Thomas Pringle
Ceist:1141. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Health if the ready, steady, grow programme will be reinstated in Ballymun, Dublin 9; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17347/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraMental Health Services
Ceisteanna (1141)
Freagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have referred the matter to the HSE for a direct response.
Health Services Access
Ceisteanna (1142)
Joe Carey
Ceist:1142. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Health if he will report on his plans to reduce the waiting lists for occupational therapy and physiotherapy in County Clare for all age groups; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17350/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí 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 (1143)
Aengus Ó Snodaigh
Ceist:1143. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to a case where a person who received text notice to attend for vaccine at Beaumont Hospital was told after attending that the text was for their spouse who is also on the list for the vaccine (details supplied); and if the vaccine is then used on someone else or disposed of in such circumstances. [17355/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí 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 (1144)
Thomas Gould
Ceist:1144. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health if a person is allowed to visit a second home or a mobile home that is located within the allowable travel distance. [17366/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
After taking full account of the current status of Covid-19 in the community, the public health advice, and in line with the plan set out in Covid 19 Resilience & Recovery 2021: The Path Ahead, the Government has decided to implement a limited phased easing of restrictions for the month of April, to commence on 12th April.
This cautious approach will continue until a substantial level of vaccination has been achieved, at which point the Government will move to reopen our society more widely. While the vaccine programme continues to be scaled up, people are encouraged to stay local and to continue to choose outdoor options over indoor options where possible.
Under the current public health restrictions, people are asked to stay at home as much as possible unless they have a "reasonable excuse" for leaving, which includes for exercise with 5km of home. From 12 April, you will be permitted to travel within your own county or within 20km of your home if crossing county boundaries. Further information, together with a non-exhaustive list of reasonable excuses is available here - www.gov.ie/en/publication/2dc71-level-5/#travel-restrictions.
S.I. No. 701 of 2020 Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (COVID-19) (No. 10) Regulations 2020, (as amended), sets out the current public health restrictions at level 5.
Statutory Instruments relating to the Covid pandemic are available here: www.gov.ie/en/collection/1f150-view-statutory-instruments-related-to-the-covid-19-pandemic/.
Information on the current public health restrictions together with a guide for the new changes is available online here - https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/2dc71-level-5/#your-guide-to-the-new-changes.
Covid-19 Pandemic
Ceisteanna (1145)
David Cullinane
Ceist:1145. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the status of maternity restrictions in the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise; his plans to allow birthing partners to attend scans and births; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17367/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí 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 (1146)
David Cullinane
Ceist:1146. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health his plans to ease the restrictions in relation to maternity visitation including the appointments for a scan in which the mother can have a parent, partner or supporting visitor attend with them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17368/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí 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 (1147)
David Cullinane
Ceist:1147. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of hospitals in which visitors are not allowed to attend the 20-week pregnancy scan; and the number of hospitals in which visitors are allowed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17369/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí 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 (1148)
Michael Fitzmaurice
Ceist:1148. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will be called for the Covid-19 vaccine given their underlying health conditions and the fact that they have to travel on public transport to receive medical needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17371/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Medicinal Products
Ceisteanna (1149)
Pádraig O'Sullivan
Ceist:1149. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if he or his officials are monitoring the average time taken for new medicines to become available here compared to other EU countries; if the current reimbursement process here is a factor in the delayed access for Irish patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17374/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
My Department does not collate data on the average time taken for new medicines to become available in Ireland compared to other EU member states.
"League tables" comparing speed of reimbursement in Ireland with that of other countries are often misleading, as several countries have quite different and often less rigorous statutory assessment arrangements than Ireland. Furthermore, many of the newer products being licensed are falling well short of cost-effectiveness thresholds, with limited clinical benefits.
As the Deputy is aware, the Oireachtas put in place a robust legal framework, in the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, to give full statutory powers to the HSE to assess and make decisions on reimbursement of medicines, taking account of a range of objective factors and expert opinion as appropriate. These include the clinical and cost effectiveness of the product, the opportunity cost, the potential or actual budget impact, and the impact on resources that are available to the HSE.
In line with the 2013 Act, if a company would like a medicine to be reimbursed by the HSE, the company must first submit an application to the HSE to have the new medicine added to the reimbursement list.
As outlined in the IPHA agreement, and in line with the 2013 Act, the HSE will decide, within 180 days of receiving the application (or a longer period if further information is sought from the company), to either add the medicine to the reimbursement list or agree to reimburse it as a hospital medicine, or refuse to reimburse the medicine.HSE decisions on which medicines are reimbursed by the taxpayer are made on objective, scientific and economic grounds, on the advice of the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE). The NCPE conducts health technology assessments (HTAs) for the HSE and makes recommendations on reimbursement to assist HSE decisions. The NCPE uses a decision framework to systematically assess whether a drug is cost-effective as a health intervention.
The process for assessing applications works very well where the new medicines have strong evidence of clinical effectiveness and are priced in a cost-effective manner. Delays in reimbursement decisions for new products may occur in cases where the evidence of clinical effectiveness is weak, and where prices are set well outside of cost effectiveness parameters.
As the Deputy will be aware, additional funding of €50m was provided for new medicines in Budget 2021. This funding will allow the HSE Executive Management Team to approve new and innovative medicines which have been recommended by the HSE Drugs Group on the basis of efficacy and value for money in line with the 2013 Health Act.
As of 10 March, the HSE had approved reimbursement of 21 new medicines or new uses of existing medicines in 2021. The HSE will continue assess any pricing and reimbursement applications received for new medicines, in line with the 2013 Act.
Medicinal Products
Ceisteanna (1150, 1151)
Pádraig O'Sullivan
Ceist:1150. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the key findings of the review by a company (details supplied) on the HSE drug reimbursement process which related to rare diseases and orphan medicines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17375/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraPádraig O'Sullivan
Ceist:1151. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health when his Department will act on the recommendations of a company (details supplied); the timeline for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17376/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1150 and 1151 together.
In 2019, following a tender by the Office of Government Procurement, Mazars conducted a review of the governance structures around the HSE's drug reimbursement process. The report was submitted to my Department in January 2020.
The review made recommendations in respect of the HSE’s systems, structures, processes, governance arrangements and use of specialist resources in respect of the drug reimbursement process.
The report was under consideration by officials earlier last year, however the focus of the Department of Health changed to the immediate public health considerations of the COVID-19 pandemic and the preservation of life. This meant that this work stream was temporarily suspended to reallocate resources to support essential services.
My Department aims to complete its consideration of the report’s recommendations in the near future.
Vaccination Programme
Ceisteanna (1152)
Pádraig O'Sullivan
Ceist:1152. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the way in which persons not attending hospital regularly in the very high risk group 4 cohort will be contacted; the location in which they will receive their vaccine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17379/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
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 (1153)
Seán Sherlock
Ceist:1153. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the psychology staffing figures by grade staff, senior and principal across each CHO4 specialist adult mental health team; the population served by each team; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17381/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Covid-19 Pandemic
Ceisteanna (1154)
Cathal Crowe
Ceist:1154. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health if he will urgently consider a revision to the listing of professions involved in international travel that are exempted from mandatory hotel quarantining during the Covid-19 pandemic in order that aircraft engineers essential to the transit supply chain who travel here from overseas are not required to quarantine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17382/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Government has introduced more stringent measures applying to international travel in order to mitigate against the risk of new variants being imported through travel and to protect the progress we are making in suppressing transmission domestically.
Where an international traveller has been to a designated state within 14 days of arrival, they must observe mandatory hotel quarantine. Exemptions from this requirement are set out in legislation and are strictly limited. These exemptions includes an aircraft pilot, other aircrew, maritime master or maritime crew who arrives in the State in the course of performing his or her duties.
Assisted Human Reproduction
Ceisteanna (1155)
Neale Richmond
Ceist:1155. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Health the status of his Department's work regarding the use of surrogacy in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17383/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As the Deputy will be aware, drafting of a bill on assisted human reproduction (AHR) and associated areas of research, based on the published General Scheme of the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill, is ongoing by officials in my Department, in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General. I can assure the Deputy that publication of this legislation is a priority for my Department and the Government, and a commitment to enact this legislation is included in the Programme for Government, “Our Shared Future”.
This comprehensive legislation encompasses the regulation, for the first time in Ireland, of a wide range of practices, including domestic surrogacy.
The surrogacy provisions outline the specific conditions under which surrogacy in Ireland will be permitted, including a requirement for all surrogacy agreements to be pre-authorised by the AHR Regulatory Authority, the establishment of which the Bill will provide for. The legislation also sets out a court-based mechanism through which the parentage of a child born through surrogacy may be transferred from the surrogate (and her husband, if applicable) to the intending parent(s).
Overall, the aim of the AHR legislation is to promote and ensure the health and safety of parents and others involved in the process (such as donors and surrogate mothers), while, most importantly, consideration of the welfare and best interests of children born as a result of AHR is a key principle underpinning the legislation.
Covid-19 Pandemic
Ceisteanna (1156)
Gino Kenny
Ceist:1156. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Health if he will acknowledge the stress, anxiety and uncertainty that pregnant women and their partners continue to experience as a result of public health restrictions during the pandemic; if he will ensure that maternity services are prioritised during any talks regarding the easing of restrictions in order that those who are pregnant can be accompanied and supported by partners through the process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17385/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I would like to assure the Deputy that I am very aware of the distress that the current restrictions in maternity services have caused, as are all those involved in the provision of maternity services across the country. All service providers look forward to the restoration of normal visiting and the accommodation of partners, when it is safe to do so.
However, the reality is that we are still experiencing high levels of infection across the country, the health service remains under pressure and there remains a considerable risk that Ireland will experience a further wave of infection. In that context, it is important to note that the restrictions in maternity services are designed to protect mothers, babies and staff.
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has issued guidance regarding attendance at acute hospitals during the pandemic, including attendance at maternity hospitals. The guidance advises that restrictions on partner visiting; accompanying persons in labour; or parents visiting neonatal intensive care units, should be based on a documented risk assessment that is regularly reviewed. Given the current level of community transmission, and the risk that the virus will be imported into maternity hospitals, all maternity hospitals are reviewing their visiting restrictions on a weekly basis, with some undertaking reviews daily. In that regard, I am advised that the National Women & Infants Health Programme has, and will, continue to engage with the Clinical Leads for Maternity Services/Women’s Health in each Hospital Group and the Directors of Midwifery in each maternity unit.
Hospital Groups
Ceisteanna (1157)
Fergus O'Dowd
Ceist:1157. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health the process that was undertaken in order to reach the agreement in regard to the RCSI taking over operational management of Dealgan House nursing home in County Louth on 17 April 2020; the persons involved in the decision-making process; and the minutes or details of the meetings that took place to form and implement this decision. [17386/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Hospital Groups
Ceisteanna (1158, 1159)
Fergus O'Dowd
Ceist:1158. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health if the RCSI had to seek approval from the HSE and or his Department beforehand in relation to the operational takeover by the RCSI of Dealgan House. [17387/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFergus O'Dowd
Ceist:1159. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health if an assessment was carried out on the tragic situation that was evolving in Dealgan House in advance of the takeover by the RCSI; if so, the conclusions of the assessment; and if the assessment can be made public. [17388/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1158 and 1159 together.
The State’s responsibility to respond to the public health emergency created the need for the HSE to set up a structured support system in line with NPHET recommendations. This has been a critical intervention in supporting the resilience of the sector in meeting the unprecedented challenges associated with COVID-19.
These supports remain in place and have encompassed:
- Enhanced HSE engagement
- Temporary HSE governance arrangements
- Multidisciplinary clinical supports at CHO level through 23 COVID-19 Response Teams
- Access to supply lines for PPE, medical oxygen etc
- Serial testing in nursing homes
- Access to staff from community and acute hospitals
- Suite of focused guidance, including comprehensive guidance on visiting nursing homes
- HIQA COVID-19 quality assurance regulatory framework
The RCSI Hospital Group temporarily took over the operational management of Dealgan Nursing Home, Dundalk, Co. Louth on April 17th 2020 to assist during the period of COVID-19. That involved the RCSI Hospital Group being responsible for ensuring necessary model of care through provision of appropriate nursing and medical staff.
As the issues raised by the Deputy relates to a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.