Written Answers Nos. 214-230
214. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the number and proportion of people who were diagnosed with breast cancer at each stage, that is, stage 1, 2, 3, 4 and unknown, in each quarter in each of the years 2012 to 2023, in tabular form. [30069/23]
View answer215. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the number and proportion of people who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer at each stage, that is, stage 1, 2, 3, 4 and unknown, in each quarter in each of the years 2012 to 2023, in tabular form. [30070/23]
View answer216. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the number and proportion of people who were diagnosed with lung cancer at each stage, that is, stage 1, 2, 3, 4 and unknown, in each quarter in each of the years 2012 to 2023, in tabular form. [30071/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 214 to 216, inclusive, together.
The National Cancer Registry Ireland (NCRI) has a statutory obligation to collate information in relation to cancer incidence, prevalence, stage at diagnosis, treatment, survival, and mortality. This type of information will normally only be finalised and made available 2 to 3 years after the year of incidence, in keeping with international standards. Officials in my Department contacted the NCRI for the most up to date information and have collated the below information based on what they received.
Stage breakdown of cancers diagnosed 2012-2020, by selected cancer site
Data for years 2021 onwards are substantially less complete and are not included here, pending further compilation and validation by NCRI, in keeping with international standards.
Figures are based on the major histological cancer subtype(s) at the sites listed and use the TNM 5th edition classification of stage for cases diagnosed 2012-2013 and the TNM 7th edition classification for cases diagnosed 2014-2020. Staging criteria are not directly comparable between the earlier (2012-2013) and later (2014-2020) diagnosis years. Non-stageable histological subtypes are excluded, and carcinoids and gastrointestinal stromal tumours are also excluded for colorectal cancer (to improve continuity with pre-2014 data). For all three cancers listed, data are provisional for 2018 and to a lesser extent 2017, and subject to further updating by NCRI. For lung cancer, data are also provisional for 2019 and 2020. In these years, there is a higher proportion of cases of unknown stage, and the numbers and relative proportions of Stage IV cases, in particular, may be underestimated in these years, as information to confirm Stage IV status typically takes longer to compile.
The data are set out in the table at the following link:
217. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the percentage of cancers diagnosed in emergency departments in each of the years 2012 to 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30072/23]
View answerThe National Cancer Registry Ireland (NCRI) has a statutory obligation to collate information in relation to cancer incidence, prevalence, stage at diagnosis, treatment, survival and mortality.
This type of information will normally only be finalised and made available 2 to 3 years after the year of incidence, in keeping with international standards.
While cancer diagnosis figures within emergency departments is not specifically collected in this manner, similar and related data would be available in the following reports:
• NCRI Research Report, published in March 2018, "Diagnosing cancer in an emergency: Patterns of emergency presentation of cancer in Ireland 2002–2015" which is available to download on the NCRI website: www.ncri.ie/publications/research-reports/diagnosing-cancer-emergency-patterns-emergency-presentation-cancer
• NCRI Statistical Report, published in November 2018, "Cancer in Ireland 1994-2016 with estimates for 2016-2018" which is available to download on the NCRI website: www.ncri.ie/publications/statistical-reports/cancer-ireland-1994-2016-estimates-2016-2018-annual-report-national
218. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the number and proportion of people who attended BreastCheck in each quarter in each of the years 2017 to 2023, in tabular form. [30073/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
219. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the number and proportion of people who attended CervicalCheck in each quarter in each of the years 2017 to 2023, in tabular form. [30074/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
220. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the number and proportion of people who attended BowelScreen in each quarter in each of the years 2017 to 2023, in tabular form. [30075/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
221. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of an appointment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30103/23]
View answerIt is recognised that waiting times for many scheduled appointments and procedures were too long before and have been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Department of Health continues to work with the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to identify ways to improve access to care. On the 7th March, I published the 2023 Waiting List Action Plan, which is the next stage of a new multi-annual approach to sustainably reduce and reform hospital waiting lists, and builds on the foundational work done through the short-term Waiting List Action Plan between September and December 2021, which was followed by the first full year Waiting List Action Plan for 2022, both having reversed the annual trend of rising waiting lists.
The 2023 Plan sets out the priorities to continue to address waiting lists this year. The 30 actions in the Plan, which are governed by the Waiting List Task Force, focus on delivering capacity, reforming scheduled care and enabling scheduled care reform.
For 2023, funding totalling €443 million is being allocated to tackle Waiting Lists with €363 million of this being allocated to the 2023 Waiting List Action Plan, to implement longer term reforms and provide additional public and private activity to clear backlogs exacerbated during the pandemic. This will reduce hospital waiting lists by 10% in 2023 as well as continuing to significantly reduce waiting times in line with Sláintecare recommendations. The remaining €80 million of the €443 million is being targeted at various measures to alleviate community/primary care waiting lists.
With this ambitious 2023 Waiting List Action Plan, my Department, the HSE and the NTPF are taking the next steps in the multi-annual approach towards achieving our vision of a world-class public healthcare system in which everyone has timely and transparent access to high-quality scheduled care, where and when they need it, in line with Sláintecare reforms.
Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
In 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.
222. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the actions his Department has taken to address the GP shortage and excessive waiting times for those looking for a GP appointment. [30182/23]
View answerGPs are self-employed practitioners and therefore may establish practices at a place of their own choosing. There is no prescribed ratio of GPs to patients and the State does not regulate the number of GPs that can set up in a town or community.
Under the GMS scheme, the HSE contracts GPs to provide medical services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders. Currently there are 2,550 GPs contracted to provide services under the GMS Scheme.
Where a vacancy arises in a practice with a GMS contract, the HSE becomes actively involved in the recruitment process to find a replacement GP. While recruitment is ongoing, the HSE put a locum or other suitable arrangement in place to provide continuity of care for the area concerned. As of the start of the month, there are 33 GMS vacancies across the country, approximately 1 percent of the total number of GMS panels.
The Government is aware of the workforce issues currently facing general practice and is working to ensure patients across the country continue to have access to GP services and that general practice is sustainable in all areas into the future.
Under the 2019 GP Agreement additional annual expenditure provided for general practice has been increased now by €211.6m. This provides for significant increases in capitation fees for participating GMS GPs, and new fees and subsidies for additional services. Improvements to GP’s maternity and paternity leave arrangements and a support for GPs in disadvantaged urban areas, have also been provided for. In addition, the enhanced supports package for rural GP practices was increased by 10%.
These measures will make general practice in Ireland a more attractive career choice and will see an increase in the number of GPs working in the State, improving access to GP services for patients throughout the country.
In addition, the number of doctors entering GP training has been increased in recent years, rising from 193 in 2019 to 258 in 2022, with 285 new entrants places made available for this year and 350 places now planned for next year. Furthermore, the joint HSE and ICGP programme to bring 100 non-EU GPs to Ireland in 2023 will help to quickly improve access to GP services, particularly in areas with limited access. This will increase to 250 placements by the end of 2024.
The strategic review of GP services is to commence shortly and will be completed this year. The review, with input from key stakeholders, will examine the broad range of issues affecting general practice and will set out the measures necessary to deliver a more sustainable general practice into the future.
223. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 198 of 24 May 2023, if his officials have concluded their review of options in relation to the special scheme of paid leave for healthcare workers suffering from long Covid; if he intends to extend or replace this scheme before it is due to end on 30 June 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30189/23]
View answerI am acutely aware that the temporary Scheme, specific to the public health service that provides Paid Leave for Public Health Service Employees unfit for work post Covid infection is due to conclude at the end of this month and I am committed to providing support.
Sanction has been sought from the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform to extend the existing Scheme and their response is awaited. At present, those who remain unwell beyond the 30th June may utilise the provisions of the Public Service Sick Leave Scheme.
224. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of an appointment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30194/23]
View answerUnder the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
In 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.
225. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health if he can clarify the reasons employees of a company (details supplied) have been deemed ineligible to receive the pandemic special recognition payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30214/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
226. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health how many private nursing homes have closed in County Kildare in the years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [30216/23]
View answerThe Health Information and Quality Authority's older people's services inspection team is legally responsible for the monitoring, inspection and registration of designated centres for older people, such as nursing homes, in Ireland. HIQA has advised my Department that no nursing home in County Kildare has closed since 2018.
227. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health to provide the locations of the 47 community specialist teams, 60 in total, currently operating in each CHN or CHO, in tabular form; and the locations and projected dates of coming into operation of the remaining 13 teams. [30217/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
228. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) has been informed there is a minimum waiting time of eight weeks at the Mater Hospital in Dublin to receive an urgent ultrasound to their throat; if he will explain how urgent something has to be when a two-month wait is required before such urgent treatment can be accessed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30218/23]
View answerThe Health Service Executive (HSE) advises that a pilot project was commenced in 2016 by the HSE Acute Hospitals Division to progress the collection of national radiology waiting list data. The project has been supported by the Radiology Clinical Care Programme and has involved key stakeholders across the system including the National Integrated Medical Imaging System (NIMIS) Team, Hospital Groups, and the support of the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) for data collection and data management expertise.
The information that is currently being collected is presently being tested and validated at hospital, hospital group and national level and as such should not be used/reported without the context of the caveats set out below:
• Data is subject to inclusions and exclusions which are documented in the Data Profile Document. This document is available from Acute Operations and has been circulated to all Hospital Groups.
• Data contains urgent, routine and surveillance/planned activity which is currently not broken down in detail, as such this includes surveillance/planned activity which may not be exceeding planned date.
• Data is still undergoing validation at Hospital and Hospital Group level. Data does not take into account local nuances at site level (Site profile developed to support understanding of same).
• The purpose of this aggregate data is to provide a National Level overview of the number of patients waiting for modalities of CT, MRI and Ultrasound.
• This report is not intended to be used for the active management of hospital diagnostics waiting lists, local reports and mechanisms should continue to be used for the management of diagnostics waiting lists at hospital level.
The NTPF has provided the attached document which sets out waiting list data for Quarter 1 2023 for CT, MRI and Ultrasound. In Q1 2023, there were a total of 250,021 patients reported on the waiting list from all sites, this represents all outpatients waiting, urgent, semi urgent, routine and planned/surveillance (where diagnostic access is planned at particular time intervals).
Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
In regard to the specific queries raised by the Deputy, as these are service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
229. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason parents of Irish citizens are excluded from the SUSI grant scheme on the basis of their civil status and where the State has granted them a stamp 4 visa. [29917/23]
View answerThe nationality requirements for the Student Grant Scheme are set out in Section 14 of the Student Support Act 2011 and Regulation 5 of the Student Support Regulations 2023. The candidate's nationality or immigration status in the State determines whether or not they meet the nationality requirement outlined in the Act and Regulations, and would be therefore eligible to qualify for a student grant.
Permission to remain in the State on the basis of a Stamp 4 Visa, of itself, does not meet the nationality requirements of the Student Grant Scheme 2023.
There is provision for a review of eligibility where a person’s circumstances changes in the academic year. This includes a change in relation to a student's nationality or immigration status. Where a student acquires Irish citizenship by naturalisation, or is granted one of the permission to remain criterion provided for in the Act or Regulations during the course of their studies, they may apply to SUSI to have their application re-assessed.
230. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will ensure students are not displaced from their accommodation in purpose-built student accommodation; if he is aware of the concerns in relation to the possible change of use of such facilities (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30183/23]
View answerOfficials from the Department of Further and Higher Education Research Innovation and Science and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth are engaging on this matter currently.
