Written Answers Nos. 205-217
206. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on provision for a neuro-rehabilitation unit in CHO7; where that unit will be based; the roles that have been provided funding within the service: when the service will be operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11659/23]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
207. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Health whether any neurological, dermatological, respiratory or oncological illnesses are reported in higher proportion around Coillte planted areas than others; whether public health undertakes any evaluation or data collection on same; if not, if his Department will commit to doing so; if he will publish any data available on same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11676/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
208. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE consultant paediatric neurosurgeons working in CHI Temple Street in 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [11698/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
209. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he is confident that the emergency department of Beaumont Hospital could successfully deal with a high volume trauma event at Dublin Airport. [11699/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
210. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the number of young persons aged between 0-18 years that suffer with migraine in 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [11700/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
211. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the number of full-time stop-smoking advisors employed by the HSE in CHO9 in 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form; and the locations within this CHO where the stop smoking advisors are located. [11701/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, the Health Service Executive has been asked to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
212. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health the major capital works projects that were carried out at Beaumont Hospital during 2022 and to date in 2023; the nature of these works projects; and the estimated cost of these capital works, in tabular form. [11702/23]
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.
213. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Health the plans his Department has to implement the national cancer care strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11714/23]
View answerThe implementation of the National Cancer Strategy is a Programme for Government commitment and is part of the implementation of Sláintecare. We have seen significant progress on the implementation of the Strategy over the past six years, with clear evidence-based policy direction from my Department and strong implementation by the HSE's National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP).
The National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026 Implementation Report 2022 is currently being prepared, and it is hoped that this Report will be published in early Q2, 2023. My Department continues to work with the NCCP to implement the recommendations of the Strategy in 2023, including the recruitment of staff into cancer services and the improvement of services for patients.
As part of Budget 2022, €20m in new development funding was allocated for implementation of the National Cancer Strategy and €15m for new cancer drugs. The annual Implementation Report will outline how this funding was used to support ongoing initiatives and to drive improvements across all stages of the cancer continuum, facilitating further developments across prevention, diagnosis, treatment and patient supports.
The full text of the National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026 and Implementation Reports for previous years (2018-2021) can be found on gov.ie, where they are available to download.
214. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Health if he will consider the expansion of Ireland's national screening services for cancer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11715/23]
View answer215. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Health if he will consider the introduction of a lung cancer-screening programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11716/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 214 and 215 together.
I am fully committed to supporting our population screening programmes which are a valuable part of our health service, enabling early treatment and care for many people, and improving the overall health of our population.
Ireland currently operates three population-based cancer screening programmes (BowelScreen, BreastCheck, CervicalCheck), with a September 2022 trend report from the National Cancer Registry stating that our cancer programmes are effective, detecting cancers earlier and saving lives.
Under commitments in the Programme for Government, BreastCheck eligibility has been expanded to women aged 69 years since 2021. The Programme for Government also commits to expanding the age range for BowelScreen to those aged 55 to 74, and the HSE plans to commence this in 2023 with expansion to those aged 59, in addition to the current age range of 60 to 69.
Any decisions about further changes or expansion of cancer screening will be made on the advice of the National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC). This independent expert group considers and assesses evidence in a robust and transparent manner, and against internationally accepted criteria. It is important we have rigorous processes in place to ensure our screening programmes are effective, quality assured and operating to safe standards, and that the benefits of screening outweigh the harms.
The Committee's first Annual Call (2021) for proposals for new screening programmes or changes to our existing programmes, received a significant response with over 50 submissions. Among these submissions were proposals related to cancer screening, including for the introduction of lung cancer screening. Submissions were received from various sources, including members of the public and patient advocates, and underwent consideration by the committee at its scheduled meetings during 2022. The Committee recently published its Work Programme on its website.
The Committee has already progressed some work on the expansion of cancer screening and has asked HIQA to look at the evidence for the further expansion of the age range eligibility for both the BowelScreen and BreastCheck programmes.
Under Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, a Proposal for an updated European Council Recommendation on cancer screening was formally approved on 9 December 2022 and published thereafter. The updated Recommendation recommends extended screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer and the gradual introduction of screening for lung, prostate and gastric cancer. The NSAC will consider this Recommendation and advise me and the Department of Health on the evidence as it applies to Ireland.
Ireland will also be actively engaged with the significant ongoing collaborative work at European level to take forward the updated Recommendation on cancer screening.
216. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Health if he will re-establish a dedicated cardiovascular unit within his Department to oversee national cardiovascular health policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11717/23]
View answerThe National Review of Specialist Cardiac Services commenced in January 2018 under the Chairmanship of Professor Phillip Nolan and a Steering Group formed from nominations of interested stakeholders representing medical, professional/technical staff, nursing and patient representatives.
The aim of the Cardiac Services Review is to recommend configuration for a national adult cardiac service to achieve optimal patient outcomes at population level with particular emphasis on the safety, quality and sustainability of the services that patients receive. This aligns with the Sláintecare reform programme. In terms of scope, the National Review covers scheduled and unscheduled hospital-based services for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac disease in adults. The National Review of Specialist Cardiac Services will inform recommendations for the governance and leadership of cardiac services nationally.
Substantial progress has been made on the National Review of Specialist Cardiac Services and it held the final NRCS Steering Group meeting IN Q4 2022. The NRCS Report is finalised and due to be presented to the Minister in Q1, 2023.
217. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Health the plans he has to bring forward a Public Health (Obesity) Bill to deal with the obesity crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11718/23]
View answerThe Programme for Government “Our Shared Future” published in June 2020 contained a commitment to “Work with key stakeholders to introduce a Public Health Obesity Act, including examining restrictions on promotion and advertising aimed at children”.
The policy instrument for obesity in Ireland is “A Healthy Weight for Ireland’, the Obesity Policy and Action Plan (OPAP), which was launched in September 2016 as part of the Healthy Ireland Framework.? The OPAP covers a 10-year period up to 2025 and aims to reverse obesity trends, prevent health complications and reduce the overall burden for individuals, families, the health system, and the wider society and economy.
The Department of Health carried out a Review of the OPAP which provides an update as to the current status of some of the main deliverables in the Ten Steps to end October 2022. It also aligns the Ten Steps suite of population-health approaches in OPAP with the WHO European Regional Obesity Report 20225 and the policy options the WHO recommends on managing obesity throughout the life course, thus signposting key actions to consider out to 2025. The Review of OPAP by the Department of Health was published in November 2022 and can be found on the Healthy Ireland website at gov.ie - Healthy Ireland Policies (www.gov.ie).
There is currently no timeline for the development of a Public Health Obesity Bill. However, in relation to specific legislation relating to promotion and advertising aimed at children in the context of addressing obesity, my colleague, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaelteacht, Sport and Media ("TCAGSM"), brought the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill through the Houses of the Oireachtas and it was signed into law on 10 December 2022. Following its commencement by the Minister, the Online Safety and Media Regulation (OSMR) Act 2022 will dissolve the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), establish a multi-person Media Commission (to be known as Coimisiún na Meán) as the body responsible for overseeing the regulation of broadcasting and video on-demand services and introducing the new regulatory framework for online safety, implementing the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive into Irish law and for supporting the development of the wider media sector in Ireland.
This regulatory framework will be created through binding regulatory media service codes and rules and online safety codes to govern the standards and practice of broadcasters, providers of audiovisual on-demand media services, and designated online services.
These standards and practices that can be addressed through regulatory codes and rules include the advertisement of certain foods and beverages. In this regard, the Act states that codes and rules may prohibit or restrict the inclusion in programmes or user-generated content of commercial communications considered by An Coimisiún to be the subject of public concern in respect of the general public health interests of children, in particular infant formula, follow-on formula or those foods or beverages which contain fat, trans-fatty acids, salts or sugars. The Act further provides that An Coimisiún may consult with public health authorities in relation to proposed restrictions or prohibitions.
Officials from the Department have engaged with their counterparts in the Department of TCAGSM to enable the process for working with An Coimisiún to progress work on developing regulatory codes and rules with regard to advertisement of certain foods and beverages that fall within the scope of this legislation.
A significant amount of work has already been progressed at an EU level with regard to the marketing of unhealthy foods to children. Since 2020, Ireland has participated in a Work Package on Restricting the marketing of unhealthy foods to children and adolescents under the EU Joint Action “Best ReMaP” (Best practices in Reformulation, Marketing and public Procurement), working with 15 other Member States.
The EU Framework for Action is the final deliverable of the Joint Action Best-ReMaP Work Package 6, expected to be finalized by September 2023. This framework will contain all the tools developed by the Work Package, including a WHO/EU harmonized Nutrient Profiling Model and an EU coordinated monitoring protocol and technical guidance to implement best practices when restricting marketing of unhealthy foods to children as mentioned above.
Member States have also recently established National Intersectoral Working Groups, to facilitate the implementation of the food marketing tools developed by the Joint Action Best-ReMaP and the integration of policies into national legislation after the end of the Joint Action.
