Written Answers Nos. 384-404
384. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Health the updated position in relation to a matter (details supplied); if this comes to pass, if will have to come before Cabinet; if it will come before the Houses of the Oireachtas or if it will be decided on a European level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25606/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraOn 1 December 2021, the members of the World Health Organisation reached consensus to begin the process to negotiate a convention, agreement or other international instrument to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Put simply, the aim of such an instrument is to protect public health and to help save lives in the event of future pandemics.
An Intergovernmental Negotiating Body has been established and met for the first time on 24 February 2022. The Intergovernmental Negotiating Body is due to meet again by 1 August 2022 to discuss progress on a working draft of an agreement. A progress report is expected to be delivered to the 76th World Health Assembly in 2023, with the aim of adopting the instrument by 2024.
As provided for in the Constitution, the conclusion of an international agreement is an exercise of the executive power of the State in connection with its external relations and is therefore concluded by or on the authority of the Government. In practice this means that Government approval must be sought for the signature, ratification or approval of every international agreement.
As the proposed instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response is currently in the very early stages of negotiation, it is not possible at this time to determine the precise legal ramifications of the instrument, nor has it been determined what form the instrument shall take.
The requirements of the Irish Constitution will, of course, be respected in Ireland’s position towards the negotiations and my Department will engage with the Office of the Attorney General in relation to any concerns that may arise in this regard.
It should also be noted that while certain health matters are within the competency of EU Member States other health matters are within the competency of the EU itself. A March 2022 EU Council Decision authorises the European Commission, for matters falling within Union competence, to negotiate an international agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response based on the Council's negotiating directives.
385. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the capital funding which has been provided by his Department and the HSE to each private voluntary hospital in each of the past 20 years in tabular form. [25613/22]
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.
386. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health the overall funding that is provided and the planned investment for the provision of services for eating disorders in each CHO in each of the years 2018 to 2027, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25615/22]
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.
387. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health when medical card renewal will take place in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25643/22]
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.
388. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health when a medical card renewal will be expedited in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25644/22]
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.
389. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health when psychological assessment and counselling is likely to be offered to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25646/22]
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.
390. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Health the status of the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25649/22]
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.
391. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health when additional healthcare professionals (details supplied) will be recruited, in view of long delays in children receiving appropriate therapeutic-interventions and supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25651/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
392. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Health his views in relation to an issue (details supplied). [25653/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs part of the Government’s ongoing efforts to protect public health and limit the spread of COVID-19, the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive (HSE) worked together in 2020 to put arrangements in place to allow termination of pregnancy services in early pregnancy to be provided remotely. For the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency, where the need for social distancing, reducing personal contacts and reducing the burden on medical practitioners are paramount, it became possible for a woman to access a termination under section 12 of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 (i.e., before 12 weeks) from her medical practitioner by telephone or video conference consultation.
There is ongoing engagement between the Department of Health and the HSE to monitor service provision, facilitate the smooth-running of the service and resolve any issues that may arise. However, as restrictions began to ease, it became timely to revisit the Model of Care to review its operation and consider whether remote consultation as part of a blended approach to termination of pregnancy care should be continued post the COVID-19 public health emergency period. At the request of the Department, the HSE conducted a review of the Revised Model of Care for Termination of Pregnancy, examining patient safety aspects, with input from service providers in both hospital and community settings. The Department is continuing its engagements with the HSE regarding the final considerations related to this review and the next steps. The outcome of the review will be made available once this deliberative process concludes.
It is important to reflect that COVID-19 is still with us and Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) guidance on Managing Risk of Transmission of Respiratory Viruses including COVID-19, continues to advise, amongst other things, to limit footfall in General Practice settings and support telephone consultations where care that meets the needs of the patient can be delivered - this helps to eliminate the risk of transmission of viral infection. As such the arrangements for remote access to this service in the context of COVID-19 remain in place.
393. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 244 of 25 March and 1128 of 2 November 2021, the current projected timeline for the opening of the new national forensic mental health service hospital, Portrane; if recruitment has been successfully completed to ensure a full complement of staff for the new facility; if all outstanding industrial relations concerns are being resolved; if site identification has progressed for the two new 30-bed regional intensive care units in counties Cork and Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25655/22]
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.
394. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a reply will issue to correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25481/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department is examining this correspondence and a reply will issue shortly.
On the issue raised in relation to legislation for dairy producer organisations, the existing legislation, S.I. No. 49 of 2016, is currently being examined with a view to extending similar provisions to additional agricultural sectors including the dairy sector. It is anticipated that this process will be finalised in the coming months.
395. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason that the statutory instrument facilitating the establishment of producers' groups excluded provisions for the establishment of dairy producer groups; his plans to make provision for such groups; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25482/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe existing legislation, S.I. No. 49 of 2016, is currently being examined with a view to extending similar provisions to additional agricultural sectors including the dairy sector. It is anticipated that this process will be finalised in the coming months.
396. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps that he is taking to promote the uptake of organic production within the dairy sector; if his Department has completed an assessment of the impact this could have on dairy emissions; if a similar assessment has been performed in the beef sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25483/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) will continue to engage with the dairy sector dairy to advance market opportunities with regard to organic dairy production.
I have ensured priority access for organic dairy farmers in the current Organic Farming Scheme. I have also included an attractive financial incentive in the Organic Farming Scheme under the next CAP in the draft proposals. An additional support for this sector is the Organic Capital Investment Scheme which is open to licensed organic operators including dairy farmers. This I believe will encourage many farmers to consider the benefits of converting to organic dairy production
In the CAP Strategic Plan, it is highlighted that for every 100,000 ha converting to organic production there is a reduction on GHG emissions of 0.1MTonnes as a consequence of chemical fertilisers not being used. This is an average reduction taking account of all farm types and is not specific to the organic dairy sector.
However, the reduction in GHG is higher for dairy farms as average fertiliser use is higher for this cohort compared to, say, extensive drystock farms.
397. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the outcome of the organic strategy meeting on the dairy sector held in 2020; the follow-up and subsequent meetings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25484/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 2020 organic strategy meetings focused on implementation of agreed strategy actions contained in the Strategy for the Development of the Organic Sector rather than specifically focusing on the dairy sector.
However, actions which related in particular to the dairy sector were under constant review including the establishment of dairy knowledge transfer groups facilitated by Teagasc.
I established the Organic Strategy forum earlier this year and the first meeting of the group was held in-person on 19th April 2022. I ensured that this forum incorporates a wide cross-section of the Organic sector including stakeholders from the dairy sector.
In spite of the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Teagasc continued with meetings of Organic Dairy Discussion Group and a number of technical seminars were conducted with the aim of improving producer knowledge in the sector. Teagasc is also developing a blueprint for organic milk production which will be discussed and reported on in the Organic Strategy Forum in the coming months.
Progress reports of the Organic Strategy Forum are posted on my Departments website to ensure that any actions and agreed objectives are accessible to interested parties.
The Department will continue to engage with dairy co-operatives to advance market opportunities for the sector while also monitoring trends and developments in global organic dairy production. I have included an attractive financial incentive in the Organic Farming Scheme under the next CAP in the draft proposals. An additional support for this sector is the Organic Capital Investment Scheme which is open to licensed organic operators including dairy farmers. This, I believe, will encourage many farmers to consider the benefits of converting to organic dairy production.
398. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the engagement that he has had with the Office of Public Procurement with regard to the supply of organic milk to public institutions such as hospitals, long-stay homes and prisons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25485/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI established the Organic Strategy Forum earlier this year and ensured that the group included a representative from the Office of Public Procurement. This group is an important forum where important issues such are Organic Public Procurement will be discussed.
I recognise the value of increasing the supply of Organic produce under Green Public Procurement guidelines and this is an area that will be examined further with a view to increasing the percentage availability of Organic produce in Government Departments and the wider public service.
The Department is currently preparing the tender process for the provision of catering services across four Department locations and it has been stipulated that the award of any tender is subject to the inclusion of a percentage of Organic produce available at point of sale.
This I believe will demonstrate to purchasing officers that organic food is an viable affordable option that can be included in catering contracts across the public service.
399. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason for his Department’s plans to address the forgotten farm issue; if the forgotten farmers will have access to the TAMS equivalent in the next CAP period and the National Reserve; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25501/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government ‘Our Shared Future’ contains a commitment to seek to resolve the issue of support for the category of farmers known as Forgotten Farmers.
I have asked officials in my Department to examine options to address the issue of forgotten farmers both through the next CAP and also through other measures to support this group.
I am committed to helping this cohort of farmers and I will bring forward proposals as soon as possible. Many of these farmers find themselves in this situation through no fault of their own and we will work with them to address this issue.
400. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the supports that are available to local authorities from his Department for the development of marine leisure; the improvements that are planned for these supports in view of the potential of this sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25542/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am mindful that the primary governance role for local authorities rests with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and any wider funding issues for local authorities should be addressed to that Minister.
Also, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media has the lead role in relation to national tourism development including marine and coastal tourism and leisure. The role that this Department has played is to provide some support for marine public infrastructure in smaller piers and harbours particularly under the Brexit Adjustment Local Authority Marine Infrastructure Scheme which I launched recently and which is now supporting 110 Local Authority marine infrastructure projects..
401. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his officials will be carrying out investigations to determine if the wild goat herd in the Burren, County Clare is carrying tuberculosis, in view of the risk this poses to the herds of local farmers. [25552/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraA number of euthanised wild goats from the Burren Aillwee mountain were examined for the presence of TB post mortem in the winter of 2016/17. 16 goats were examined, all of which were negative for Bovine TB.
There is no statutory surveillance programme for TB in goats. However, TB in goats is a notifiable disease under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 and the Notification and Control of Diseases Affecting Terrestrial Animals (no.2) Regulations 2016.
Wild goats are not a protected species and farmers can choose to control them if they encroach on their land. Arising from concerns expressed by local stakeholders my Department has offered to carry out a general health screen on a sample of wild goats, including TB testing in the Burren area. This is being considered by local farmers and may be acted upon outside of the kid season.
402. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to develop an agri-tech strategy as part of a farm diversification programme to reduce carbon emissions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25555/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will be aware of the agriculture chapter of the Climate Action Plan which was published late last year.
The chapter sets out the core and further measures that will be implemented over the decade in order to achieve a reduction in greenhouse gas emisisons of between 5-7MT CO2 eq. Ireland has a detailed and coherent overarching national digital strategy, recently published in February 2022 in the “Harnessing Digital - The Digital Ireland Framework” paper, of which agriculture forms a part. This overall digital strategy clearly recognises that digital technologies are already being deployed in the agriculture sector to improve efficiencies, products, and climate mitigation.
At a general level, technology and innovation will undoubtedly play a key role in the achievement of this objective, we have seen new technologies emerge in recent times such as protected urea which can reduce nitrous oxide emissions significantly.
The feed additive 3NOP that can reduce methane emissions in the rumen of animals by approximately 30% has recently been approved by the European Food Safety Authority. It is hoped to roll out this technology on Irish farms over the decade. DNA technology has also led to significant improvement in animal breeding in recent times. New technologies such as anerobic digestion are specifcally referenced in the Climate Action Plan and they also help reduce emissions.
My Department is investing heavily in technology to reduce carbon emissions and one such example is the establishment of the “National Agricultural Soil Carbon Observatory” (NASCO) which will comprise of approx. 20 “Flux Towers” across a range of soil types. The establishment of NASCO, managed by Teagasc, will place Ireland at the forefront of EU carbon sequestration research and underpins my commitment to provide the research and data needed to underpin the development of a carbon farming model that targets and rewards actions that remove carbon and store it in our soils.
In my role as Minister, by working with all relevant partners, I will continue to ensure that opportunities in agri-tech are fully exploited.
403. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the annual cost of cleaning and sanitising roofs of buildings under his Department’s control for the past five years to date in 2022. [25581/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe annual costs associated with cleaning and santising roofs of Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine's buildings does not fall under the remit of the Department.
Instead, work of this nature is a matter for the Office of Pub;ic Works (OPW) as non-elective building maintenance is their responsibility. Any expenditure on cleaning and sanitising roofs of buildings is a matter for the OPW.
404. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which efforts continue to be made to ensure the availability of sufficient applicants for the now readily-available workspaces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25616/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra405. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which his Department continues to monitor the availability of job opportunities throughout the country, with particular reference to ensuring the ready-availability of such workplaces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25618/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 404 and 405 together.
Our Rural Future clearly sets out the transformative effects that remote working can have in communities across Ireland. In support of this, in May 2021 I launched the National Hub Network - connectedhubs.ie. The National Hub Network currently comprises 232 remote and co-working facilities across the State. These facilities have been onboarded to connectedhubs.ie, the shared online booking and payments platform for member hubs and their users. The network includes a diverse range of hubs, services and facilities, thus facilitating companies of different sizes. It is expected that, in time, the National Hub Network and the connectedhubs.ie platform will include more than 400 facilities.
To date my focus has been on establishing the network and on achieving the initial critical mass. Following strong progress on the establishment phase of the project, my focus has now shifted to the next stage of development.
To this end, my officials have been consulting with hub managers across the country, and with other stakeholders, to better inform the future strategic direction of the National Hub Network and of the connectedhubs.ie platform. In February I announced the commencement of a major promotional campaign to raise awareness of the Connected Hubs network to relevant stakeholders, including SMEs/business owners and new hub users.
I have been clear throughout my tenure as Minister for Rural and Community Development that balanced regional development, sustainable and thriving communities, and indeed the wider national economy will all benefit from workers and employers embracing the remote working revolution.
At this stage of the development of the hub sector, particularly in rural areas, there is still a strong focus on the individual remote worker. Pricing plans are constructed with affordability for the worker in mind and bookings are, in general, made by the individual.
However, and as the Deputy will be aware, there are significant opportunities for employers of all sizes to leverage the National Hub Network directly. More workers than ever are expressing a preference for remote work and more employers, noting the strong professional performance of so many remote workers, see their own interests reflected in the those of their employees.
The connectedhubs.ie team have for some time been developing a corporate service to engage with and support corporate clients interested in using our nationwide network to accommodate their employees, but also to gain access to the vast pool of talent that Ireland has to offer, whether those talented people live in our cities, towns, villages or rural parishes. I believe that this work represents another great step forward for the National hub Network.
I am committed to ensuring that the National Hub Network will continue to make a central contribution to the achievement of the Government's vision for rural Ireland, as set out in Our Rural Future .
