Written Answers Nos. 590-604
590. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Health if he will consider adding the cost of myopathy lenses to the public scheme (details supplied); if not, if his Department will cover the cost up to costs incurred of ordinary lenses which are covered by the public scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53676/23]
View answerThe Community Ophthalmic Services Scheme (COSS) is a national fee-per-item scheme which was introduced in 1979. Under the COSS, medical card holders aged over 16 years can be seen by ophthalmologists, community ophthalmic physicians, optometrists or dispensing opticians.
Eligible patients can receive an eye examination and be provided with prescribed optical appliances in accordance with a national schedule of approved optical appliances.
The Health Professionals (Reduction of Payments to Ophthalmologists, Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians) Regulations 2013 (SI 274 of 2013) sets the fees for optometrists and dispensing opticians under the Community Optometric Services, Community Spectacle Dispensing Services and Health Amendment Act Card Schemes.
591. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of patients who are clinically discharged but who remain in hospital; the number of patients who are clinically discharged in hospital for six months or less, between six months and one year, between one year and 18 months, between 18 months and two years and for more than two years, by hospital. [53688/23]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible. 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.
592. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health to respond to concerns raised (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53691/23]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022 was introduced to, and passed Second Stage in, the Dáil in March 2022 and has been referred to the Select Committee on Health for Third Stage. The focus of this Bill is on the regulation, for the first time in this country, of a wide range of assisted human reproduction (AHR) practices undertaken within the jurisdiction.
The Bill as published provided for domestic altruistic surrogacy but does not contain provisions to regulate surrogacy arrangements undertaken in other jurisdictions. However, on foot of Government approval of a proposal from Minister McEntee, Minister O’Gorman and myself, the Special Oireachtas Joint Committee on International Surrogacy was formally established in February 2022.
Following the publication of the Committee’s Final Report in July 2022, through a structured and collaborative engagement process, the three relevant Departments (Departments of Health, Justice, and Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth) reviewed the Report’s recommendations along with other relevant matters. This project culminated with the approval by Cabinet in mid-December 2022 of a policy approach in respect of both the regulation of international surrogacy and the recognition of certain past surrogacy arrangements (domestic and international) as well as outline draft legislative proposals.
The formal drafting process of these new surrogacy provisions by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel (OPC), in conjunction with the three relevant Departments, as appropriate, is near completion.
The new provisions will then need to be approved by Government following the completion of the formal drafting process. It is intended that the finalised approved legislative provisions will then in effect be added to the AHR Bill at Committee Stage, in tandem with the bringing of substantial proposed amendments to the 11 Parts and 134 pages of the published Bill.
It is important to note that there is no international consensus on or any agreed legal instrument addressing the issue of international surrogacy and no other jurisdiction has legislated for a similar type of bespoke process to that which we propose to be set up here. It is imperative that we get this complex legislation right, including ensuring alignment with provisions in existing related legislation on the Irish Statute Book.
The Deputy will appreciate that responsibility for various forms of family-related leave comes under the remit of the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration & Youth. Legislative changes in respect of all forms of family-related leave must be developed in the context of the broader legal situation concerning parentage or pertaining to any other relevant issue.
I wish to reiterate my commitment to ensuring both that the goal of providing for a route to formal recognition by the State of past surrogacy arrangements or surrogacy arrangements in other jurisdictions is achieved and that a robust regulatory framework for AHR more broadly is put in place, as quickly as possible.
593. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health to expedite an appointment for a person (details supplied) as soon as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53721/23]
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, 6 October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political forums or processes. As a result, there may be a delay in the Deputy receiving a reply from the HSE.
594. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Health the number of people per county approved for homecare by the HSE but currently left without care due to the inability of the private providers to fulfil the hours; and his plans to address the lack of care assistants that is causing this shortage. [53724/23]
View answerTo examine and address the significant workforce challenges in the homecare and nursing home sectors in Ireland, in March last year I established a cross-departmental Strategic Workforce Advisory Group on Home Carers and Nursing Home Healthcare Assistants. The group was charged with identifying strategic workforce challenges in publicly and privately provided frontline carer roles in home support and nursing homes. Their report was published in October 2022 with 16 recommendations to address recruitment and retention issues. A link to the report is below:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/492bc-report-of-the-strategic-workforce-advisory-group-on-home-carers-and-nursing-home-health-care-assistants/
Implementation of the 16 recommendations of the Strategic Workforce Advisory Group on Home Carers and Nursing Home Healthcare Assistants is underway and being overseen by a cross-departmental Implementation Group, chaired by the Department of Health. The group met most recently in October and a progress update was recently published and is available at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/66dd1-strategic-workforce-advisory-group-on-home-carers-and-nursing-home-healthcare-assistants-implementation/
A new and improved HSE Home Support Tender has been in place since August. This delivers on commitments for sectoral reform such as payment for travel time for home support providers, paying carers the National Living Wage at a minimum, and bringing legacy rates in line with the new revised rates of funding.
There are components to the Deputy's question that are operational matters and I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to you directly on these, 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.
595. Deputy Charles Flanagan asked the Minister for Health when a child (details supplied) will get a further urgent appointment with CAMHS; their current place on the waiting list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53728/23]
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.
596. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health if the ages for cancer screening are being reviewed by his Department for breast and bowel cancer; if lowering the age of same is being considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53737/23]
View answerI 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.
Any decisions about further changes or expansion of our screening programmes, 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.
I would stress to the Deputy that careful consideration must be given to any proposed expansion of Ireland’s screening programmes and that this process must be afforded the necessary amount of time to complete. In this regard, I am pleased to report that the Committee is already progressing work to consider the further expansion of our cancer screening programmes and has asked HIQA to evaluate the evidence for the further expansion of the age range eligibility for both the BowelScreen and BreastCheck programmes.
BreastCheck currently invites women aged 50 to 69 years at regular periods to have a routine mammogram. 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. The HSE began offering screening to people aged 59 in October 2023, bringing the age range for bowel screening to 59 to 69. BowelScreen plans to next offer screening to people aged 70, with plans for implementation continuing to be dependent on available resources.
Population-based screening programmes are for healthy people without symptoms. If anyone becomes aware of symptoms, or if they have concerns or worries, they should contact a medical professional.
597. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if a matter (details supplied) will be examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53740/23]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
598. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the meetings held by his officials from assistant principal level up with representatives of the alcohol industry in 2020, 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023; the dates, attendees and matters that were discussed at each meeting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53743/23]
View answerThe only relevant meeting identified occurred on 12 May 2022. That meeting was held by the Food and Environmental Health Unit of my Department, assisted by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, and was an event to gather stakeholders’ views on the EU Commission’s proposed revision of the Food Information to Consumers (FIC) Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011). Industry Groups represented included Food Drink Ireland, Drinks Ireland and the Irish Distillers Association. In accordance with GDPR guidelines, personal details of individual attendees at this event have not been retained on file.
599. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Health the actions he has taken, or if he has plans to incentivise working within the public health sector to ensure that fewer professionals leave Ireland and that staff do not feel compelled to supplement their income by working in the private sector; and the estimated cost of undertaking this measure. [53751/23]
View answerAs this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently not in a position to answer PQs due to industrial action. It is hoped that normal services will resume soon. In the meantime, this Department will continue to refer PQs to HSE for their direct reply as soon as possible.
600. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Health the actions he has taken, or if he has plans to ensure that public sector health workers are satisfied to work exclusively within the public health sector; and the estimated cost of undertaking this measure. [53752/23]
View answerAs this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently not in a position to answer PQs due to industrial action. It is hoped that normal services will resume soon. In the meantime, this Department will continue to refer PQs to HSE for their direct reply as soon as possible.
601. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Health the actions he has taken, or if he has plans to incentivise working within the public health sector to ensure that fewer professionals leave Ireland and that staff do not feel compelled to supplement their income by working in the private sector; and the estimated cost of undertaking this measure. [53753/23]
View answerAs this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently not in a position to answer PQs due to industrial action. It is hoped that normal services will resume soon. In the meantime, this Department will continue to refer PQs to HSE for their direct reply as soon as possible.
602. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Health the actions he has taken, or if he has plans to ensure that public sector health workers are satisfied to work exclusively within the public health sector; and the estimated cost of undertaking this measure. [53754/23]
View answerAs this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently not in a position to answer PQs due to industrial action. It is hoped that normal services will resume soon. In the meantime, this Department will continue to refer PQs to HSE for their direct reply as soon as possible.
603. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Health following reports by the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative that women in Ireland struggle to access breastfeeding support, what measures his Department will take to ensure that healthcare professionals and volunteer support groups are more efficiently equipped to provide said support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53756/23]
View answerEncouraging mothers to breastfeed is a priority, both for the Department of Health and for the Health Service Executive (HSE). National health policy, which includes the Healthy Ireland Framework, the National Maternity Strategy, the Obesity Policy and Action Plan, and the National Cancer Strategy, all emphasise the importance of supporting mothers to breastfeed, as well as the overall aim of increasing breastfeeding rates in Ireland.
Since 2016, through the Health Service Breastfeeding Action Plan (Breastfeeding in a Healthy Ireland), progress has been made in supports available for breastfeeding in Ireland. The HSE has established the National Breastfeeding Implementation Group to progress a range of actions, across a number of divisions, to provide the supports that mothers require at all stages of the breastfeeding continuum.
Resources have been made widely available in healthcare settings, which highlight the benefits of breastfeeding but also give useful practical information on developing the skill of breastfeeding in those first few weeks and months. The HSE mychild.ie website, is a one stop point of information for parents of infants and young children, to promote healthy eating in the first one thousand days of life. Peer support groups and the establishment of the “We’re breastfeeding friendly” initiatives are very welcome supports promoted by the Healthy Ireland framework to encourage new mothers to feel at ease breastfeeding their infants on demand, when out and about socialising with friends and family. Access to education and training for all healthcare staff has improved due to availability of blended learning options, such as HSeLanD, so that healthcare professionals can provide evidence-based care to expecting and new parents.
In 2021, Minister Donnelly announced additional funding to the HSE of €1.58 million to fund 24 additional lactation consultants thereby providing support to every maternity unit in the country. This funding supports more new mothers in maternity and primary care settings to breastfeed their infants. There are currently 58.1 WTE dedicated lactation posts employed in the HSE, with 35.5 WTE working in maternity services and 23.6 WTE in primary care.
The vision of the Healthy Ireland framework is that everyone can reach physical and mental health and well-being to their full potential. Government support and promotion of breastfeeding is evident in the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative Report (WBTI) report. The report sets out clear objectives for further development which can be used to benchmark future breastfeeding initiatives. The Government remains committed to improving the breastfeeding rates in Ireland and it will remain a priority for new policy development which is due in the coming years
604. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health who the highest-level public servant is in Waterford University and what title they fall under. [53757/23]
View answerAs this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently not in a position to answer PQs due to industrial action. It is hoped that normal services will resume soon. In the meantime, this Department will continue to refer PQs to HSE for their direct reply as soon as possible.
