Written Answers Nos. 177-83
177. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the concerns raised by the outgoing chairperson of the Western Development Commission; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22245/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am aware of the recent comments made by the former Chair of the Western Development Commission (WDC), questioning the Government’s commitment to regional and rural development and I do not agree with the views which he expressed.
Regional and rural development is a key priority for the Government and this is reflected in the many commitments in the Programme for a Partnership Government to support regional and rural progress. Significant developments in this regard include the publication of the Action Plan for Rural Development, the establishment of a Taskforce to progress the concept of an Atlantic Economic Corridor, the implementation of the regional Action Plans for Jobs, and the development of a National Planning Framework which is being coordinated on behalf of the Government by Minister Coveney.
The Programme for a Partnership Government also includes a specific commitment to reinforce the role of the WDC so that it continues to play an important part in the Government’s efforts to achieve more effective regional development.
In this context, the WDC has been involved in an increasing number of initiatives, some of which go beyond the role the body has played to date, and which can develop its potential further. For example:
- The WDC is represented on the Monitoring Committee for the Action Plan for Rural Development which is chaired by Minister Humphreys. The WDC is assisting my Department, as part of a sub-group of the Monitoring Committee, in developing indicators to measure the impact of the Action Plan on rural communities.
- The WDC is also represented on the Implementing Committees which oversee the delivery of the Action Plans for Jobs for the West and North-West regions.
- The Commission is represented on the Taskforce which I established in March to progress the concept of an Atlantic Economic Corridor along the western seaboard. The WDC is involved in a sub-group of the Taskforce which is mapping out the options for EU funding which could support the development of the Western region.
- The WDC has also assisted my Department in participating in, and reporting on, a public Dialogue on the implications of Brexit for areas such as rural communities, regional SMEs, culture, the Irish language, and heritage and outdoor recreation.
The Commission’s role in these initiatives shows how their expertise and potential is being drawn upon to support the Government’s objective of supporting economic and social development across the regions.
178. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if a person (details supplied) who is the owner of lands and turbary rights on a site is entitled to compensation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22363/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme is open to those affected by the cessation of turf cutting from 1 January 2017 on 36 designated raised bog natural heritage areas, which include 7 sites to be divided, with part to be conserved and part to be de-designated.
The qualifying criteria for the scheme are that:
- The applicant must have had a legal interest (ownership or a turbary right (right to cut turf)) in one of the 36 raised bog natural heritage areas and must have had the right to cut and remove turf from the property on 25 May 2010;
- The applicant must have been cutting turf on the land in question during the five year period up to 14 January 2014;
- The turbary on the site must not be exhausted; and
- No turf cutting or associated activity is ongoing on the property.
The scheme is comprised of a provision of €1,500 per annum, index linked, for 15 years or relocation, where feasible, to a non-designated bog plot together with a once-off incentive payment of €500. One compensation provision is provided per household, regardless of the number of bog plots in which an applicant has had a legal interest in the 36 raised bog natural heritage areas.
Application forms for the scheme are available from my Department on request.
179. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Health the details of calls to ambulance services from prisons here in each of the years 2014 to 2016 in tabular form. [22237/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.
180. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22180/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy's question relates to an individual case, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for direct reply to the Deputy.
181. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the guidelines for persons donating blood or citizens availing of a blood transfusion in relation to Lyme disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22181/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Irish Blood Transfusion Service donor selection guideline for Lyme disease reads "...defer for at least one week after the last dose of antibiotics and ensure that the donor is fully recovered for at least two weeks and ask about complications".
The treatment of Lyme disease is a 3 week course of antibiotics (doxycycline or amoxicillin). This is consistent with the donor selection guideline as recovery is complete well before the completion of the antibiotic course. Borrelia bergdorferi (Lyme disease) was risk assessed as a transfusion risk by the UK Standing Advisory Committee on Transfusion Transmitted Diseases and approved by the Joint UKBTS Professional Advisory Committee in 2016.
It concluded "that no specific measures are needed for B.bergdorferi infection in potential blood donors in view of the lack of evidence of transfusion-transmitted infection. Recall of blood components donated within 28 days of diagnosis of acute infection would be a sensible precaution; no specific measures are needed for components prepared from individuals diagnosed with a condition more correctly referred to as Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS) characterised by lingering symptoms of fatigue, pain, or joint and muscle aches, since bacteraemia is very unlikely in this context."
It is acknowledged that there may be individuals that get B.bergdorferi infection and are not treated and some of these may go on to get long-term manifestations such as Lyme arthritis or myocarditis meningitis/encephalitis. A small number of cases go on to a post-infection syndrome PTLDS resembling chronic fatigue syndrome. Studies have shown that PTLDS almost invariably resolves on its own without the need for additional treatment, though people may take several months to fully recover. In these cases there is no spirochetes in the blood and transmission by transfusion is unlikely.
182. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health his plans to assist persons living with chronic Lyme disease to avail of the long-term illness scheme or the medical card scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22182/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe term "chronic Lyme disease" is used by a small number of practitioners (often self-designated as “Lyme-literate physicians”) to describe patients whom they believe have persistent Borrelia burgdorferi infection, a condition they suggest requires long-term antibiotic treatment and may even be incurable. It is used in North America and, increasingly, in Europe as a diagnosis for patients with persistent pain, neurocognitive symptoms, fatigue, or all of these symptoms, with or without clinical or serologic evidence of previous early or late Lyme disease.
Chronic Lyme disease lacks an accepted clinical definition, and in practice the term has been applied to a wide variety of patients. The majority of patients referred for chronic Lyme disease have no objective evidence of the infection, and most often have an alternative medical diagnosis or a 'functional' syndrome such as fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome.
The most long term of the Lyme syndromes are reliably attributable to inadequate or inappropriate antibiotic treatment at an early phase of the disease. A small number of cases go on to a post-infection syndrome, Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS), resembling chronic fatigue syndrome. In these cases there are no bacteria in the blood. Most medical experts now believe that the lingering symptoms seen in these cases are the result of residual damage to tissues and the immune system that occurred during the initial infection. Similar complications occur following other infections such as campylobacter, chlamydia, and streptococcal throat infection.
Fatigue, pain and cognitive impairment are the primary complaints among patients who are diagnosed with 'chronic Lyme disease'. However, these symptoms are very common in the general population, and the evidence does not show that they occur any more commonly in patients with a history of Lyme disease. A small minority of patients treated for Lyme disease will go on to have prolonged pain, fatigue or cognitive impairment in the absence of objective signs of treatment failure. Still fewer have severe or disabling symptoms. Studies have shown that PTLDS almost invariably resolves on its own without the need for additional treatment, though people may take several months to fully recover.
There are no plans for this 'condition' to be covered by the Long-Term Illness Scheme or through the medical card scheme.
183. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Health the current targets in place for the recruitment of CAMHS personnel in community health care organisation area 1, CHO1; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22183/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service issue, this question has been referred to the HSE for direct reply.
