Written Answers Nos. 267-283
267. Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for Health if he has considered positive health psychology and lifestyle medicine as part of an integrative healthcare strategy to prevent chronic disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37044/24]
View answerThe Health and Wellbeing Programme in the Department of Health is responsible for coordinating the implementation of Healthy Ireland, our National Framework for Improved Health and Wellbeing 2013-2025, and the subsequent Healthy Ireland Strategic Action Plan, 2021-25.
The Healthy Ireland Strategic Action Plan 2021-2025 sets out the roadmap for improving and supporting the health and wellbeing of the people of Ireland and aims to bring a concerted focus on life-long wellbeing and reduce health inequalities which requires a whole of society approach. The promotion of a healthy lifestyle, including positive mental health, diet and nutrition and regular physical activity, is supported by Healthy Ireland through the National Physical Activity Plan and the Obesity Policy and Action Plan.
A further action is the development of a National Mental Health Promotion Plan. The Plan aims to achieve a healthy Ireland where positive mental health and wellbeing is actively promoted, supported and valued across society and whole of Government. The Plan is currently being drafted and will provide strategic direction for positive mental health promotion, in line with international best practice.
The definition of mental health put forward by the WHO illustrates this: “a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, to realize their abilities, to learn well and work well, and to contribute to their community”. This definition shows that positive mental health is important not just for people to reach their potential and improve themselves but also to participate in and contribute to society. Mental health promotion helps strengthen protective factors for good mental health, enhancing supportive environments, and enabling access to skills, resources, and life opportunities.
The promotion of physical activity (PA) for health is a key policy objective of Healthy Ireland. This was evidenced by the publication, in 2016, of Get Ireland Active – the National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP), which contained 60 actions designed to promote participation in PA across the population.
Implementation of the NPAP is jointly led by my Department and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (DTCAGSM), through a cross-sectoral Implementation Group that includes a range of other Government Departments, State agencies and the academic sector. Key initiatives progressed under the NPAP include supports for walking, running, swimming and cycling.
Improving physical activity in women and girls has also been identified as a priority area by the Women’s Health Taskforce; the Women’s Health Fund and Healthy Ireland have supported “It’s My Time”, a national communications programme, managed by Sport Ireland, which encouraged women, particularly those with caring or family responsibilities, to make more time for sport and physical activity to improve their own health and wellbeing.
Healthy Ireland is supporting the development and piloting of a Physical Activity Pathways in Healthcare Model, in collaboration with the HSE and Sport Ireland. These supports are funding development and co-ordination of programmes to increase access to physical activity for people who are older, frailer, living with a disability or disadvantage, and who otherwise experience more barriers to accessing physical activity, and will include elements of physical activity prescription.
A review of the National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP) was published in 2021. The review contained recommendations regarding the future direction of the NPAP. Work on a successor document to the original NPAP, which will chart the development of a policy framework in this area for the foreseeable future, is significantly advanced and will reflect the recommendations of the Review. It is intended that this framework will be published in the coming months.
In addition to the actions being pursued by my Department, population health & wellbeing is also being enhanced by a wide variety of sports measures being supported by DTCAGSM. The roles of sport and physical activity in supporting the health and wellbeing of our society are clear and it is imperative that opportunities are in place to allow all members of society to participate in sport.
This objective is supported by funding in 2024 from that Department of a record €209 million for sport, as compared with €111 million in 2018 at the launch of Ireland’s National Sports Policy. The Government committed to double State investment in sport by 2027 at that time, and these figures show that we are well on track. Sport Ireland is supported by both Departments to continue its support for sporting organisations and the promotion of broader participation in sport and physical activity in Ireland.
268. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Health if a drug (details supplied) is on the approved list of drugs; if funding is available for it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37069/24]
View answerUnder the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on the pricing and reimbursement of medicines; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
269. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health the reason the €1.50 prescription charge is payable where a family avails of the drug payment scheme and has already paid the maximum €80; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37070/24]
View answerThe Health Service Executive (HSE) administer two schemes, on behalf of the state, which assist people with their medical costs. These are the General Medical Services (GMS) Scheme, and the Drug Payment Scheme (DPS). Reimbursable claims under both these schemes are based on prescriptions which are transmitted to the pharmacist.
People who cannot, without undue hardship, arrange for the provision of medical services for themselves and their dependants may be eligible for a medical card under the GMS Scheme. In accordance with the provisions of the Health Act 1970 (as amended), eligibility for a medical card is determined by the HSE.
In certain circumstances the HSE may exercise discretion and grant a medical card, even though an applicant exceeds the income guidelines, where he or she faces difficult financial circumstances, such as extra costs arising from illness. The HSE afford applicants the opportunity to furnish supporting documentation to determine whether undue hardship exists and to fully take account of all relevant circumstances that may benefit them in assessment, including medical evidence of costs and certain expenses.
Prescription charges in respect of the GMS Scheme were introduced in the Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2010. On 1 November 2020, prescription charges were reduced as follows:
• For those aged over 70, €1.00 per item with a maximum charge of €10 per month.
• For those aged under 70, €1.50 per item with a maximum charge of €15 per month.
The DPS is for people who are not eligible for a medical card, and there are no prescription charges attached to it. Under the DPS, no individual or family pays more than €80 a month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines. The DPS is not means tested and is available to anyone ordinarily resident in Ireland. The DPS significantly reduces the cost burden for those who are not eligible for a medical card but incur ongoing expenditure on medicines.
Individuals may also be entitled to claim tax relief on the cost of their medical expenses, including medicines prescribed by a doctor, dentist, or consultant. Relief is at the standard tax rate of 20%.
270. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health when additional staff will be recruited for a health service (details supplied); if he will ensure that the lack of such staff will be addressed with urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37082/24]
View answerAs recruitment and staffing is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
271. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health if and when Tallaght Hospital can recognise the rights of the child and discharge the child into the care of their mother (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37083/24]
View answerAs this is an operational matter relating to an individual case, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply to the Deputy, as soon as possible.
272. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health to examine an issue raised in correspondence by an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37092/24]
View answer“As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.”
273. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the withdrawal of a senior post (details supplied); if he is concerned about the potential knock-on impact of this in the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37094/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
274. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health his views on the fact that many retail staff are aged between 18 and 20 years and may have to refuse to sell cigarettes to persons older than them, due to his planned nicotine inhaling products Bill; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37096/24]
View answerMy Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill will increase the minimum legal age of sale of tobacco products to 21. It is designed to decrease our 18% smoking rate in adults and particularly to impact on those under 18 who are less likely to have friends aged 21 or over who might purchase cigarettes for them. This is an urgent and necessary intervention as our 2022 data shows us that 1 in 20 of our children aged 10-17 are current smokers.
Combustible tobacco products continue to cause a vast range of catastrophic illnesses in our country and to kill two out of three smokers. My aim with this Bill is to help bring our smoking rate to less than 5% of our adult population and to zero for our children.
275. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health his views on the findings of his own Department's report on the recent Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2024, where 65.3% of respondents said they were opposed to the increase of the minimum age for tobacco sales; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37098/24]
View answerEach year tobacco products kill 4,500 people here and cause an enormous range of illnesses including, but not limited to; at least 16 types of cancer; multiple respiratory diseases including COPD which leads to airflow obstruction that is irreversible; cardiovascular diseases including aneurysms, peripheral arterial disease which can lead to gangrene and stroke; diabetes; rheumatoid arthritis and dementia.
The Irish Heart Foundation’s November 2021 poll found that 73% of all adults and 71% of those aged 18-24 supported raising the legal age to purchase tobacco in Ireland to 21. Similarly a 2022 IPSOS MRBI poll carried out on behalf of the HSE found that 71% agreed that the Government should raise the legal age of purchasing tobacco products to 21 years and older.
The responses to my own public consultation may have been influenced by proposals in other jurisdiction for lifetime bans and by views on the regulation of nicotine inhaling products. I am also aware that there was some evidence of coordinated campaigns around my consultation.
276. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the reason he has chosen to increase the minimum age for the purchase of tobacco, rather than enforce existing age regulations via more test purchasing checks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37099/24]
View answerI propose to raise the minimum legal age of sale of tobacco products to 21 in order to reduce smoking prevalence and ultimately reduce the disease, disability and death and economic costs that it brings.
Analysis of the 2007 increase in the legal age of sale from 16 to 18 here found reduced smoking prevalence and a reduction in the likelihood of ever having tried a cigarette among 14- and 15-year-olds. Similarly, the UK increase to 18 in the same year was found, in England, to be associated with a significant reduction in regular smoking among 11–15-year-olds and an increase in the percentage who stated that they found it difficult to buy cigarettes.
Analysis from the U.S. Institute of Medicine on raising the national minimum legal age of sale of tobacco products to 21 found that:
• The largest proportionate reduction in tobacco initiation will likely occur among adolescents aged 15 to 17 years old. This will be due to this age group being unlikely to have members of their peer network over the minimum legal age who would be a source of cigarettes.
• Based on two models (SimSmoke and the Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modelling Network) the expected reductions in initiation will, in several decades, lead to a 12% absolute reduction in smoking prevalence.
The measure will directly impact on those who may have initiated smoking at a younger age but do not become regular smokers until age 18 or above. Combined EU and UK data show that 38% of smokers began regular smoking between the ages of 18 and 25 and U.S. data shows that 11.4% became daily smokers between the ages of 18 and 20.
277. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if a urology appointment for a person (details supplied) will be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37102/24]
View answer“As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.”
278. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the reason for the decision not to fund additional home care hours for existing service users who have been clinically assessed as needing them; if the necessary funding will be provided to reverse this decision; the engagements he has had with the HSE in respect of this matter; to clarify if this will be applied nationwide; if not, the CHOs impacted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37103/24]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
279. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the reason some organisations and workers are being excluded from the section 39, section 56 and section 10 pay deal agreed in October 2023; the number of relevant organisations and workers currently excluded from this deal; the number included; the status of talks to resolve this issue with unions representing workers in these sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37105/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
280. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Health if he will guarantee that there will be an increase in investment in mental health in Budget 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37108/24]
View answerAs you the Deputy will be aware, as Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People I take the Budget Estimates very seriously.
The Department of Health is currently engaging in dialogue with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform and the HSE in relation to the 2025 Estimates. Until these discussions are concluded it would not be appropriate for me to comment on this matter. However, I am committed to ensuring the continued enhancement of mental health services through the allocation of additional funding for mental health in 2025. Developments in mental health services (MHS) have continued this year, significant increased funding by Government has underpinned good progress on implementation of Sharing the Vision, Ireland’s national mental health policy, and Connecting for Life , Ireland’s national suicide reduction strategy. I am committed to ensuring the continued development of MHS and supports this year and into the future.
Access to services is central to the Government’s commitments under Sláintecare and Sharing the Vision . Funding for mental health services increased to over €1.3 billion in 2024. Approximately €150 million is being provided to the specialist secondary care Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) this year. In addition, approximately €110m is provided to community-based mental health organisations and NGOs annually, with a significant portion dedicated to supporting young people. These ongoing increases in the mental health budget underline the Government’s commitment to the continued enhancement of mental health services.
Importantly, as budgets increase, we need to ensure that we have plans and strategies in place so that those resources are used effectively and efficiently to the benefit of people using our mental health services. Through our national mental health policy Sharing the Vision, all aspects of mental health services are being improved and developed, in the short to longer term. Sharing the Vision aims to enhance the provision of mental health services and supports across a broad continuum, from mental health promotion, prevention, and early intervention to acute and specialist mental health service delivery, during the period 2020-2030.
I look forward to announcing several new initiatives as part of Budget 2025 to support those with mental health difficulties including to improve access and enhanced signposting of services.
281. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health the number of children on the waiting list for CAMHS-ID; the number that have been seen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37127/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
282. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health when an appointment for a child (details supplied) will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37128/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
283. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to a recently published study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (details supplied) indicating accelerated maturation of adolescent brains, particularly female brains, as a result of pandemic-related lockdown measures; if he will research this issue in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37163/24]
View answerOver the course of the COVID-19 pandemic Government, having due regard for a multitude of factors and evidence, implemented a number of public health restrictive measure guided by public health advice and based upon the prevailing epidemiological profile at any given time.
There is now an opportunity to learn from the pandemic, including through research. The Health Research Board is the primary health and social care research funding agency. The HRB support research to inform health and social care practice and policy, which improves people's health and contributes to economic growth. Researchers can access information on currently available funding through the HRBs website.
