Written Answers Nos. 471-483
471. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the cost of agency and or locum staff hired by her Department for each of the years 2011 to 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21664/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised that there were no agency or locum staff hired by my Department for the period in question.
472. Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if her Department's website is accessible to persons with a disability; if the accessibility of this website is regularly reviewed to take account of new and emerging technologies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21677/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraA new website for the then Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht was launched in September 2015 which complied with all required accessibility standards. The website is currently being re-developed to accommodate the new functions of the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and continued compliance with accessibility standards is being reviewed as part of this development.
473. Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony asked the Minister for Health the progress made to date in establishing the task force to examine the issue of personalised budgets, as committed to in the programme for Government; if the commitment to establish this task force within three months of the formation of the Government, will be met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20730/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe establishment of a Task Force on Personalised Budgets is a key element in the Programme for Government’s commitment to give people with disabilities greater control, independence and choice. Personalised budgets transfer control back to the individual and give them the freedom to source the services and supports which best meet their needs.
While the concept of personalised budgets is not limited to health and personal social services, my view is that the Task Force should concentrate on personalised budgets for services for people with disabilities funded by the HSE in the first instance. Some work has already commenced on scoping how to introduce individualised budgets in health-funded disability services as part of the Transforming Lives reform programme and the Task Force will build on this work.
I am committed to setting up the Task Force as soon as possible, and I am in the process of finalising my plans in that regard. I intend to inform the Government of my decision on the Chair of the Task Force by the end of this month. I also intend to outline to Government on that occasion my plans for the appointment of members to the Task Force, and my plans for the development of the terms of reference, objectives, scope and key deliverables. With the support of the Government I will then proceed to appoint the members and arrange for the first meeting as soon as practicable.
474. Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony asked the Minister for Health the sections, if any, of the Disability Act 2005, that have not yet been implemented in full; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20737/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraPart 2 of the Disability Act 2005 provides for a statutory system for the assessment of individual health and personal social services needs for persons with a disability. This section of the Act was partly commenced in 2007 and currently all children born on or after 1st June 2002 have been deemed as being eligible to apply for an assessment of need under the Act.
In 2008, the Government decided, in the light of financial circumstances, to defer further implementation of the Disability Act 2005 and the Education for persons with Special Education Needs Act 2004.
Questions in respect of other aspects of the Disability Act 2005 should be referred to my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality in the first instance.
475. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Health if he or his Department have assessed the ramifications and the impact, if any of the ECHR's Advocate General's comments made in September 2015, about prescribing a minimum price for alcoholic drinks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20824/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra532. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Health if he or his Department have assessed the ramifications and the impact if any of the ECHR's Advocate General's comments made in September 2015 about prescribing a minimum price for alcoholic drinks could only be justified to protect public health if no alternative measure was found; if he still intends to introduce the public health alcohol Bill; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20823/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 475 and 532 together.
The Public Health (Alcohol) Bill remains a priority for this Government. The Bill is part of a suite of measures agreed on foot of the recommendations in the Steering Group Report on a National Substance Misuse Strategy. The Government approved the publication of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill and the introduction of the Bill in the Houses of the Oireachtas on the 8 December 2015. The Bill completed Second Stage in the Seanad on the 17 December 2015. The Bill has been restored to the Seanad Order Paper and it is expected that it will commence Committee Stage early in the next term.
The European Court of Justice ruled on 23 December 2015 on proposals by the Scottish Government to introduce Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP). The Court judgment is broadly in line with the Advocate General’s opinion in October last year when it states that the legislation may be justified on the grounds of the protection of health if it is proportionate to the objective pursued, and cannot be achieved by other measures such as taxation.
My Department and the Office of the Attorney General are considering the implications of the judgement. A strong and convincing case can be made in favour of MUP over other measures. I believe that MUP is a proportionate measure and the only measure that would effectively target the widespread access to alcohol that is very cheap relative to its strength. This was backed up by the research conducted by Sheffield University which showed that MUP changes behaviour in those most at risk.
476. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health if he will amend the nursing home support scheme, to allow for provision of home care, funded under the fair deal scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20842/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe overarching policy of the Government is to support older people to live in dignity and independence in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. Where this is not possible, the Health Service Executive supports access to quality long-term residential care where this is appropriate. It is my objective to ensure that available resources are deployed to achieve the best possible outcomes for older people.
The home help service is provided to assist principally older people to live in their own home. Services are provided on the basis of assessed need and there is no means-testing. The HSE's National Service Plan for 2016 projects that 10.4m home help hours will be provided this year and that 15,450 people will be in receipt of a home care package. The provision of these services is regularly reviewed at national and local levels, in the context of assessed client need against resource availability and deployment. The Programme for a Partnership Government commits to increasing provision for home supports so that we can better respond to the preferences of older people to stay at home for as long as they can.
The Review of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS), published in July 2015, considered the way that residential care is currently balanced with care in the community, and endorses the Government's view that effective community supports can reduce the reliance of older people on residential nursing home care.
The NHSS could not be extended to cover home care in its existing form, as under the NHSS, participants contribute towards the costs of their care in accordance with their means, with a large proportion paying 80% of their income for this purpose. This would not work in the community as service users would still have to meet their day to day living expenses. It must also be recognised that while differences arise in the dependency levels of residents, the NHSS generally provides a fairly standard level of service and thus lends itself to a standardised support system, whereas home services can vary much more widely.
However, I will be keeping existing arrangements for delivering home supports under review, and it is certainly possible that a more structured approach to home care, possibly with a legislative underpinning, could be considered in the future if it can be shown to make sense.
A Single Assessment Tool is already being developed which will allow for much more consistent and objective assessment of the needs of older people and as a result a better targeting of available resources to where they are most needed, and will deliver the best outcomes.
477. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health if he will ring fence funding for the implementation of phase two of the national carers strategy 2017-2021, as committed to by the Taoiseach during the first national carers' strategy, which was cost-neutral; the amount of moneys that will be made available to this strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20844/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Carers’ Strategy was published in July 2012 and sets the strategic direction for future policies, services and supports provided by Government Departments and agencies for carers.
It sets out a Vision to work towards and an ambitious set of National Goals and Objectives to guide policy development and service delivery to ensure that carers feel valued and supported to manage their caring responsibilities with confidence and are empowered to have a life of their own outside of caring.
The Goals and Objectives set out in the Strategy are not time limited but will remain valid into the future, and if their implementation can be meaningfully advanced we can make concrete and positive differences to the lives of carers and those they care for. It is for this reason that we have recommitted in the Programme for a Partnership Government to Implementing the Carers Strategy in full. The form and structure of the Strategy does not facilitate the inclusion of specific budgetary allocations, but the arrangements for engagement between stakeholders and relevant Departments and agencies allow discussion and agreement to be pursued at a more detailed level. It is this engagement that can promote progressive improvements in the supports and services available for Carers.
However, the Strategy provides ample scope for stakeholders to update their priorities and to seek more specific commitments from relevant Departments and agencies in that context, and I will be happy to facilitate this.
478. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health the cost of introducing the transport support scheme, which was announced in 2014, as a replacement for the mobility allowance and motorised support grant; the timeframe for implementing this scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20849/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Partnership Government acknowledges the ongoing drafting of primary legislation for a new Transport Support Scheme. The Heads of Bill for the new scheme are being drafted. The Health (Transport Support) Bill is included in the Government Legislation Programme.
Once policy proposals have been finalised and approved by Government, the time frame and cost of the introduction of a new scheme will become clearer. It is not possible at this point to provide an exact date for the commencement of a new scheme.
479. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health why a person (details supplied) has not been allocated supports as part of the preschool placement under the special needs assistant scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21140/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the issue raised by the Deputy relates to an individual case, this is a service matter for the Health Service Executive. I have asked the HSE to look into the particular matter raised and to reply directly 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.
480. Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony asked the Minister for Health his views on ring-fencing 8% to 15% of the Health Service Executive disability budget, currently governed by service level agreements, for individualised and community based models supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21106/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraFunding of €1.56 billion was allocated by the Government this year for health-funded services and supports to enable each individual with a disability to achieve their full potential and maximise their independence. Together with the additional €31 million which I obtained on 8th June 2016, the total allocation for Disability Services in 2016 is now €1.59 billion.
In line with Government policy, the HSE’s National Service Plan outlines targets and priorities for delivering an increasing proportion of services and supports which are individualised, person-centred and community-based with this funding. The Government’s policy is this area is embodied in Transforming Lives, which is the programme to implement the Report of the Value for Money and Policy Review of Disability Services in Ireland.
As part of the incremental implementation of Transforming Lives people with disabilities are becoming supported to make the type of choices about their lives which are available to everyone else in society. This new approach will be underpinned by a more effective method of assessing need, allocating resources and monitoring resource use.
One element of this process is the establishment of the Task Force on Personalised Budgets, which I am currently in the process of setting up. Any proposal to ring fence a portion of HSE disability services' expenditure and allocating it to personalised budgets may form part of the deliberations of the Task Force and will be considered on foot of any recommendations which may be made by the Task Force in this area. I anticipate that I will be in a position to announce further details relating to the establishment of the Task Force by the end of this month.
481. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Health to provide an update regarding when Parts 2 and 3 of the Children and Family Relationship Act 2015, will be enacted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21600/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra599. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Health when he will implement the provisions for donor assisted reproduction Parts 2 and 3 further to the passing of the Children and Family Relationship Act 2015. [21215/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 481 and 599 together.
When the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 was enacted in April last year, it was indicated that Parts 2 and 3 of the Act, which deal with donor-assisted human reproduction, would not be commenced for at least a year following enactment. This period of time will provide an appropriate transition period and ensure that people currently undergoing donor-assisted human reproduction treatment could continue that treatment and to give fertility clinics time to prepare for the new regulatory framework. This transition period is a practical and pragmatic administrative solution to facilitate the seamless transition to a new regulatory framework. This transition period will also allow time for officials to conduct the significant amount of preparatory work required to enable these provisions (including provisions relating to the National Donor-Conceived Person Register) to enter into force.
482. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Health the number of general practitioners in County Kildare, for each of the years 2011 to 2015 in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20462/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, this question has been 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 the Executive.
483. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Health if he will examine the timeframe given to a person (details supplied) for an assessment of need; if this will be brought forward given the circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20469/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose, and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. This commitment is outlined in the Programme for Partnership Government, which is guided by two principles: equality of opportunity and improving the quality of life for people with disabilities.
As the issue raised by the Deputy relates to an individual case, this is a service matter for the Health Service Executive. I have asked the HSE to look into the particular matter raised and to reply directly 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.
