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Wednesday, 3 Feb 2021

Written Answers Nos. 689-710

Eating Disorders

Ceisteanna (689)

Mark Ward

Ceist:

689. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health the status of the expansion of the adult eating disorder team in St. Vincent’s University Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5285/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Question No. 690 answered with Question No. 680.

Primary Care Centres

Ceisteanna (691)

Mark Ward

Ceist:

691. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health the status of the provision of a primary care centre on Booth Road, Clondalkin, Dublin 22; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5295/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

As the HSE has responsibility for the provision, along with the maintenance and operation of Primary Care Centres and other Primary Care facilities, the Executive has been asked to reply directly to the Deputy.

Primary Care Centres

Ceisteanna (692)

Mark Ward

Ceist:

692. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health the status of the provision of a primary care centre in Adamstown, Lucan, County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5296/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

As the HSE has responsibility for the provision, along with the maintenance and operation of Primary Care Centres and other Primary Care facilities, the Executive has been asked to reply directly to the Deputy.

Primary Care Centres

Ceisteanna (693)

Mark Ward

Ceist:

693. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health the status of the provision of a primary care centre in Rolagh, Clondalkin, Dublin 22; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5297/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

As the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.

Dental Services

Ceisteanna (694)

Mark Ward

Ceist:

694. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health the number of children who had dental screening in second, fourth and sixth class in primary school in each of the years 2016 to 2020, by CHO area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5304/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Covid-19 Pandemic

Ceisteanna (695)

Michael Healy-Rae

Ceist:

695. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding a contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5306/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The Department of Health is currently engaged in a commercial agreement with Three Ireland, to procure an anonymised mobility dataset for the sole purpose of informing and supporting the COVID19 response. This data is helpful in understanding mobility associated with the pandemic and response and it is one of a large number of datasets analysed and used as part of the Covid-19 response including other measures of mobility.

Data from Three Ireland is collated from anonymised data sets at a macro scale, aggregated at Electoral Division (ED) and received by the CSO on behalf of the Department of Health to ensure good data governance. Data which has been anonymised is not personal data and therefore not subject to the GDPR. At no point has any personal data been shared by Three Ireland with the Department of Health or the CSO.

CSO, OSI, NPHET and IEMAG are parties to the agreement. The CSO receives the anonymised, aggregated data on behalf of the Department of Health and provides access to IEMAG for analysis, OSI provides visualisation of the data. Analysis and visualisation of the data are provided to NPHET. The Dept. Taoiseach has been given access to aggregate analysis and visualizations of this dataset (the Three Ireland dataset) through OSI to support the government response to COVID19.

CSO has also conducted some additional independent analysis of the data which is publicly available at https://www.cso.ie/en/statistics/othercsopublications/covid-19insightseriesmobilityduringthepandemic/. The details of the contract are considered commercially sensitive. The terms of the contract represent good value for money.

Covid-19 Tests

Ceisteanna (696, 748, 826, 853, 884)

Neale Richmond

Ceist:

696. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Health if there are plans to make Covid-19 antigen tests available in non-clinical settings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5308/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Richard Bruton

Ceist:

748. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Health the role he envisages for antigen testing in his strategy for managing the Covid-19 crisis. [5483/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Pádraig O'Sullivan

Ceist:

826. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health when the working group assessing antigen testing is due to report; the plans in place to roll the test out in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5721/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Pádraig O'Sullivan

Ceist:

853. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if he will consider rolling out rapid antigen testing to all sectors of the economy (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5852/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Róisín Shortall

Ceist:

884. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the status of implementing antigen testing for specific community mass testing centres; the settings in which antigen testing is being considered in tabular form; the guidance which recommends antigen testing in those settings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5938/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 696, 748, 826, 853 and 884 together.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has adopted RNA PCR as the gold standard test for diagnosing Covid-19 cases, as part of the HSE test and trace strategy, consistent with international best practice, and approved by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET). This platform is deployed in acute hospitals, the NVRL and HSE’s commercial partners. At present, the HSE has been able to provide adequate PCR testing for identified priorities in response to the very significant demand.

While rapid Antigen Detection Tests (ADTs) are described as rapid, and simple to perform, they are not designed to be delivered in large numbers and there are considerable human resource, operational, quality assurance, and clinical governance considerations in their administration. To date, validation work indicates that ADTs are most effective in detection of symptomatic cases, when symptom onset is within the last 5 days and when the likelihood of test positivity is greater than 10% among the target population. Validation studies, both here in Ireland and in Europe are showing significant disparities in test performance (particularly in relation to sensitivity) versus some manufacturer claims, with tests not meeting minimum performance requirements set by the World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Furthermore, their intended use is typically in symptomatic individuals in the early stages of infection, where samples are taken and tests conducted by trained health professionals. There is limited performance data currently available for the use of antigen tests in asymptomatic populations. The studies also show that performance in symptomatic individuals is much better than in asymptomatic individuals where data are available.

The NPHET (National Public Health Emergency Team) considers the use of ADTs on an ongoing basis and has endorsed recommendations on the use of ADTs that have been validated as a supplement to PCR testing in certain situations, and particularly when the availability of PCR tests may be limited.

The HSE is currently putting in place deployment options for the use of ADTs for specific indications in the acute hospital setting and as part of the response to outbreaks in the community setting in symptomatic vulnerable populations and their close contacts, supported by appropriate clinical governance and operational arrangements. This includes updating the case definition for SARS-CoV-2 to accept notification of positive results from ADTs undertaken in the public health system and reporting of such cases to the COVID Care tracker and to the Computerised Infectious Disease Reporting (CIDR) information system developed to manage the surveillance and control of infectious diseases in Ireland.

Considerable work has been undertaken to date to evaluate the use of ADTS in an Irish context and this will continue on an ongoing basis due to the role they can have in the national testing strategy. In particular, further setting-specific ADT validation work continues to be undertaken by the HSE. Antigen testing will not, however, replace the requirement for large scale PCR testing which remains the gold standard for community testing.

On an ongoing basis, NPHET considers and reviews, based on public health risk assessments, how best to target testing to detect, and mitigate the impact of, the virus across the population. This includes keeping Ireland’s national testing policy under continuing review.

Mental Health Services

Ceisteanna (697)

Mark Ward

Ceist:

697. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health the amount of funding allocated for mental health services by CHO area in each of the years 2016 to 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5309/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Occupational Therapy

Ceisteanna (698)

Matt Carthy

Ceist:

698. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) can expect to receive occupational therapy and physiotherapy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5310/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The Programme for Government,  Our Shared Future, recognises the need to improve services for both children and adults with disabilities through better implementation and by working together across Government in a better way.

The Government commits to prioritising early diagnosis and access to services for children and ensuring that the most effective interventions are provided for each child, to guarantee the best outcomes.

As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Mental Health Services

Ceisteanna (699)

Mark Ward

Ceist:

699. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health if he considered piloting a 24/7 mental health ambulance service similar to Sweden to assist with suicidal behaviour and other mental health incidents within communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5315/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Medicinal Products

Ceisteanna (700)

Seán Haughey

Ceist:

700. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Health if he has concerns in relation to the efficacy and efficiency of the vaccine produced by a company (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5319/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I welcome the announcement from the European Commission (EC) that the AstraZeneca vaccine has been authorised for use across member states, including Ireland on 29 January.

The EC granted approval for conditional marketing authorisation (CMA) for a COVID-19 Vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University to prevent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in people from 18 years of age following recommendation by the European Medicines Agency.

The EMA’s human medicines committee (CHMP) has thoroughly assessed the data on the quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccine and recommended by consensus a formal conditional marketing authorisation be granted by the European Commission.

Covid-19 vaccines can only be approved and used if they comply with all the requirements of quality, safety and efficacy set out in the EU pharmaceutical legislation. Any authorised vaccine will be subject to ongoing monitoring in Ireland by the Health Product Regulatory Authority (HPRA).

Following the recommendation for use of vaccines against COVID-19 by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and authorisation for use by the European Commission, the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) develops guidance for their use in Ireland which is contained in the Immunisation Guidelines for Ireland. These guidelines are continuously updated and includes guidance on all new vaccines as they are approved for use in Ireland.

Question No. 701 answered with Question No. 606.

Vaccination Programme

Ceisteanna (702)

Seán Sherlock

Ceist:

702. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health if locations other than those in the city of Cork will be considered in the event of a mass vaccination programme for County Cork to ensure that persons from west, north and east of the city will be accommodated for vaccinations within their geographical areas. [5331/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Vaccination Programme

Ceisteanna (703)

Michael Collins

Ceist:

703. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Health if staff at a service (details supplied) will be contacted regarding the Covid-19 vaccine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5332/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy sets out a provisional list of groups for vaccination. The Strategy was developed by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) and my Department, endorsed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), and approved by Government on 8 December 2020.

Vaccine allocation is a matter for my Department  and further information is available here: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/39038-provisional-vaccine-allocation-groups/.

The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination programme is the responsibility of the HSE.

The aim of the COVID-19 vaccination programme is to ensure, over time, that vaccine will become available to vaccinate all of those for whom the vaccine is indicated. Given that there will be initially limited vaccines available, it will take some time for all to receive those vaccines and that has necessitated an allocation strategy to ensure that those most at risk of death and serious illness receive the vaccine first.

The priority is to first vaccinate and protect directly the most vulnerable amongst us, that is, those most likely to have a poor outcome if they contract the virus. The priority is to directly use vaccines to save lives and reduce serious illness, hence the focus on the over 65 year old cohort in long term residential care facilities, and healthcare workers in frontline services often caring for the most vulnerable.

The next group to be vaccinated (Group 3) are those aged 70 and older in the following order: 85 and older, 80-84, 75-79, and 70-74. Vaccination of this group will begin in February (subject to regulatory approval of the AstraZeneca vaccine).

Frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) in direct patient contact roles will be vaccinated in Group 2. This includes HCWs working in public, private, and voluntary settings. Other HCWs, not in direct patient contact, will be vaccinated in Group 4.

All of the groups will be covered as further vaccine supplies become available and the immunisation programme is rolled out nationally.

The evidence will be kept under review and the allocation groups may be updated, where necessary, in light of new evidence.

Mental Health Services

Ceisteanna (704)

Mark Ward

Ceist:

704. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health the percentage of the health budget that is dedicated to mental health provision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5334/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The National Service Plan 2021, which gives the total allocation for Mental Health Services for 2021, has not yet been approved.

Between 2012 and 2020 the allocation for Mental Health Services has increased by 46%, or €324 million.  Mental Health continues to be a priority for the Government. Budget 2021 saw an additional €50 million allocated to HSE Mental Health Services, signifying the Government’s continued commitment to mental health and the priority it deserves.

Of the €50 million addition funding announced for 2021, €23 million has been allocated to commence the implementation of many of the short-term recommendations of Sharing the Vision in 2021. €15 million will assist with evolving challenges arising from Covid-19. The remaining €12 million, will help address existing level of service costs.

Mental Health Funding as a Percentage of Health Budget 2012 - 2020

Year

Allocation (NSP) - €m

% of Total Health Budget

2012

707.0

5.7%

2013

733.0

5.8%

2014

765.8

6.5%

2015

791.6

6.2%

2016

826.6

6.1%

2017

853.1

6.4%

2018

917.8

6.7%

2019

987.4

6.3%

2020

1,031.3

5.2%*

*As per June 2020 Revised Estimates incorporating Covid-19 Funding.  5.8% as per Dec 2019 Revised Estimates.

Mental Health Services

Ceisteanna (705)

Mark Ward

Ceist:

705. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health the specific mental health services available to persons who do not have English as a first language; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5335/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Departmental Contracts

Ceisteanna (706)

Mattie McGrath

Ceist:

706. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the exact details of the contract entered into with a company (details supplied) for data sharing information of its customers; the monetary value of the contract; the way in which the information is being used; the other State organisations which his Department shares the information with; if it complies with GDPR data legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5336/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The Department of Health is currently engaged in a commercial agreement with Three Ireland, to procure an anonymised mobility dataset for the sole purpose of informing and supporting the COVID19 response. This data is helpful in understanding mobility associated with the pandemic and response and it is one of a large number of datasets analysed and used as part of the Covid-19 response including other measures of mobility.

Data from Three Ireland is collated from anonymised data sets at a macro scale, aggregated at Electoral Division (ED) and received by the CSO on behalf of the Department of Health to ensure good data governance. Data which has been anonymised is not personal data and therefore not subject to the GDPR. At no point has any personal data been shared by Three Ireland with the Department of Health or the CSO.

CSO, OSI, NPHET and IEMAG are parties to the agreement. The CSO receives the anonymised, aggregated data on behalf of the Department of Health and provides access to IEMAG for analysis, OSI provides visualisation of the data. Analysis and visualisation of the data are provided to NPHET. The Dept. Taoiseach has been given access to aggregate analysis and visualizations of this dataset (the Three Ireland dataset) through OSI to support the government response to COVID19.

CSO has also conducted some additional independent analysis of the data which is publicly available at https://www.cso.ie/en/statistics/othercsopublications/covid-19insightseriesmobilityduringthepandemic/. The details of the contract are considered commercially sensitive. The terms of the contract represent good value for money.

Health Promotion

Ceisteanna (707)

Róisín Shortall

Ceist:

707. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health his plans to raise awareness of the risk of ovarian cancer to women who might have undiagnosed cancer; the availability of zejula and niraparib as a treatment for ovarian cancer here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5338/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The HSE's National Cancer Control Programme, in conjunction with the National Clinical Effectiveness Committee, published a National Clinical Guideline on Ovarian Cancer in August 2019. The guideline is based on best research evidence, in conjunction with clinical expertise and patient preferences, and was developed using a clear evidence-based methodology that is used  internationally.

The overall objectives of the National Clinical Guideline on Ovarian Cancer are:

- to improve the quality of clinical care, improving patient outcomes by reducing morbidity and mortality;

- to reduce variation in practice and improve consistency and standards of care by promoting interventions of proven benefit - and discouraging ineffective ones; and

- to address areas of clinical care with new and emerging evidence.

The HSE's National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) works to ensure strong focus on early detection, including through development and delivery of public awareness campaigns and educational initiatives for healthcare providers and community organisations.

With regard to the use of  Niraparib (Zejula®) as a treatment for ovarian cancer, the HSE has a standard assessment process in place for the approval of the reimbursement of new drugs, and new indications for existing drugs. This process is intended to arrive at decisions on the funding of drugs that are clinically appropriate, fair, consistent and sustainable. The reimbursement process is underpinned by the Framework Agreement on the Supply and Pricing of Medicines (2016), and the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013.

Before a medicine is licensed for use in the European Union, and before it can be marketed for sale in the EU, it must receive a market authorisation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Once drugs are licensed, the company may apply for HSE reimbursement approval using the standard process outlined above.

Niraparib (Zejula®) is a Poly polymerase inhibitor (PARPi). These are a novel class of anti-cancer therapies.  Niraparib (Zejula®) is currently being considered in line with the HSE reimbursement process. Ahead of the conclusion of this process, the reimbursement of Niraparib is not approved for reimbursement by the HSE.

Vaccination Programme

Ceisteanna (708)

Kieran O'Donnell

Ceist:

708. Deputy Kieran O'Donnell asked the Minister for Health if drive-through vaccination clinics under the roll-out of the national vaccination programme are being considered for Limerick city and county; if so, the number and location of these clinics; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5340/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Vaccination Programme

Ceisteanna (709, 710)

Duncan Smith

Ceist:

709. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health the locations of the mass Covid-19 vaccination centres in Dublin and the surrounding counties of Wicklow, Kildare, Meath and Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5347/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Duncan Smith

Ceist:

710. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health the number of mass Covid-19 vaccination centres that will be located in Dublin and the surrounding counties of Wicklow, Kildare, Meath and Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5348/21]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 709 and 710 together.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

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