Written Answers Nos. 742-750
742. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Health if he or the HSE considered the reimbursement of test strips and machines for the self-testing for patients who require long-term oral anticoagulant therapy with warfarin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31877/22]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive (HSE) has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of medicines and medical items, in accordance with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, I have asked the HSE to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
743. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health if there are plans to extend services to support adults with ADHD in the Malahide and Swords areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31898/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
744. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of the provision of physiotherapy for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31913/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
745. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Health if a response will issue to matters raised in correspondence (details supplied); if he intends to review the eligibility criteria for section 39 pay restoration to include those funded by way of grant aid agreements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31915/22]
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. However, Section 39 organisations, along with paid staff in projects funded under grant aid from the State, are privately owned and run, and staff in these organisations are not public servants. Their terms and conditions of employment, once in line with employment legislation, are strictly between the employer and the employee.
While certain Section 39 organisations received pay restoration, this was applicable to Section 39 organisations who met certain criteria, rather than types of individual workers that are employed in them. Eligible Section 39 organisations included only agencies that had service arrangements in place back in 2013 and that were still under service arrangements in 2019. Only organisations who received in excess of an agreed, specified amount from the HSE by way of the Service Level Agreement process were included.
An agreement was reached at the WRC in October 2018, in relation to a process of pay restoration for staff employed by 50 agencies only. Pay restoration commenced in April 2019. Any outstanding balance was paid in 2020 and 2021. A further WRC engagement followed in December 2020 in relation to a final phase of 250 organisations who were identified as part of the earlier agreement. A payment arrangement consisting of three phases was agreed with the first two payments to be made in 2021, and the third and final payment due to be made in 2023.
Pay restoration is absolutely limited and only applicable to those Section 39 organisations included in the initial WRC agreement. There is no scope to revisit the eligibility criteria for the process and the process has reached a final resolution.
746. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1748 of 26 April 2022 and the response issued by the HSE on 4 May 2022, relative to the care that is urgently required by a person (details supplied) if his attention has been drawn to the fact that their consultant psychiatrist has been advocating for a decade for the need for a specialist residential service for the person and has advised in a letter dated 5 April 2022 of the absolute urgency of the case; if his Department or the HSE will provide specific funding to resolve this case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31937/22]
View answerAs the Deputy's question relates to a service matter, I am referring it to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
747. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will receive payment from the HSE in recognition of their role; their position on the HSE payscale; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31938/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
748. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health his views on the Intern Employment Eligibility Assessment; and the number of persons who took and passed the assessment in each of the years 2019 to 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form. [31944/22]
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.
749. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Health the number of clients that received a service under the HSE’s Self Harm Intervention Programme by CHO in 2019, 2020 and 2021; the average wait time; the average number of sessions per client; the average age per client; the average cost per session; the number of WTE staff members employed in 2021; the outcome measurement of the programme; and his views on plans to expand on the services over the next five years. [32022/22]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
750. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health when the upgrade and refurbishment of 123 Block at a building (details supplied) will commence; the duration and purpose of these works; if he will outline in detail the plan for this building as listed as a project in the HSE 2022 capital plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32043/22]
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.
