Written Answers Nos. 773-792
773. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Health if there are plans for a review of the current availability for the reimbursement support for FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitoring sensors to be extended to all GMS medical card holders and not just the category of children and young adults in the four to 21 years of age cohort (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46556/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Health Service Executive (HSE) has now commissioned a full Health Technology Assessment of the FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System to be conducted by the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics in collaboration with the Medicines Management Programme. If a positive recommendation arises on completion of the Health Technology Assessment, the Primary Care Reimbursement Service will progress the funding of the device as part of the preparations for the National Service Plan 2022.
Consultant Endocrinologists / Diabetes Nurse Specialists may apply to the HSE, on behalf of specific patients, for reimbursement support of FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring sensors. The application process is undertaken by means of a dedicated online portal, which has been operational since 3rd April 2018. In line with the recommendations outlined by the Health Technology Assessment Group, access to this product was made available to children and young adults (4 -21 years). However, the application process does cater for applications in very exceptional circumstances for a type 1 diabetic patient outside of this group.
774. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Health if there are plans to provide a Covid-19 booster vaccine for those over 60 years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46562/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraMore than seven million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have now been administered since the programme began in December last year. As the current phase of vaccination is nearing completion, the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) has been examining evidence regarding booster vaccines.
On 8 September, I announced a further update to the COVID-19 vaccination programme following additional advice from the NIAC. The NIAC has now recommended that a booster dose of an mRNA vaccine (irrespective of whether the primary vaccination course was of an mRNA or adenoviral vector) for residents aged 65 years and older living in Long Term Residential Care Facilities and for those aged 80 years and older living in the community.
The booster dose can be given after a minimal interval of six months following completion of the primary vaccination schedule. I have accepted this advice and the HSE has been requested to make the necessary arrangements to operationalise the recommendations.
The NIAC continues to examine emerging evidence regarding booster vaccines for those with waning immunity and reduced effectiveness in other groups.
775. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health the actions he is taking to help with the provision of a replacement general practitioner service in Templemore, County Tipperary, following the retirement of the local general practitioner there. [46568/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraTwo recruitment campaigns have been undertaken in an effort to find a replacement GP for this single-handed practice in Templemore. The panel was advertised locally, nationally and in the British Medical Journal. In addition, the advertisement was shared with all GMS practices across the Mid-West and with the Mid West Training Scheme in an attempt to attract newly qualified GPs. Unfortunately, the HSE has not been successful in recruiting a GP to this practice.
It is therefore planned that the group practice in the town of Templemore, will take on the panel of patients on an interim basis. An additional GP has been recruited by the practice which means there will be three Doctors providing the additional capacity to provide a safe, accessible and consistent service to the patients in Templemore and the surrounding area. Additional nursing and administrative staff have also been recruited for this practice.
GMS patients have been advised of the new arrangements and how to access the new practice. Whilst the HSE has no responsibility for private patients, private patients have been advised by practice staff of the need to source a new GP. Private patients can contact the Group practice or any other practice of their choice and request to be taken on as a private patient. Should any private patient find it difficult to source a new GP, they can contact the local HSE Primary Care Unit who can support them in accessing a GP in so far as is possible.
776. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Health the up-to-date position in regard to the full reopening of day centres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46570/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is a key priority for the Government to allow more people to engage in services that allow them to remain independent and live in their own homes with dignity and independence for as long as possible.
777. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health when legislation and availability of supports regarding assisted human reproduction such as IVF and surrogacy will be made available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46575/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, drafting of a bill on assisted human reproduction (AHR) and associated areas of research is ongoing by officials in my Department, in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General. This comprehensive piece of legislation will encompass the regulation, for the first time in Ireland, of a very wide range of practices, including domestic altruistic surrogacy. 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”. Officials in my Department and the Office of the Attorney General continue to prioritise the drafting of this complex legislation and will engage intensively over the next few months to finalise the Bill.
Another Programme for Government commitment is the introduction of the model of care for infertility, which was developed by officials in my Department in conjunction with the HSE’s National Women & Infants Health Programme. This model of care will ensure that infertility issues will be addressed through the public health system at the lowest level of clinical intervention necessary.
The model of care comprises three stages, starting in primary care (i.e., GPs) and extending into secondary care (i.e., Regional Fertility Hubs) and then, where necessary, tertiary care (i.e., IVF and other advanced assisted human reproduction (AHR) treatments). Structured referral pathways are being put in place and patients referred onwards for further investigations or treatment as required and as clinically appropriate.
Phase One of the roll-out of the model of care has involved the establishment, at secondary care level, of Regional Fertility Hubs within maternity networks in the six Hospital Groups across the country, in order to facilitate the management of a significant proportion of patients presenting with infertility issues.
Phase Two of the roll-out will see the introduction of tertiary infertility services, including IVF, in the public health system, but will not commence until such time as infertility services at secondary level have been developed across the country, required resources have been allocated and the AHR legislation commenced.
The underlying aim of the policy to provide a model of funding for AHR, within the broader AHR regulatory framework, is to improve accessibility to AHR treatments, while at the same time embedding safe and appropriate clinical practice and ensuring the cost-effective use of public resources.
778. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health his plans to remove the necessity to undertake a hotel quarantine upon arrival in Ireland for Irish citizens living in Argentina that have been fully vaccinated with an approved vaccine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46578/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraPersons arriving in Ireland who are fully vaccinated with an approved vaccine are not required to undergo Quarantine in a Designated Facility, however may be subject to a home quarantine and other testing requirements depending on where they are arriving from.
To be fully vaccinated, a person must have waited the correct length of time after the final dose of an EMA-approved vaccine.
The table below sets out what fully vaccinated means.
|
A full course of any one of the following vaccines: |
Regarded as fully vaccinated after: |
|
2 doses of Pfizer-BioNtech Vaccine: BNT162b2 (Comirnaty®) |
7 days |
|
2 doses of Moderna Vaccine: CX-024414 (Moderna®) |
14 days |
|
2 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine: ChAdOx1-SARS-COV-2 (Vaxzevria® or Covishield) |
15 days |
|
1 dose of Johnson & Johnson/Janssen Vaccine: Ad26.COV2-S [recombinant] (Janssen®) |
14 days |
Travellers coming from a designated state who have not been vaccinated as outlined in the table above do not meet Ireland’s meaning of fully vaccinated and must pre-book and enter mandatory hotel quarantine.
779. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health the status of the provision of psychology services in the Headford and Lackagh primary care service, County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46580/21]
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.
780. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health when appropriate primary care psychology service will be provided to a person (details supplied); the efforts currently underway to secure a primary care psychologist for this area; the progress in relation to same; if the child will be referred to a neighbouring service in the absence of an ability to be seen in their own catchment area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46588/21]
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.
781. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Health when day care centres for service users with mental health illnesses will reopen; the number that have opened to date; the expected timeline for a full reopening in line with the reopening of society; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46593/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
782. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health if advice will be provided regarding a matter raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46598/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe obligations placed on international passengers under SI No. 135/2021 apply equally to passengers who have travelled from the USA or Canada.
Those arriving with an accepted proof of vaccination or recovery are not required to undergo any further testing or quarantine requirements upon arrival. Passengers who have travelled without valid proof of vaccination or recovery are required to observe a 14-day home quarantine at the address given on their Passenger Locator Form. The quarantine period can be shortened if the person obtains a negative result from a PCR test taken no sooner than day 5 after arrival.
Travel policy is kept under review based on the epidemiological situation and public health advice.
783. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Health his plans to introduce legislation for assisted human reproduction with particular reference to surrogacy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46608/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra805. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Health if his proposed legislation for assisted human reproduction will deal with the issues of legal guardianship, single fathers, recognition of domestic and international surrogacy, retrospective parentage and social welfare entitlements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46670/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 783 and 805 together.
As the Deputy will be aware, drafting of a bill on assisted human reproduction (AHR) and associated areas of research is ongoing by officials in my Department, in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General. This comprehensive and far-reaching piece of legislation encompasses the regulation, for the first time in Ireland, of a wide range of practices, including domestic altruistic surrogacy, as well as: gamete (sperm or egg) and embryo donation for AHR and research; pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) of embryos; posthumous assisted reproduction; and embryo and stem cell research. The legislation also provides for the establishment of an independent regulatory authority for AHR.
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 new AHR Regulatory Authority. 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).
The draft Bill does not contain provisions to regulate surrogacy arrangements undertaken in other jurisdictions. As issues relating to international surrogacy concern areas of law that intersect across the remits of several Government Departments, my Department is engaging with the Department of Justice and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in respect of this policy area.
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”. Officials in my Department and the Office of the Attorney General continue to prioritise the drafting of this complex legislation and will engage intensively over the next few months to finalise the Bill. Subject to certain criteria being met, AHR treatment will be available to people irrespective of gender, marital status or sexual orientation. Overall, the provisions outlined within the Bill will ensure that AHR practices and related areas of research are conducted in a more consistent and standardised way and with the necessary oversight.
The Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 (the Act of 2015) reforms and updates family law to address the needs of children living in diverse family types. The Minister for Health is responsible for Parts 2 & 3 of the Act of 2015 and these Parts commenced on 4 May 2020. Parts 2 & 3 deal with the issue of donor-assisted human reproduction.
Subject to certain conditions, the provisions of Parts 2 & 3 of the Act of 2015 provide for the parentage of donor-conceived children born after the commencement of Parts 2 & 3 and retrospective declarations of parentage for donor-conceived children born prior to the commencement of Parts 2 & 3.
On a broad level, issues related to legal guardianship – including responsibility for the provisions of the Guardianship of Infants Act 1964 – come under the remit of the Minister for Justice. Specifically, section 6B of the Guardianship of Infants Act 1964, as inserted by the Act of 2015, provides for the guardianship of donor-conceived children to whom Parts 2 & 3 of the Act of 2015 apply.
Finally, matters concerning social welfare payments are the responsibility of the Minister of Social Protection.
784. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health if he will facilitate a meeting with a family (details supplied) in County Kildare given the ongoing issues for the family and the previous correspondence between the HSE and officials in his office. [46610/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose, and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives.
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
785. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health when appointments will be arranged in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46612/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
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.
786. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Health if he will provide funding to appoint a clinical psychologist to each acute hospital diabetes multidisciplinary team; his views on the fact that psychosocial support in diabetes care is not formally embedded as part of diabetes management; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46622/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra791. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Health if he will provide funding to appoint a clinical psychologist to each acute hospital diabetes multidisciplinary team; his views on the fact that psychosocial support in diabetes care is not formally embedded as part of diabetes management; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46634/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 786 and 791 together.
Diabetes is a complex condition that can have a profound impact on the quality of life of people living with the condition, the management of emotional and psychological well-being is an important part of diabetes care and self-management. Self-management education programmes such as DAFNE (for people living with type 1 diabetes) and DESMOND and Discover Diabetes (for people living with type 2 diabetes) help provide psychosocial support for many people living with diabetes.
The Model of Integrated Care for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes sets out that diabetes is to be managed within the acute system by the diabetes multidisciplinary team including access to psychology support where available. However, I acknowledge there is a deficit in the number of hospital staff providing psychological services dedicated to diabetes care.
The 2021 National Service Plan recognised the need for an unprecedented expansion of the permanent health workforce through permanent appointments. Funding has been provided for an increase to approximately 135,655 WTE across the health service by December 2021, which is an increase of 15,838 WTE over funded 2020 levels. There is significant workforce recruitment underway. The HSE Pay and Numbers Strategy identifies the specific roles and grades to be hired.
787. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Health if a diabetes psychology resource will be provided to each community diabetes specialist team hub under the Integrated Model of Care for the Prevention and Management of Chronic Disease Implementation Guide; his views on whether access to psycho-social support in these teams should be made available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46624/21]
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.
788. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Health if he will provide funding to appoint a 0.5 whole-time equivalent clinical psychologist to each acute hospital diabetes paediatric diabetes team; his views on whether psychosocial support in paediatric diabetes care should be available in each team; the reason there is no access to this support outside of Dublin-based paediatric diabetes services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46625/21]
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.
789. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Health if funding will be provided to appoint a clinical psychologist to the diabetes multidisciplinary team in Wexford Hospital and St. Vincent’s Hospital in the near future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46626/21]
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.
790. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Health when the specialist community diabetes teams under the enhanced community care programme be appointed; if it will be available to all persons with diabetes free of charge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46633/21]
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.
792. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a diabetes psychology resource to each community diabetes specialist team hub under the Integrated Model of Care for the Prevention and Management of Chronic Disease Implementation Guide; his views on whether access to psychosocial support in these teams should be made available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46635/21]
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.
