Louise O'Reilly
Ceist:1535. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the status of recommendation 8.6 of the national cardiovascular health policy 2010-2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28790/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 20 June 2017
Ceisteanna (1535)
Freagraí scríofa
Since the publication of the Cardiovascular Policy in 2010, an e-Health strategy was approved by Government in 2013 and a Knowledge and Information Strategy was published by Health Service Executive in 2015. A number of strategic e-health programmes are being progressed including the Individual Health Identifier and the development of business case for a national Electronic Healthcare Record.
The Health Identifiers Bill was published in 2013 and enacted in 2014. Since enactment, necessary follow-up legislative measures under the Act have been taken, as required, to facilitate the practical and phased implementation of the Health Identifier Project. The latest of these measures was the introduction of further commencement provisions and the making of Regulations, at the end of May, allowing for accessing the register of individual health identifiers and the initial deployment of health identifiers in the regulated manner envisaged in the Act.
A revised and expanded General Scheme of a Health Information and Patient Safety Bill was approved by Government in November 2015 and published on the Department's website. That legislation was the subject of further Pre-Legislative Scrutiny, in December 2016, by the Oireachtas Committee on Health. The Committee has now forwarded its report to the Minister and the Department is currently considering the points raised by the Committee so as to respond fully.