sector, which will be funded from Ireland's EU allocation for exceptional adjustment aid. The approval was for €13 million for the pig sector and €2.8 million for the horticulture sector to support ‘High-wire’ protected glass house producers of tomatoes, cucumber and peppers, field vegetable producers, mushroom producers and commercial apple producers.EU countries are required to notify the Commission of the measures to be taken before 30 June 2022 and to pay the supports by 30th September 2022. My officials are developing the schemes at present in order to deliver a rapid as possible payment to farm families.In addition to this use of the EU exceptional aid provision, and in acknowledgement of the need to address the multiple impacts of the illegal invasion in Ukraine on food supply chains and food security, significant funding has also been allocated towards Exchequer funded measures including a targeted intervention package for the tillage sector, and the Pig Exceptional Payment Scheme.
247. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps that he is taking to identify and address illegal and unsafe excessive working hours in the fishing industry. [26924/22]
View answerWorkplace safety policy and oversight is primarily the responsibility of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The specific matter of safe working hours on board sea fishing boats comes under the remit of the Minister for Transport.
