Written Answers Nos. 200-209
200. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of the case of a person (details supplied) who is waiting for a prosthetic leg; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9010/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the particular issue raised relates to an individual case, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
201. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health his views on a matter (details supplied) with regard to Roaccutane; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9011/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraInformation held by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) on suspected adverse reactions in association with Roaccutane has been forwarded to the Deputy by post.
202. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if the Cork University Maternity Hospital has a full complement of nursing staff; if not, the efforts being made to recruit; when he expects to have the unit fully staffed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9070/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn relation to this particular issue, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.
203. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of a radiology unit for an area (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9074/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is proposed to build a replacement community nursing unit, that is, a long-stay residential centre for older people, in Killarney as part of a public private partnership or alternative funding mechanism by the end of 2021. No further information is available at this stage.
204. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the status of current private insurance fees owed to hospitals broken down by hospital group. [9077/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy is set out as follows.
|
Outstanding Private Patient Claims as at 31st December 2016 |
|
|
Hospital Group |
€'m |
|
Beaumont Hospital |
20.345 |
|
Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda |
6.298 |
|
Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown |
2.64 |
|
Cavan Monaghan Hospitals |
1.805 |
|
Rotunda Hospital |
3.044 |
|
Louth County Hospital |
0.201 |
|
RCSI Hospital Group |
34.334 |
|
St. James's Hospital |
16.555 |
|
Tallaght Hospital - Adults |
8.673 |
|
Midlands Regional Hospital Tullamore |
3.581 |
|
Naas General Hospital |
2.386 |
|
Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise |
1.697 |
|
Coombe Women's & Infants University Hospital |
2.146 |
|
St. Lukes Hospital, Rathgar |
0.876 |
|
Dublin Midlands Hospital Group |
35.913 |
|
Mater Misericordiae University Hospital |
8.583 |
|
St. Vincent's University Hospital Elm Park |
7.738 |
|
Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar |
4.224 |
|
St. Luke's Hospital Kilkenny |
4.603 |
|
Wexford General Hospital |
1.802 |
|
National Maternity Hospital Holles Street |
5.349 |
|
Our Lady's Hospital Navan |
0.381 |
|
St Columcille's Hospital Loughlinstown |
0.129 |
|
St. Michael's Hospital Dún Laoghaire |
1.119 |
|
Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital |
0.265 |
|
Royal Victoria Eye & Ear Hospital Dublin |
1.033 |
|
Ireland East Hospital Group |
35.224 |
|
Cork University Hospitals |
16.376 |
|
University Hospital Waterford |
6.813 |
|
Kerry General Hospital |
4.724 |
|
Mercy University Hospital Cork |
3.89 |
|
South Tipperary General Hospital |
2.18 |
|
South Infirmary University Hospital Cork |
4.394 |
|
Bantry General Hospital |
1.038 |
|
Mallow General Hospital |
1.478 |
|
Lourdes Orthopaedic Hospital Kilcreene |
0.106 |
|
South/South West Hospital Group |
40.999 |
|
Galway University Hospitals |
21.073 |
|
Sligo General Hospital |
4.384 |
|
Letterkenny General Hospital |
2.47 |
|
Mayo General Hospital |
4.371 |
|
Portiuncula Hospital General & Maternity |
3.405 |
|
Roscommon County Hospital |
1.207 |
|
Saolta University Health Care Group |
36.909 |
|
University Hospital Dooradoyle Limerick |
22.41 |
|
UL Hospital - Ennis Hospital |
2.042 |
|
UL Hospital - Nenagh Hospital |
0.715 |
|
St. John's Limerick |
2.784 |
|
University Maternity Hospital Limerick |
3.248 |
|
UL Hospital - Croom Hospital |
1.572 |
|
University of Limerick Hospital Group |
32.772 |
|
Our Lady's Hosp for Sick Children Crumlin |
6.433 |
|
Children's University, Temple Street |
1.775 |
|
Children's Hospital Group |
8.208 |
|
Grand Total |
224.359 |
205. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Health his plans to make the cap for prescription charges more equitable for persons living alone; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9087/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMedical card holders are required to pay a prescription charge of €2.50 per item for medicines and other prescription items supplied to them by community pharmacists under the General Medical Services scheme. This charge is subject to a monthly cap of €25 for each person or family.
In Budget 2017, the Government announced a reduction in the charge to €2, subject to a monthly cap of €20, for over 70's. The implementation of this reduced charge, which requires changes to primary legislation, is at an advanced stage.
Any future changes to the prescription charge is a matter which I intend to consider in the context of the implementation of the Health commitments in the Programme for Government and having regard to the funding available to facilitate such measures.
206. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Health if he will review a case (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9088/17]
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.
207. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Health the waiting times in County Kildare for an occupational therapist for the past 12 months in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9089/17]
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.
208. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Health if he will review the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9090/17]
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.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.
209. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the importance of Ireland's hedgerow in the payments system under the Common Agricultural Policy, especially in view of Ireland's low level of forest coverage; his further views on the climate mitigation effects of Ireland's hedgerows and their importance in meeting Ireland's EU and Paris agreement targets; the way the proposed Heritage Bill 2016, with its provisions for increased hedgerow cutting and upland burning, might impact on these effects; and if he has discussed these aspects of the Bill with the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. [9082/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department recognises the importance of hedgerows and woodland habitats and their roles in biodiversity, agricultural management and potential carbon sequestration.
Hedgerows are an important feature of the Irish landscape with a network estimated in excess of 300,000 km, providing multiple benefits such as: a distinctive character, important for wildlife, a barrier and shelter for livestock, as well as acting as important carbon stores. As such, they are recognised as valuable landscape features under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and thus are eligible for BPS payments. It is also recognised that such features must be appropriately managed and maintained by appropriate trimming of hedgerows to keep them in optimum condition, both as field boundary features and to help maintain the optimum structure and thickness to encourage bird nesting etc., and best practice prevails where this is done as part of an appropriate cutting rotation.
Their importance is further recognised through the inclusion of a number of hedgerow specific actions within the GLAS (Agri-environment Scheme under pillar II) where 7,627 farmers have committed to planting an additional 1,298 km of new hedges. These new hedges must be planted by 31 March 2017. In addition, farmers in GLAS can select the action of coppicing of hedges and/or laying of hedges which seek to improve the biodiversity value of escaped or abandoned hedges.
Based on the research article Valuing the C sequestration potential for European agriculture from Aerstens, Nocker and Gobin (2013) it could be estimated that new hedges planted in GLAS could sequester 4858 tonnes of CO2 per year.
The new LULUCF flexibility in the 2030 effort sharing regulation proposals offers opportunities to capture these credits in line with the LULUCF decision 2013 but in reality this is quite small against agri-emission approaching 20 mt.
In contrast, unmaintained hedges grow tall and become gappy at the base, becoming less useful for wildlife and as a landscape feature. Similarly, burning of growing vegetation can be an important land management tool in certain situations, where fire is used as a means to control scrub or to help improve cultivated land or as a means to develop and maintain fire breaks to protect forestry plantations and mitigating the risk of larger landscape scale fires, especially to put vital fire breaks in place to protect wider upland landscapes and forestry plantations. Thus, well timed and controlled burning activities can lead to an overall reduction in fire risk and prevent even larger wildfires occurring, which can offer farmers increased flexibility to carry out necessary land management activities.
