Written Answers Nos. 332-350
332. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the recent RTÉ Investigates report that showed up to 12,000 vulnerable people were denied their disability allowances by State actions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6083/23]
View answerThe issues raised recently regarding the Disabled Persons Maintenance Allowance relate to an extensive period of time, dating back to the 1950s.
The general policy intent and direction with regard to eligibility relating to the DPMA has remained largely unchanged from the 1950s to 1999 i.e. the State would provide for people’s living costs either in kind (through maintenance in a residential facility), or through a cash payment, for someone of no means living in the community, but not both.
It is a long-standing policy position that people in receipt of publicly funded residential care would make a contribution towards the cost of their care and/or maintenance through a charge/contribution.
The Attorney General prepared a report on the matter and this has been published. The report states, among other things, that the AG understands that the policy intent behind the non-payment of DPMA and Disability Allowance to persons in state residential care was that there was a clear and logical distinction between the financial needs of those living in the community in their own homes and those living in a State-provided residential care environment.
The Minister for Social Protection and I will consider the report and revert to the Government within three months.
There are, at present, approximately 8,200 people living in disability residential care. The model of residential care aims to support people to ‘live ordinary lives in ordinary places’, in ordinary homes in the community. Current policy on residential care is informed by Article 19 of the UNCRPD on living in the community.
333. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health if a summary report of the public submissions to the abortion legislative review has been compiled and provided to the chairperson of the review; if so, if such a report will be made available to the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5533/23]
View answerAll relevant research inputs, including the results of the public consultation have been submitted to the independent Chair, who will analyse them and prepare a final Report . It is expected that this final Report will be submitted for the Minister's consideration in the coming days and published as soon as possible thereafter.
334. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health if he will provide a breakdown of the number of submissions from the total 6,968 public submissions to the abortion legislative review that advocated the retention of the three-day waiting period; the number that advocated for the reduction of the three-day waiting period; the number that advocated for the extension of the three-day waiting period; the number that advocated for the abolition of the three-day waiting period; the number that expressed no view on the three-day waiting period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5534/23]
View answerThe Minister for Health commenced the Review of the operation of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 in line with statutory and Government commitments.
The Review is assessing the effectiveness of the operation of the legislation and will be conducted in a fair and transparent manner.
The Review is being led by an independent Chair Marie O’Shea and comprises of 2 main phases. As part of the first phase of the review, information, and evidence on the operation of the Act has been collected from women who use the service, from health professionals that provide the service and the views of the general public.
The information requested by the Deputy is part of the research inputs commissioned to inform the first phase of the Review. It is anticipated that the final Report of the Review will be submitted for the Minister's consideration in the coming days, and published as soon as possible thereafter. It is not intended that individual research inputs will be made available in advance of the publication of the final Report.
335. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the number of submissions from the total 6,968 public submissions to the abortion legislative review that mentioned the issue of foetal pain relief; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5535/23]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is part of the research inputs for the Review of the Termination of Pregnancy Act (2018). It is anticipated that the final Report of the Review will be submitted for the Minister's consideration in the coming days, and published as soon as possible thereafter. It is not intended that the individual research inputs will be made available in advance of the publication of the final report.
336. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if he will expedite the case of a child (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5544/23]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
337. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Health the State services that have been removed from the Irishtown and Ringsend primary care centre over the past 24 months; the location of each of these services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5556/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
338. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Health the services currently available at the Irishtown and Ringsend primary care centre; if any of these services are scheduled to be removed from this primary care centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5557/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
339. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health 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, which included closed captioning or subtitling and Irish sign language translations between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022, inclusive. [5572/23]
View answerThe Department of Health operates social media accounts under the names "RoinnSlainte", "Healthy Ireland" and "Sláintecare" brandings. A total of 64 videos were posted to the "RoinnSlainte" Instagram, Twitter and Facebook profiles in 2022, 100% of which were subtitled.
The YouTube account operated by the Department of Health also stores webinars – which are typically 60 minutes in duration – and do not include subtitles. Footage of press conferences or Government launches are also included on this account. 76% of the videos posted on Department's YouTube account contained subtitles whilst 2% contained ISL translation
Healthy Ireland shared 89 videos on social media channels in 2022, 42% had subtitling and 0% had ISL.
Sláintecare shared 2 videos on social media in 2022; 100% of which had subtitles.
340. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health if the HSE has rented accommodation at a location (details supplied); the amount paid; the way the building was selected; the person or body that received the rental money; and for how long the payments were made. [5608/23]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the management of the public healthcare property estate, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to you in relation to this matter.
341. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the development of national standards for home care and support services, as recommended by the HIQA report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5609/23]
View answerThe HIQA paper on the regulation of homecare services published in December 2021 makes a valuable contribution to the development of the new statutory scheme for the financing and regulation of home-support. It will further inform progress on the Sláintecare programme, which aims to support people to live in their own homes with dignity and independence, for as long as possible.
Work is ongoing to progress the development of the new home support scheme within the broader context of the ongoing reform of our health and social care system, as envisaged in the Sláintecare Report. The scheme will provide equitable access to high-quality services based on a person’s assessed care-needs.
This work encompasses the development of the regulatory framework for the new scheme; the examination of the options for the financing model for the scheme; and the development of a reformed model of service-delivery for home-support services. With the aim of ensuring that all service-users are provided with a standard, high-quality level of care which is safe, effective, and person-centred, it is envisaged that the regulatory framework will comprise: (i) primary legislation for the licensing of public and private home-support providers; (ii) minimum requirements (i.e., regulations); and (iii) HIQA National Standards for Home Support Services.
In April 2021, Government gave approval to draft a General Scheme and Heads of a Bill to establish a licensing framework for home-support providers. This is being progressed by the Department with a view of bringing it through the Houses of the Oireachtas at the earliest opportunity. It is expected that the primary legislation will give the Minister for Health the power to make regulations in respect of minimum requirements which will form the criteria against which a provider’s eligibility to hold a licence will be determined. A regulatory impact analysis is being currently undertaken to ensure effectiveness and mitigate risks.
The aim is to ensure that service-users are safe-guarded and protected, and a responsive, person-centred, quality-driven home-support service is provided. This is central to the Sláintecare objective of providing ‘right care, in the right place at the right time’. The regulations being drawn up by the Department and the standards being drafted by HIQA both take cognisance of the diverse and often complex needs of those who require homecare and support.
In collaboration with HIQA and in consultation with the Health Service Executive and other key informants, the Department developed draft regulations and a targeted stakeholder consultation was undertaken in January 2022. This was followed by a 7-week public consultation which was completed in August 2022 and the analysis of the results by the IPH was recently published:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/56ab1-draft-regulations-for-providers-of-home-support-services-an-overview-of-the-findings-of-the-department-of-healths-public-consultation/
HIQA has extensive experience in the regulation of social care services and has conducted wide-ranging research into the regulation of home-support services. HIQA ran a public scoping consultation in September 2021 to inform the development of National Standards for Home Support Services. HIQA convened an Advisory Group, with representation from the Department of Health, to assist in the process of developing the Draft National Standards.
Last year, HIQA conducted an evidence review on home support which was published on May 30th 2022. HIQA have also developed standards for home care and home support services which will be the focus of a public consultation early this year.
342. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the respite houses for SOS in County Kilkenny, given a commitment was made to fund two; if he will confirm this is the case; if so, when this funding will be released; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5611/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
343. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health when front-line healthcare staff employed by agencies will receive their Covid bonus payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5612/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
344. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health if publicly funded fertility care, as outlined in the programme for Government, will include treatment options for single women; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5616/23]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Model of Care for Fertility was developed by the Department of Health in conjunction with the HSE’s National Women & Infants Health Programme (NWIHP) in order to ensure that fertility-related issues are addressed through the public health system at the lowest level of clinical intervention necessary.
This 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 (in-vitro fertilisation), ICSI (intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection) and other advanced assisted human reproduction (AHR) treatments), with patients being referred onwards through structured pathways.
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 order to facilitate the management of a significant proportion of patients presenting with fertility-related issues at this level of intervention. Patients are referred by their GPs to their local Regional Fertility Hub, which provides a range of treatments and interventions, including: relevant blood tests, semen analysis, assessment of tubal patency, hysteroscopy, laparoscopy, fertility-related surgeries, ovulation induction and follicle tracking.
The completion of Phase One of the roll-out of the Model of Care, envisaged in Q1 of this year, will result in fully operational Regional Fertility Hubs at six locations across the country.
Phase Two of the roll-out of the Model of Care will see the introduction of tertiary fertility services, including IVF, provided through the public health system. In this regard, funding was secured in Budget 2023 to support access to advanced AHR treatments, including, crucially, to allow the commencement of Phase Two of the roll-out of the Model of Care.
This investment will facilitate the first steps to be taken towards the provision of a complete publicly-provided fertility service, which is the ultimate objective of Government. In particular, it will allow the historic development of the first National Advanced AHR Centre, delivering IVF and ICSI through a wholly public clinic. This is scheduled to open in the early part of 2024 and will provide a nationwide service, with all six Regional Fertility Hubs having equity of access for onward referral to it, via a shared care pathway. Subject to the provision of additional funding in future, it is envisaged that additional National Advanced AHR Centres will be developed and become operational on a phased basis elsewhere in the country.
The 2023 allocation is also being utilised to support the Regional Fertility Hubs in order to expand their scope of services later this year by introducing the provision of IUI (intrauterine insemination), a significant, yet less complex and less intrusive, component of AHR treatment.
Separately, as an interim measure, I have instructed that some funding be made available to support access to advanced AHR treatment via private providers from September 2023.
Substantial planning, development and policy work to establish the scope, design and requirements for Phase Two of the roll-out of the Model of Care is ongoing. My officials, in conjunction with NWIHP, are continuing to actively prepare for the operationalisation of both the publicly- and privately- provided service, including finalising a national eligibility framework and determining how the interim funding for private treatments will be provided to individual eligible patients.
Overall, my Department and the Government is fully committed, through the full implementation of the Model of Care for Fertility, to ensuring that patients always receive care at the appropriate level of clinical intervention and then those requiring, and eligible for, advanced AHR treatment such as IVF will be able to access same through the public health system. The underlying aim of the policy to provide a model of funding for AHR, within the broader new 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.
345. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the refurbishment, refitting and extension of the Castlebellingham health centre to a new primary care centre; the total expected cost of the project; the list of services that will be provided in the new premises; the expected completion date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5628/23]
View answerAs 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.
346. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on his plans to tackle the understaffing of the CDNT services in north County Dublin; how and when more staff will be recruited into these services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5642/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
347. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health if he will outline details as to the difference in the position of the Mental Health Commission, MHC, on the Owenacurra Centre closure that took effect between 18 November 2022 and 8 December 2022, such that the MHC moved from being able to brief a national newspaper on aspects of its closure oversight to not being able to take any questions on this subject from the Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5650/23]
View answer348. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the restraints that prevented the Mental Health Commission from meeting with families of Owenacurra Centre residents in October 2021; when these restraints came into effect; what occasioned them; when they expired; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5651/23]
View answer349. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health if the Mental Health Commission has concerns about Owenacurra Centre residents being offered shared rooms in long-stay wards far outside east Cork as alternative placements, as well as temporary accommodation in Cork city; the way this action is in line with our commitments under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5652/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 347 to 349, inclusive, together.
The Mental Health Commission is an independent statutory body established under the provisions of the Mental Health Act 2001. Under the Mental Health Act 2001, the Mental Health Commission is required to inspect and regulate all approved centres across the country at least once a year.
In its recent inspection reports, the Mental Health Commission identified numerous risks associated with this centre.
As stated above, the Mental Health Commission is an independent agency, however the Department of Health sought responses from the Commission in relation to the above Parliamentary Questions. The Mental Health Commission provided the following responses:
- PQ 5652/23 - “The MHC has repeatedly communicated its concerns to the HSE regarding the HSE’s obligations to consult with and listen to residents as part of the HSE’s proposed closure of the service.”
- PQ 5651/23 – “Any issues raised by the families with the MHC were, and will continue to be, brought to the attention of the registered proprietor. The MHC met with residents either remotely or in-person during the annual and one focused inspection in 2021; in-person with residents during the annual and two focused inspections of the centre in 2022; and in late August 2022, the MHC also met with families of residents.”
- PQ5650/23 – “There was no change in position by the MHC between 18 November and 8 December 2022.”
350. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health the up-to-date position regarding a pandemic healthcare payment for a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5653/23]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
I would also like to remind the Deputy that it is against Department policy to comment on individual cases.
