Written Answers Nos. 605-629
605. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health the number of births at Tipperary University Hospital in each of the past three years to date in 2024, in tabular form; and the staffing levels breakdown in the Department for each of the years in question. [40118/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
606. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health the number of vacant WTE nurses currently at University Hospital Limerick; and the timeframe in which each of the vacancies will be filled, in tabular form. [40119/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
607. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health the estimated full-year costs of fully implementing a minor ailment scheme in community pharmacists. [40121/24]
View answerOn 24th July 2023, I established an Expert Taskforce to support the expansion of the role of Pharmacy in Ireland. The Taskforce continued to work together until July 2024. In August 2024, I accepted their recommendations and published their final report.
One of the major recommendations from the Taskforce was that pharmacists should be able to prescribe for a range of common conditions. The Taskforce recommended an initial list of eight conditions which may be extended over time as the service evolves. The eight conditions are as follows:
Allergic Rhinitis
Cold Sores
Conjunctivitis
Impetigo
Oral Thrush
Shingles
Uncomplicated UTI / Cystitis
Vulvovaginal Thrush
Since the Taskforce has completed its work, the focus is now on the implementation of the recommendations made, including the common conditions service.
I have established an Implementation Oversight Group, with membership drawn from all relevant stakeholders, which will be responsible for ensuring implementation of the common conditions service. This will include ensuring the development and delivery of training for pharmacists, optimising operational aspects of the service, overseeing the development of the necessary secondary legislation, and preparing and delivering communications to the public and other healthcare providers on these changes. It is not possible to provide a costing for the common conditions service at this stage.
608. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health if HSE employees under the age of 50 years are able to retire on grounds of ill health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40139/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
609. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 1686 and 1687 of 9 September 2024, if he will provide clarity on an issue (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40140/24]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
611. Deputy John Paul Phelan asked the Minister for Health if, in the context of Ireland’s target to achieve cervical cancer elimination by the year 2040, he will consider removing the requirement of a GP prescription for the provision of the HPV vaccine in pharmacies by adding it to the Eighth Schedule of the Medicinal Products (Prescription and Control of Supply) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2015, as is the case for pneumococcal, shingles, flu, and Covid-19 vaccines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40163/24]
View answerThe immunisation programme in Ireland is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). The committee's recommendations are based on the prevalence of the relevant disease in Ireland and international best practice in relation to immunisation. It makes recommendations on vaccination policy to my Department.The ages at which vaccines are recommended in the immunisation schedule are selected, where possible, in order to give each child the best possible protection against vaccine preventable diseases. The HPV vaccine is intended to be administered, if possible, before a person becomes exposed to HPV infection. The HPV vaccine is currently offered, free of charge, to boys and girls in first year of secondary school and is administered through the School Immunisation Programme. It is critical that the HPV vaccine is administered early and before any likely exposure to HPV.
The Department of Health will continue to be guided by NIAC's recommendations on any emerging evidence in this area.
612. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Health the organisation or company that will be responsible for recruiting and paying the wages of workers in the following services, cleaning, catering, running the canteen(s), porters and maintenance in the new Children’s Hospital. [40170/24]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
613. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if a date for an operation for a person (details supplied) will be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40187/24]
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.”
615. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health to provide a breakdown of the amount expended by his Department on consultancies in 2023 and to date in 2024; the company engaged; and the nature of the work conducted by the consultancy on his Department’s behalf, in tabular form. [40216/24]
View answerThe Department's total expenditure from Subhead A7 - Consultancy for 2023 and to date in 2024 is as per the tables attached.
It is the policy in the Department only to engage the services of external consultants where highly specialised skills are not available within the Department and when such an approach is felt to be more appropriate and cost-effective.
2023
|
Supplier |
Project |
Spend |
|
HSE |
Tool for Risk, Interventions & Outcomes. Provides a framework that includes relevant safeguarding interventions and a field for measuring their outcomes. |
€11,350.00 |
|
Alpha Healthcare Ltd |
Analysis of the dental workforce to align with the actions of Smile agus Sláinte |
€30,750.00 |
|
Crowe Horwath |
Review of the National Sexual Health Strategy |
€13,210.20 |
|
Crowe Horwath |
Patient Safety Complaints and Patient Safety Incidents Culture and Values Project |
€31,915.80 |
|
Grant Thornton |
Provision of a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) for the Department. |
€119,033.25 |
|
Alpha Healthcare |
Provision of Strategy andOperations Support for the National Taskforce on Non-Consultant Hospital Doctors Workforce |
€132,790.80 |
|
Mazars |
Internal Audit |
€84,624.00 |
|
Mazars |
Actuarial Services - Private Health Insurance |
€28,207.59 |
|
BH Consulting |
Technology Recovery Plan |
€11,070.00 |
|
Deloitte Ireland LLP |
Professional consultancy services to support the development of a new NationalDigital Healthcare and Well-being Framework: 2023-2030. |
€221,714.88 |
|
Paul Dunphy |
Patient and Staff Stories Project on Antimicrobial Resistance and Sepsis (Phase 2) |
€61,180.00 |
|
Royal College of Surgeons |
To develop draft policy in respect of Patient Complaints concerning Clinical Judgement |
€ 20,000.00 |
2024
|
Supplier |
Project |
Spend |
|
Mazars |
Internal Audit |
€26,568.00 |
|
Quadra |
Internal Audit |
€ 6,642.00 |
|
Mazars |
Stakeholder consultation to inform policy in relation to new Governance and Leadership structures for Nursing and Midwifery to deliver Sláintecare. |
€59,040.00 |
|
Royal College of Surgeons |
Research project to support update of the National Clinical Effectiveness Committee Standards for Clinical Practice Guidance |
€22,736.00 |
|
University College Dublin |
Stakeholder consultation to inform implementation of acute, community and integrated specialist career pathways for Nursing and Midwifery to deliver Sláintecare. |
€6,706.43 |
616. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Health the publicity campaigns he has run during his time as Minister to highlight Lyme disease and its causes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40225/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
617. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health to provide a breakdown of the budget allocation to eating disorder services in Budget 2025; whether funding will be allocated to increase the number of adult inpatient beds; if so, the locating of these beds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40232/24]
View answerThe total allocation for mental health services in 2025 is approximately €1.5 billion, which is the fifth year in a row in which the mental health budget has been increased. This significant investment will enable continued policy implementation and service improvement in line with our national mental health policy, Sharing the Vision. This year’s budget allocation builds on the investment this Government has made over the last number of years to deliver the policy priorities of Sharing the Vision through the provision of mental health supports across a broad continuum from mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention, to acute and specialist mental health service delivery, and enabling us to continue to deliver our vital services to as many people as possible, as we move into 2025.
With regard to eating disorders, since taking up office in July 2020 I have prioritised the roll out of the National Clinical Programme for Eating Disorders (NCP-ED).
The NCP-ED is being implemented across the country by multidisciplinary teams on a phased basis. There are now eleven teams in place: six Adult teams and five Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) teams. Six new teams started in 2023, and in May 2024, I announced the establishment of a new team for CHO7, which will cover the area of Kildare/West Wicklow, Dublin West, Dublin South City and Dublin South West. This will bring the total number of eating disorder teams nationally to twelve.
Dedicated investment in eating disorders continues, and last year the Health Service Executive (HSE) spent €8.1m on eating disorder services under the Clinical Programme. I remain firmly committed to enhancing specialist services for eating disorders, including improved access and shorter waiting lists and recently met with the Clinical Leads of the National Programmes and Models of Care to discuss Budget Priorities for 2025.
As occurs each year following the Budget, discussions will now take place with the HSE on details relating to specific service initiatives in the context of preparing the HSE Service Plan 2025, including that for Mental Health.
619. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health if access to the publicly-funded IVF programme is to be extended to those who have had more than one round of treatment to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40284/24]
View answer618. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health to confirm that single women who require donor material will be included in the proposed expansion of the publicly funded IVF scheme in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40250/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 619 and 618 together.
As the Deputy may be aware, a commitment to “introduce a publicly funded model of care for fertility treatment” is included in the Programme for Government.
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., the six Regional Fertility Hubs located across the country) and then, where necessary, AHR (assisted human reproduction) treatment (e.g., IVF (in-vitro fertilisation) and ICSI (intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection)), 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 six Regional Fertility Hubs within maternity networks covering the entire country, 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.
Phase Two of the roll-out of the Model of Care relates to the introduction of AHR treatment, including IVF, provided through the public health system at tertiary level.
Appropriate funding has been made available to support access to AHR treatment via HSE-approved private providers. As well as IVF and ICSI, this allocation is also being used to provide, initially through private clinics, IUI (intrauterine insemination), which can, for certain cohorts of patients, be a potentially effective, yet less complex and less intrusive form of treatment.
Referrals for AHR treatment by private providers commenced in September 2023. Criteria prospective patients should meet in order to access fully-funded AHR services and the services to be initially funded were agreed by the Department and the HSE and subsequently approved by Government in July 2023. More details on public fertility services, including information on the publicly-funded AHR treatment initiative, are available from the HSE at: www2.hse.ie/conditions/fertility-problems-treatments/fertility-treatment/.
As I have previously stated publicly, the access criteria and the AHR treatment scheme generally are being kept under ongoing review as new evidence becomes available and an understanding of how the service provision is working in practice emerges. I have committed to extending the service provision in two particular respects in 2025. However, the specific details in respect of any finalised agreed changes to the access criteria or the scheme more broadly require further extensive consultation between my officials, colleagues in the HSE and also with relevant specialists in the field of reproductive medicine.
I want to reassure the Deputy that my Department and the Government are focused, through the full implementation of the Model of Care for Fertility, on ensuring that patients 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.
620. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the efforts his Department is taking to address the phenomenon of ‘eco-anxiety’ in mental health services; and if he will consider collecting data on eco-anxiety so it can be meaningfully addressed in future mental health plans.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40334/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
621. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health if he will confirm what grades and disciplines the 21 newly sanctioned posts in St Michael’s Hospital referred to are; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40335/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
622. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health to confirm the number of staff, at what grade and discipline, are on maternity leave from St Michael’s Hospital at the moment; if cover will be provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40336/24]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
623. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of apprentices currently waiting for off-the-job training, broken down by type of craft apprenticeship. [40348/24]
View answerMy Department is continuing to oversee the implementation of a plan put in place by the National Apprenticeship Office to significantly increase apprenticeship capacity and respond to rising craft apprenticeship registrations as a result of our buoyant economy.
As of end-August 2024, a total of 2,484 craft apprentices are waiting six months or longer for Phase 2 off-the-job training this represents a 53% decrease since the implementation of the plan from 5,319 in October 2023 to 2,484 in August 2024. This figure consists of 2,327 apprentices waiting 6-11 months and 157 waiting 12 months or longer.
The 2,484 total figure is broken down by apprenticeship type and the number of months waiting, in tabular form, in the attached PDF document.
It should be noted that waiting lists are an essential as part of the scheduling process to ensure that planning and resources are in place to meet the demand of apprentices in the system and that apprentices are eligible to move to their next phase. Apprentices are waiting for multiple reasons. For example, because some apprentices do not accept the first offer of off-the-job training places that they receive. Waiting lists also allows for places not taken up by apprentices who choose to decline a training offer, which they can opt to do up to three times, to still be filled from the list.
Craft apprenticeships take 48 months to complete. My Department is initiating a review of the optimum craft apprenticeship training timelines within those 48 months.
This Government is committed to growing apprenticeship and my Department secured a significant investment of €77.4m into the apprenticeship system in Budget 2025. This represents the single largest investment in core apprenticeship funding since the formation of my Department in 2020 and, since then, investment in apprenticeship has increased by 83%.
It remains my priority to maintain this momentum, to continue growing the apprenticeship system, and ensure that there are enough training places for current and future skills needs.
624. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated full-year cost to the Exchequer of increasing training places for speech and language therapists by 5, 10 and 20 places. [39866/24]
View answer625. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated full-year cost to the Exchequer of increasing training places for occupational therapists by 5, 10 and 20 places. [39867/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 624 and 625 together.
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are autonomous institutions responsible for their own academic affairs including the curriculum and student numbers on individual courses. The costs incurred by a HEI in increasing student places on a particular course or establishing an additional course can vary depending on a variety factors including the type of course and the individual circumstances of the relevant HEI.Where additionally is required on courses or a new course is required, specific engagement with the sector and external stakeholders is very often required. This process allows for a deeper consideration of wider issues such as capacity, staffing, other supports, availability of placements, capital investment in buildings and equipment etc. It is therefore, not possible to definitively calculate the costs sought in the absence of a specific engagement with the sector.
The delivery of healthcare programmes is complex and requires multiple parts of the health and education systems working together.
It should be noted that in recent years there has been a substantial expansion of therapy and key healthcare places in Higher Education Institutions in Ireland. In July, Government approved the prioritisation of funding to support the expansion of training places in priority healthcare areas including Speech and Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy, as well as Physiotherapy.
From September this year additional places on Speech and Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy programmes in University of Galway have been created, and an undergraduate Occupational Therapy programme is also being introduced at University of Limerick. Further expansion next year is expect to contribute to an overall 35% increase in places on therapy discipline programmes.
Additionality delivered in recent years has seen over 460 permanent new higher education healthcare places created in September 2023 in Irish HEIs, and further capacity created in Northern Ireland, where an additional 80 places in allied healthcare disciplines in Ulster University in September 2023 were created for students from this jurisdiction. These places include 28 in Occupational Therapy and 10 in Speech and Language Therapy. A similar arrangement is in train for September 2024, with a proposed 28 places in Occupational Therapy and 10 places in Speech and Language Therapy being offered.
Enhancing student capacity to meet projected workforce demand is a key consideration of workforce planning and is key to enabling further expansion on these programmes. Practice education placements are essential to support clinical skills development and the application of theory to patient care and attainment of regulatory required standards of proficiency where applicable.
Extensive engagement is ongoing between officials in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, and officials in the Department of Health, as well as the HSE and higher education sector. Work is underway on the oversight and infrastructure for clinical placements to enable further expansion.
626. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the plans to amend the SUSI grant to permit Irish students who study abroad within the European Union to be able to apply for student grants, on the basis that the recipients of the grants would then work in Ireland for a set period of time following graduation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39899/24]
View answerUnder the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to eligible students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. In relation to support available for students studying abroad, the Student Grant Scheme provides maintenance grants to eligible undergraduate students pursuing approved courses in other EU Member States. In general, an approved undergraduate course in this context is defined as a full-time undergraduate course of not less than two years duration pursued in a university or third level institution, which is maintained or assisted by recurrent grants from public funds in another EU Member State or the UK.The Scheme does not extend to PLC courses or postgraduate study pursued outside of Ireland nor does it extend to the payment of tuition fees to institutions outside the State, other than for exceptional provision in respect of postgraduate courses in Northern Ireland.
There is no provision in the Student Grant Scheme to link funding given to a student with a requirement to remain in the county following completion of their studies and there are currently no plans to introduce this option.
The Deputy may wish to note that tax relief at the standard rate of tax may be claimed in respect of tuition fees paid for approved courses at approved colleges of higher education including approved undergraduate and postgraduate courses in EU Member States and in non-EU countries. Further information on this tax relief is available from a student's local Tax office or from the Revenue Commissioners website www.revenue.ie.
627. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he is aware that Leaving Certificate re-corrections are not returned within the correct period, meaning those waiting on these re-corrections face the possibility of missing out on their college placement, leaving them in a position of having to wait until the following year to do their chosen college course; if this error will be corrected, and if he will ensure that college places are offered after the return of any appealed Leaving Certificate papers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39963/24]
View answerThe appeals process for the leaving certificate results are the remit of my colleague, Minister for Education with whom I have consulted in this response. Advancement to Higher & Further Education is the remit of my department and I will also address that in this response. This year the closing date for submission of Leaving Certificate appeal applications to the State Examinations Commission (SEC) was Monday 2 September. Ultimately, 7,268 candidates applied to appeal 14,287 results. The SEC issued the Leaving Certificate appeal results to all candidates on Friday 27 September, some five weeks after the date of issue of the results, noting that this date has been designed to integrate with the final round of the CAO offers season. The SEC acknowledges the need to process the appeal results as early as possible, but this must be balanced with the need to allow appeal examiners sufficient time to carry out a thorough review of the candidates’ work and for the related quality assurance measures to take place to ensure that candidates are ultimately awarded the grade their work merits. It is my understanding that if, following their appeal, a student receives an upgrade, and the revised result places them higher on the order-of-merit list than the last person who received an offer, then the Higher Education Institution will usually instruct the Central Applications Office (CAO) to either offer them a place to begin immediately or offer them a place deferred to the next year. I have no role or remit in this regard. It is my understanding that in a small number of cases, an offer of a deferred place may be necessary due to fixed constraints in relation to class sizes, clinical placements or laboratory space, among other issues. Such measures will only be taken when all other options have been exhausted. All those involved remain committed to ensuring that every possible effort is made to facilitate students in taking up a place that their grades entitle them to. I understand this can be very stressful for students when this happens, and I would encourage HEIs to be as flexible as they possibly can be when these circumstances arise.
628. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science whether the 33% reduction in the craft apprentices student contribution charge is a once-off, and not on top of the reduction in the last budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39999/24]
View answerIn both 2023 and 2024, a 33% reduction in the student contribution was provided for apprentices registering in higher education. In each of those years this measure cost €3.8 million and it is estimated that it benefitted over 11,000 apprentices.
In Budget 2025, a once off 33% reduction to the student contribution has been provided for apprentices. The cost of the measure will be some €4.7 million and will benefit an estimated 14,000 apprentices attending higher education institutes.?
This Government is committed to grow apprenticeship and my Department secured a significant investment of €77.4m into the apprenticeship system in Budget 2025.This represents the single largest investment in core apprenticeship funding since the formation of my Department in 2020 and, since then, investment in apprenticeship has increased by 83%.
629. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he aware of the situation in a number of education and training boards across the country, where staff were promised new contracts paying them for non-contact hours, sick leave and holiday pay, but have now been informed that the said contracts will not go ahead for the foreseeable future, citing that the payment system hadn't been aligned and that the SOLAS agency had not approved funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40002/24]
View answerMy Department advised the Education and Training Boards last April on the formal arrangements for the establishment of the new grade of Adult Educator. Subsequently, each Education and Training Board has been consulting with their Adult Education Tutors to determine whether they wish to convert to the new grade or remain on their current terms and conditions. The implementation process is complex including changes to payroll systems where the new terms and conditions are being adopted.My Department has been informed by Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI) that this work is near completion and the conversion process should take place by January 2025 at the latest. Adult educators can continue to work on previous terms and conditions while the process is completed.The Education and Training Boards will be requested to continue with the implementation process for the new Adult Educator grade and to provide my Department and SOLAS with data as to the numbers of tutors converting to the new grade and the associated costs. Once my Department has this data, the budget settlement will be discussed with SOLAS and payments will be made to the Education and Training Boards.
