Written Answers Nos. 1177-1197
1177. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of staff currently employed in Covid-19 testing and tracing by occupation; the number of dedicated staff in comparison to those who have been redeployed in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17463/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1179. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of staff who were taken on board for testing and for tracing but who have since left the job; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17465/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1180. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health the status of the works to accommodate the new MRI scanner in Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17467/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs 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.
1181. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health if there has been a review of current maternity restrictions; if consideration has been given to easing maternity restrictions as Ireland moves out of the current public health guidelines in the coming months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17468/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1182. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Health the engagements he has had with maternity hospitals regarding maternity services; the steps he has taken to ensure pregnant women are fully supported during any ease in the current restrictions; and the current situation in each maternity hospital. [17469/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraGiven the role of the HSE’s National Women & Infants Health Programme in the management, organisation and delivery of maternity and gynaecological services, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1183. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Health if those in mandatory quarantine hotel facilities will be given additional breaks for exercise and fresh air if they are travelling with babies or toddlers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17472/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAll facilities in the mandatory quarantine system have a designated outdoor area on-site which guests will be allowed to use on a scheduled basis up to three times daily, subject to their having received a 'not detected' result in their initial RT-PCR test. Additional time will be available to families with children should they request it.
Guests using the outdoor area will do so under the supervision of security staff who will escort guests to and from the area to promote adherence to the infection prevention and control protocols which underpin the mandatory quarantine system.
For persons who are unable to leave their room due to quarantine protocol restrictions, or do not wish to make use of the outdoor area, the service provider has also developed and supplied guided exercise programmes which can be undertaken in a guest's room, as well as a number of other health and wellbeing initiatives to support guests' physical and mental wellbeing.
1184. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health the reason a fully vaccinated Irish citizen returning to Ireland with a negative PCR test still has to quarantine in a hotel for up to two weeks pending another clear PCR test (details supplied); and the plan regarding same going forward. [17473/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Health Act 1947, as amended, provides that all persons arriving in Ireland from a designated state, or having travelled through a designated state in the previous 14 days, are required to undergo mandatory quarantine in a designated facility unless they are an exempted traveler under the Act.
A National Oversight Group for Variants of Concern has been established to monitor and address the challenges posed by variants of COVID-19, including the potential for a difference in the effectiveness of various vaccines against those variants. Quarantine of persons arriving from areas with a high incidence of variants of concern is considered a deterrent against the emergence of such variants in the State and as such all persons arriving from those designated states are required to undergo mandatory quarantine in a designated facility, regardless of vaccination status, unless otherwise exempt.
The designation of states will be subject to ongoing review in line with the provisions of Section 38B of the Health Act 1947, which was inserted by the Health (Amendment) Act 2021.
1185. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will have surgery; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17474/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is recognised that waiting times for scheduled appointments and procedures have been impacted in the last year as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The HSE is currently recommending that only critical time dependent elective procedures are undertaken at this time due to the on-going and significant increased demand for bed capacity related to COVID-19.
This decision was made arising from the rapid increase in COVID-19 admissions and to ensure patient safety and that all appropriate resources were made available for COVID-19 related activity and time-critical essential work.
Patient safety remains at the centre of all hospital activity and elective care scheduling. To ensure services are provided in a safe, clinically aligned and prioritised way, hospitals are following HSE clinical guidelines and protocols.
On 23 March the HSE published the “Safe Return to Health Services Plan”. This plan outlines a three phased approach for the proposed restoration of services across Community Services, Acute Hospital Operations, Cancer Services and Screening Services. It sets target times for their safe return and details the conditions and challenges that will have to be met.
Every phase of the plan has been informed by clinical guidance and putting patient and staff safety first.
Decisions in relation to the type and volume of activity will be made at site level based on local COVID-19 numbers, available capacity and guidance from national clinical leads.
The schedule outlined in the plan for resumption of services will be regularly monitored by the HSE and updated as appropriate, dependant on public health advice and healthcare capacity.
Under 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 is a standardised approach used by the HSE to manage scheduled care treatment for in-patient, day case and planned procedures. It sets out the processes that hospitals are to implement to manage waiting lists and was developed in 2014 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.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1186. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 198 of 11 March 2021, the status of the staffing composition proposed for each of the mass vaccination centres; the targets for each; the numbers hired for each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17475/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1187. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Health if priority will be given to maternity services when exiting the current level 5 Covid-19 restrictions in order that essential supports for pregnant woman are available to them during all stages of the pregnancy and birth and to ensure the avoidance of an ad hoc approach to this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17481/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI 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.
1188. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Health the reasoning behind the over-55 age group being placed in group 12 on the Covid-19 vaccine schedule due to their risk of having underlying health conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17484/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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.
On the 23rd of February, I announced an update to Ireland’s COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy. In comprising the initial Vaccine Allocation Strategy, the NIAC listed several conditions associated with increased risk of severe disease and death. In the intervening period, national and international evidence has become available which has enabled a more detailed analysis of underlying conditions that may increase the risk of developing severe disease or death. The NIAC has now been able to more comprehensively identify those medical conditions and to distinguish between those which place a person at very high or high risk of severe disease if they contract the virus. Medical conditions and the magnitude of the risk they pose will continue to be monitored and periodically reviewed.
On the 30th of March, the Government approved a further update to the COVID-19 Vaccination Allocation Strategy. Based on clinical, scientific and ethical frameworks produced by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee and my Department, following the vaccination of those most at risk, future groups will be vaccinated by age, in cohorts of 10 years (i.e., 64-55; 54-45, etc.).
The move to an age-based model better supports the programme objectives by:
- protecting those at highest risk of severe disease first, which benefits everyone most;
- facilitating planning and execution of the programme across the entire country;
- improving transparency and fairness.
Further details are available here:
https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/93f8f-minister-donnelly-announces-update-to-irelands-vaccination-prioritisation-list/
1189. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health when the school immunisation programme will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17485/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1190. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Health if he has considered adding people with hypertension to cohort 4 of the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out priority list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17486/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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.
On the 23rd of February, I announced an update to Ireland’s COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Strategy. In comprising the initial Vaccine Allocation Strategy, the NIAC listed several conditions associated with increased risk of severe disease and death. In the intervening period, national and international evidence has become available which has enabled a more detailed analysis of underlying conditions that may increase the risk of developing severe disease or death. The NIAC has now been able to more comprehensively identify those medical conditions and to distinguish between those which place a person at very high or high risk of severe disease if they contract the virus. Medical conditions and the magnitude of the risk they pose will continue to be monitored and periodically reviewed.
On the 30th of March, the Government approved a further update to the COVID-19 Vaccination Allocation Strategy. Based on clinical, scientific and ethical frameworks produced by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee and my Department, following the vaccination of those most at risk, future groups will be vaccinated by age, in cohorts of 10 years (i.e., 64-55; 54-45, etc.).
The move to an age-based model better supports the programme objectives by:
- protecting those at highest risk of severe disease first, which benefits everyone most;
- facilitating planning and execution of the programme across the entire country;
- improving transparency and fairness.
Further details are available here:
https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/93f8f-minister-donnelly-announces-update-to-irelands-vaccination-prioritisation-list/
1191. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the steps he is taking in response to his Department’s role in the building of dossiers on children with autism who were involved in legal actions against the State by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17496/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI take the allegations made in recent media reports extremely seriously. A team has been set up to establish the facts in respect of specific allegations made in the RTÉ Prime Time programme on 25th March 2021. The Department has engaged with the Data Protection Commissioner.
The allegations which were the subject of the RTÉ Prime Time programme on March 25th were brought to the Department's attention last year. The Department took the matters raised very seriously and commissioned an independent, expert review by an external Senior Counsel. This review was completed in November 2020. Subject to clarification of legal matters, I hope this review may be published at the earliest possible opportunity.
1192. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the status of the implementation of recommendations in the report of the independent review group examining the role of voluntary organisations relating to areas in which his Department has responsibility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17503/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Report of the Independent Review Group established to examine the role of voluntary organisations in publicly funded health and social services, published in February 2019, highlighted the important contribution that voluntary organisations have made and continue to make in the delivery of health and social care services across the country.
The key finding in the Report is the need to strengthen the relationship between the State and voluntary sector organisations. To this end, a Dialogue Forum with Voluntary Organisations was established in December 2019 as recommended in the Report as a key mechanism for strengthening this relationship. The aim of the Forum is to build a stronger working relationship between the State and the voluntary healthcare sector for the benefit of patients and service users. The Forum will also facilitate regular dialogue with the voluntary sector on policy initiatives and will consider issues around governance more generally.
The Forum is independently chaired by Peter Cassells. Members of the Forum include the Department, the HSE, HIQA, the Mental Health Commission and the main representative bodies of voluntary providers of health and social care: The Wheel; Mental Health Reform; Disability Federation of Ireland; Not for Profit Association; National Federation of Voluntary Service Providers; Voluntary Healthcare Forum; Voluntary Hospices Group and National Community Care Network.
The Forum met twice in December 2019 and January 2020, but further meetings scheduled for March 2020 and May 2020 were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In mid-2020 the Chair convened a sub-group of the Forum to act as a planning group to assist him in planning and, where appropriate, progressing the work of the Forum. The Planning Group met online in September, November and December 2020.
A full Forum meeting planned for the end of January was postponed due to the demands the third wave of the pandemic has placed on Forum members. It is planned to recommence Forum meetings as soon as feasible. In the meantime, the Chair continues to engage with Members directly.
More generally, many of the Independent Review Group Report’s recommendations dovetail with the Sláintecare programme and are being considered in that context. In addition, some recommendations are being taken forward in the context of the Department of Rural and Community Development’s ‘Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities: A Five-Year Strategy to Support the Community and Voluntary Sector in Ireland 2019-2024’.
1193. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health if a family (details supplied) in County Kildare can receive any information that his Department may hold on their child; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17512/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn individual can request a copy of their personal data, if any, processed by my Department by contacting the Department and making a Subject Access Request. Further information is available on the Department’s website at https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/2f7457-department-of-healths-privacy-policy. It would not be appropriate for me to make a statement on an individual matter in this context.
I take the allegations made in recent media reports extremely seriously. A team has been set up to establish the facts in respect of specific allegations made in the RTÉ Prime Time programme on 25th March 2021. The Department has engaged with the Data Protection Commissioner.
The allegations which were the subject of the RTÉ Prime Time programme on March 25th were brought to the Department's attention last year. The Department took the matters raised very seriously and commissioned an independent, expert review by an external Senior Counsel. This review was completed in November 2020. Subject to clarification of legal matters, I would like to publish this review at the earliest possible opportunity.
1194. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if he plans to provide sexual health and well-being centres outside of Dublin for members of the LGBTQ+ community; the steps his Department is taking to address the absence of these services in other parts of the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17513/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraDecisions concerning the provision of sexual health services are made in line with the objectives and strategic vision of the National Sexual Health Strategy 2015 - 2020 (NSHS), which aims to improve sexual health and well-being and reduce negative sexual health outcomes by ensuring that everyone living in Ireland has access to high quality sexual health information, education and services throughout their lives.
Subsequent to publication of the NSHS in 2015, very significant progress has been made in implementing the objectives of the Strategy. Key achievements to date include:
- The roll-out of a national treatment programme of Pre – Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEp)
- Ireland’s membership of the Fast Track Cities HIV global partnership project which is driving the response to HIV/AIDS across 300 cities
- Establishment of the National Condom Distribution Service which distributes free condoms and lubricant sachets to a range of vulnerable groups
- A wide range of educational and promotional work with the education system, parents, children and young people to ensure that they receive the information and resources they need to support their relationship and sexual needs
- An ongoing programme of research to provide the evidence base needed to ensure robust policy development
- Responding to the challenges posed by the Covid 19 pandemic in the maintenance of vital HIV/STI services. All health services, including STI/HIV services are continuing to face service restrictions due to the current impact of Covid-19 on the hospital system and social distancing requirements. Public STI clinics are prioritising those with symptoms or requiring treatment, and this includes anyone who may be referred for confirmation HIV testing.
The current Strategy was intended to cover the period from 2015 – 2020, but has now been extended to 2021. It is the intention of my Department to conduct stakeholder consultations and a review of the NSHS this year. The outcome of the consultations and the review will determine the future direction of the Strategy.
It should be noted that the HSE is currently piloting a free home STI/HIV testing service, supported by the Sláintecare Integration Fund, in Dublin, Cork and Kerry. The first phase of tests were made available early January. As a result of very high initial demand for the service, tests will now be made available in a phased manner to ensure there is sufficient capacity in local clinics for service users who may need follow-up treatment or support.
Learnings from this pilot will inform the future direction of online testing, which may prove to be a very valuable intervention in terms of meeting demand for STI services, especially in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, given the ongoing need to comply with necessary pandemic restrictions, including social distancing
Decisions in relation to the manner and location of future sexual health services will be made in the context of the above factors.
It should also be noted that there are 23 STI services across the country. Phone lines, the GMHS website and other resources such as www.man2man.ie and www.sexualwellbeing.ie are regularly updated to reflect current service delivery and to signpost users to the HSE list of approved STI and PrEP services. It should be noted that, while the Gay Men's Health Service is the only service dedicated solely to the needs of a subset of the LGBTI+ community, wider STI services are available in 22 other locations, and can also provide the necessary services.
1196. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Health the person or body that carried out the independent review into the whistleblower allegations made by a person (details supplied). [17520/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn 2020 my Department engaged Mr Conleth Bradley, SC to conduct a review of a number of issues raised internally. Mr Bradley was engaged following a procurement process in line with public procurement rules.
1197. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Health if he will publish the advice received from a senior counsel on the practice of obtaining information from treating clinicians of children for the purpose of compiling dossiers on said children with special educational needs in respect of whom litigation was taken against his Department. [17521/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI take the allegations made in recent media reports extremely seriously. A team has been set up to establish the facts in respect of specific allegations made in the RTÉ Prime Time programme on 25th March 2021. The Department has engaged with the Data Protection Commissioner.
The allegations which were the subject of the RTÉ Prime Time programme on March 25th were brought to the Department's attention last year. The Department took the matters raised very seriously and commissioned an independent, expert review by an external Senior Counsel. This review was completed in November 2020. Subject to clarification of legal matters, I intend to publish this review at the earliest possible opportunity.
I am informed by officials that the Senior Counsel appointed to examine issues raised internally in the Department in 2020 had no role in the provision of legal advice as stated in this question. Legal advice to the Department is provided by the Attorney General.
