Written Answers Nos. 462-479
462. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the number of nurses at each community hospital in County Donegal for each of the years 2011 to 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [6147/23]
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.
463. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the number of doctors at each community hospital in County Donegal for each of the years 2011 to 2022 and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [6148/23]
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.
464. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) did not receive a Covid bonus payment. [6152/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly.
465. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the funding given by the Cork drug and alcohol taskforce to an organisation (details supplied) in Cork and the number of stays utilised in the facility since 2020 by year in tabular form. [6153/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have been advised by the HSE that the organisation mentioned has not received funding from either the Local or Regional Cork Drug and Alcohol Taskforces since 2020.
466. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to reports that a unit (details supplied) in Cork has yet to open; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6155/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
467. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the number of beds in a unit (details supplied) in Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6156/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
468. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health if he will ensure that a medication for hyperemesis (details supplied) is made available through the drugs payment scheme with a prescription from a GP. [6184/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs part of Budget 2023, funding of €32.2 million was announced for Women’s Health Initiatives in 2023. This included dedicated funding for Cariban® (doxylamine/pyridoxine) to help women who experience hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness, during pregnancy.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of medicines under the community drugs schemes, in accordance with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013. Only licenced indications which have been granted market authorisation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) can be added to the formal reimbursement list.
Cariban® is an Exempt Medicinal Product, i.e., it is not licensed in Ireland and, therefore, cannot be added to the formal reimbursement list.
However, following the recommendations of the HSE Medicines Management Programme, and to address the unmet need of patients with hyperemesis gravidarum, Cariban® has now been made available on an individual patient basis for those patients who meet the criteria and where Consultant Obstetrician initiated.
The relevant HSE circular regarding the exceptional arrangement for Cariban® is available at: www.hse.ie/eng/staff/pcrs/circulars/pharmacy/pharmacy-circular-001-23-cariban.pdf .
Under the community drug schemes, Exempt Medicinal Products must be Consultant initiated.
However, whilst the original prescriber of Cariban® must be a Consultant and specialist in the relevant field, the HSE will accept a GP prescription subsequent to the initial hospital prescription for approved patients.
Finally, reimbursement support is offered on the basis of the patient’s eligibility under the General Medical Services (GMS) Scheme or the Drugs Payment Scheme (DPS).
469. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the average response time of ambulances in west County Cork; the number of ambulances ordinarily based at each location; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6185/23]
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.
470. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures he intends to introduce in order to ensure that additional TB testing in cattle as a result of new EU animal health laws will not lead to additional costs being incurred by farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5559/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraCommission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/689 introduced new rules for TB testing These new requirements are aimed at reducing the level of transmissible disease in animals, including bovines. They are directly applicable in all EU member states. These new regulations require that for bovine herds to retain or obtain freedom to trade on the open market, that animals moving into them must be tested within a certain time frame.
The requirements are that:
1. All bovines that are moving farm to farm or through a mart must be tested in the previous six months, and
2. They must also be moving from a herd that been tested in the previous six months.
If they do not fulfil both of these requirements, they must be tested, either within the 30 days prior to movement or within 30 days after movement into the new herd.
The majority of animals being moved currently already satisfy these time intervals, so in such cases no additional testing will be required.
Despite this, my Department has worked closely with stakeholders through the TB Forum and its sub-groups to minimise additional costs for farmers and also the taxpayer.
To minimise the administrative burden and costs, my Department has introduced flexibilities in the manner in which these rules are to be applied and has phased their introduction in transitional arrangements designed to allow time to adjust to the new requirements,.
As part of these transitional arrangements, my department will only apply the new pre-movement testing requirements to cows of all ages and to male animals over 36 months of age.
Where cows of all ages or males over 36 months have not been tested pre-movement, farmers who purchase these animals will be contacted by my Department advising them of any post movement test requirements.
If an animal does not meet the pre-movement TB testing criteria then the animal is restricted to the herd that received it and it is required to have a post movement test within 30 days. If the animal is alive and has not been tested within the 30 days then the herd is restricted.
The farmer now has another 60 days (90 days in total from when the animal moved into the herd) in which to either slaughter or test the animal.
The animal can be tested as part of a private test, or as part of any other herd level test as well as Department paid tests. If the animal is still and has not been tested after 90 days since it moved into the herd then the herd will remain restricted and it will be scheduled for a full herd level test.
In addition, my Department has indicated that subject to certain conditions, it will facilitate herd owners in moving their scheduled annual herd test forwards or backwards, to align the tests with their selling intentions. If a farmer wishes to re-schedule their annual herd test they should contact their Regional Veterinary Office in advance of the due date.
Discussions are currently ongoing at the Financial Working Group (a TB Stakeholders Forum working group) about the financing of the programme overall. Ultimately, measures to reduce the incidence of the disease will reduce the cost of the programme to farmers and taxpayers.
471. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the percentage of social media videos posted on his Department's social media accounts or the social media accounts of public bodies and agencies that operate under the remit of his Department, that included closed captioning or subtitling and Irish sign language translations between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022, inclusive. [5563/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI advise the Deputy that in 2022, 96.92% of videos posted on my Department’s social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) included closed captions / subtitles and that 0% included Irish sign language translations.
As regards the 12 State Bodies under the aegis of my Department, the information requested is an operational matter for the State Bodies themselves. I have referred the Deputy’s question to the Agencies and have requested that a response should issue within 10 days.
472. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will outline the rights of an owner (details supplied) of a fee-simple bog who does not have turbary rights. [5592/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe disposal of animal carcases is regulated under S.I. No. 160 of 2015 Disposal of Carcases (Prohibition) Regulations. These regulations require that a person shall not have, cause or permit the carcase of an animal or part of the carcase of an animal, to be on any land or premises to which a dog may have access. This is a penal provision to which Section 36(4)(a) of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 applies. Authorised officers of my Department have powers under the Act to investigate and prosecute offenders in this regard. My Department has not previously been notified of any such occurrence on the bog of this owner but will investigate if the location and any other relevant details can be provided to my officers.
473. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will investigate a BEAM application for a person (details supplied) in County Cork where there is alleged non-compliance; if he will take circumstances into account when considering this case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5626/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe objective of the Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) was to provide temporary exceptional adjustment aid to farmers in the beef sector in Ireland. The granting of the aid was subject to the conditions set out in EU Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1132. One of the conditions of the BEAM scheme under which funding was provided by the EU was that there had to be an element of reduction or re-structuring built into the scheme - Article 1 (3) of (EU) 2019/1132 refers.
Accordingly, in applying for BEAM, participants agreed to reduce the production of bovine livestock manure nitrogen on their holding by 5% for the reduction period 1st July 2020 to 30th June 2021 as compared with the reference period 1st June 2018 to 30th June 2019.
Just over 33,000 participants, including the person named, joined the scheme and, in doing so, gave a commitment to reduce the production of bovine livestock manure nitrogen on the holding by 5% for the reduction period 1st July 2020 to 30th June 2021 as compared with the reference period of 1st July 2018 to 30th June 2019.
In light of the difficulties some farmers were experiencing in meeting this reduction arising from COVID-19 Government Public Health restrictions, I introduced an alternative reduction period of 1st January 2021 to 31st December 2021 over which farmers could choose to meet their 5% reduction commitment if they applied for this option online between 19th March 2021 and 21st June 2021. Some 16,000 BEAM participants opted for the alternative reduction period including the person named.
Following the end of that alternative reduction period, my Department undertook a series of administrative and compliance checks to ensure that the commitments farmers had entered into under the BEAM Terms and Conditions had been met.
In the case of the person named, he did not meet the 5% reduction requirement, reducing instead by only 2.8%. Accordingly all BEAM monies received were recouped in line with the Terms and Conditions.
The person named was informed of this decision by letter in March 2022 which also advised him of his right to request a review of the decision if he so wished. To date no such request has been received from the applicant.
474. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if allowing a named individual to enter a dog in a greyhound race in Shelbourne Park on 20 January 2023 while the individual is the subject of an exclusion order imposed by Rásaíocht Con Éireann for multiple serious doping offences undermines the integrity of the greyhound industry (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5696/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraRásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) is a commercial state body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry. RCÉ is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
The question raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for RCÉ and, therefore, the question has been referred to the body for direct reply.
475. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of non-coursing stud greyhounds registered with the Irish Coursing Club in each of the years 2021 and 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5697/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis is a matter for the Irish Coursing Club. Information is not readily available and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
476. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of mating certificates for non-coursing dogs obtained from the Irish Coursing Club in each of the years 2021 and 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5698/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis is a matter for the Irish Coursing Club. Information is not readily available and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51
The Irish Coursing Club (ICC) is the competent authority with regard to the maintenance of the Irish Greyhound Stud Book. The ICC has been responsible for the Irish Greyhound Stud Book since 1923 and this was further underpinned by the enactment of the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958.
The following response was informed by the Irish Coursing Club.
Answer - Number of Mating Certificates for Non-Coursing Dogs
• 2021: 2151
• 2022: 1973
477. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of non-coursing litters registered with the Irish Coursing Club in each of the years 2021 and 2022, in tabular form (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5699/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis is a matter for the Irish Coursing Club. Information is not readily available and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
478. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of non-coursing dogs tattooed and microchipped with the Irish Coursing Club in each of the years 2021 and 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5700/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis is a matter for the Irish Coursing Club. Information is not readily available and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
479. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of naming forms for non-coursing dogs obtained from the Irish Coursing Club in each of the years 2021 and 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5701/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis is a matter for the Irish Coursing Club. Information is not readily available and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.End o
