Written Answers Nos. 217-233
217. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the OPW has plans to address the yearly flooding issues of the Owenmore river in Collooney in County Sligo, in accordance with the catchment flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM, proposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5282/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Irish Government’s core strategy for addressing areas at potentially significant risk from flooding, is the Office of Public Works' Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme. 300 locations nationwide are being assessed under the Programme, which is being undertaken by engineering consultants on behalf of the OPW working in partnership with the local authorities.
CFRAM’s Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment (PFRA) study, carried out in 2011, identified Collooney, Co. Sligo as an Area of Further Assessment (AFA) and it is being assessed as part of the Western CFRAM Study. Collooney AFA has been modelled, mapped and assessed for options to manage flood risk. Public consultation events were held in Spring 2015 on the draft flood maps, in Spring 2016 on the preliminary options and Autumn 2016 on the draft plans. Sligo County Council were involved and participated in both the Progress and Advisory Group meetings for the Western CFRAM Study.
The CFRAM draft plan identified Collooney AFA as being at low risk of flooding but identified the need for the local authority, who have a statutory responsibility under the Owenmore Drainage District, to continue the maintenance of the drainage channels within that district.
The OPW carries out its own programme of Arterial Drainage Maintenance to a total of 11,500km of river channel and approximately 730km of embankments nationally. These maintenance works relate to arterial drainage schemes completed by the OPW under the Arterial Drainage Acts 1945, whose purpose was primarily to improve the drainage of agricultural lands. The OPW has a statutory duty to maintain the completed schemes in proper repair and in an effective condition. The annual maintenance programme typically involves some clearance of vegetation and removal of silt build-up on an average five-yearly cycle.
For areas not covered by the Arterial Drainage Maintenance Programme, the Office of Public Works operates a Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme. It is open to all Local Authorities to submit a funding application under the Scheme. This administrative Scheme’s eligibility criteria, including a requirement that any measures are cost beneficial, are published on the OPW website, www.opw.ie. Any application received will be considered in accordance with the scheme eligibility criteria and having regard to the overall availability of resources for flood risk management. There is currently no application for minor works for the Collooney area by Sligo County Council.
In addition to the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme, and as part of the whole of Government approach to flood risk management, the Office of Public Works is working with other key stakeholders to compile a Riparian Owners Guidance Booklet. It is envisaged that this Guidance Booklet will outline what maintenance works Riparian owners, including farmers and small land owners, can and cannot undertake on watercourses that run through or alongside their land.
218. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform further to Parliamentary Question No. 729 of 17 January 2017, if he will confirm that this includes Independent Deputies now serving as Ministers or Ministers of State (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5069/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra219. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform further to Parliamentary Question No. 729 of 17 January 2017, the maximum sum payable under that allowance in respect of Independent Deputies (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5070/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra220. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform further to Parliamentary Question No. 729 of 17 January 2017, if the expenditure records referenced in the reply are available for public inspection (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5071/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 218 to 220, inclusive, together.
As stated in my reply to question 729 on 17 January, all Independent Deputies bar one are in receipt of the Parliamentary Activities Allowance - this includes Ministers and Ministers of State elected to Dáil Éireann as Independent Members. I also stated in that reply that the annual rate of the allowance payable to an Independent Deputy is €37,037.
As regards the availability for public inspection of the statement of expenditure made to the Standards in Public Office Commission by Parties and Independent Members in receipt of the allowance, the legislation provides that the Commission must make a copy of each statement and auditor's report, together with the Commission's report on the statement, available for public inspection on its website and also at its principal office during normal working hours.
221. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the date that the Public Service Pay Commission will report on its findings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5096/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI refer the Deputy to my answer to Parliamentary Question No. 137, PQ Ref: 34061/16, on 09.11.2016.
222. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans for a national infrastructure commission; if this will form part of the capital plan review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5169/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, my Department has initiated a two-stage review of the Capital Plan. The first phase (i.e. the mid-term review) will be a short, focused review of priorities aimed primarily at advising Government - in the context of Budget 2018 - on how additional funding committed for capital investment should be allocated over the remainder of the period of the Capital Plan.
The second phase will take place following the completion of the mid-term review. It will involve the development of a long-term (i.e. 20+ year) planning framework for public capital investment facilitating a fundamental examination of Ireland's long-term infrastructure needs. Providing greater visibility in relation to future investment is crucial to building the long-term competitiveness and growth potential of the Irish economy. It will also help guide planning and decision-making on future investment undertaken by the private sector. In addition, it will help strengthen the alignment of public capital investment and state-backed investment with the requirements which arise from the National Planning Framework in due course.
As part of that longer-term planning process the scope for establishing an expert advisory group to advise Government on our long-term infrastructural planning requirements will be examined.
223. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he or any Minister of State in his Department uses a personal e-mail account for work purposes; the security controls that are in place relating to the use of personal e-mail accounts for Department-related business; if his Department has a policy on this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5259/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI do not use any such accounts for official business. Ministers and Ministers of State at my Department are bound by the Code of Conduct for Office Holders as drawn up by the Government pursuant to Section 10(2) of the Standards in Public Office Act 2001 and by the Department's own Governance Framework, and are therefore cognisant of the obligation to act ethically and judiciously when conducting official business electronically or otherwise. Department policy is to restrict access to webmail services from the Department's network and this is implemented via leading industry standard web browsing filtering appliances which prevent access to all external webmail servers by all staff on their work computers.
Consistent with the Code of Conduct for Office Holders Minister of State Eoghan Murphy uses his departmental email accounts for conducting official business across both the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Finance, and continues to use his Oireachtas account for Constituency matters. The Minister of State has used personal email for transactional and diary management purposes but has since put in place arrangements for this to cease.
224. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the Acts or sections or other provisions of Acts, coming wholly or partly under the auspices of his Department, or for the commencement of which his Department is wholly or partly responsible, which are not in force and which require the future making of a commencement order; if, in each case, it is intended to make such an order; if so, when; the reason for the failure to make such an order to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5274/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn response to the Deputy's question, there are no outstanding commencement orders for any Acts or sections or other provisions of Acts coming wholly or partly under the auspices of my Department.
225. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if she or any Minister of State in her Department uses a personal e-mail account for work purposes; the security controls that are in place relating to the use of personal e-mail accounts for Department-related business; if her Department has a policy on this matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5248/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs I advised the House in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 392 of 13 December last, official email business in my role as Minister is conducted via Department and Oireachtas email accounts. On occasion, when outside the office, I make use of a private Gmail account on my mobile phone to forward information of a non-sensitive nature to my private office, generally relating to diary appointments or constituency matters.
Both of the Ministers of State in my Department have confirmed that they only use their Oireachtas and Department e-mail addresses for official business and do not use personal e-mail accounts for business purposes. For completeness, Minister of State Kyne has indicated that he occasionally receives e-mail correspondence from constituents on a personal e-mail account which goes back to his time on Galway County Council and that, very occasionally, when out of the office, he would access information such as constituency issues, appointments and draft press releases, on this email account.
My Department operates an Acceptable Usage Policy in relation to the use of ICT equipment. This policy does not specifically preclude the use of personal email accounts for official purposes.
226. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the Acts or sections or other provisions of Acts, coming wholly or partly under the auspices of her Department, or for the commencement of which her Department is wholly or partly responsible, which are not in force and which require the future making of a commencement order; if, in each case, it is intended to make such an order; if so, when; the reason for the failure to make such an order to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5263/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information sought by the Deputy in respect of those Acts for which I have lead responsibility is set out in the following table.
|
Title of Act |
Section(s)/Part(s) yet to be commenced & other relevant information |
|
Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 |
Section 36 provides for licensing of certain hunting activities on the part of commercial shoot operators. The commencement of this section of the Act is kept under on-going review. |
|
National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Act 2015. |
Under section 39(1) of the Act, an order will be required to fix the day on which the name change for the Irish Film Board will take effect. This will be considered in consultation with the new Board which will be appointed shortly. |
|
National Cultural Institutions Act 1997 |
Section 4(1) insofar as it relates to sections 16 or 65 of the Act, or section 25 of National Monuments Act 1930. Elements of Section 49 and Part V have not yet been commenced and are being examined by the Department. |
|
National Cultural Institutions Act 1997 |
Sections 65 and 66 relate to the depositing of published material in the National Library of Ireland and related copyright matters. These issues were subsequently incorporated into section 198 of the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000. |
227. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Health the number of persons who have applied for the disabled drivers and disabled passengers tax concession, in tabular form in 2016; the number of successful applications; the number of unsuccessful applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4971/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Drivers and Passengers with Disabilities Tax Relief Scheme, which is operated by the Revenue Commissioners, is the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Finance. To qualify for the Scheme, an applicant must be in possession of a Primary Medical Certificate. To qualify for a Primary Medical Certificate, an applicant must be permanently and severely disabled within the terms of the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Regulations 1994 and satisfy a range of conditions. Applications for Primary Medical Certificates are processed by Health Service Executive Local Health Offices.
I understand that the Deputy's question relates to applications for Primary Medical Certificates in 2016. As the Deputy's question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
228. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health if his Department has factored the potential €700 million liability into its expenditure forecasts which is due to hospital consultants regarding historical pay issues, in view of the fact that the HSE withdrew its appeal against the award; the potential impact on fiscal space; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4976/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe HSE recently withdrew its appeal against the decision of the EAT to make awards to two consultants who had made claims under payment of wages legislation. Separate to these cases approximately 500 consultants are pursuing High Court cases in respect of increases provided for when the 2008 contract negotiations were concluded. The Government determined in 2009 that the increases could not be paid given the economic downturn and the need to use all available health funding on the provision of services.
The decision of the HSE in relation to the EAT cases has no bearing on the State's position in relation to defending the High Court cases.
The Government intends to vigorously defend these cases. This Department in conjunction with the HSE, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Finance, who are all parties to the cases, are progressing a comprehensive and robust defence of these claims in the public interest.
The Government therefore does not accept that the amount quoted by the Deputy is due.
229. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the degree to which continuous monitoring of food and food imports exists with a view to ensuring compliance with Irish and EU standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5173/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince 1999, responsibility for the enforcement of food legislation is vested in the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI). The Authority co-ordinates this work through service contracts it holds with a number of agencies, including Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Health Service Executive, Local Authorities and Sea Fisheries Protection Authority. The contracts specify the food sectors to be supervised, the types of controls to be provided, including inspections and laboratory analysis. The contracts are published on the FSAI’s website and their performance is subject to regular checks and audits.
The collective work of the FSAI and the relevant agencies is set down within a comprehensive multi-annual National Control Plan, which is submitted to the European Commission and against which the FSAI and the agencies are audited by the Commission. The control plan is updated on an annual basis. More than 1,000 persons (whole time equivalents) are involved in food controls across all of the organisations involved.
The system of official controls covers all foods produced or marketed in the State, including imports. Imports of food of animal origin are the subject of specific authorisations before they can be placed on the market in Ireland or the EU. Imports of foods of non-animal origin are subject to compliance with all relevant EU rules. These are subject to market checks during the course of routine inspections and/or are tested as part of the annual extensive microbiological and chemical monitoring programmes. The FSAI also receives regular information on foods which may pose a danger to health from the European Commission through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed. Certain of these foods are subject to prescribed conditions of entry and a small number are the subject of emergency prohibitions.
Controls are carried out on a risk basis and actions are taken routinely to close or suspend businesses or remove foods from the market which pose a danger to consumer health.
230. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Health the steps he will take to ensure that a person (details supplied) is immediately admitted for assessment to the orthopaedic unit in the Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4945/17]
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 scheduling of appointments for patients is a matter for the hospital to which the patient has been referred. Should a patient's general practitioner consider that the patient's condition warrants an earlier appointment, he or she should take the matter up with the consultant and the hospital involved. In relation to the specific case raised, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
231. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health the number of the 25 biosimilar medicines approved for use by the European Medicines Agency that are currently marketed and in use here; if he is satisfied with the level of availability and usage of biosimilars here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4946/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for the administration of the community drug schemes; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
232. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health if he is satisfied with the uptake and usage of biosimilar medicines in health care relative to European usage rates; the specific measures he has taken to encourage their increased usage here; his plans to introduce proactive measures to increase the prescribing rates for biosimilars; the level of savings being realised per annum from the usage of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4948/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe use of biotechnology in the pharmaceutical field has led to the development of many new biological medicines, offering new treatments for a range of serious illnesses.
The manufacturing of a biological medicine is a complex process. Biosimilar medicines are similar but not identical to their reference biological medicines, and therefore are not considered in the same way as generic medicines. Under the Heath (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, biosimilars are not considered to be interchangeable, and therefore cannot be substituted for biological medicines.
It is likely that the use of biosimilar medicines will grow in Ireland in the coming years as the patents on biological medicines expire, offering opportunities for the State to make further savings on the cost of medicines. The recently signed Framework Agreement on the Supply and Pricing of Medicines 2016-2020 with the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association includes a provision to take advantage of these new developments in the pharmaceutical industry. Under the new Agreement the price of a biologic medicine will be reduced by 20% and an additional rebate of 12.5% provided upon entry into the market of a biosimilar.
Officials in my Department are currently assessing the whole area of biosimilar medicines and are developing a national biosimilar policy. It is intended that this policy will examine different policy levers and tools that might be implemented in Ireland in order to increase the uptake of biosimilars in the health system in the coming years.
My officials will be working with the Health Products Regulatory Authority and the HSE to progress this agenda and will also examine the need for any legislative changes in this area. It is useful to note that the HSE's Medicines Management Programme issued a position paper last year supporting the appropriate introduction of biosimliars into clinical use in Ireland.
In relation to savings generated from the use of biosimilars I have asked the HSE to reply to the Deputy on this matter.
233. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the number of additional staff that will be recruited or are planned to be recruited in the State's primary care centres in 2017; the additional staff that will be hired, including in which primary care centre and their role, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4951/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply.
