Written Answers Nos. 209-228
212. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to clarify if there are compensation options available for farmers where their goat herd contracts tuberculosis in the same manner as financial supports are available to beef and cattle farmers in a similar situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50342/23]
View answerThere is no statutory surveillance or control programme for TB in goats in Ireland.
Whilst there is a compensation scheme available to eligible herdowners of bovines in the event of a TB outbreak, funded in part from disease levies collected on milk supplies and and bovines slaughtered or exported live, there is no compensation scheme available to or collection of disease levies from goat owners.
A goat herd keeper who is supplying milk, including for trade, to consumers, must test his/her herd for TB however and have a TB control plan in place. This is a public health requirement. This plan is subject to re-submission every three to five years. It may also be necessary to test goat herds for TB as part of an epidemiological investigation into, or as part of controlling, a bovine TB breakdown in an area
213. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current status of negotiations with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (details supplied); when an agreement can be expected on the co-funding of an urgently needed new vet school located in the mid-west at the University of Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50348/23]
View answerMy Department is continuing its engagement with the Department of Further and Higher Education Research Innovation and Science on the question of possible additional veterinary student places. No decision has been reached on this matter or on the matter of any new veterinary education facility.
214. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will arrange to expedite ANC/BPS payments to a person (details supplied). [50370/23]
View answerThis herd owner has an outstanding application for the transfer of entitlements. The application was submitted using a transfer reference number (TRN) which has not yet been linked and so is not available for processing.
In order to facilitate the linking of the TRN to the herd number, the advisor for the named person will need to email transferofentitlements@agriculture.gov.ie stating the TRN and the details of the herd number to which it is to be linked. Staff from my Department will make direct contact with the person named to advise them of this.
215. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he envisages any supports being put in place to assist the potato sector following concerns raised by farmer representative bodies that harvesting of this year’s crop is now essentially a salvage operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50408/23]
View answerI am acutely aware and fully appreciate the challenges that some potato growers are experiencing in completing the 2023 harvest following extended periods of rainfall.
My Department, as a member of the Potato Development Group, collaborates with Teagasc, Bord Bia, and the IFA in the development and support of the potato sector. The work of the Potato Development Group is informed by long-standing expertise, knowledge and sectoral insights. I understand from the Potato Development Group that in regions where ground conditions remain wet, harvesting continues where possible as advised.
Notwithstanding the variable and adverse weather encountered this year, I also understand that the potato sector has fared positively compared to other horticultural sub sectors. Potatoes have commanded strong prices throughout 2023 with market demand consistently high throughout the year. On balance, based on the information available evidencing the overall relative strength of the potato sector during 2023 it is not possible to consider specific supports for the potato sector at this time.
My Department will keep me informed of the situation with respect to national marketable yield, regional variation in harvest outcomes, and farmgate prices in the weeks ahead.
The potato sector has a vital part to play in Irish horticulture, and holds a particular resonance in Irish culture and I remain committed to its support. In 2023 I committed €3.1 million to the Scheme of Investment Aid for the Seed and Chipping Potato Sectors and I increased the eligibility for sector specific capital investment under the Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS).
In addition initial support is also available to the potato sector to set up Producer Organisations under the Early Stage Support for Producer Organisation Scheme administered by my Department.
The National Strategy for Horticulture 2023-2027 which I launched earlier this year together with my colleague, Minister Pippa Hackett, has clear sub sector specific actions for the potato sector which I am eager to see grow and flourish in the years ahead.
216. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in light of the passing of the EU Nature Restoration Law, his future plans in relation to the issues of the no quota on sprat and the Inishore bottom trawling within 6 km limit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50427/23]
View answerIn December 2018, it was announced that vessels over 18 metres would be excluded from trawling in inshore waters inside the six nautical mile zone and the baselines from 1 January 2020. This decision to exclude vessels over 18 metres from trawling inside the six nautical miles was the subject of extended legal proceedings following a Judicial Review to the High Court taken by two applicant fishermen challenging the validity of the Policy Directive which underpinned the initiative. The outcome of these proceedings, only achieved earlier this year, is that Policy Directive 1 of 2019 has been quashed by an Order of Certiorari made by the Court of Appeal.
Further to the final judgment of the Courts, and on the basis of the advice received from legal counsel in respect of next steps, I have decided to proceed with a new public consultation in the matter of trawling in inshore waters inside the six nautical mile zone and the baselines. The sprat fishery takes place predominantly within the six nautical mile limit.
As I have previously put on record on this issue, my Department has sought up-to-date scientific and economic advice from the Marine Institute and Bord Iascaigh Mhara, respectively, on trawling in the waters inside the six nautical miles. I look forward to receiving policy options from my Department for my consideration in due course.
217. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the funding that his Department can provide for the development and up-keep of public allotment spaces, and the way in which that funding can be accessed; if he plays any role in assisting groups in obtaining suitable plots for allotments and, if not, if he can indicate persons or public bodies that can provide assistance; and if his Department has a grow-your-own-food strategy to assist people in the context of food security and sustainability. [50460/23]
View answerMy Department is responsible for developing and supporting the commercial horticulture sector and as such is not responsible for the development of, allocation of or funding for allotments. The provision of allotments is entirely a function of local government.
However, as part of the interdepartmental and multi-stakeholder approach my Department has taken to the new National Strategy for Horticulture 2023-2027 which was launched earlier this year, it is my Department's intention to work with local authorities to implement and support community gardens and allotments to encourage enthusiasm for gardening/growing and promote fresh produce consumption and healthy eating.
218. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of outstanding birth information access requests from adopted people to their medical records and other personal files; and the wait time to date for each request, in tabular form. [50347/23]
View answerAs the subject matter of the Deputy’s question relates to an operational matter for the Child and Family Agency, Tusla, and the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI), I have requested that both Tusla and the AAI respond directly to the Deputy in this instance.
219. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the options that are available for Ukrainian families when host family can no longer accommodate them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50365/23]
View answerWhere hosting arrangements are coming to an end, Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) are entitled to make their own private arrangements for accommodation through their own means, using supports provided by the Department of Social Protection or by asking their Local Authority or Irish Red Cross for alternative pledged accommodation.
Those wishing to avail of pledged accommodation in any given area should contact the Local Authority in that area or the Irish Red Cross. The Irish Red Cross can be contacted by email at migrationcrisis@redcross.ie or by phoning 1800 753 343.
In cases where hosting arrangements are ending, and no accommodation solution can be found locally, BOTPs may present at Citywest Transit Hub to request temporary short-term accommodation. As the Department is currently experiencing a very high demand for accommodation and a decreasing supply, my Department cannot offer any guarantee in relation to the location or type of accommodation that may be offered, as this will depend on the availability of accommodation on the date of application.
220. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the position regarding the implementation of the 109 recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism’s final report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50393/23]
View answerAs Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, I would like to commend the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism on its final report, published in June 2023, which contains detailed recommendations for action right across Government to better meet the needs of Autistic people and their families. This is a shared objective for me as Minister of State.
The recommendations contained in the Report address a broad range of issues, with many recommendations falling outside the direct remit of my Department. Within my own area of responsibility, the recommendations of the Report are being carefully considered in the context of development of a new national strategy on autism, the Autism Innovation Strategy, which was in development prior to the final Report of the Committee and which will respond to commitments in the Programme for Government for action on autism at a whole-of-Government level.
The Autism Innovation Strategy will identify ways to address the bespoke challenges and barriers faced by autistic people and provide the building blocks for a more autism-inclusive society. It will be cross-Government in nature and will take a holistic approach towards addressing these challenges. In doing so, it will seek to provide for better mainstream understanding and accommodation of the needs of autistic people.
Development of the strategy is currently at an advanced stage. This follows several months of engagements right across Government to agree a suite of clear, simple actions that can address gaps in existing supports and services for autistic people within an 18 month timeframe. This process has included careful consideration of the recommendations contained in the final report of the Joint Committee on Autism.
From the outset of the development process, I have been clear that I want the autistic community to be at the centre of the development and roll out of the Autism Innovation Strategy. An initial public consultation was held in April/May 2022 to capture the views and priorities of the autistic community. A report summarising the feedback received was published in April 2023. The feedback from the public consultation has been a central consideration in the development of the strategy to date.
The Autism Innovation Strategy Oversight and Advisory Group was also appointed in December 2022, following an application process. This group, which is majority neurodivergent, will play a key role in monitoring implementation of the strategy, and in providing constructive advice based on the lived experience and expertise of group members.
Once drafting of the strategy is complete, there will be a further public consultation prior to the formal adoption of the Autism Innovation Strategy. It is my intention that implementation of the strategy will begin in early 2024 and that is the clear focus of work for my officials at present.
221. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 988 of 7 November 2023, how much of the total outlay outlined in his reply was paid to RTÉ; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50440/23]
View answerThe Disability Awareness Campaign is aimed at highlighting the importance and shared responsibility of disability inclusion, and of raising recognition and understanding of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in Ireland.
It has been guided by the text of Article 8 of the Convention itself, and by commitments to conduct a CRPD based awareness campaign contained in the National Disability Inclusion Strategy (NDIS), which had been developed in close consultation with disabled people. The campaign itself has also been developed in consultation with disabled persons and a number of Disabled Person's Organisations were engaged with to identify volunteer participants.
The Disability Awareness Campaign is a deliberately ambitious and far reaching campaign and I have been encouraged by the positive reception to it.
While not in a position to comment on specific contractual matters due to the commercially sensitive nature of the information, I can assure the Deputy that the development of the campaign has been conducted at all times in line with the proper expenditure of public monies and value for money in mind, the principle of "nothing about us without us", the ambition set for the campaign, the obligations set out in the Convention, the NDIS commitment, and my desire to deliver a powerful message on the shared challenge of implementing the UNCRPD across all aspects of everyday life.
222. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if extra time might be given at his current accommodation in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50474/23]
View answerI thank the Deputy for his question. As this question relates to personal data of a named individual, a response will be issued directly to the Deputy in the coming days.
223. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if extra time can be granted to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50475/23]
View answerI thank the Deputy for his question. As this question relates to personal data of a named individual, a response will be issued directly to the Deputy in the coming days.
224. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Health if he will investigate the significant delay at CHI Crumlin’s nephrology/urology department in responding to a GP’s repeated request for an appointment for a child (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50304/23]
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 Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health if the recent announcement to allow pharmacists to extend the validity of prescriptions from six months to twelve months, effective from 1 March 2024, includes medical card prescriptions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50305/23]
View answerI thank Deputy Smith for his question.
On the 23rd of July 2023, I established an Expert Taskforce to support the expansion of the role of pharmacists in Ireland. The remit of the Taskforce is to identify and support the delivery of specific objectives, which will serve to align services and practices that can be delivered by pharmacists, and pharmacies, with the needs of the health service and patients.
I was pleased to receive the first recommendation and report from the Taskforce at the end of October, which as you have noted, will come into effect on the 1st of March, 2024. My officials, along with relevant external stakeholders, are working on the implementation of this recommendation.
From the 1st of March 2024, the legal validity of prescriptions will be 12 months, with exceptions for some medications such as controlled drugs. Doctors and relevant prescribers such as nurses and dentists will be enabled to write prescriptions for a patient with a legal validity of up to 12 months if they deem it clinically appropriate. Pharmacists will have the power to extend prescriptions up to a maximum of 12 months for patients if they judge that it is appropriate to do so. Pharmacists may decide, following assessment, to refuse a patient’s request for extension of a prescription.
Prescriptions can be dispensed under different schemes such as GMS (general medical services) or DPS (drugs payment scheme), depending on what the person is eligible for. The legal validity of the prescription (with the exception of prescriptions for certain controlled drugs) will be 12 months, but a prescriber may use their clinical judgement to prescribe for a shorter period of time and a pharmacist may use their clinical judgement to refuse a patient’s request for extension of a prescription.
There is work to be undertaken to incorporate the extension of prescriptions into the aforementioned HSE schemes, however, the dispensing pattern within those schemes, which is monthly, will not change.
The Taskforce will continue their work over the next few months.
226. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if exceptions can be made for the inclusion of the drug ozempic to be included in the medical card drugs list for patients needing the drug for weight loss on the advice of their GP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50317/23]
View answerThe Health Service Executive (HSE) has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of medicines under the community drug schemes, in accordance with the provisions of the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013. Reimbursement is for licenced indications which have been granted market authorisation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA).
In line with the 2013 Act and the national framework agreed with industry, a company must submit an application to the HSE to have a new medicine added to the reimbursement list. In making a relevant reimbursement decision, the HSE is required under the Act to have regard to a number of criteria including efficacy, the health needs of the public, cost effectiveness and potential or actual budget impact.
Ozempic® (Semaglutide) is indicated for the treatment of adults with insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes as an adjunct to diet and exercise. Ozempic® (Semaglutide) is not licensed or reimbursed for the treatment of weight management in a non-diabetic population.
Therefore, reimbursement support for Ozempic® (Semaglutide) for the licensed indication only is available to those with eligibility under the General Medical Services (GMS) Scheme or the Long-Term Illness (LTI) Scheme. Ozempic® (Semaglutide) is not available on the Drugs Payment Scheme.
227. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health to expedite surgery for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50324/23]
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.
As the Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday 6th October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political forums or processes. As a result, the question asked by the Deputy may be delayed in receiving a response directly from the HSE.
228. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health the average waiting times from date of referral to actual first-time appointments in CAMHS for routine, urgent and emergency appointments, in tabular form; for a breakdown of these waiting times per CHO; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50340/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
As the Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday, 6 October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political forums or processes. As a result, the question asked by the Deputy may be delayed in receiving a response directly from the HSE.
