Written Answers Nos. 432-455
434. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27679/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act was signed into law by the President on 30th July 2013 and was commenced on 1st January 2014.
The main purpose of the Act is to restate the general prohibition on abortion in Ireland while regulating access to lawful termination of pregnancy in accordance with the X case and the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the A, B and C v Ireland case.
The Act provides for existing rights, i.e. within the Constitutional provisions and the Supreme Court judgment in the X case, and it does not confer any new substantive rights to a termination of pregnancy.
435. Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Offaly will receive an appointment at the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin 2; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27688/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder 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.
The National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2014, 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 the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.
436. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the circumstances surrounding the closure of the pancreatic-kidney transplant unit in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin 9; the reason a consultant has not been recruited to take over the work of a doctor (details supplied); the arrangements that are in place for the large number of transplant patients attending this clinic and for those on the waiting list for transplants; and when this clinic will be fully functioning again [27692/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraTwo consultant transplant surgeons left the renal and pancreas transplant programme at Beaumont Hospital at the end of last year, one on retirement and the second on leave of absence for professional development purposes. Four consultant transplant surgeons remain and the renal transplant programme is continuing. Given the limited number of surgeons who specialise in transplantation, the filling of any vacancies poses a challenge. Every effort is currently being made to fill the two vacancies.
Beaumont Hospital is collaborating with St Vincent’s University Hospital in relation to a combined approach to kidney/pancreas transplants, as well as the development of an intra-abdominal organ retrieval service. It is proposed that pancreatic transplants, of which 6 were performed in 2014, will move to St Vincent’s University Hospital this year. The two hospitals, together with the HSE and my Department, are working in partnership to make arrangements to facilitate the commencement of this work as soon as possible. Most pancreas transplants are combined with a kidney transplant. The arrangements being put in place for such cases will involve transplant surgeons from both St Vincent’s University Hospital and Beaumont Hospital working together on the St Vincent’s campus.
In May Beaumont Hospital wrote to all patients who have received a pancreas transplant, as well as to patients who are on the transplant waiting list. They have also written to all referring consultants. At this point all pancreas transplant recipients have been seen by clinicians in Beaumont or have appointments in place. At these appointments, future pathways of care are being discussed with all patients.
A joint assessment clinic of potential pancreas transplant patients, involving consultants and nurses from both Beaumont and St. Vincent's, will be held on 24th July.
437. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the status of the planned information and communications technology-enabled clinical and operational mental health information system, for which €400,000 was allocated in 2013; when the system will be fully operational; if the system will collect social inclusion indicators such as housing, employment, education and income status of persons accessing mental health services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27709/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service issue this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a reply within the next 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
438. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if he will release all medical records in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 3; if he will ensure that an examination will take place, of the reason that this public patient's medical files were incomplete when he received them, as this matter is causing great stress for this person' [27710/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.
439. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Health if he is satisfied that the care needs of children with special needs in County Wexford are being met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27369/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe particular issue raised by the Deputy is a service matter for the Health Service Executive. Accordingly I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
440. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if and when a computed tomography, CT, scan colonography procedure at Blanchardstown hospital will be facilitated in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27712/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder 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.
The National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2014, 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 the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly. If you have not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days please contact my Private Office and my officials will follow the matter up.
441. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Health the position regarding an application for a medical card in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27717/15]
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.
If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office who will follow up the matter with them.
442. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he has considered the negative impact of the minimum income thresholds for medical card holders who are also in receipt of social welfare payments; if it is open to him to amend this minimum income threshold to allow the Health Service Executive to award medical cards in such cases of obvious need; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24635/15]
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.
If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office who will follow up the matter with them.
443. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health if he is aware that at present there is no child psychology service available in County Kildare, the fourth most populous county in the State; his views that this presents a significant child welfare issue; the dialogue he has had with the Health Service Executive in respect of this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27274/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe HSE Child Psychology Services provide a specialist response at the appropriate level for each child, either within the community, or in an in-patient setting. This will address the psychological and, occasionally, the psychiatric needs which may arise where a child's welfare may require this.
However, the issues which may have led to a child requiring specialist treatment may, on occasion, be more appropriately addressed in the more general community setting by the relevant child welfare agencies. The HSE and other agencies, including TUSLA and the educational bodies, seek to work closely in these areas.
As the question regarding the mental health service in County Kildare is a service issue, this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply. If you have not received a reply within 15 working days, please contact my Private Office and they will follow up the matter with them.
444. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in view of the greater diversity in backgrounds of Irish citizens, the steps the Passport Office has taken to better serve those applying for and renewing their passports. [27096/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra445. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to minimise the impact of the increased demand for passports from the Passport Office each summer. [27097/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra446. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of additional staff in the Passport Office for the summer; if he anticipates a high demand for the passport card in the autumn; and the staffing plans for this service. [27098/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 444 to 446, inclusive, together.
Almost 50% of passport applications are received in the months April to July. So far this year through the extreme spike in passport applications average turnaround times for passport express have remained at 10 or 11 days. Additionally approximately 250 customers are seen daily by appointment at our public counters in Dublin and Cork and receive a turnaround service of between 1 and 10 days as appropriate.
This high level of service delivery has been achieved with the support of our staff in our passport offices in Dublin, Balbriggan and Cork. To cope with the seasonal demand, the passport service recruited 160 additional temporary staff, most taken from the live register. Additionally in line with the wider public service reform programme, the passport service pursues opportunities to improve customer service through an effective combination of internal and external service delivery initiatives. One such example is our online tracker service, which is updated a number of times a day and gives the most up to date progress report on an application.
Resource requirements are being kept under review in order to ensure that we can meet the growing demand for passport services, while at the same time modernising our processes and introducing new services such as the passport card for travel within EU and EEA countries. It is envisaged that demand for the passport card will be high among young adults for age verification and consequently assist in reducing the number of lost passports. The additional staffing resources required will be kept under regular review to ensure resources dedicated reflect actual demand.
447. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide the names of the honorary consuls, by location and country; the term of office of each consul; if he proposes to appoint any consul; if so, the process of appointment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27440/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraFull details for Ireland’s Honorary Consuls abroad are available on the Department’s website www.dfa.ie.
The general practice now is that Honorary Consuls are appointed for a five year term. However, the specific tenure of each individual Honorary Consul appointment may vary in accordance with the terms agreed at the initial date of appointment and any contract put in place at that time.
Our network of Honorary Consuls is kept under ongoing review, including with respect to the needs of Irish communities, the trade potential of countries or regions in which we do not have an Embassy or career Consulate, and other circumstances such as the retirement of existing Honorary Consuls.
Depending on the particular needs or opportunities identified in the relevant city or region, the accredited Embassy will draw up a short list of interested parties and a final candidate is then selected based on suitability for the role and appointed in accordance with any local procedures in place.
448. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is aware of the request by the coroner in the inquest of persons (details supplied) in September 1992, and into the linked murders and attempted murders of 28 persons in Northern Ireland, for a public inquiry to be held into the killings, given that the coroner believes that the inquest is not equipped to deal with the issues involved, including the issue of collusion; if he will support the coroner's call; if he will contact the British Government in relation to the important issues involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27504/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am aware of the case raised by the Deputy. My thoughts are with the family concerned. I am aware also of the difficulties and frustrations faced, over a long period of time, by so many families bereaved by the conflict as they have sought to pursue truth and justice.
The Irish Government continues, in our ongoing bilateral relations and through the European Court of Human Rights at Strasbourg, to raise with the British Government their Article 2 obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in relation to specific Troubles-related deaths.
Over 3,500 people died during the Troubles. The suffering of their relatives and friends endures to this day. I understand and acknowledge the frustration of families who for too long have had to contend with inadequate mechanisms for addressing their cases. For that reason, the establishment of a new comprehensive framework for dealing with the past, as envisaged in the Stormont House Agreement, remains a priority of the Government.
These institutions will include a Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) to take forward investigations into Troubles-related deaths, as well as an Independent Commission on Information Retrieval (ICIR) to enable families to seek and privately receive information about Troubles-related deaths.
In the Stormont House Agreement, it was acknowledged also that recent domestic and European judgments have demonstrated that the legacy inquest process in Northern Ireland is not providing access to a sufficiently effective investigation within an acceptable timeframe. In light of this, the NI Executive has undertaken to take appropriate steps to improve the way the legacy inquest function is conducted to comply with ECHR Article 2 requirements, which would encompass all cases in which there are allegations of collusion. The Irish Government supports the full and expeditious implementation of the Stormont House Agreement including in relation to legacy inquests.
449. Deputy Joe Costello asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans for the next stage of the development of the Dublin Institute of Technology campus at Grangegorman in Dublin 7; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27183/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraConcurrent with managing legal proceedings that have been initiated in relation to the Grangegorman project, a request for planning permission has been lodged for the PPP phase. This is evidence of my Department's determination to overcome difficulties associated with the legal proceedings in the interest of expediting delivery of the project.
450. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the projected cost of changing the measurement of geographical distance to a measurement of travel distance in respect of qualifying for grant assistance under the Student Universal Support Ireland scheme. [26892/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra451. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of reinstating the old adjacent rate of the grant under the Student Universal Support Ireland scheme at 24 km. [26893/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 450 and 451 together.
In Budget 2011, the qualifying distance criterion for entitlement to the higher non-adjacent rate of grant, in place since 1968, changed from 15 miles (24 kilometres) to 28 miles (45 kilometres). This measure took effect for all students, both new and renewal, from the start of the 2011/2012 academic year.
The percentage split before the change in Budget 2011 was 77% of maintenance grant recipients qualifying for the non-adjacent rate with 23% of maintenance grants paid at the adjacent rate. Currently the split is 53% non-adjacent and 47% adjacent.
The percentage split between adjacent and non-adjacent can fluctuate from one year to another as some students graduate and new applicants come into grant. However, assuming that a change in the adjacency rate resulted in a reversion to the old percentage split then, approximately 15,000 additional students would move to the non-adjacent rate. It is difficult to quantify the cost due to the fact that each individual's circumstances are different and any impact would affect an unknown cohort of new applicants applying to SUSI at some future date. However, assuming that all 15,000 students transferring from the non-adjacent to the adjacent rate qualify for the standard rate of grant, then the financial impact of such a change would amount to €27.1 million. If all 15,000 qualified for the special rate then the cost would be €52.8m.
452. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will examine introducing a special supplementary means tested payment under the Student Universal Support Ireland scheme for those living on islands who incur extra travel costs or living costs because they cannot commute. [26894/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra453. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will review the payment rates under the Student Universal Support Ireland Scheme, given the poor standard of transport links in many rural areas. [26895/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 452 and 453 together.
The eligibility criteria for student grants including the income thresholds is reviewed annually in my Department and approved by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
The aim of the student grant scheme has always been to make a contribution to the cost of going to college, covering the full cost has never been a feasible option.
As the Deputy will be aware, all proposals made in relation to education expenditure, including changes to grant rates, will be considered in the context of the Budget 2016.
454. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has conducted any review of the rules of assessing estrangement used by Student Universal Support Ireland; if she is aware of any review conducted by Student Universal Support Ireland on the matter; and the outcome of any of these reviews. [26896/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra455. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide clear guidelines to grant authorities that will compel them to recognise genuine evidence from students that demonstrates estrangement from their families. [26897/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 454 and 455 together.
Cases of genuine estrangement are relatively rare and almost always will involve exceptional circumstances unique to a particular family situation. The scheme does not stipulate precisely how an awarding authority satisfies itself that such circumstances prevail. This is to allow the awarding authority sufficient flexibility to assess the evidence of irrevocable estrangement in each individual case.
It is difficult to legislate for all possible scenarios that can lead to genuine estrangement cases. Setting out guidelines as to how students can demonstrate estrangement will by their very nature, restrict the assessment of estrangement cases to those that fall within these guidelines. Such restrictions may not be in the best interest of students genuinely in this situation.
