Written Answers Nos. 404-418
404. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a hospital appointment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51478/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2013, has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has been adopted by the Health Service Executive, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.
In relation to this particular query raised by the Deputy, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy in this matter.
405. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Health the steps being taken to ensure that all hospitals, but especially voluntary hospitals, have followed the good governance guidelines set down in the Health Information and Quality Authority report into governance in Tallaght hospital; and the hospitals that have changed their governance structure as a result. [51479/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Report into quality, safety and governance at Tallaght Hospital is an important element in driving the Health Reform Programme which is focusing on and prioritising patient safety and best governance.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) established an Implementation Oversight Group to progress the recommendations of the Report of the Investigation into the quality, safety and governance of the care provided by the Adelaide and Meath Hospital incorporating the National Children's Hospital (AMNCH) for patients who require acute admission. The Group has worked closely my Department to progress the necessary actions to implement the report recommendations. The HSE prioritised those recommendations which relate directly to the safe care of their patients. In July 2013, the HSE published an interim report on the progress on implementation. As set out in that interim report, in moving to the next stage of implementation, the HSE is widening its approach to address a range of governance issues including the structure, membership, codes of practice, management arrangements and performance management process for hospital groups; management and performance management of non-acute services; and performance management of funded services that can be achieved through the existing service arrangements.
The HIQA report and the Higgins report, 'the Establishment of Hospital Groups as a Transition to Independent Hospital Trusts’ provide a template for hospital governance which will be the foundation for the governance of the new hospital groups. I am establishing a Strategic Advisory Group to oversee the implementation of hospital groups and to ensure that international best practice feeds into the implementation of hospital groups, particularly in relation to developing trends in acute health care service provision and governance. It is acknowledged that there is a need to review the Board membership provisions of the statutory hospital boards and my Department intends to progress legislative amendments as part of the work underway on governance. In the interim appointments will continue to be made in line with current legislation.
406. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the position regarding a medical certificate in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51480/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Revenue Commissioners operate a Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Scheme, whereby a person with a disability or a family member can qualify for tax relief linked to the purchase of vehicles, providing the person with a disability is the holder of a Primary Medical Certificate. Applications for Primary Medical Certificates are processed by the Health Service Executive. Where the issue of a Primary Medical Certificate is refused, the applicant may appeal this refusal to the Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal at the National Rehabilitation Hospital, Rochestown Avenue, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. The Board is independent in the exercise of its functions.
As the issue raised by the Deputy relates to a service matter, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy.
407. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Health if patients with terminal illness are subject to a means test to qualify for medical cards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51488/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraNo means test is applied to a person reporting end stage terminal illness. All that is required is that a medical report be submitted to the HSE verifying the person's condition. On receipt of the report confirmation, a medical card issues within 24 hours to the person concerned for a period of six months. Moreover, it is open to the person concerned or their parents, in the case of a card issuing to a child, to make a full application for medical card eligibility before the expiry of the initial six month period of eligibility.
In any event, renewal assessment forms automatically issue to the holders of all medical card or GP visit cards, three months prior to the expiry date of the card. Medical cards approved based on a full eligibility assessment are granted for a period of two years before being subjected to review assessment to determine continuing eligibility.
411. Deputy Dara Murphy asked the Minister for Health his plans to either reduce or increase the level of cash savings with regard to the eligibility for an over-70's medical card application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51513/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraAssessment for eligibility for an over-70s medical card is based on gross income from all sources with the exception of specific compensation awards/redress awards and income from a certain amount of savings and similar investments, currently set at €36,000 for a single person and €72,000 for a couple.
There are no proposals at present to change these amounts.
412. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health when a decision will be made on an application for lottery funding by a group (details supplied) in County Galway; the reason for the delay on the decision in view of the importance of lottery funding for this group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51527/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has received an application for funding from the 2013 National Lottery allocation from the organisation in question. This is one of a large number of applications currently being assessed. The Deputy will be informed of the outcome of the application as soon as a decision has been made.
413. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the progress to date in determination of an application for a medical card in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51530/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information has issued to Oireachtas members.
414. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if he supports amendments Nos. 30, 191, 193, 250 and 253 to the European legislation on clinical trials on medical products for human consumption; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51532/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe objective of the Clinical Trials Proposal is to encourage clinical trials on medicines to be carried out in the EU. The Proposal was one of 4 priority areas identified for the Irish Health Presidency Programme. The Proposal is also a priority for the Lithuanian Presidency and negotiations are currently taking place with the European Parliament to try to reach agreement before the end of the Lithuanian Presidency.
The amendments referred to by the Deputy relate specifically to transparency on clinical trials. The Commission Proposal provides for a publicly accessible EU database which will contain details of all trials submitted for authorisation in the EU and summaries of their results within one year after they have ended. The European Parliament’s amendments provide for even greater transparency in term of improving access to information. Transparency in clinical trials is fully supported by the Irish Government.
415. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health if he will provide funding for the community safety forum posts in Tallaght and Clondalkin in 2014 as was provided by his Department in 2013. [51533/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraFunding in respect of the Community Safety Forum posts will be included in the 2014 allocation for the Clondalkin Local Drugs Task Force and the Tallaght Local Drugs Task Force. It is a matter for each Task Force to determine individual project allocations.
416. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Health if he will issue a full medical card to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51537/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Health Service Executive has been asked to examine this matter and to reply to the Deputy as soon as possible.
The Health Service Executive operates the General Medical Services scheme, which includes medical cards and GP visit cards, under the Health Act 1970, as amended. It has established a dedicated contact service for members of the Oireachtas specifically for queries relating to medical cards and GP visit cards, which the Deputy may wish to use for an earlier response. Contact information has issued to Oireachtas members.
417. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive a urology appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51538/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraFor 2013, a maximum waiting time target of 12 months has been set for a first time consultant-led outpatient appointment and this is reflected in the HSE Service Plan. The SDU and the NTPF are working closely with hospitals towards achievement of the maximum waiting time.
Should a patient's general practitioner consider that the patient's condition warrants an earlier appointment, he or she would be in the best position to take the matter up with the consultant and hospital involved. In relation to the specific hospital appointment query raised by the Deputy, as this is a service matter it has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
418. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Health the reason there is a legal requirement for maternity cover to be mandatory in all health insurance policies regardless of the age of the policy holder, even for those who will never require such cover. [51541/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra433. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Health if it is Government policy that women, regardless of age, must carry insurance for maternity cover and all other related maternity issues; his views on whether it is unfair to expect persons to pay for insurance cover of which they will never have to avail; and if he will give a commitment to resolving this issue as soon as possible. [51707/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 418 and 433 together.
The inclusion of maternity benefit in all health insurance products is a statutory requirement, as part of a legal obligation on health insurers to provide a specific minimum level of benefit in all health insurance products sold.
Minimum benefit is one of the key principles on which the Irish private health insurance regulatory system is based. Minimum Benefit Regulations, made under the Health Insurance Acts, require insurers to offer a minimum benefit to every insured person. The key purpose of the Regulations is to ensure the continued availability of the type of broad hospital cover traditionally held as a minimum by the insured population and to ensure that individuals do not significantly under-insure. Minimum Benefit Regulations were introduced in 1996, under Section 10 of the Health Insurance Act, 1994 and cover in-patient, out-patient and day-patient services provided by publicly funded hospitals, private hospitals, registered nursing home and hospital consultants.
The Minimum Benefit Regulations ensure that all consumers obtain an appropriate minimum level of health insurance cover regardless of what plan they purchase and that every plan available is inclusive of a minimum suite of benefits/procedures, some of which are available to the market as a whole and some of which will be applicable specifically to either men or women. By way of example, the Regulations include provision for such medical treatments as a prostatectomy or testicular biopsy (in the case of men) and cervical biopsy or maternity services (in the case of women). Importantly, under Community Rating everybody is charged the same premium for a particular health insurance plan which includes this minimum suite of benefits, irrespective of age, gender and the current or likely future state of their health. Thus, the broad base line of procedures provided by minimum benefit should not be looked at in gender specific terms, but rather as a cohort of procedures that are important to the community of the insured population and thus should be protected and provided as a minimum base to all.
