Written Answers Nos. 705-724
705. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Health the number of mental health presentations to the accident and emergency department at Mayo University Hospital in 2021 and to date in 2022, by out-of-hours presentation or not, age and gender in tabular form. [53514/22]
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.
706. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Health the measures that have been introduced in County Mayo to provide better access to affordable housing for persons with mental health disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53515/22]
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.
707. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a breakdown of services, investment and future funding in advocacy and outreach services for persons with mental health difficulties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53516/22]
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.
708. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a breakdown of services, investment and funding provided to advocacy and outreach services for young persons and adults with mental health difficulties in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53517/22]
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.
709. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the reason that a Libre sensor device in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork is not covered, unlike other blood glucose monitoring sensors. [53520/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Health Service Executive (HSE) has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of medicines and medical items, in accordance with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
710. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the status of the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccinations for children under five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53529/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland welcomes the EMA age extension recommendation for the COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty and Spikevax to include use in children aged 6 months to 5 years.
Following the recommendation for use of vaccines against Covid-19 by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and authorisation for use by the European Commission, the NIAC develops guidance for their use in Ireland which is contained in the Immunisation Guidelines for Ireland. These guidelines are continuously updated and include guidance on all new vaccines as they are approved for use in Ireland.You can read the guidelines at: www.hse.ie/eng/health/immunisation/hcpinfo/guidelines/covid19.pdf
Currently, Ireland's COVID-19 Vaccination Programme is administering vaccines to those aged 5 and over.
711. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health if the mother-and-baby inpatient peri-natal mental health unit will be in place in Q4 of 2024, as outlined in Sharing the Vision; if a site has been chosen; when it is expected to open; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53563/22]
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.
712. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a detailed breakdown of the site make-up of the proposed primary health centre in Drimnagh; and the timeline for its construction and operation. [53564/22]
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.
713. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health if his Department intends to issue a joint circular which explicitly states that schools should not use alcohol educational resources developed by the alcohol industry or alcohol industry-funded organisations; if so, the date that this will be issued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53566/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is not appropriate that schools use materials or resources developed by organisations funded by the alcohol industry.
The HSE, in conjunction with the Department of Education, has developed a national evidence-based resource on alcohol and drugs use for both senior and junior cycles in secondary schools. My Department, the HSE and the Department of Education continue to work closely together in relation to substance misuse education and in relation to communicating with schools on health education programmes and resources produced by organisations funded by the alcohol industry.
714. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the number of persons with disabilities who were accommodated in congregated settings by gender in each HSE region in each of the years 2015 to 2021, inclusive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53585/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to operational matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
715. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if he will provide details of any policies issued by his Department or public bodies under his remit that refer to the importance of the bond between an infant and their parents, especially their mother, in the first six months after birth. [53586/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Maternity Strategy refers specifically to the importance of the bond between an infant and their parents, in particular its mother. The purpose of the Strategy is to ensure standard, consistent models for the delivery of a national maternity service, reflecting best available evidence, and ensuring that all pregnant women have appropriate and informed choice, and access to the right level of safe care and support from the right professional, at the right time and in the right place, based on her needs.
The Strategy refers to the importance of the bond between mother/parents and their infant specifically in the context of perinatal mental health, support for breastfeeding as part of the Strategy's model of care and the promotion of such bonding as part of antenatal education.
The Strategy makes one direct recommendation in relation to mother and infant bonding. That action is that:
"Mother-baby bonding will be facilitated and supported at all times, and as such, every effort will be made to keep the mother and baby together, if clinically appropriate."
In addition, the HSE has a number of policies and action plans under its remit which may also refer directly to the importance of parent and infant bonding in the first 6 months after birth. I have therefore also asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy's question directly, as soon as possible.
716. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health his views on the staff shortages of radiation therapists and its impact on radiation therapy cancer treatment services. [53587/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn independent review of the Radiation Therapist profession has been agreed under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission. Discussions are ongoing between the parties to finalise a Terms of Reference and appoint an independent chair.
As this is an ongoing Industrial Relations process it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.
717. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health his plans to help persons with Lyme disease; the HSEs strategy on the disease given the increase in persons being diagnosed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53588/22]
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.
718. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Health the number of qualified educational psychologists who currently work within primary care services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53589/22]
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.
720. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has considered any incentives for the development of solar energy aimed at farmers and persons with suitable land for leasing and renting in order to meet Ireland’s climate goals [52903/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFollowing a review announced in Budget 2018 by my colleague the Minister for Finance, Pascal Donohoe TD, and in recognition of the Government's commitment to facilitate the development of solar energy projects in Ireland, a revised approach was introduced to qualifying agricultural property for the purposes of agricultural relief from Capital Acquisitions Tax or Capital Gains Tax retirement relief.
Since then, under certain conditions, land leased for the installation of solar panels can be classified as qualifying agricultural property. A key condition is that the total area of land under lease and on which solar panels are installed does not exceed 50% of the total area of agricultural land.
I am informed by Minister Donohoe that the matter of CAT agricultural relief and solar energy use will be considered as part of next year's Tax Strategy Group (TSG) pre-Budget papers. Officials in the Department of Finance have recently engaged with officials from my Department, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and Revenue to review CAT agricultural relief and the current taxation rules in the broader context of policies relevant to all of these Departments.
Separately my Department’s Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Schemes (TAMS) provides grants to farmers for Solar PV Panels, Solar PV Rechargeable Batteries and Solar Panels (Solar Thermal) for water heating. In addition, there are other state supports for the installation of solar panels including from the SEAI.
721. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is concerned following recent reporting of irregularities in the election process for the Irish Horse Board which is affiliated to Horse Sport Ireland; if a review into the election process will be initiated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53198/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Irish Horse Board (IHB) is a co-operative society made up of individual shareholders and is registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act. The IHB is an affiliate of Horse Sport Ireland. However, it is dependent of the Department and therefore the running of their elections is a matter for the organisation itself.
722. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when successful businesses will be awarded funding under the second call of the Brexit impact loan scheme for those in the agri-food sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53377/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe €315m Brexit Impact Loan Scheme (BILS) was developed by my Department and the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment (DETE) in partnership with the Department of Finance, the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) and the European Investment Fund (EIF). Available through participating banks and credit unions, it provides loans to Brexit-impacted Irish businesses, including farmers and the agri-food & seafood sectors, for working capital, investment and re-financing. Loans range from €25,000 to a maximum of €1.5m and are available for terms of between 1 and 6 years. Loans of up to €500,000 are unsecured.
At close of business on 10 October 2022, there were 1,808 loans to the value of some €234.8m sanctioned on the BILS. Of that total, 823 loans to the value of €65.4m relate to farmers and 175 to the value of €31.3m relate to food businesses.
In July 2022, the BILS was amended to include the COVID Loan Scheme (CLS) which, delivered as a sub-scheme, provides loans to COVID-impacted Irish businesses. At close of business on 10 October 2022, there were 177 loans to the value of some €12.7m sanctioned on the CLS. Of those, 21 to the value of €1.1m relate to farmers and 36 to the value of €2.1m relate to food businesses.
AIB and Bank of Ireland have reached capacity under the Brexit Impact Loan Scheme and are no longer accepting new applications. Loan applications continue to be accepted by other lenders, with further details available at https://sbci.gov.ie/.
723. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason that the Government has not provided a fuel subsidy to Irish fishermen given that the French and Spanish governments have done so for their fishermen. [53531/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am very aware of the challenges being faced by the fishing sector arising from the increased costs of marine fuel. I met with representative groups from the industry in July, September and again last week to discuss this matter and provide them with a progress report on the schemes being developed to support the fishing fleet and wider seafood sector. These schemes, developed in line with the recommendations of the “Report of the Seafood Task Force - Navigating Change”, deal with the wider challenges in the fishing and seafood sector.
In May, I introduced the 2022 temporary tie-up scheme which was expanded, compared to a similar scheme implemented in 2021, to account for the additional challenges fishers are facing. The €24 million 2022 scheme allows vessel owners, if they wish, choose to tie-up for up to two calendar months. This is the largest such voluntary tie-up scheme ever run in Ireland with vessels receiving up to €88,000 per month to tie up under the scheme. This tie-up opportunity frees up additional quota for those vessels continuing to fish, improving vessel returns and supporting viability in the wider fleet and enables the opportunity to fish until the end of the year.
I have worked very closely with industry to develop short and longer term supports to assist the wider seafood industry cope with the consequences of Brexit and the wider operating environment. Since the publication of the Task Force Report, €225m in supports and developmental strategies have been launched. These are more generous and comprehensive that those put in place elsewhere and will enable our seafood sector and coastal communities to overcome the significant challenges it faces.
In relation to fuel prices, I will continue to monitor and assess the situation over the coming period and keep all available options under active consideration.
724. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has ever sought to calculate the carbon or methane footprint of individual farms in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53055/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraCarbon measurement at farm level will become ever more important in the context of the recently agreed sectoral emissions ceilings of a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for agriculture and as a mechanism to demonstrate environmental ambition at farm level.
Through the Bord Bia Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS) and the Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme (SDAS), introduced in 2014, we have a solid foundation on which to build. To date over 300,000 carbon footprint calculations have been completed.
The Bord Bia quality assurance audit process for beef and dairy farmers facilitates the collection of the relevant farm management data required to complete a carbon footprint calculation, via the sustainability survey. The Department’s Animal Inventory and Movements (AIM) data is utilised to generate an inventory of all animals on a farm for each month of a production year. Weight gain per animal is derived from a herd’s average daily live weight gain (DLWG) figure which is provided by ICBF to Bord Bia.
Both models generate a result by tracking all the greenhouses gases emitted as a result of the farm practices required to produce one kg of output, i.e. one kg of fat and protein corrected milk or one kg live weight gain.
These emissions can be categorised into emissions from; the digestion of feed, manure management, fertiliser use, concentrate feeding and electricity and machinery use. The emissions are summed up across the beef or dairy production system and divided by the output to generate the carbon footprint.
The carbon footprint results are then communicated to members of the schemes via the Farmer Feedback Report. To date over 45,000 farmer feedback reports have been generated and dispatched to SBLAS and SDAS members.
Since 2020, Bord Bia has collaborated closely with Teagasc and ICBF to improve the data collection, methodologies and accuracy of the beef and dairy models and the updated dairy carbon footprint model was introduced in September 2021 and with the updated beef carbon footprint model due in Q4 2022.
