Written Answers Nos. 324-340
324. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Health the measures that are being introduced to ensure that the fee payable for nursing home resident care recognises the extraordinary increase in costs being incurred (details supplied). [46480/22]
View answer325. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Health the immediate measures that will be implemented to stem the closure of small nursing homes (details supplied). [46481/22]
View answer326. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Health his views on the recent pattern of closure of smaller nursing homes; and his further views on whether the loss of these nursing homes within communities are of particular concern for his Department and the Government with regard to the care options available to persons. [46482/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 324 to 326, inclusive, together.
I am acutely aware of the specific challenges faced by the nursing home sector related to price inflation and increased energy costs. I am currently working on proposals to support smaller and voluntary nursing homes in relation to the specific challenges they are experiencing.
I engage consistently on an ongoing basis with Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI), the representative organisation for private and voluntary nursing homes. I have met directly with NHI and updated them in detail on progress being made in relation to this matter. I have also met with the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to request that they consider the matter alongside departmental officials. I have visited a number of nursing homes to discuss this issue with management of both public and private/voluntary nursing units. It is imperative that nursing homes manage potential cost pressures in line with their regulatory and contractual responsibilities, maintaining their quality of care so that residents’ lived experience and comfort is not affected.
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). Maximum prices for individual nursing homes are agreed with the NTPF following negotiations and based on the NTPF’s cost criteria. These criteria include:
- Costs reasonably incurred by the nursing home- Local market prices- Historic prices- Overall budgetary capacity
The NTPF carry out this role independently under the NHSS Act 2009 and there is no role for Ministers or the Department in these negotiations. The Department continues to work with the NTPF to take forward the recommended actions that emerged from the NTPF pricing review, as well as taking forward the nine recommendations of the Value for Money Review on Nursing Home Costs published last December.
I would also like to highlight the other supports provided 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, has been in place since the start of the pandemic. Over €144 million has been made available to date under the scheme. The outbreak assistance element of the scheme is still in payment, having been extended up to September 2022. 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. In response to the strategic workforce challenges in the nursing home and home care sector, a Cross-Departmental Strategic Workforce Advisory Group has been established. The Group is working to a tight timeline and is committed to providing a set of recommendations by September 2022.
Given the importance of nursing homes and the NHSS to the wider health and social care system - with a budget of over €1 billion, and over 22,000 residents supported - it is essential that policy measures are examined with due care in order to ensure the government's objectives are delivered and avoid unintended consequences. I hope to be in a position to update sector representatives as soon as possible.
327. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health when an appointment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal for Sligo University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46484/22]
View answer328. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if he will meet with an organisation (details supplied) regarding a proposal to include its profession for statutory registration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46487/22]
View answer329. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if there are plans to include clinical measurement physiologists for statutory registration with CORU as health and social care professionals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46488/22]
View answer330. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to a pre-budget submission from an organisation (details supplied); if consideration has been given to the recommendation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46489/22]
View answer331. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health the further work to develop a new national home care support scheme that has been undertaken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46497/22]
View answer332. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will be facilitated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46507/22]
View answer333. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health when an application for drugs payment scheme in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46512/22]
View answer334. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health when a medical card will be issued in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46513/22]
View answer335. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Health if he will make a statement on support for those who are struggling with a sedentary lifestyle due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. [46554/22]
View answerThe Health and Well-being Programme in my Department is responsible for coordinating the implementation of Healthy Ireland, our National Framework for Improved Health and Well-being 2013-2025, and the subsequent Healthy Ireland Strategic Action Plan, 2021-25. Healthy Ireland is based on evidence and experience from around the world, which clearly shows that creating positive changes in health and well-being benefits from the involvement of the whole of Government and all of society, working together.
Supporting the wider “health in all policies” approach of Healthy Ireland, investment across multiple sectors, through Government Departments, their agencies and through wider society, contributes to broad health and well-being improvements and supports, in line with the Healthy Ireland Framework and Healthy Ireland Strategic Action Plan. A central aim of Healthy Ireland is to "create an environment where every individual and sector of society can play their part in achieving a healthy Ireland”.
The €15.39 million Healthy Ireland Fund budget for 2022 covers actions supporting local communities, through both the Healthy Ireland Fund and the new Sláintecare Healthy Communities Programme. The Healthy Ireland Fund provides supports at local level, through Local Community Development Committees LCDCs) and Children and Young People's Service Committees (CYPSCs) at local authority level.
The Local Strand of the Healthy Ireland Fund and the Sláintecare Healthy Communities Programme variously provide supports for projects and programmes that support health and well-being, including physical activity, diet and nutrition, positive mental health, supports for parenting, to quit smoking, and to reduce alcohol consumption with additional focus on families and young people, and supporting people and communities living with disadvantage.
The Healthy Ireland Fund also supports programmes at national level, including Age Friendly Ireland, Sport Ireland, co-funding for the Department of Education's Active School Flag programme and the Healthy Ireland at Your Library programme.
The Healthy Ireland allocation to Sport Ireland includes supports for programmes for people living with a disability, including the Special Olympics Young Athletes programme, supports for research and the Get Ireland Walking, Get Ireland Swimming, Get Ireland Running and Get Ireland Cycling programmes.
Healthy Ireland is also supporting the development and piloting of a Physical Activity Pathways in Healthcare Model in 2022, in collaboration with the HSE and Sport Ireland. These supports are funding development and co-ordination of programmes to increase access to physical activity for people who are older, frailer, living with a disability or disadvantage, and who otherwise experience more barriers to accessing physical activity, and will include elements of physical activity prescription.
Healthy Ireland also participates in the DTCAGSM Sports Leadership Group, led by the Minister of State for Sport and the Gaeltacht, Jack Chambers, T.D., which guides the implementation of the National Sports Policy.
A review of the National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP) was published this year, and is available on the Healthy Ireland website. The Review contains recommendations regarding the future direction of the Plan. The provision of additional physical activity opportunities and supports to people living with a disability, chronic conditions (including mental illness), frailty and/or living with disadvantage were considered as part of the review. The NPAP Implementation Group will be considering renewing the NPAP in the coming months, bearing in mind the recommendations included in the Review, and the need to support the National Sports Policy without unnecessary overlap.
The Healthy Ireland Fund is also used to empower citizens to adopt healthier behaviours, through various citizen engagement campaigns. The Healthy Ireland campaigns have been running since 2018, initially with a focus on three themes; Eat Well, Think Well and Be Well, representing healthy eating, positive mental health and being active. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the In This Together and Be Well campaigns were re-purposed to provide supports for resilience, health and well-being while necessary Covid-19 restrictions were in place. The promotion of physical activity across society, in partnership with DTCAGSM and Sport Ireland, continues to be a core element of this work.
Healthy Ireland sponsored Operation Transformation in 2021 and in 2022, which featured a wide range of relevant themes, including healthy eating, physical activity and sport participation, quitting smoking, losing weight, mental health and men's and women's health. The programme reached approximately 450,000 viewers in 2021. Several settings-based initiatives are also supported, including Healthy Campuses, Workplaces and Clubs.
There is overwhelming evidence that investment in prevention is cost-effective in both the short and longer term. In addition to pre-existing evidence that tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption, obesity and inactivity are key risk factors for chronic disease, there is increasing evidence that healthy behaviours provide protection against infectious disease also.
Public health advice from the Health Information Quality Authority (HIQA) to the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), following a wide review of published studies, concluded that “ …in general those who are overweight or obese, who smoke, who have inadequate levels of Vitamin D, are physically inactive and consume excessive amounts of alcohol are more likely to contract COVID-19 or have poorer outcomes.”
Needless to say, it is unlikely that Covid-19 is the only infectious disease where adherence to public health guidelines regarding activity levels, weight and tobacco and alcohol misuse is protective. This is borne out by the scientific literature; for example:
- Regular physical activity can reduce the risk from upper respiratory tract infections;
- High levels of regular physical activity has been shown to result in 31% decreased risk of contracting infectious disease in the community;
- Active individuals show a 37% decrease in risk of infectious disease mortality as compared with inactive individuals;
- Regular physical activity has been shown to increase antibody levels post-vaccination, with these effects more marked in older adults.
It is clear, therefore, that national policies, such as the National Physical Activity Plan and the National Sports Policy, that seek to tackle one or more of these risk factors and to improve public health, may be even more vital in terms of protecting public health and well-being than previously realised.
In summary, investing in public health generates cost-effective health outcomes and can contribute to wider sustainability, with economic, social and environmental benefits. Healthy Ireland is a core framework for the implementation of the Sláintecare Healthy Living Pillar and provides the central platform to address the social determinants of health that impact how people live their lives.
336. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the estimated current and capital funding which he intends to be allocated from his Department's budget in respect of development of the use of anaerobic digestion; the purpose of any funding allocations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46449/22]
View answerThe recent Government agreement on Sectoral Emissions Ceilings has increased the ambition for the production of biomethane.
As committed to as part of the Sectoral Emissions Ceilings agreement an obligation on the heat sector to include renewable heat will be introduced by 2024. The introduction of this Obligation will incentivise the use of renewable heat (including use of biomethane), while spreading the obligation across all non-renewable fuel types. A technical consultation will soon be undertaken, to directly inform the design of a Renewable Heat Obligation.
My officials continue to work closely with officials from the Department of Environment, Climate Action and Communications to develop an All-of-Government approach so that the production of up to 5.7 TWh of biomethane in Ireland is realised.
337. Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has plans for a capital investment programme for non-SME fish processors similar to the scheme that he implemented for beef and dairy processing sectors in 2021 (details supplied); if his attention has been drawn to the fact that considerable employment potential exists in this sector if Government supports are provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46501/22]
View answerIn recognising the important contribution of the Seafood Processing sector to job creation and economic growth in our coastal communities, I was pleased to announce the €45 million Brexit Seafood Processing Support Scheme on 12 May of this year. The scheme delivers on a recommendation of the Seafood Taskforce and offers grant rates of between 30% and 50% for capital investment in SME seafood processing enterprises, varying depending on the degree of value added in the project.
The scheme is designed to counter the adverse consequences of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. It seeks to support the processing sector to engage in transformational change, mitigating the effects of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and Brexit. It also seeks to build more environmentally friendly, sustainable and competitive enterprises which serve the EU and wider global markets, create higher levels of employment more locally, and make better and more sustainable use of Irish landed or imported raw material. The scheme is aimed at supporting industry-led transformative capital investments that enable the sector to focus on 'creating more from less' in the wake of reduced supply of raw material. It is also aimed at moving enterprises in the sector further up the supply chain to produce higher value products and shift the industry to a focus on secondary processing and beyond to products targeting end-user markets. The scheme is proposed for funding under the EU Brexit Adjustment Reserve.
The scheme received State Aid clearance on the basis that it provides supports to SMEs only. This is in line with the European Commission’s State Aid Guidelines which require consistency with the provisions of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Regulation (508/2014), which in turn restricts grant aid to the processing sector to SMEs only. Both article 69 of the EMFF Regulation for the 2014-20 period and article 28 of the new European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund Regulation (2021/1139) for the 2021-27 period restrict grant supports for capital investment in seafood processing to SMEs. Under the EU funds available for seafood development, supports to non-SMEs is permitted only through financial instruments.
The schemes, referenced by the Deputy, provided for the beef and dairy processing sector were operated by Enterprise Ireland an agency of the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment. Any future Enterprise Ireland schemes are a matter for An Tánaiste ,in his capacity as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. My officials will provide any assistance possible to both Enterprise Ireland or the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment on any future scheme development.
338. Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has plans to support the fish processing, fish exporters and fish retail sectors in this energy crises; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that due to the nature of these businesses they are high energy users (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46502/22]
View answerI am conscious of the significant increases in energy prices for the food production and processing sectors including those within the seafood sector. In July, I met with representative groups from the industry and discussed the impacts of the high fuel and energy prices on the profitability of fishing and seafood processing. The challenges facing the industry are concurrent with the impacts of the Brexit Trade & Cooperation Agreement. In this context, I have been active over the last number of months in implementing support schemes for the wider seafood sector and coastal communities, in line with the recommendations of the “Report of the Seafood Task Force - Navigating Change.”
Included in the schemes launched to date is the €45 million Brexit Processing Capital Support Scheme. This scheme offers grants of up to 40% of the cost of renewable energy generation investments and energy efficiency investments. Similarly, the €25 million Blue Economy Enterprise Development Scheme offers support for a range of entrepreneurial activities including seafood related activities. A key component of the scheme is support for investment in renewable energy. These supports not only provide investment in seafood enterprises, but also ensure they can remain competitive in the long term and be less exposed to issues within their operating environments.
I have worked very closely with industry to develop short and longer term supports to assist the wider seafood industry cope with the consequences of Brexit and the circumstances that have affected the industry since then. Since the publication of the Task Force Report, €225m in supports and developmental strategies have been launched. These are more generous and comprehensive that those put in place elsewhere and will enable our seafood sector and coastal communities to overcome the significant challenges it faces.
339. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if an increase in Pobal funding will be provided for in Budget 2023 (details supplied). [46438/22]
View answerMy Department’s Community Services Programme (CSP) currently supports over 430 community organisations to provide employment opportunities and the delivery of a diverse range of local services, through a social enterprise model.
The CSP contribution is not aligned to the minimum wage and does not meet the full salary cost of supported posts, rather it is a fixed annual contribution towards the salary costs of employees in supported organisations, with funding of €19,033 currently provided for each full time equivalent (FTE) position and €32,000 towards a manager's salary, where warranted.
The CSP contribution must be co-funded by the organisation concerned from other sources, for example, from income received from the public use of their facilities and services.
Following an independent review of the CSP, the programme is currently being redesigned. It is anticipated that all existing organisations will transition to the new programme in January 2023 following an application process which will take place later this year.
As part of the restructuring process, it is proposed to introduce a new funding rate allocation model for the CSP programme, as an alternative to the current flat rate payment model. The revised funding rates for the restructured programme have not yet been finalised. It is anticipated that all existing organisations will transition to the new programme in January 2023 following an application process which will open in the coming weeks.
340. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she will increase the grant under the community services programme for employing a manager to €40,000 per annum. [46439/22]
View answerMy Department’s Community Services Programme (CSP) currently supports over 430 community organisations to provide employment opportunities and the delivery of a diverse range of local services, through a social enterprise model.
The CSP contribution is not aligned to the minimum wage and does not meet the full salary cost of supported manager posts, rather it is a fixed annual contribution towards the salary costs of employees in supported organisations, with funding of €19,033 currently provided for each full time equivalent (FTE) position and €32,000 towards a manager's salary, where warranted.
The CSP contribution must be co-funded by the organisation concerned from other sources, for example, from income received from the public use of their facilities and services.
Following an independent review of the CSP, the programme is currently being redesigned. As part of the restructuring process, a new funding rate allocation model will be implemented for FTEs and Managers supported under the CSP programme, as an alternative to the current flat rate payment model. The revised funding rates for the restructured programme have not yet been finalised.
It is anticipated that all existing organisations will transition to the new programme in January 2023 following an application process which will take place later this year.
