Written Answers Nos. 182-201
185. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Health if all agencies under his aegis have an up to date tax clearance certificate; the agencies which do not have an up to date tax clearance certificate; the reason they do not have a tax clearance certificate in each case, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30288/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn line with the Department of Expenditure and Reform's Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies all State Bodies under my aegis must comply with the Code and this includes compliance with tax laws and the requirements of the Revenue Commissioners. The following table sets out the information requested by the Deputy specifically in relation to tax clearance certificates.
As can be seen, 18 of the 19 Agencies have an up to date Tax Clearance Certificate. While the Dental Council has confirmed that it is, and has always been, fully tax compliant it has never been asked for a Tax Clearance Certificate and therefore it does not have one.
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State Body |
Does the Body have an up to date Tax Clearance Certificate? |
Reason why Body does not have a Tax Clearance Certificate |
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NMBI |
Yes |
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Dental Council |
No |
It has not been necessary for the Council to seek a Tax Clearance Certificate. |
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Food Safety Authority Ireland |
Yes |
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Food Safety Promotion Board/Safefood |
Yes |
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CORU (Health and Social Care Professionals Council) |
Yes |
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Health Information and Quality Authority |
Yes |
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Health Insurance Authority |
Yes |
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Health Products Regulatory Authority |
Yes |
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Health Research Board |
Yes |
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Health Service Executive |
Yes |
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Irish Blood Transfusion Service |
Yes |
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Medical Council |
Yes |
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Mental Health Commission |
Yes |
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National Cancer Registry Board |
Yes |
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National Paediatric Hospital Development Board |
Yes |
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National Treatment Purchase Fund |
Yes |
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Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland |
Yes |
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Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council |
Yes |
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Voluntary Health Insurance |
Yes |
186. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Health the number of children with diabetes attending Children’s University Hospital Temple Street diabetes service in 2015 and 2016; the amount of whole-time equivalent consultant time which was dedicated to this service in each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30305/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra187. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Health the waiting time in Children’s University Hospital Temple Street to put children with type one diabetes aged five years of age and under on insulin pump treatment; the waiting time to put children with type one diabetes between six and 16 years of age on insulin pump treatment; the number of children who are on the waiting list for insulin pump treatment; the age breakdown of these children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30306/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra188. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Health the number of new referrals of children with diabetes received by the diabetes service in Children’s University Hospital Temple Street, by county in 2015 and 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30307/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra189. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Health the ratio of whole-time equivalent dietitian per patient in Children’s University Hospital Temple Street diabetes service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30308/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra190. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Health the amount of whole-time equivalent psychology professional time dedicated to the diabetes service in Children’s University Hospital Temple Street; the number of persons who have availed of this service in 2015, 2016 and to date in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30309/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 186 to 190, inclusive, together.
In relation to the queries raised by the Deputy, as these are service issues, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
191. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Health if his Department will consider tendering patient testing in the areas of respiratory, neurology, gastroenterology, vascular and cardiology to the private sector in order to cut the waiting times in hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30310/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI acknowledge that waiting times are often unacceptably long and I am conscious of the burden that this places on patients and their families.
Reducing waiting times for the longest waiting patients is one of this Government's key priorities. Consequently, Budget 2017 allocated €20 million to the NTPF, rising to €55 million in 2018.
In order to reduce the numbers of long-waiting patients, I asked the HSE to develop Waiting List Action Plans for 2017 in the areas of Inpatient/Daycase, Scoliosis and Outpatient Services. The Inpatient/Daycase and Outpatient Plans which have now been published and are currently being implemented, focus on reducing as much as possible within existing resources the number of patients waiting 15 months or more for inpatient and daycase treatment or outpatient appointment by the end of October. The Scoliosis Action Plan aims to ensure that no patient who requires scoliosis surgery will be waiting more than four months for surgery by the end of 2017.
Under these Plans, since early February, over 14,700 patients have come off the Inpatient/Daycase Waiting List, nearly 52,000 patients have come off the Outpatient Waiting List and 136 scoliosis surgeries have taken place.
In addition, the NTPF has advised that under the ongoing Daycase Waiting List Initiative over 2,700 patients files have been transferred to private hospitals under this Initiative, over 750 patients have accepted an offer of treatment in a private hospital and that 230 patients have received their procedure.
In addition, in November 2016, the HSE launched the Strategy for the Design of Integrated Outpatient Services 2016-2020. This strategy seeks to improve waiting times for outpatient services in the long term by restructuring referral pathways and utilising technology to improve service delivery.
192. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Health when HIQA will sign off on the new wing in a nursing home (details supplied) in Drumcondra; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30311/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Health Information and Quality Authority is the independent authority established under the Health Act 2007 to drive continuous improvement and to monitor safety and quality in Ireland’s health and personal social care services. Since 2009 all nursing homes - public, voluntary and private have been registered and inspected by HIQA.
The functions of the Minister for Health in relation to HIQA and the Chief Inspector of Social Services are prescribed in the Act, and in this respect the Chief Inspector is independent in the exercise of these functions.
193. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Health if the HSE will extend the fair deal scheme period of allocation to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30312/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
194. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Health the number of home care package hours that were available in 2016 and to date in 2017 in the HSE Dublin mid-west area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30325/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
195. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 72 of 3 May 2017, the progress that has been made in the development of a new ambulance base on the grounds of Merlin Park; when he expects the new ambulance base to be fully functioning; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30336/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
196. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Health if he will expedite a hospital appointment for a person (details supplied) who has been waiting for a procedure for 18 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30338/17]
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 National Waiting List Management Policy, A standardised approach to managing scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures, January 2014, has been developed to ensure that all administrative, managerial and clinical staff follow an agreed national minimum standard for the management and administration of waiting lists for scheduled care. This policy, which has been adopted by the HSE, sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.
197. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health the progress towards establishing a supervised injecting facility in Dublin. [30340/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra198. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health if he has confirmed with the HSE that a pilot supervised injecting facility will open in Dublin in 2017; and if so, the funding allocated to same. [30341/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra199. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health the way in which a pilot supervised injecting facility will open by the end of 2017; the date on which expressions of interest will be sought; the time that will be allocated to receive these; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30342/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 197 to 199, inclusive, together.
The Misuse of Drugs (Supervised Injecting Facilities) Act 2017 was signed by the President on 16 May 2017. It is important to note that the Act will not establish the location of the Supervised Injecting Facility (SIF). However, it is envisaged that the first such facility would be established in Dublin city centre, where there is a significant, recognised problem of public injecting. In line with the experience in other countries which have established such facilities, it is expected that the location will be carefully selected to address, most effectively, the requirements and concerns of the service users and the wider community.
The HSE has been tasked with establishing the SIF in 2017 and has established a working group to gather data, consider possible options and to undertake public consultation before any decision is made on a specific location. Local stakeholder engagement and consultation will be critical to the success of any pilot facility.
It is estimated that it will cost in the region of €1.5m a year to run the SIF. The HSE has been allocated €750,000 in 2017 to set up the facility before the end of the current year.
The Department of Health has been informed that the HSE working group will make recommendations on programme design and governance structures to the HSE Social Inclusion Governance Group (SIGG) to inform an appropriate procurement process.
200. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health if representatives from his Department or the HSE have met with members of An Garda Síochána and discussed recent reports of heroin and cocaine in circulation that is laced with fentanyl; his plans to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30343/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department and the Health Service Executive have a range of mechanisms for sharing information about the drugs situation with An Garda Síochána, including the Early Warning Emerging Trends Sub-Committee (EWET) of the National Advisory Committee on Drugs and Alcohol and the HSE Public Alert System for adverse events due to drugs.
The EWET provides a forum for representatives from my Department, An Garda Síochána, the Health Service Executive and other experts to exchange information on emerging trends and patterns in drug use. Fentanyl and some of its analogues have been on the agenda of the EWET meetings. In this regard, the Committee has discussed overdose cases identified by Emergency Departments where Fentanyl has been mixed with or mistaken for other opioids, such as heroin.
Another key mechanism is the HSE public alert system for adverse events due to drugs. The HSE remains vigilant for the possibility of Fentanyl entering circulation in Ireland. I am informed that the HSE last issued an alert for Fentanyl on 28 July 2016, arising from a number of drug-related deaths in Dublin and Cork. The HSE has not issued any further warnings/alerts since then, as there is no evidence to suggest this substance is currently in circulation in this jurisdiction. However, the HSE maintains on-going communications with An Garda Síochána in relation to adverse events due to drugs.
201. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if a change of general practitioner form can urgently issue to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30367/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question relates to service matters, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.
