Written Answers Nos. 858 - 882
858. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Health his plans for a new phase of voluntary redundancies for staff in the Health Service Executive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5844/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government has decided that the numbers employed across the public service must be reduced in order to meet its fiscal and budgetary targets. The health sector must make its contribution to that reduction. This policy requires that by the end of 2013, the health service achieves a workforce of 98,955 whole time equivalents (WTEs).
While normal retirement and redeployment will achieve part of the required reduction, a targeted programme of voluntary redundancy in certain parts of the health service will also be introduced as a means of achieving the full reductions required. Work is underway to determine the most appropriate way of targeting this scheme in order to ensure that any impact on frontline service delivery is minimised. Further details will be made available as soon as possible.
859. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if there has been a reduction in ambulance services for those attending medical appointments within the Health Service Executive services; if there has been a change to facilities for transporting non urgent patients, often from their home to hospitals or clinics; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5860/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn general, people with outpatient and hospital appointments are expected to make their own travel arrangements, using private or scheduled public transport. The exceptions are for dialysis, cancer (radiotherapy and chemotherapy) and post-operative transplant patients, where transport may be provided. In these cases, the patient's appointment or treatment should be directly related to the condition. Transport may also be provided where, in the clinician's view, the patient would be unable to make the journey without clinical assistance or where the patient must be transported on a stretcher.
Following implementation of the HSE's non-ambulance patient transport policy, responsibility for the arrangement and provision of non-ambulance transport has moved from the HSE National Ambulance Service to local health offices in each region.
For non-emergency stretcher-based patient transfers between hospitals, the Intermediate Care Service (ICS), is being progressively rolled out. The ICS, by providing stretcher-based or other clinically indicated inter-facility transfers, will free up emergency vehicles for emergency duties, allowing for improved response times. In addition to the ICS, the HSE has a framework agreement with private providers for the provision of non-emergency transfers.
In relation to the specific query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
860. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Health his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding the registration fee for social workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5861/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the provisions of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 there is a two-year transitional period from the date on which the register of the members of that profession is established during which existing practitioners may apply for registration. The transitional period in the case of social workers ends on 31 May 2013.
The Health and Social care Professionals Council is an independent statutory body and is responsible for setting the level of fees. The Council has set a registration fee of €295 for existing practitioners and a fee of €100 for new graduates. An annual retention fee of €295 for all registrants, including those who paid the lower rate on graduation, is payable on the annual renewal date.
I am conscious that these fees represent a new cost to health and social care professionals who have already seen reductions in their incomes. However, all health regulators must be self-funding by way of annual fee income. Their operational costs are determined by the complexity and breadth of the statutory functions specified in the relevant legislation. Also, the greater the registrant base the lower the annual fee charged. For example, given the very large registrant base in teaching and nursing, the annual fee charged to registered nurses and teachers amounts to less than €100 per annum. Health regulators are single profession regulators whereas the Council is charged with regulating twelve disparate professions which can add significantly to operating costs. The twelve designated professions to be registered by the Council range in number from under 50 clinical biochemists to 5,550 social care workers, which amounts to about 20,000 registrants in total across all twelve professions. This is an extremely low registrant base when compared to a registrant base of well in excess of 60,000 for nurses.
The Council, together with the registration boards, has extensive statutory functions under the 2005 Act and considers the annual fee of €295 the minimum required to enable it to operate. The fee charged by the Council, which takes account of the requirement to become self funding as soon as possible, is on a par with that charged by other health regulators and less than some in certain cases. The State is currently funding the Council in its establishment phase (€1.5 million in 2012) to offset the current shortfall in income from registration fees and will continue to do so for the next few years.
In response to concerns about the level of fees, the Council has reviewed the regulatory structure to establish what scope exists for controlling registration fees and operational costs and has adopted the following measures:
- The registration fee of €295 paid by existing practitioners with the necessary experience and recognised professional qualifications, or equivalent, who are granted registration during the transitional period, will cover them for the remainder of the transitional period and one full year of retention of registration after expiration of the two year period.
- The Council has proposed significant restructuring of the way in which the designated professions will be registered and regulated to provide a more cost effective operating system and to keep costs to a minimum. This will require the enactment of primary legislation in due course.
861. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the systems in place to ensure that all contractors and sub-contractors employed on construction, refurbishment and maintenance projects funded by the State are fully compliant with Irish and European labour laws and regulations; if he will give an assurance that no contractor or sub-contractor employed on such contracts is in breach of any aspect of Irish or European labour law and regulations. [5863/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraDelivery of healthcare infrastructure is a service issue. Therefore your question has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
862. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Offaly may expect a transfer from Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe to Crumlin Childrens Hospital Dublin [5866/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe treatment or transfer of patients is a clinical matter and therefore is a matter for the consultant/s and medical team involved in providing that care. In relation to the specific query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
863. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the date on which the Health Service Executive will announce its findings and plans for the Cottage Hospital in Drogheda, County Louth, following a public consultation process that was completed in 2012. [5875/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra864. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the respite beds and long-stay beds at the Cottage Hospital in Drogheda, County Louth. [5876/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra865. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if the 30 step-down beds announced for the Cottage Hospital in Drogheda, County Louth, have been put in place to date. [5877/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra866. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if the Cottage Hospital in Drogheda, County Louth, meets the Health Information and Quality Authority standards and requirement to provide for 30 step-down beds; if he took the HIQA standards into account when he announced the commitment to provide 30 step-down beds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5878/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 863 to 866, inclusive, together.
As these are service matters they have been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
867. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if transport is provided for elderly and frail patients in need of respite care to and from the nursing home in which they receive respite care. [5879/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
868. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Health if he will expand the primary care facility concept to a town (details supplied) in County Galway in the interests of providing accessible community care facilities to the citizens of the area; if he will make the necessary arrangements in his capital budget to implement the programme over the course of the lifetime of the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5880/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs you are aware there will always be more construction projects than can be funded by the Exchequer. The primary care infrastructure model offers a good fit for private sector finance and the HSE will continue to work with interested parties to deliver primary care centres.
As the delivery of healthcare infrastructure is a service matter your query has been referred to the Executive for direct reply.
869. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Health the time frame in which the primary medical care centres in towns (details supplied) in County Galway will be progressed; when both facilities may expect to open; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5882/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraGort and Tuam, Co Galway are two of the 35 potential locations for primary care centres for development by way of PPP as announced in the July 2012 Infrastructure Stimulus Package. Of the 35, approximately 20 will be offered to the market subject to a) agreement between the local GPs and the HSE on active local GP involvement in the centres and b) site suitability and availability. The HSE is currently analysing the available sites in each location and engaging with the GPs in each location to determine their interest in participating in the primary care centre development. While it is not possible, at this time, to give start and completion dates for any of the individual 20 potential locations, the best estimate is that these primary care centres will be completed by late 2016.
870. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Health the number of former public servants recruited before 6 April 1995 who receive a public sector pension, including both pensions funded by the Exchequer and through the local government fund, and those pension schemes for which he has responsibility; the age profile of those public servants; if he will provide in tabular form the numbers of public sector pensioners in the following parameters, between €1,000 intervals up to €20,000 and those on more than €20,000. [5893/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe detailed information sought by the Deputy in relation to health service staff is a matter for the HSE and, accordingly, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to him.
The information in relation to the Non-Commercial State Agencies under the aegis of my Department is currently being collated and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is available.
871. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health in the context of recent cutbacks announced in Budget 2013, if he will provide details of the impact of these in relation to all aspects of staffing and funding to St. Michael's House, Dublin, with particular reference to access to swimming pool facilities at weekends; if he will reverse this cut, in view of the immeasurable benefit that this service has provided to date [5923/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
872. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Health if he will investigate a cancer cluster in an area (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5943/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Cancer Registry is the statutory body with responsibility for, inter alia, the collection and analysis of information relating to the incidence of cancer and related tumours in Ireland. My Department has asked the Registry to respond directly to the Deputy in relation to the incidence of cancer in the area specified.
873. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Health the cost of comparable generic drugs to the Health Service Executive vis-à-vis the cost to the NHS in Britain; if he will provide examples; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5948/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe prices of drugs vary between countries for a number of reasons, including different prices set by manufacturers, different wholesale and pharmacy mark-ups, different dispensing fees and different rates of VAT. In recent years, a number of changes to the pricing and reimbursement system have been successfully introduced in Ireland. These have resulted in reductions in the prices of thousands of medicines.
The Department and the HSE have successfully finalised discussions with the Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers in Ireland (APMI), which represents the generic industry, on a new agreement to deliver further savings in the cost of generic drugs. Under this Agreement, from 1 November 2012, the HSE will only reimburse generic products which have been priced at 50% or less of the initial price of an originator medicine. In the event that an originator medicine is priced at less than 50% of its initial price the HSE will require a generic price to be priced below the originator price. This represents a significant structural change in generic drug pricing and should lead to an increase in the generic prescribing rate. In addition, the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012, which is currently before the House, provides for the introduction of a system of generic substitution and reference pricing for prescribed drugs and medicines. These reforms will promote price competition among suppliers and ensure that lower prices are paid for these medicines resulting in further savings for taxpayers and patients.
874. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 12 of 19 December 2012, when the full and completed Walsh report into the practice of symphysiotomy will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6065/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, my Department has commissioned an independent research report in relation to the practice of symphysiotomy in Ireland. The Research included a consultation process involving patient groups, health professionals and in particular the women who have experienced symphysiotomy. The researcher is currently finalising the report based on the consultation and it is also planned to have a peer review process. It is hoped that the report will be published early in 2013.
My first priority is to ensure that the women who have had this procedure have their health needs comprehensively and professionally met. In this regard, the HSE provides a range of services to women who continue to suffer the effects of having had this procedure. These services include the provision of medical cards, the availability of independent clinical advice and the organisation of individual pathways of care and the arrangement of appropriate follow-up.
875. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 115 of 6 November 2012, if he will provide end of year figures; if he will further provide corresponding figures for other notifiable hospital acquired infections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6070/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy was advised in his previous Parliamentary Question reply, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) publishes quarterly data in arrears on bloodstream infections notified to it from all hospital laboratories, both public and private. Provisional statistics for 2012 to end-September 2012 were published on the HPSC's website on 19/12/2012 and are still subject to revision; full year statistics are not yet available but it is expected that data will be ready for publication by March 2013.
The information currently available on the number of cases of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureas (MRSA) and Clostridium Difficile (C. Diff.) notified by hospitals to the HPSC to end-September 2012 is:
MRSA: 174 cases
Clostridium Difficile: 1,285 cases.
This compares with 206 and 1,103 cases respectively for the same nine-month period in 2011.
A healthcare associated infection is an infection that is acquired after contact with the healthcare services. This is most frequently after treatment in a hospital, but can also happen after treatment in outpatient clinics, nursing homes and other healthcare settings. Healthcare associated infections that are picked up in hospital are also known as "hospital acquired infections". The HPSC collect, analyse and interpret large volumes of data on notifiable pathogens such as C. difficile, MRSA, E.coli and Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacteriaceae(CRE) originating from a variety of sources including hospitals and other healthcare settings. The Centre also co-ordinated the Point Prevalence Survey of Hospital-Acquired Infections & Antimicrobial Use in European Acute Care Hospitals 2012 . This survey, in which 50 Irish hospitals (42 public and 8 private) participated in May 2012, was carried out across all of the European Union Member States.
If the Deputy could specify the healthcare associated infection(s) of particular interest to him, my Department officials will, with the assistance of the HPSC, collate the data required without delay on receipt of the Deputy's additional queries.
876. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if a nomination has been made to the chairmanship of Horse Sport Ireland; if so, the name of the person nominated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5111/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn consultation with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and with Minister of State Michael Ring TD, I have nominated Patrick Wall as Chairman of Horse Sport Ireland. Patrick Wall is Professor of Public Health at University College Dublin and is qualified both as a veterinary surgeon and a medical doctor. Mr Wall was appointed by the board of directors of Horse Sport Ireland as its chairman on 31 January 2013, with the appointment to take effect from the 6th of February 2013.
877. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when he expects to introduce a community roads scheme; if he envisages that there will be a change in the eligibility criteria for the scheme, that is, an increased local contribution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5103/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority.
In previous years, local authorities were permitted to set aside up to 7.5% of their Restoration Programme grants for Community Involvement Scheme works on regional and local roads. Under that scheme the community contribution (in money or in kind), could not be less than 25% of the cost of the works. In practice such works were usually only carried out on cul-de-sac local tertiary roads.
This year my Department is launching a new pilot Community Involvement Scheme. This new scheme will be based on contributions within the range of 20% to 50%. Local authorities will be invited shortly to apply to my Department for funding under the 2013 Community Involvement Scheme.
878. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide a breakdown of the €286 million of capital funding spent by his Department during December; the reason 31% of his Department's overall capital spend was held until December; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5142/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe breakdown of the capital spend for the month of December is set out in the table. The 2012 gross capital allocation for my Department was €1,245 million and there was a capital carryover from 2011 of €8.7 million. The gross December spend of €414 million represents just over 33% of that total amount. Spending profiles in my Department normally show a concentration of expenditure at year-end when the various implementing agencies present final requests for payment for expenditure undertaken by them most notably in the areas of road improvements and maintenance and public transport investment.
|
- |
TOTAL EXPENDITURE |
|
CAPITAL SUBHEAD |
IN DECEMBER 2012 |
|
- |
€000s |
|
ADMINISTRATION |
- |
|
ADMINISTRATION – NON PAY |
72 |
|
A – CIVIL AVIATION |
- |
|
A3 REGIONAL AIRPORTS |
2,334 |
|
A4 MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES |
346 |
|
B – LAND TRANSPORT |
- |
|
B3 ROAD IMPROVEMENT/MAINTENANCE |
291,194 |
|
B4 ROAD SAFETY AGENCIES & EXPENSES |
50 |
|
B5 VEHICLE & DRIVER LICENCING EXPENSES |
1,084 |
|
B6 SMARTER TRAVEL & CARBON REDUCTION |
9,578 |
|
B8 PUBLIC TRANSPORT INVESTMENT PROGRAMME |
92,470 |
|
B10 MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES |
0 |
|
C – MARITIME TRANSPORT & SAFETY |
- |
|
C3 MARITIME ADMIN & IRCG |
3,232 |
|
D - SPORT |
- |
|
D3 GRANTS FOR SPORTING BODIES |
5,185 |
|
D4 GRANTS FOR SWIMMING POOLS |
4,968 |
|
D6 NATIONAL SPORTS CAMPUS |
576 |
|
E – TOURISM |
- |
|
E7 TOURISM PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT |
2,500 |
|
GROSS 2012 CAPITAL EXPENDITURE |
414,165 |
|
A-in-A CAPITAL |
130,905 |
|
NET CAPITAL EXPENDITURE |
283,260 |
879. Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will release any correspondence between the Marine Survey Office and a company (details supplied) in County Donegal, arising from the inspection of a boat that is owned by a company; if he will release any correspondence that may be relevant to the boat; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5179/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraA request for this correspondence was received by the Marine Survey Office of my Department under the Freedom of Information Act 1997 and 2003. A decision was made to refuse the request under the terms of the Act.
The requester is entitled to appeal the decision by writing to:
The Secretary of the FOI Internal Review Board, Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport,
25 Clare Street,
Dublin 2.
880. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will report on the introduction of the EU driving licence and the impact of the new system on Irish motorists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5206/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraIf I may begin with a clarification, there is strictly speaking no such thing as an 'EU driving licence'. Ireland issues Irish driving licences whose format accords with EU standards. We have now changed over from a paper format of driving licence to a new EU standard plastic card driving licence. The new licence accords with a format set out in Directive 2006/126/EC, as amended by Directive 2011/94/EU. The Road Safety Authority (RSA), as the national driver licensing authority, began issuing the new plastic licence on 19 January 2013. As and from that date, all licences issued will be in the new format.
The transition to the plastic card has been planned carefully, with the RSA taking the lead and other key stakeholders involved at each stage. In parallel, a new structure for delivering driving licences under the RSA is being introduced. The RSA became the national driver licensing authority from 12 January. The new system will be fully in place later this year, but at present a transitional arrangement is in place, with local authorities continuing to perform a number of driver licensing functions on behalf of the RSA.
Reaction to the new format licence has been very positive and I believe the public in general welcome this change. The new licence is more durable and more convenient to carry than the paper format which it is replacing as well as offering greater security.
881. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the new road safety strategy will be introduced in March; the main themes of the proposed new strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5207/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Road Safety Authority is in the process of preparing the next Road Safety Strategy, which will cover an 8 year period from 2013 to 2020. The aim of the Strategy, like all previous, will be to save lives and prevent injuries by reducing the number and severity of collisions on our roads.
The new Strategy will adopt a safe system approach by reinforcing the concept of shared responsibility across organisations, businesses and communities. The Strategy will outline a number of Actions to be taken in furthering the cause of road safety and will assign responsibility for implementation of these Actions to the most appropriate State bodies. The detail of the Actions have not yet been finalised.
In general, the new Strategy, while not deflecting attention from road fatalities, will concentrate to a significant extent on serious injuries caused by road collisions.
When the final draft is received from the RSA, I will seek Government approval for the new Strategy and I plan formally to launch it at a road safety conference to be held during Ireland's Presidency of the EU at the end of March 2013.
882. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his view on the non-ratification by Ireland, to date, of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 and ILO 188; the basis upon which these standards are not applied here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5248/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC) of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is applicable to international shipping worldwide. It aims to achieve decent working and living conditions on board ships for all seafarers, regardless of their nationality and of the flag of the ship, as well as securing fair competition for quality shipowners. The Convention enters into force 12 months after 30 ratifications are registered with the ILO. The 30th ratification was registered on 20 August 2012, so the Convention enters into force for those 30 countries on 20 August 2013. It will enter into force for Ireland 12 months after we ratify.
Ireland supports the Maritime Labour Convention, and is preparing to ratify it. My Department is working with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel on the drafting of a suite of Regulations, to enable Ireland to ratify.
The ILO Work in Fishing Convention (No.188) was adopted in 2007 to set standards to protect workers in the fishing sector. The Convention aims to ensure that fishers:
- have improved occupational safety and health and medical care at sea, and that sick or injured fishers receive care ashore;
- receive sufficient rest for their health and safety;
- have the protection of a work agreement; and
- have the same social security protection as other workers.
There are also measures to ensure compliance and enforcement. The work in fishing convention will enter into force 12 months after the date on which the ratifications of ten Members, eight of which are coastal States, have been registered with the Director General of the ILO. At present only two countries have ratified i.e. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Argentina.
It is generally accepted that attention within the marine sector will focus on the International Labour Organisation Work in Fishing Convention (ILO C188), after the MLC 2006 comes into force.
