Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 6 May 1998

Vol. 490 No. 5

Written Answers. - Departmental Appointments.

Nora Owen

Ceist:

203 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of committees, expert groups, outside agencies and study groups he has set up since July 1997; the topic each group is examining; the number of members in each group; when each group is due to report; and the costs, if any, associated with each group. [10692/98]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

The information required by the Deputy is set out below.

Group/Topic	Members	Report Date	Costs
Interdepartmental Working Group on Green Paper on Abortion
In December 1997 the Government established a Cabinet Committee to oversee the work of an Interdepartmental Working Group which will prepare a Green Paper on Abortion	9	It is hoped to draft a Green Paper during the summer of 1998	The only costs incurred have been in relation to the placing of newspaper advertisements inviting submissions. The cost in this regard is £75,364
National Committee for Certification of the Eradication of Poliomyelitis
The National Committee for Certification of the Eradication of Polymyelitis was established in December 1997 to prepare documentation to certify that Ireland is free of wild polio virus. This forms part of the World Health Organisation's programme for certification, by the year 2000, country by country and region by region, that polio has been eradicated world-wide. The national committee will prepare standard documentation as required by the WHO in line with this objective	7	The committee is expected to continue in existence until 2000. The committee is not required to produce a report	No costs have been incurred.
Joint Working Group on Adult Community Ophthalmic Services
At the request of the Minister for Health and Children, a joint working group was established comprising representatives of the Association of Optometrists Ireland and the health boards, to look at ways that members of the Association of Optometrists Ireland could have a more structured involvement in the adult community ophthalmic services. The working group is examining how such involvement can best be structured to meet the needs of the GMS population	6	The group first met on 21 January 1998 and considerable progress has been made. It is expected that the group will report by mid-1998	There are no cost implications for the Department
Management Board of the National Disease Surveillance Unit
Approval for the establishment of the National Disease Surveillance Unit was conveyed to the Eastern Health Board in November 1997. The unit is initially being established on a non-statutory basis for an interim period not exceeding three years. During this time the unit will operate under the aegis of the Eastern Health Board, following which it will be established on a statutory basis. A small management board will oversee the operation of the unit, monitor developments and bring forward recommendations for the next stage of the development i.e. on a statutory basis	7	The first meeting of the board took place on 16 February 1998. No report will be produced	A sum of £250,000 has been allocated in 1998 for the setting up of the unit and a further additional sum of £500,000 will be made available in 1999
National Tuberculosis Review Committee
The Report of the Working Party on Tuberculosis, published in October 1996 recommended, inter alia that a National Tuberculosis Review Committee be established to advise on a national strategy for the control and management of tuberculosis. It was subsequently decided that the review committee should be established as a standing committee, with the remit of oveseeing the implementation of the report of the working party. The committee is to have its first meeting on 6 May 1998	13	This will be a standing committee. It is not possible at this stage to say when it may issue any reports or recommendations	There are no cost implications at this stage
Expenditure Review on Dental Services
Review of expenditure on Dental Services	7	The review is due to be completed later this year.	There are no costs arising other than the normal travel and subsistence rates applicable to health board staff attending meetings in the Department
Steering Group on Contract for Consultancy Support Services
Consultancy support services are required for the planning and evaluation of the Dental Services. These consultancy support services will also facilitate the development by each health board of a standardised oral health data based information collection system as required under the Dental Health Action Plan. A steering group has been set up to oversee the project	9	The project will extend for three years at least	There are no costs arising other than the normal travel and subsistence rates applicable to health board staff attending meetings in the Department
Methadone Prescribing Implementation Committee
In November 1997 the Methadone Prescribing Implementation Committee was set up to drive the implementation of the recommendations in the report of the Methadone Treatment Services Review Group (which was circulated to all GPs and Pharmacists in January 1998)	11	The present committee will not produce another report, but will implement the recommendations of the review group's report	Costs associated with it are absorbed by
	(a) the drug treatment centre, which hosts the meetings and provides the secretariat
			(b) members of the committee whose time is approved by their parent organisations or,
			(c) in the case of one member - a pharmacist who provides his time free of charge
National AIDS Strategy Committee recommendation on routine ante-natal HIV testing
The National AIDS Strategy Committee in March 1998 recommended that routine ante-natal testing for HIV commence as soon as possible throughout the country because of the improved outcomes for both mother and child if HIV is treated during pregnancy. A committee has been set up to examine the current situation and to implement a programme of testing at the earliest opportunity. The first meeting of the committee took place on 22 April and its next meeting will take place in June. In the meantime a subcommittee is to be established to address the various aspects of the testing programme	16	It is not expected that a formal report will be produced as the remit of the group is to implement a routine ante-natal HIV test programme	Costs associated with the committee are absorbed by my Department which provides the venue and secretariat
Interdepartmental Group to co-ordinate the transfer of food control functions to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI)
The first stage of the committee's work was to co-operate on the drafting of the FSAI Establishment Bill. This has not been completed. The work of the committee will be reappraised upon the enactment of the Bill	The membership comprises reperesentatives from the following Departments: Health and Children (Chair), Agriculture and Food, Enterprise Trade and Employment, Marine and Natural Resources, Finance, Public Enterprise, Environment and Local Government	Not applicable	The costs associated with the group are incidental and will be met from the Department's administrative budget
A working group to advise the Minister for Health and Children on the formulation of a National Environmental Health Action Plan
To formulate a National Environmental Health Action Plan	14	The group expects to submit a discussion draft to the Minister in June	The costs associated with the group are incidental and will be met from the Department's administrative budget
A joint working group on the development of a smoke-free policy
Development of a smoke-free policy for Ireland	7	The group will make an initial report to the Minister within the next few weeks	The costs associated with the group are incidental and will be met from the Department's administrative budget
Expert Hearing Group on Hearing Disability Assessment
In November 1997, the Department of Health and Children established an expert group to examine and make recommendations on an appropriate system and criteria for the assessment of hearing disability arising from hearing loss, with particular reference to noise induced hearing loss	9	The report is published	Costs to date amount to £17,560.08
Review of Waiting List Initiative
The group has the following terms of reference:To examine the underlying factors giving rise to waiting lists and waiting times and to make recommendations on the most appropriate means of addressing the underlying causes of substantial waiting lists and waiting times	12	The Minister has asked the review group to report to him by the end of June so that its recommendations can be taken into account for the Estimates process in 1999 and subsequent years. In view of the short time available, the group held its first meeting on 30 April	No costs to date. Costs are expected to be modest due to the short timescale of group's work
The review should have particular regard to:
— the net effect of the current waiting list initiative (WLI) on waiting lists and waiting times;
— any incentive effects of the WLI on participating hospitals in relation to their activity and treatment schedules;
— the extent to which hospitals can consistently and accurately validate their waiting lists; and
— the adequacy of existing information systems to permit routine evaluation of the WLI
Materials Management Implementation Group
The group was established as an interim body to oversee the implementation of the recommendations of the Report of Materials Management Advisory Group	10	The group is not required to produce a report	Each agency meets its own expenses.
A working Group to Review the Child Abuse Guidelines with the following terms of reference was recently established by Minister of State, Deputy Frank Fahey
“In view of the implementation of the Child Care Act, 1991, changes in the management of health boards and the commitment of the Government to introduce mandatory reporting of child abuse to review”	19	February 1999	The costs associated with the group are not yet known
(i) the guidelines on procedures for the identification, investigation and management of child abuse and
(ii) the notification of suspected cases of child abuse between health boards and gardaí
and to prepare revised guidelines aimed at improving the identification, investigation and management of child abuse
The Cardiovascular Health Strategy Group
The group will advise on initiatives which can be taken to improve cardiovascular health through health promotion and public education. It will also examine and evaluate the organisation of current services and ongoing research into the causes of and treatment methods for cardiovascular disease. The evaluation is to cover all aspects of cardiovascular health including prevention of disease, medical and surgical facilities and rehabilitation services	13	Due to report by end of summer 1998	Incidental expenses covered under the travel and subsistence or general administration budget
Group looking into the establishment of a heart/lung transplant unit in Ireland	9	The group is not committed to publishing a report	Incidental expenses covered under travel and subsistence subhead
The National Cancer Strategy Group
The National Cancer Strategy Group includes provision for the introduction on a phased basis of National Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Programmes. Phase I will cover the Eastern, North-Eastern and Midland Health Board areas and will target population	National Steering Committee has a membership of 18. National Quality Assurance Committee has a membership of 14		Incidental expenses will be covered under general Departmental administration budget
A National Steering Committee under the chairmanship of Dr. Sheelagh Ryan, chief executive officer, Western Health Board was established in March 1997 to manage and oversee the implementation of Phase I of the programme. In addition, a National Quality Assurance Committee has been established under the chairmanship of Professor Joe Ennis, who was the director of the Eccles Pilot Screening Programme. The Quality Assurance Committee, which is a sub-committee of the National Steering Committee is charged with the responsibility for drawing up protocols for the programme to ensure that it meets with the necessary Quality Assurance criteria
Mercer Ltd.Actuarial Study on Medical Indemnity	Not applicable	20 March 1998. The report contains commercially sensitive information and will not be published	Costs to date are £40,028
Joint Department of Health and Children/Health Board Working Group on Medical Card Eligibility
A joint Department of Health and Children/Health Board Working Group has been established to clarify the guidelines on eligibility for medical cards particularly as they relate to the budget 1996 provision in relation to persons who have been on the Live Register for 12 months and who take up paid insurable employment and also to participants on approved schemes aimed at the long-term unemployed	12	A report is expected to be submitted within the next two months to Health Board chief executive officers	There are no costs associated with the group
Review of Medical Card Eligibility
The Government identified as a key priority in its programme "An Action Programme for the Millennium", a review of medical card eligibility for the elderly and large families. The Department has made the necessary arrangements to advance this review with the health boards	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable
An Expert Group established to make recommendations to the Minister for Health and Children on the clinical and non-clinical management of that group of women who received Anti-D which was infected or potentially infected with Hepatitis C, but who have tested negative for the virus
In October 1997 an Expert Group was established to make recommendations to the Minister for Health and Children on the clinical and non-clinical management of that group of women who received Anti-D which was infected or potentially infected with Hepatitis C, but who have tested negative for the virus. The work of the expert group is continuing	10	Expected to report in the coming months	Costs will be met from the Travel and Subsistence subhead