Wednesday, 10 May 2023

Written Answers Nos. 195-216

Home Help Service

Questions (195)

Niamh Smyth

Question:

195. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the reason that a person (details supplied) cannot get adequate home help hours to return home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21976/23]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Nursing Homes

Questions (196)

Colm Burke

Question:

196. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the reason a HSE nursing home bed costs €2,585 per week in County Laois, a cost far greater than nursing home beds in any other HSE facility in the country; the reason there is such a difference of over €1,500 from the cost of nursing home beds which are provided by private nursing homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21981/23]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Nursing Homes

Questions (197)

Colm Burke

Question:

197. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the reason the increase in the cost of nursing home beds is 10% higher in 2023 compared to 2022, and in view of the fact that private nursing home beds are only 3% higher between 2022 and 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21982/23]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Nursing Homes

Questions (198, 200)

Colm Burke

Question:

198. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will confirm whether his Department has engaged with the HSE with a view to increasing the number of contracted beds in private nursing homes in order to expedite the transfer of patients from hospital to private nursing home care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21983/23]

Colm Burke

Question:

200. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will confirm whether his Department has engaged with the HSE with a view to increasing the funding that can be provided to private nursing homes that provide contracted beds to care for patients who require a higher degree of care than that which is normally required in a nursing home setting; the number of additional contracted beds that will be put in place over the next 12 months in order to facilitate the transfer of patients from hospital settings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21985/23]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

I propose to take Questions Nos. 198 and 200 together.

As of 4 May 2023, there are 703 private contracted beds on stream in nursing homes across the country with a focus on providing short stay residential beds with additional therapy and support services. These provide a reablement service and can also be accessed by the community as a hospital avoidance measure in addition to assisting with hospital discharges. Transitional Care Funding continues to be in place to support patients discharging to nursing home beds from Acute Hospital to Long Stay Care and for patients who require convalescence care before returning home.  There were 9,472 approvals for transitional care during 2022 with a further 1,308 extensions approved. As of 28 April, there were 3983 approvals year to date with a further 499 extensions approved.

There are a number of aspects to the Deputy’s questions that are an operational matter for the HSE and I have referred these to the Executive HSE for direct reply.  

Hospital Staff

Questions (199)

Colm Burke

Question:

199. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will clarify the current position in respect of Clonakilty Community Hospital; if there are sufficient staff in place to enable all beds to be occupied; the number of beds that have remained vacant for more than four weeks at a time over the past 12 months; the action being taken to ensure that all beds are fully utilised throughout the year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21984/23]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Question No. 200 answered with Question No. 198.

Dental Services

Questions (201)

Michael Ring

Question:

201. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Health who a person (details supplied) can attend to get a dental problem resolved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21989/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Health Services Waiting Lists

Questions (202)

Michael Ring

Question:

202. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Health when physiotherapy will be scheduled for a person with spina bifida (details supplied) given that it is urgently required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21991/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Dental Services

Questions (203)

David Stanton

Question:

203. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Health the measures being taken to reduce orthodontic treatment waiting times for children, with particular reference to those whose current estimated treatment referral date is beyond school-going age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21998/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

The HSE provides orthodontic treatment to patients who are assessed as having the greatest level of clinical need. Patients and their parents face difficulties at present in accessing orthodontic treatment with the HSE. These difficulties are expressed through the very high numbers waiting for assessment, and in both the numbers waiting for treatment and the length of time waiting for treatment.

The HSE has a range of national initiatives underway to address these waiting lists, including the recruitment of additional Consultant Orthodontist and Specialist Orthodontists. 

In addition, between 2016 and 2020, a funded initiative placed 1,996 patients in treatment with private service providers. The HSE has concluded a successor procurement arrangement with private service providers for the period 2021-2024 for the provision of treatment to patients assessed as being suitable for care in a community setting and waiting in excess of 4 years.

Significant additional funding has been provided to address HSE orthodontic treatment waiting lists this year. €4m was provided in Budget 2023 to allow patients who have been waiting the longest to access care through private providers. For the first time, some patients who are awaiting orthognathic (jaw) surgery will be included in the use of this funding. 

Further to this, €6 million has been allocated via the Waiting List Action Plan 2023 to further support the reduction of waiting lists for community-based orthodontic treatment. 

619 patients have been removed from the treatment waiting list and placed into care with a private provider in a community setting so far this year (between 1 January and 30 April 2023), through this funding. 

Health Services

Questions (204)

Noel Grealish

Question:

204. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Health if a new primary care centre has been approved for Oranmore, County Galway; if so, when work will commence on this new primary care centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22046/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Hospital Admissions

Questions (205)

Patricia Ryan

Question:

205. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health the average patient experience to admission via an emergency department for all patients for Naas, Tullamore and Portlaoise hospitals for all months in 2019-2023, inclusive, in tabular form; the average for all patients; the average for patients aged under 75 years; the average for patients aged 75 or older; the number and percentage of patients waiting less than the average; and the number of patients waiting longer than the average. [22121/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Hospital Admissions

Questions (206)

Patricia Ryan

Question:

206. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health the number of patients who attended an emergency department for Naas, Tullamore and Portlaoise hospitals in all months 2019-2023, inclusive, in tabular form; the number and percentage of patients who were admitted via an emergency department; the number and percentage of patients who were waiting for 0-6 hours, 0-9 hours, 9-24 hours and 24+ hours; the number for all patients; the number and percentage for patients aged under 75 years; and the number and percentage for patients aged over 75. [22122/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Health Services

Questions (207)

Patricia Ryan

Question:

207. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health the bed occupancy rate for each week for Naas, Tullamore and Portlaoise hospitals of all months 2019-2023, inclusive, in tabular form; the national average; the number of beds available for the period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22123/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Ambulance Service

Questions (208)

Patricia Ryan

Question:

208. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health the number and percentage of incidents responded to by the National Ambulance Service by clinical status and sub-status in January and February for each year 2019 to 2023, inclusive. [22124/23]

Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.    

Mental Health Services

Questions (209)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

209. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health when he envisages that a residential setting will be available for a person (details supplied) and others in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22130/23]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Departmental Legal Cases

Questions (210)

Paul Murphy

Question:

210. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the amount of public money that has been spent to date defending the actions of a person (details supplied) against serious accusations of wrongdoing reported from 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21935/23]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science

My Officials are engaging with Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board regarding this matter and a reply will issue to the Deputy once these enquiries are complete.

Adult Education Provision

Questions (211, 212)

Martin Browne

Question:

211. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the progress that has been made in resolving the situation of adult education tutors employed by education and training boards for whom a pay offer based on a recommendation by the Labour Court has yet to materialise; if there is a working timeline for the conclusion of discussions between his Department and the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform with a view to finalising the offer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22052/23]

Martin Browne

Question:

212. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will outline his commitment to ensuring that adult education tutors claim for proper public service contracts with an incremental salary scale, recognition of prior service and improved conditions is delivered upon; the progress being made on same and on securing pay parity for those recruited after 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22053/23]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Deputy Niall Collins)

The discussions between my Department, the Department of Education and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform resulted in the approval for an offer to be made to the unions regarding adult education tutors employed by ETBs, under a variety of terms and conditions, in response to a Labour Court recommendation.

 The proposal is to establish a grade of Adult Educator with a standardised pay scale aligned with the Youthreach Resource Person Scale, providing for a career path for tutors in the further education and training sector.  The proposal offers improvement in the pay of tutors through an immediate increase in current pay rates as well as allowing for incremental progression on a pay scale over time. The formal offer has issued to the Unions and both sides are engaging on the details and operational aspects of the offer.

Departmental Funding

Questions (213)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

213. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will outline the process for allocating the approximate €1 billion surplus in the National Training Fund with the sanction of the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Delivery Plan Delivery and Reform; and if he will clarify whether this is an annual allocation and the process by which projects are selected for allocation of funds. [22105/23]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science

The National Training Fund is a dedicated fund established under the National Training Fund Act, 2000 resourced by the Training Levy paid by employers to raise the skills of those in employment; provide training to those who wish to acquire skills to take up employment and provide information in relation to skills requirements in the economy.

My Department allocates funding from the NTF, with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform in accordance with the provisions of the Act. The allocation for each scheme is generally determined as part of the annual Estimates process. While the NTF does not form part of my Department’s Vote, it is included as an annex to the published Estimates. Any increase in NTF expenditure, all other things being equal and without a corresponding reduction on the Vote, requires an increase in my Department and overall Government expenditure ceilings. NTF expenditure increases general Government expenditure and can only be accommodated within the fiscal strategy agreed by Government.

At the end of 2021 the accumulated surplus in the National Training Fund was €1.1billion. While the 2002 Financial Statements for the NTF have yet to be audited, the surplus at the end of 2022 has increased to some €1.37 billion. For 2023, the income of the NTF is forecast at €1,020m with expenditure forecast at €900.8m, which is expected to result in an annual surplus of €120m, which will further increase the surplus. The NTF accumulated surplus reflects the increase in the rate of the levy to 1% and the continued growth in employment in the economy. In accordance with the terms of NTF Act, the surplus remains in the accounts of the NTF for possible investment in other eligible training activity.

While a prudent level of reserve in the NTF is imperative to guard against the uncertainties of the economic cycle ensuring that sufficient resources are available to deliver on our skills priorities, the current level of the surplus evidently exceeds what may conceivably be required for a potential “rainy day”. The NTF Advisory Group has recommended that the growing surplus be used to address the skills challenges in the labour market.

The recently published OECD Report Ireland Skills Strategy Report notes that many Irish adults are at risk of falling behind as they do not have the right skills to thrive in their current employment and are unprepared for changes in the world of work. Our participation in lifelong learning, while above the EU average, falls far behind top EU performers. The OECD recommends using the surplus NTF funds to address these risks and improve structural incentives for employers to take advantage of NTF-funded education and training. It proposes a discretionary fund as part of the NTF for the regional/local/sectoral level, and increased NTF support for upskilling and reskilling for SMEs.

My Department is working closely with other Departments and the enterprise led NTF Advisory Group to develop options for the potential use of the NTF surplus to address the skills challenges identified for the future world of work, driven by technology and the decarbonisation imperative, in the context of Estimates 2024.

Departmental Funding

Questions (214)

Emer Higgins

Question:

214. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when the community services programme strand 2 will reopen to new entrants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21973/23]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development

My Department's Community Services Programme (CSP) currently supports over 420 community-based organisations, to provide local services through a social enterprise model. CSP provides an annual co-funding contribution towards each full-time equivalent (FTE) position being supported, and, where warranted, towards the cost of employing a manager.

Qualifying organisations must be social enterprises capable of generating income from their activities in order to meet the full salary costs of the supported posts, for example, from income received from the public use of facilities and services.

As stated in my reply to PQ 21052/23, a new call for applications under the CSP was launched on 6th March last. Two pre-application support workshops were provided to potential applicants under Strand 2 on 21st and 28th March, to ensure organisations were fully equipped with the information that they needed to apply for this funding.

Following the pre-application support workshops, organisations were invited to submit a short concept note to Pobal outlining their proposal for assessment against the objectives of the call. The deadline for receipt of concept notes under Strand 2 was 14th April.

Pobal have commenced their assessment of the concept notes and it is expected that their recommendations will be submitted to the department for approval in mid/late May. Following review by the Department, successful organisations will be invited to participate in the formal application process. It is expected that organisations will receive notification of the outcome in June.

Public Sector Pay

Questions (215)

Patricia Ryan

Question:

215. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the measures she and her Department have to address the crisis in recruitment and high staff turnover in qualified professionals across a range of disciplines in the community services sector due to salaries being frozen, and gaps of 20% with salaries available elsewhere; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22118/23]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development

My Department provides grant funding to support a range of youth services which are delivered by voluntary youth organisations and carried out by both paid youth workers and volunteers.

My Department has no role in the setting of pay scales or other matters that belong properly to the individual employer. The youth workers and other staff involved in youth services are employed directly by the organisation in receipt of funding.

The grants are provided on an organisational and a 'provision of service' basis, in particular through the Youth Services Grant Scheme, Youth Information Centres Scheme and the targeted scheme UBU Your Place Your Space. Each grant recipient organisation received a 4% increase in their 2023 allocation under these schemes.

Departmental Funding

Questions (216)

Noel Grealish

Question:

216. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when a decision on the community recognition fund for 2023 will be announced; if the date of 6 October for the first drawdown of funds will be extended; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22048/23]

Written answers

Minister for Rural and Community Development

In January, I launched the Community Recognition Fund which aims to support the development of community infrastructure and facilities in recognition of the contribution being made by communities across the country in welcoming and hosting significant numbers of arrivals from Ukraine and other countries.

The funding is specifically targeted at projects that are located in communities, towns and villages that are hosting the beneficiaries of Temporary Protection and/or International Protection applicants. The Fund will support the development of facilities that will be used in the future by all members of the community. It is separate in its objectives and scope to any other public funding streams which aim to support the development of public service needs arising from the significant number of arrivals from Ukraine.

The Fund is being administered at a local level by the relevant local authority. A funding proposal, comprising of projects selected and prioritised locally, was submitted to my Department by each local authority for final approval. A key principle of the Fund was the need for local authorities to engage with impacted communities. The funding proposals submitted by each local authority were developed based on direct engagement with impacted communities and in consultation with the Municipal Districts, Local Community Development Committee and the local Community Response Fora.

I am happy to confirm that over 830 proposed projects are included in the funding proposals received, with the €50 million being fully subscribed. I would like to thank all those who were involved in the consultations and the development of these proposals in communities all across Ireland. It was important to me that the projects were developed in consultation with communities so that the best value for money could be achieved in a way that ensures clear impacts and benefits for those communities.

The funding proposals are under consideration in the Department and I expect to make an announcement on them shortly as I am aware that local authorities and communities are anxious to commence work on projects.

I understand the majority of proposals are small-scale capital projects seeking funding of under €30,000. Typically such projects relate to either the purchase of equipment or undertaking minor capital works. I expect these projects will progress quickly once announced and the vast majority of these will be delivered by October.

I expect a longer time frame will apply for the more substantial capital proposals. The larger capital proposals will have until November 2024 to progress to completion.