Written Answers Nos. 1298-1316
1304. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the way the HSE recruits workers for key healthcare roles from abroad when the roles cannot be filled locally; if there is an avenue for a non-EEA worker who is not living in Ireland to pursue a career in the HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12840/23]
View answerTo supplement national recruitment the HSE on an ongoing basis, recruits form overseas largely through third-party providers (recruitment agencies). These agencies source suitable candidates from both within the EEA and outside the EEA for clinical positions in our health services.
These third-party agencies support candidates in their applications together with gaining their professional registration from the various regulatory authorities. To further support overseas candidates, the HSE offers a competitive international relocation package.
In 2021, 1,600 nurses were recruited from overseas for positions right across the country and this number increased to 1,800 last year. The HSE expect that this upward trajectory will continue over the next number of years and will expand across other clinical professions.
International staff are actively supported in progressing their careers within the Irish health services and are, and will continue to be, key to the delivery of health services in Ireland.
In June 2021 a number of Health roles were removed from the Ineligible Occupations List operated by the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment, including that of health care assistant, to allow applications for General Employment Permits to be made.
In June 2022 changes were made to provide access to the Critical Skills Employment Permit for non-EEA nationals wishing to take up employment in the State in the health sector for the following roles: cardiac physiologist, medical scientist, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, podiatrist / chiropodist, psychologist, speech and language therapist and pharmacist.
1305. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Health if allowances will be made when calculating a fair deal application by a family for an adult son (details supplied) residing in the home who is over 21 years of age and has special needs, if he will acknowledge it is grossly unfair to consider their maintenance in the calculations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12850/23]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1306. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 645 of 7 March 2023, if a breakdown will be provided by the HSE to this Deputy, of spending, including set-up costs and maintenance costs, on the Covid-19 tracker, by month, in tabular form; and the number of times the app was downloaded and deleted, in each month since the start of the pandemic, in tabular form. [12851/23]
View answerI have requested the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible with the required details.
1307. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the number of patients with severe asthma currently being treated with anti-IL-5 therapies; if any additional funding has been put in place for new patients in 2023; the number of patients he expects to be treated in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12853/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1308. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health when the electric charging point located at unit 4, Merlin Park Hospital, Galway, which was installed in 2022, will be available for use by the public and employees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12854/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1309. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Health the number of sudden unexplained deaths in childhood that have been recorded, per year, for the past ten years; if his Department has conducted any recent research in the area; and what supports are made available to parents after a case of SUDC. [12878/23]
View answer1310. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the preparations that are underway for the upcoming tenth conference of the parties to the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which will take place in Panama from 20 to 25 November 2023; the Government's priorities; if there are preparations underway within his Department ahead of the conference; who will be attending on behalf of the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12880/23]
View answerThe 9th Conference of Parties (COP9) was delayed by a year due to the pandemic, before being held virtually in 2021. As a result, substantive discussions and decisions on a number of agenda items were deferred until COP10. It is vital that these discussions take place in November and that decisions are made, particularly on Treaty instruments and technical matters such as the reports on implementation of Articles 9 & 10 of the Convention, and the report on novel and emerging tobacco products.
A continuing priority for Ireland is strong implementation of Article 5.3 on protecting tobacco control policies from industry interference and I would welcome discussion of the evolving tactics of the tobacco industry to hinder public health policy.
Ahead of COP10, my Department will engage regularly at EU level in order to develop a common EU position on the agenda items for consideration. As with previous COPs, Irish representation at COP10 will come from my Department.
1311. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the business case for the National ePrescribing Project; if it has been submitted to the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12893/23]
View answerA business case for the national ePrescribing project was submitted by the HSE in September 2022 and approved in principle (in October 2022) by the Department of Health and digital governance oversight unit at the Department of Public Expenditure. This approval enables the HSE to proceed with the next phase of the programme - to tender for a solution suitable for use in Ireland. Market soundings have already taken place.
The ePrescribing programme is already established with a governance group in place and regular project board meetings. The project is being led by pharmacists who, working alongside other clinicians and technical teams in the HSE, have the knowledge and expertise to deliver the solution for Ireland. Stakeholder engagement sessions are currently taking place to ensure the needs of patients, prescribers and dispensing pharmacists are understood and captured in the technical requirements. Funding has already been been allocated within the 2023 national service plan/ ICT capital plan on the basis the project will proceed. The project does require dedicated resources to complement the core team already in place (existing HSE staff) and that is being addressed through 2023 national service plan allocations.
When the procurement is complete, and actual costs are known, the business case will be updated, and submitted for final approval. Establishing a full ePrescribing solution in place for Ireland is a core component for electronic health records (EHRs), is fundamental for the delivery of an eHealth programme - and recognised as such by the HSE and this department. There will be considerable support for the business case when complete .
The project will focus on deploying ePrescribing in the community first (GP prescriptions, community pharmacy dispensing) and will be complemented by hospital discharge and other prescriptions afterwards.
1312. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health the progress made by his Department in respect of targets and goals set out in sustainable development goals of the 2030 United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development under the policy remit of his Department; and if these targets and goals will be met by their respective deadlines. [12905/23]
View answerThe 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a significant and ambitious framework. A whole-of-Government approach to its implementation has been taken in Ireland. Ireland’s Second National Implementation Plan for the Sustainable Development Goals, 2022 – 2024 was published in October 2022. The Plan was developed by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications in collaboration with all Government Departments, key stakeholders, and based on input from two public consultation processes. A key objective of the Plan is to achieve greater policy coherence for Sustainable Development with the aim of accelerating achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at all levels of Government. The Plan is supplemented by two supporting documents: an SDG policy map which identifies the lead Departments and relevant national policies for each of the 169 SDG targets; and a Policy Update document which provides policy updates for each of the SDG targets. These documents are available at www.gov.ie/sdgs
The Central Statistics Office, in collaboration with all Government Departments, has prepared as series of statistical publications which monitor and report on how Ireland is progressing towards meeting its targets under the 17 SDGs. Reports are available for SDGs 1 – 16 and can be found on the central statistics website.
Ireland will present its second Voluntary National Review (VNR) to the United Nations High-Level Political Forum in July 2023. The VNR report will comprise a high-level data section and a more detailed appendix reporting on progress in respect of achieving the SDGs and related targets.
The Department of Health has responsibility for leading implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 3. The attachment provides an update on current progress by the relevant policy area. These updates will give a sense of the progress being made on the relevant SDGs and the extent to which they will be achieved by 2030.
1313. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health if he will clarify the details of the HSE’s new service for the delivery of gender-affirming healthcare; if there is a timeline; if members of the trans community will be consulted about what they want and need; if international best practice will be applied; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12914/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1314. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health if members of the autism community are being turned away from the national gender service; if so, the rationale behind it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12915/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1315. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health the expected transport upgrades associated with the development of a new elective hospital at St. Stephen's Hospital, Cork; if improvements, including the installation of public lighting, addition of footpaths, cycle paths and bus stops at the L2973, will be part of this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12916/23]
View answer1316. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health the expected year of opening of a new elective hospital at St. Stephen's Hospital, Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12917/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1315 and 1316 together.
On 7 December 2022, the Government approved the next stage of the Enhanced Provision of Elective Care Programme and progression of the development of new Elective Hospitals in Cork and Galway (with Dublin to follow in due course). The new Elective Hospitals will provide significant additional capacity, enabling the separation of scheduled and unscheduled care. This will change the way in which day cases, scheduled procedures, surgeries, scans and outpatient services can be better arranged across the country, ensuring greater capacity in the future and helping to address waiting times.
I have asked the HSE, as Sponsoring Agency with day-to-day responsibility for the delivery of these health infrastructure projects in Cork and Galway, to respond to you directly in relation to the matters raised.
