Written Answers Nos. 1287-1304
1287. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the total number of patients attending for assessment under the school screening dental programme in each of the years since 2019 by CHO and LHO, in tabular form. [45276/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
1288. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the total number of dentists employed directly by the HSE in each of the years since 2019, by CHO and LHO, in tabular from. [45277/24]
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
1289. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the total number of dentists participating in the dental treatment services scheme in each of the years since 2019, by CHO and LHO, in tabular from. [45278/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
1290. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the total number of people in nursing homes under the fair deal scheme in each of the years since 2020. [45279/24]
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.
1291. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the total number of nursing home beds in the State in each of the years since 2020, broken down by HSE-provided, HSE-funded under Section 38 and 39 of the Health Act 2004 and privately provided, in tabular form. [45280/24]
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.
1292. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on implementation of each of the recommendations from the Report of the Strategic Workforce Advisory Group on Home Carers and Nursing Home Health Care Assistants, in tabular form. [45281/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe cross-departmental Strategic Workforce Advisory Group was established in March 2022. The Group was charged with examining strategic workforce challenges in publicly and privately provided front-line carer roles in home support and nursing homes and with making recommendations to address these.
The Group, which was chaired by the Department of Health, comprised representatives from seven government departments (Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth; Enterprise, Trade and Employment; Health; Higher and Further Education, Research, Innovation and Science; Justice; Public Expenditure and Reform; and Social Protection), the Health Service Executive (HSE), the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) and SOLAS.
Providing an overview of the work of the Group and its key findings, the Report of the Strategic Workforce Advisory Group on Home Carers and Nursing Home Health Care Assistants, which was published in October 2022, presented a suite of 16 recommendations spanning the areas of areas of recruitment, pay and conditions of employment, barriers to employment, training and professional development and sectoral reform.
Implementation of the 16 recommendations is underway, led by a cross-departmental group, chaired by the Department of Health. Significant reform has been delivered. A new HSE home support tender has been in place since August 2023. This delivers on commitments for sectoral reform such as payment for travel time for home support providers, paying carers the National Living Wage at a minimum, and bringing legacy rates in line with the new revised rates of funding.
The group met in July 2024 and the most recent implementation updates can be found on the following link www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/304859/056ead0a-00a1-4aee-a95e-aa23ca79fe29.pdf#page=null .
1293. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the steps he is taking to address the shortage of a medication used to treat and manage polycythemia vera (details supplied); if an alternative medication is being considered for approval for reimbursement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45282/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder 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.
1294. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health to outline how long the disciplinary procedures in respect of the six individuals in the UL Hospitals Group connected to the circumstances that led to the death of a person (details supplied) are expected to take; if each of those six will be redeployed in the interim; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45303/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1295. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health for an update on the delivery timeline for the Ennis haemodialysis unit (details supplied). [45307/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe HSE has advised that work is underway to progress the development of haemodialysis services in Ennis. The project is being led by the HSE to drive improvements to the existing services.
The HSE Board approved the project in July 2024 and the procurement process is now complete. The winning tenderer was contacted by HSE National Procurement.
The HSE has advised that once planning construction and commissioning phases are completed, they expect that this service will be delivered by Q2 2026. In the meantime, patients from County Clare receive care either in University Hospital Limerick or in the hospital’s satellite centre, which is located on the Dock Road in Limerick city.
1296. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health the reason the Ennis Mental Health Day Hospital is currently operating without a psychologist after the retirement of the existing doctor; the reason patients are being told there are currently no plans to bring in another psychologist; if the recruitment ceiling has affected the provision of a replacement psychologist; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45308/24]
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.
1297. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health if he will report on the long-term staff vacancies in the Kilrush Day Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45309/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have asked the HSE to respond to the deputy on this matter.
1298. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Health his plans to vindicate the rights of families and children living with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45310/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraFoetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is often an invisible disability and is associated with lifelong physical, mental, educational, social, and behavioural difficulties, but it is preventable by avoiding alcohol during pregnancy.
This is one of the reasons why in May 2023, I signed into law the Public Health (Alcohol) (Labelling) Regulations 2023 and the remaining provisions of Section 12 of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act. The law provides that the labels of alcohol products warn about the risk of consuming alcohol when pregnant.
The HSE offers a learning module called ‘Hidden Harm’ for all staff working with parents, children, young people or families who may be affected by problem alcohol and other drug use. This module outlines the impact of alcohol and drug use in pregnancy on babies.
In addition, the HSE’s Making Every Contact Count (MECC) in Maternity Training Programme provides health service management and staff with a training programme that enables those who complete it to be equipped to deliver brief interventions with women. The training programme covers the main lifestyle risk factors for chronic disease namely tobacco, alcohol and drug use, physical inactivity and unhealthy eating.
1299. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the total number of alternative education establishments/settings (excluding Youthreach services) which operate outside of the traditional mainstream education system within the State; the geographical location of each setting; the criteria laid down for the establishment of an alternative education setting; the total number of students who reengage with the traditional mainstream education system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43937/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI would like to thank the Deputy for this question.
As the Deputy is aware, education provided outside of the traditional mainstream education system by the Further Education and Training sector is offered through the Youthreach programme. The Youthreach Programme is provided in Youthreach Centres and Community Training Centres (CTCs). CTCs are typically non-profit making companies or charities with independent boards that are broadly representative of the local community.
CTCs provide training, education and employment services primarily to early school leavers between the ages of 16 and 21 but can also include learners up to the age of 25, where they are unemployed, with the agreement of the relevant Education and Training Board (ETB). Funded by SOLAS through the local ETBs, there are 31 CTCs. Almost 2,300 learners attended CTCs in 2023.
The Irish Association of Community Training Organisations, the representative body of the CTCs, has a list of CTCs, including their addresses, on their website. A list of these centres is attached for the Deputy's information.
The process to establish a CTC’s relationship with an ETB is set out under the 2013 operating guidelines , ‘Operating Standards for Community Training Centres’. To form an agreement to collaborate with an ETB, a CTC submits an annual business plan to the ETB based on the CTC’s Strategic Plan. This business plan details the expected client groups, the range of services and type of provision to be delivered, together with an estimate of the supports and resources required to carry out the work. Each new programme proposed requires a training programme specification to be submitted to the ETB, indicating the level of staffing, programme content, duration, delivery mechanism, and accreditation. The CTC and the ETB will then work together to refine the business plan and any proposals for new programmes. A contract is then signed by the ETB and the CTC, which includes terms and conditions, and key information from the CTC’s business plan.
My Department does not hold information and data on the proportion of learners in CTCs that go on to reengage with mainstream post-primary education.
1300. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will review the guidelines around SUSI grants to automatically ensure that all mature students are assessed as independent even if they are living with a parent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43924/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware, the objective of the statutory based student grant scheme is to provide additional assistance where household income is below a certain threshold.
For student grants purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents/legal guardian or as independent mature students.
A candidate's reckonable income for the purposes of the student grant means test is gross income from all sources, including the gross income of their parents/guardians (in the case of dependent students) or of their spouse/partner (in the case of independent students) where applicable, with certain specified Department of Social Protection Payments being exempt. Grant assistance may not be awarded in any case where the reckonable income exceeds the prescribed income limits for the award of a grant.
A student may be assessed as an independent mature student if he or she has attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved course or of re-entry following a break in studies of at least three years and is not ordinarily resident with their parents from the previous 1st October. Otherwise, they would continue to be assessed on the basis of parental income.
The Deputy will appreciate that the funding allocation for the Student Grant Scheme is determined in the context of the overall estimates and budgetary process undertaken by all Government Departments. All proposals made in relation to SUSI grant expenditure can only be considered in the context of the budgetary allocation, having regard to overall resource constraints and other competing demands in the further and higher education sector.
1301. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will review the stipulation in the guidelines for SUSI grants to ensure that the “first point of entry” requirement for assessment is changed to ensure that if an applicant’s circumstances change over their years in college, they can be reassessed to take into account new circumstances, including details of a change of address that would result in being assessed as “independent”; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43925/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy may be aware that for student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students.
A student may be assessed as an independent student (i.e. assessed without reference to parental income and address) if they have attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved course, and are not ordinarily resident with their parents from the previous 1st October. Otherwise, they would be assessed as a dependent student i.e. assessed with reference to parental income and address.
A student’s status for grant purposes is defined at their first point of entry to an approved further or higher education course or at their point of re-entry to an approved course following a break in studies of at least three years, and continues to apply for the duration of their studies.
Applicants who do not meet the criteria to be assessed as an independent student for grant purposes, or who cannot supply the necessary documentation to establish independent living for the required period, may still apply to SUSI to have their grant eligibility assessed as a dependent student. The relevant information, including details of parental income, would be required by SUSI to determine grant eligibility as a dependent student.
Further information regarding class of applicant (independent or dependent) and the types of documentation accepted as evidence of living independently from parents is available from SUSI’s website: susi.ie/eligibility/applicant-class/.
The Deputy will appreciate that the funding allocation for the Student Grant Scheme is determined in the context of the overall estimates and budgetary process undertaken by all Government Departments. All proposals made in relation to SUSI grant expenditure can only be considered in the context of the budgetary allocation, having regard to overall resource constraints and other competing demands in the further and higher education sector.
1302. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if she will allow SUSI to have a discretionary role in assessing applications as not all circumstances fit easily into criteria; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43926/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Student Grant Scheme is a statutory scheme. As with any statutory scheme, a core principle of the Student Grant Scheme is that there is consistency of approach and an equitable treatment for applicants. All applications are therefore assessed nationally with reference to the terms and conditions of the Scheme, which are applied impartially to all applicants.
SUSI has no discretion to vary or modify the criteria laid down within the provisions of the Student Grant Scheme and its governing legislation.
Article 32 of the Student Grant Scheme 2024 provides for a review of eligibility for the award of a grant in the event of a change of circumstances during the academic year. Where a student experiences a change of circumstances during the course of their studies, they may apply to SUSI to have their application re-assessed at support@SUSI.ie quoting Internal Review in the Subject line.
In addition, where a student considers they have been unjustly refused a student grant, they can appeal in the first instance to SUSI. If their appeal is turned down by SUSI they can further appeal to the independent Student Grant Appeals Board.
The Department reviews policy on an ongoing basis, having regard to overall resource constraints and other competing demands in the further and higher education sector.
1303. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of staff vacancies, by grade, in his Department at the end of August 2023 and August 2024; and the number of staff, by grade, on a career break of more than five years and more than six years, at the end of August 2023 and August 2024. [44127/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn my Department, staff figures are recorded on a quarterly basis. The number of staff vacancies for Quarter 3 (up to the end of September) in 2023 was 34 and for Quarter 3 in 2024 was 43.
The staff vacancies by grades for Quarter 3 in 2023 and Quarter 3 in 2024 are set out in the following tables:
Q3 2023
|
Principal Officer |
1 |
|
Assistant Principal Officer |
5 |
|
Higher Executive Officer |
7 |
|
Administrative Officer |
5 |
|
Executive Officer |
7 |
|
Clerical Officer |
3 |
|
Service Officer |
1 |
|
Senior Quantity Surveyor |
2 |
|
Senior Architect |
2 |
|
Senior Mechanical Engineer |
1 |
Note: Figures are recorded on a quarterly basis
Q3 2024
|
Assistant Secretary General |
1 |
|
Principal Officer |
6 |
|
Assistant Principal |
13 |
|
Higher Executive Officer |
10 |
|
Administrative Officer |
4 |
|
Executive Officer |
2 |
|
Clerical Officer |
0 |
|
Service Officer |
1 |
|
Senior Quantity Surveyor |
2 |
|
Senior Architect |
2 |
|
Senior Building Services Engineer |
1 |
Note: Figures are recorded on a quarterly basis
Regarding the question of staff in my Department taking career breaks for more than 5 or 6 years, my Department was established in August 2020 and there were no staff members on a career break of more than five years and more than six years, at the end of August 2023 and August 2024.
1304. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the full economic cost of EDI initiatives in the third-level sector on an annual basis, inclusive of staff time spent on such initiatives; if a cost-benefit analysis has been conducted to ascertain the value-for-money of this expenditure of core Exchequer funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44171/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has put equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of its work since it was established in 2020. The Department’s Statement of Strategy, 2023-25, has the goal to Support Inclusion as one of its six Strategic Goals.
This means striving to ensure that learners all across the third level system are enabled to access the supports they require, in particular to meet the needs of vulnerable learners, people with disabilities and those from a background of disadvantage. The National Access Plan sets out targets for access by groups which are traditionally under-represented in higher education.
It is my fundamental belief that Ireland can only thrive if everyone, regardless of their background, age, gender, or address, is able to pursue and achieve their best potential, including through engagement with the third level sector as best fits them and their needs.
Equality, diversity and inclusion efforts need to be interwoven into Ireland’s overall work with, and significant programme of investment into, the third level sector, and, for this reason, it would not be possible to disaggregate the cost of specific EDI initiatives in a central, comprehensive manner.
The Higher Education Authority has, since August 2020, a Centre of Excellence for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. The Centre has 1 Assistant Principal, 2 Senior Executive Officers, 1 Executive Officer, an additional Senior Executive Officer funded by EU project funding, and a head of function which is shared across EDI, International and Communications. The Centre’s work seeks to advance gender equality, race equality, and end sexual violence, in the third level sector.
In terms of staffing, recurrent funding is allocated to the Higher Education Authority for direct disbursement to HEA funded higher education institutions. As autonomous bodies, the internal disbursement of funding is a matter for individual higher education institutions. However, it should be noted that, following the 2016 Review of Gender Equality in Irish HEIs, it was recommended that each HEI appoint a vice-president for equality as a member of the executive management team. For the 2022-2023 academic year, all HEIs that report to the HEA on EDI indicated that this role or equivalent is in place in their institution.
Some of the reviews which have taken place and relate to initiatives on equality, diversity and inclusion, include a) the Second Review of Gender Equality in Irish HEIs, which was published in November 2022, and, b) the recent completion of the review of the Senior Academic Leadership Initiative. Additionally, the Ending Sexual Violence and Harassment Framework for Higher Education Institutions will be reviewed during 2025. It is also intended that work to advance race equality in the higher education sector will be reviewed upon completion of the Race Equality Implementation Plan.
