Wednesday, 31 Mar 2021

Written Answers Nos. 1236-1254

Covid-19 Pandemic

Ceisteanna (1236)

Imelda Munster

Ceist:

1236. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Health if he will consider providing the tourism and hospitality sector with key indicators and conditions that will need to be met in order for them to reopen their businesses including the percentage of the adult population that will need to be vaccinated in order for businesses to open; the level of community transmission required for reopening; if tourism and hospitality businesses will only be able to open for vaccinated customers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17624/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

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, slow, stepwise and phased approach, with sufficient time between phases to assess impact and to respond if the epidemiological situation changes, is to protect core priorities and reopened services, including education, childcare and non-covid health and social care services. The focus in Ireland is on regaining and maintaining control over the disease and preventing a further wave of infection later in the year, until vaccination can offer a widespread population level of protection.

Ireland’s revised plan for managing COVID-19, The Path Ahead, outlines four conditions which must be achieved before any significant easing of measures:

Disease prevalence (case numbers/incidence) is brought to much lower levels that can be managed and controlled by public health and that the reproduction number (“R” number) is such that we can be confident we can continue to suppress the disease e.g. at or below 1.

Hospital and critical care occupancy are reduced to low levels to protect the health service and allow for the safe resumption of non-COVID-19 care.

Ongoing and steady progress on the vaccination programme such that the most vulnerable are protected through vaccination.

Emerging information on variants of concern.

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.

Information on the current public health measures, together with a guide for the new changes is available online here - https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/2dc71-level-5/

Covid-19 Pandemic

Ceisteanna (1237)

Imelda Munster

Ceist:

1237. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Health if he plans to continue to differentiate between so called wet pubs and pubs that serve food in reopening plans for 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17625/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

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, slow, stepwise and phased approach, with sufficient time between phases to assess impact and to respond if the epidemiological situation changes, is to protect core priorities and reopened services, including education, childcare and non-covid health and social care services. The focus in Ireland is on regaining and maintaining control over the disease and preventing a further wave of infection later in the year, until vaccination can offer a widespread population level of protection.

Ireland’s revised plan for managing COVID-19, The Path Ahead, outlines four conditions which must be achieved before any significant easing of measures:

Disease prevalence (case numbers/incidence) is brought to much lower levels that can be managed and controlled by public health and that the reproduction number (“R” number) is such that we can be confident we can continue to suppress the disease e.g. at or below 1.

Hospital and critical care occupancy are reduced to low levels to protect the health service and allow for the safe resumption of non-COVID-19 care.

Ongoing and steady progress on the vaccination programme such that the most vulnerable are protected through vaccination.

Emerging information on variants of concern.

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.

It is not possible to say what public health measures will be in place in the future. The public health advice relating to Covid-19 is kept under continuing review by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), by my Department and by the Government. The measures in place and the public health advice have been adapted to the changing circumstances and this will continue to be the case for the foreseeable future.

Information on the current public health measures, together with a guide for the new changes is available online here - https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/2dc71-level-5/

Question No. 1238 answered with Question No. 993.

Health Services

Ceisteanna (1239)

Róisín Shortall

Ceist:

1239. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the steps he has taken to ensure that all adults have access to a multidisciplinary team in the treatment of spina bifida and hydrocephalus; his plans to remedy the lack of co-ordinated care for persons with spina bifida and hydrocephalus that are transitioning from adolescence to adulthood; if provision is being made to provide complex needs nurse specialists and administration staff to co-ordinate care across disciplines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17630/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

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

Health Services

Ceisteanna (1240)

Róisín Shortall

Ceist:

1240. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the current status of the national model of care for paediatric services for the transitioning plans for adolescents with spina bifida and hydrocephalus; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17631/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

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

Health Services

Ceisteanna (1241)

Róisín Shortall

Ceist:

1241. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if multidisciplinary teams will be provided to patients with spina bifida and hydrocephalus in the new children’s hospital; the steps he is taking to ensure all children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus receive the same level of services in both CHI Temple Street and CHI Crumlin presently; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17632/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

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 (1242)

Róisín Shortall

Ceist:

1242. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the reason the declaration of essential travel was removed from the passenger locator form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17633/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

Beginning in November 2020, persons identifying as essential travellers within the definitions of EU Council Recommendation 2020/1475 were not subject to advisory restricted movement or to follow up phone calls through the COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form. However, the introduction of regulations on 6th February 2021 set out exemptions from mandatory quarantine for arriving passengers. Therefore, the previous declarations as to whether the passenger's travel was essential was no longer applicable.

Covid-19 Tests

Ceisteanna (1243)

Róisín Shortall

Ceist:

1243. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if the rapid antigen testing will be implemented in schools; if so, the timeline for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17634/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

The HSE has deployed antigen detections tests (ADTs) for use in 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.

I have also set up a group, chaired by the government’s chief scientific adviser, Professor Mark Ferguson, to examine the use of rapid tests in the community, and I will be considering the recommendations of this group.

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.

Vaccination Programme

Ceisteanna (1244)

Róisín Shortall

Ceist:

1244. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the reason there was a significant drop in the number of persons in cohort 1 recorded as having received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine between 21 March 2021 and 22 March 2021, when the numbers fell from 107,168 to 95,916; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17635/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

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 Tests

Ceisteanna (1245)

Róisín Shortall

Ceist:

1245. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the capacity of each of the five walk-in Covid-19 testing centres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17636/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

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 (1246)

Róisín Shortall

Ceist:

1246. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to complaints from home care recipients that some agency carers have stopped wearing face masks after getting vaccinated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17637/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Health

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

Departmental Expenditure

Ceisteanna (1247)

Mairéad Farrell

Ceist:

1247. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Health the spend for his Department on public procurement disaggregated by spend on goods, services and capital works in each of the years 2018 to 2020, in tabular form. [17961/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

The table below sets out estimated expenditure on public procurement by my Department for the years 2018 to 2020. It includes some items of shared tenancy expenditure, of which a proportion is recouped from other tenant Departments. The information is broken down by expenditure subhead as the system does not readily permit expenditure to be broken down between goods and services.

My Department did not engage in any capital works expenditure for the period in question.

Item	2018 €000	2019 €000	2020 €000
Travel	186	248	59
Training and Development and Incidental Expenses	1,273	1,634	3,178
Postal and telecommunications services	417	231	175
Office equipment and external IT services	2,596	1,842	1,806
Office premises expenses	1,926	765	670
Consultancy	937	542	413
Healthy Ireland Fund	310	687	1,556
Statutory and non-statutory inquiries and miscellaneous legal fees and settlements	1,863	1,638	1,155
Dissemination of information, conferences and publications in respect of health andhealth services	2,027	1,656	2,890
Sláintecare		397	1,959
Total expenditure subject to procurement	11,535	9,640	13,861

* These figures are inclusive of VAT

Covid-19 Pandemic

Ceisteanna (1248)

Jim O'Callaghan

Ceist:

1248. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the services of a tree surgeon during level 5 restrictions are permitted in order to attend to a damaged ash tree which is hanging dangerously in a back garden and needs to be removed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16755/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

For public health reasons, the Government has advised that people should stay at home except in a limited number of situations, including if they are travelling to and from work where the work is considered to be an essential service.

Those essential service providers are listed here: gov.ie - View the list of essential services at Level 5 (www.gov.ie) and Regulations are in place to support these measures. The measures are made based on expert advice from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) and are kept under ongoing review by that group, with the over-riding consideration being the protection of public health in the context of the current Covid-19 pandemic.

The Department cannot adjudicate on individual cases. It is a matter for each company/individual to assess, based on the current published information, whether they are involved in providing any of the essential services which are currently permitted.

Pesticide Use

Ceisteanna (1249)

Holly Cairns

Ceist:

1249. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he is taking to address the detection of pesticides including MCPA, 2,4-D, mecoprop, fluroxypyr, glyphosate and triclopyr in County Cork in 2019 and 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17498/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Efforts to address the issue of pesticide detections in drinking water are being coordinated by the National Pesticides and Drinking Water Action Group (NPDWAG), which is chaired by my Department. NPDWAG membership encompasses a wide range of key stakeholders, including other Government departments and agencies, local authorities, industry representative bodies, farming organisations, water sector organisations and amenity sector organisations. Actions taken include awareness-raising measures, measures to promote Integrated Pest Management approaches, regulatory measures concerning various plant protection products and measures to promote research to protect water quality.

Irish Water monitor public water supplies for pesticides and report the results to the EPA, who are the regulator for drinking water quality. The NPDWAG takes a range of actions in specific areas identified by the EPA. These areas include some water supplies in Cork. Cork County Council are represented on the NPDWAG and they work in partnership with other NPDWAG stakeholders as part of a coordinated approach to the protection of drinking water quality.

Measures at national level implemented under the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive are important as well. These include training of pesticide users, distributors and advisors, inspection and certification of pesticide application equipment, and safeguard zones to protect drinking water sources. Other important measures are specified in the principles of Good Plant Protection Practice (GPPP), which all professional users of pesticides are legally obliged to follow.

A number of specific regulatory measures relating to MCPA products have been introduced in recent years. These include a reduction in the maximum allowed application rate for products that only contain MCPA, an extended prohibited use period, and a mandatory no-spray buffer zone of 5 m along all watercourses. My Department has also introduced a mandatory product stewardship scheme, in force since the start of 2018, making it a regulatory requirement for companies marketing products containing MCPA to participate in a programme of intensive monitoring of raw water in priority drinking water catchment areas for MCPA and chemically similar active substances.

This is an area of active engagement with all stakeholders for my Department.

Departmental Communications

Ceisteanna (1250)

Pa Daly

Ceist:

1250. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on correspondence from and engagement with an organisation (details supplied). [16286/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

I fully acknowledge the important contribution bees make to agriculture and biodiversity as both pollinators and honey producers. In this regard, my Department provides a range of supports and initiatives to encourage and assist beekeepers and the national beekeeping associations. These supports include funding to carry out applied research through the National Apiculture Programme, grants to national beekeeping associations and grant aid to fund capital investments for beekeepers. My Department has funded a number of studies under the Genetic Research Grant Aid Scheme looking at various aspects of this honeybee species and specifically apis mellifera melliferra. In 2021, funding has been allocated for an innovative queen rearing project.

My officials are in regular contact with the Federation of Irish Beekeeper Associations (FIBKA) to discuss various issues including the DAFM Grant Aid Scheme for Horticulture including Beekeepers, the Annual Beekeeping Federation Grant, the 2020 Beekeeper Survey, the 2020 Honey Output Estimates, the Sentinel Apiary Programme for the early detection of exotic pests of the honey bee, veterinary medicines information for bees, the incidence of Foulbrood in Ireland in 2020, the importation of bees into Ireland, beekeeper registration and the new animal health regulation 2016/429 and consultation on the new National Apiculture Programme.

I fully appreciate the efforts FIBKA make in relation to beekeeping.

Veterinary Medicines

Ceisteanna (1251)

Michael Healy-Rae

Ceist:

1251. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding the dispensing of medicinal items; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16308/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

I want to emphasise at the outset that all stakeholders, including Responsible Persons who are employed by Licensed Merchants, who are currently permitted to sell veterinary medicines under national legislation, such as cattle dosing medicines, will continue to be able to sell and dispense such medicines following the new veterinary medicines Regulation coming into effect in January 2022. There are no proposals being considered that will alter that situation.

However, from January 2022 antiparasitic veterinary medicines will require a veterinary prescription before they can be sold.

In 2019, the Health Product Regulatory Authority (HPRA) established a Task Force to review the method of supply of antiparasitic veterinary medicines that are intended for food-producing animals against the criteria set out in European law. These criteria have remained largely unchanged in Regulation 2019/6. A copy of the report is available on the HPRA’s website www.hpra.ie.

It concluded that the scientific evidence of resistance to antiparasitic veterinary medicines present in food-producing animals now available is compelling and stark and present a real risk to animal rearing and food production in grass based systems. Arising from this, antiparasitic veterinary medicines must require a veterinary prescription before they can be dispensed from January 2022.

My Department’s interpretation of Regulation Article 105(4) is that Ireland is not in a position to avail of the derogation which allows persons other than registered veterinary practitioners to issue veterinary prescriptions. This view has been informed through consideration by policy officials, consultation with the EU Commission and with internal legal advisors.

However, given the range of stakeholder views on Article 105(4), the Department committed to seeking further legal advice from the Attorney General’s Office which was submitted in late 2020 and is receiving attention in that office currently.

It is the intention of my Department to make a statement on the matter to all stakeholders when received.

Several stakeholders, including Licensed Merchants, have raised concerns about anti-parasitic resistance and also the potential impact of this change in regulation. To address this, my Department has established an Antiparasitic Resistance Stakeholder Group which is chaired by the Chief Veterinary Officer. This group has an extensive work programme which is on-going and its considerations are being guided by two principal objectives:

- Protecting the efficacy of antiparasitics which are critical to the Irish pasture-based production model.

- Establishing a regulatory system that is pragmatic, retains a substantive role for existing stakeholders and delivers value for money for farmers.

Departmental Communications

Ceisteanna (1252)

Niamh Smyth

Ceist:

1252. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will review correspondence (details supplied); when the recommendations of same will be introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16339/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

I have previously reviewed Professor Hennessey’s comprehensive report on the economic importance of the Poultry Industry in Ireland and I met with the Poultry Industry to discuss this report in more detail last December.

Following this meeting, I asked my officials to evaluate the four recommendations contained in this report with a priority placed on examining the key recommendation, the establishment of a co-financed fund to improve disease control and mitigate its financial impact.

I would like to advise the Deputy that in relation to both outbreaks of Avian Influenza mentioned in the correspondence provided to you, my Department provided financial support to the affected poultry producers. While no legal basis exists for a mandatory compensation scheme under EU legislation in respect of the Low Pathogenic H6N1 Avian Influenza outbreak in 2020, a once-off financial support scheme was established following DPER approval, to provide some support to affected poultry producers.

Regarding the December 2020 outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, the Animal Health and Welfare Act, No. 15 of 2013 does allow me, as Minister, to support farmers in the event of outbreaks of certain diseases which includes Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and this provision is currently being availed of.

In addition, some excellent supports are already in place such as the use of the RDP-funded Targeted Advisory Service for Animal Health measure for assessing farm level biosecurity risks that is available at no cost to poultry farmers.

My officials continue to explore what additional measures could be utilised, within the context of existing national and EU legislation, to support the industry as much as possible in their pursuit of establishing a funding support system for use by the industry in the face of poultry disease challenges. We will update Industry on these findings shortly, together with an update on the three other report recommendations.

GLAS Issues

Ceisteanna (1253)

Michael Healy-Rae

Ceist:

1253. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16360/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The person named was selected for an on farm inspection in 2020 and was notified of the inspection findings by letter dated 19th February 2021. This letter outlined the option of requesting a review of the outcome.

The person named subsequently submitted a request for a review of the inspection findings which was received on 23rd March 2021. This request is currently being processed and the review will be completed in due course.

The person named will be informed directly, in writing, of the outcome of the review when it has been finalised.

Felling Licences

Ceisteanna (1254, 1264)

Michael Healy-Rae

Ceist:

1254. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding forestry licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16425/21]

Martin Browne

Ceist:

1264. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason the number of forestry licences issued during the week ending 19 March 2021 fell to 15; his views on the reason for same despite additional ecologists and forestry inspectors being taken on; and the consequences for the industry of such a reduction in the processing of licences. [16743/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1254 and 1264 together.

The Forestry Dashboard for week ending 19 March, noted that a total of 15 forestry licences issued – one tree felling licence, four afforestation and 10 for forest road works. In addition to this, seven licences that had been remitted to my Department following appeal to the Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC) were reissued. This was clearly an outlier week relative to every other week to date this year.

The average number of licences issuing year to date is 67 new licences every week. In the week just gone, the figure was 65. Year to date afforestation licences are up 14% (in hectares), road licences are up 125% (in km) and felling up 53% (in m3) when compared to same quarter last year.

We are still committed to meeting our target of 4,500 new licences for 2021 and it is essential that we do so. There will be weeks within the year when the figures fluctuate and its important to keep the focus on the high level targets for the year which are needed for the sector to continue to develop.

There are a number of factors which can influence the figures and, in the month of March, the impact on the high level figures is because Coillte now have almost all their licensing requirements already issued for 2021. In week ending 19th March, they submitted 1,864 licences for their proposed clear fell operations in 2022 and 2023. Coillte licensing now enters an interim phase, while the initial processing stages of these new licences takes place before further licences issue, as happens when a new batch of applications is received. I would like to note here that these new applications and supporting documents may be viewed for the first time, in my Department’s Forestry Licence Viewer, which assists the public in participating in the decision-making process.

As for private forestry licences, we are continuing to aim to improve output, mindful of the additional resources deployed in recent months. The Working Groups under Project Woodland have met and engagement has been positive. Working Group 4 – Process Improvement will be looking at licensing processes, including the forestry regulation process; environmental reports and assessments; and training courses as part of their remit. I look forward to further updates on the progress of these groups and the Project as a whole.