Senator Garvey has made some very interesting and valid points. I thank her for giving me the opportunity to update the House on this important matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. The Minister for Health and I are fully committed to supporting our population health screening services, which are a valuable part of our health service. It is good to see that CervicalCheck screenings are back to pre-Covid levels. I acknowledge the effort being made by the staff at CervicalCheck, primar…

He has left.

I welcome this opportunity to address the House on the issue raised by Deputy Quinlivan. The health sector is facing significant challenges in providing emergency care while also managing Covid-19. I acknowledge that this is causing distress to patients, their families and front-line staff. I welcome the release of the report of the independent review of unscheduled care performance under the Freedom of Information Act 2014 following an application to the Department from the Irish Patients' Association. The terms o…

I agree with the Deputy that emergency department overcrowding is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. The Deputy referred to increased attendance in recent weeks. The Covid pandemic put enormous pressure on the system which has resulted in unacceptable delays. It appears the recommendations in this report can be part of the solution to delays in emergency departments. As I outlined in my opening comments, significant additional funding has been provided to the health service in recent years. However, fundin…

The HSE has prepared and presented section 13 annual reports for the years 2007 to 2014, inclusive, to the Department of Health and is working on the section 13 annual report for the years 2015 to 2020, inclusive, to bring the process up to date. It is intended these reports will be completed by year end. The HSE and departmental officials are to meet in the near future to discuss the issue of section 13 reports in greater detail. The HSE acknowledges the current management information system is no longer fit for p…

The HSE is committed to the development of a new integrated management information system for disability services, which will include a module on the assessment of needs process under the Disability Act. This will facilitate the HSE to provide a wide range of reports on the assessment of need activity expected in early 2023. The HSE and departmental officials are scheduled to meet shortly to discuss in greater detail the issue of section 13 reports.

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach and Senator Maria Byrne for raising this very important issue. The Climate Action Plan 2021 commits the agriculture sector to reducing its emissions by between 21% and 30%, which is a doubling of commitment based on the Climate Action Plan 2019. This means agriculture emissions are to reduce to between 16 million to 18 million tonnes in 2030, which is an absolute reduction of between 5 million and 7 million tonnes. The sector will also contribute additionally through reducing land-ba…

I understand a full review is under way to determine the best approach in the interests of the children involved. I hope we can sort out that. The HSE has prepared and presented section 13 annual reports for the years 2007 to 2014, inclusive, to the Department of Health and is working on the reports for the years 2015 to 2020, inclusive, to bring them up to date. It expects to complete these reports by year end.

I thank the Senator for raising this very important issue again. She talked about the food supply chain and how farmers are concerned. We need to keep the lines of communication from all various Departments open. Our climate is changing and these changes are affecting our agricultural sector. The sector is committed to sustainable development and it fully recognises that to be sustainable, it must be climate-resilient. We must continue to adapt and plan. The Department is working with all the various stakeholders i…

I thank Senator Garvey for raising a very important issue and a very important point. I was a member of Roscommon County Council from 1999 to 2003, before the dual mandate ended. The dual mandate change had a purpose because we were in Dublin trying to be at all of the various meetings, from the county enterprise board to the vocational education committee, VEC, to the regional authorities, and it simply was not sustainable. However, the current system does lose that kind of work on the ground, which is where the l…

As we look to the future, there are a number of important local government reforms and policy initiatives under way which will further enhance local democracy and accountability. During the summer session, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage expects to publish a Bill providing for a directly-elected mayor with executive functions for Limerick City and County Council. The Bill will also provide for the possibility of plebiscites on directly-elected mayors with executive functions in other local a…

I thank Senator Gavan for raising this issue and giving me the opportunity to address the orthodontic look-back review. As he stated, in 2015 a review report was commissioned by the HSE following receipt of a statement of concern relating to an orthodontic service serving the greater Dublin area between 1992 and 2002. This review was, in fact, a scoping report commissioned to advise the HSE on what action should be taken to determine if there was a risk of harm to patients in this case. The 2015 report did not incl…

I thank the Senator. I will raise the issue with the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, and will look for assurances and a commitment to a timeline. Once again, I assure the House that the HSE has conducted a thorough audit that involved the use of specialist staff over a protracted period and a review of more than 7,500 patient files. The focus of the HSE has been on reviewing patient safety in line with its policy, including its incident management framework 2020 and predecessor frameworks, as well as internation…

I thank the Senator for raising this matter and giving me the opportunity to provide an update on progress to date on the new children's hospital. The hospital project includes the main hospital on a shared campus at St. James's Hospital, the outpatient and urgent care centre at Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown and the outpatient and emergency care centre at Tallaght University Hospital. In November 2021, the Minister opened the paediatric outpatient and emergency care centre in Tallaght, which will accommodate up …

Again, I thank the Senator for raising this matter. It is a great opportunity to provide an update on the new children's hospital, progress on site and the positive impact the new facilities are already having on our young people, their families and our healthcare professionals. I acknowledge that the national children's hospital project has had its difficulties and delays. It is an extremely ambitious and complex project, and it is important to acknowledge the great progress that has been made. It is very apparent…

The Government is committed to the development of children's disability services through the implementation of the progressing disability services programme. The High Court judgment on standard operating procedures for assessment of need, AON, is being examined by the HSE, which is engaging at all levels to address the judgment while ensuring the availability of therapy supports. AON reports will no longer be issued on the basis of a preliminary team assessment. Where appointments have already been scheduled with c…

I appreciate the Deputy's concerns and I will bring them to the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte. I understand that she is working with the HSE to try to get this moving as quickly as possible.

I understand there are recruitment and retention challenges regarding the filling of posts. The Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, are working with the Higher Education Authority and the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, to try to resolve these issues. There are issues regarding office supports and I understand all the various Departments and stakeholders are working to resolve that.

The programme for Government commits to create and implement a general health policy for transpeople, based on a best practice model for care in line with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, and to deliver a framework for the development of national gender clinics and multidisciplinary teams for children and adults. The HSE is committed to building services for the transgender community in accordance with international best practice across a number of programmes, including mental health, acut…

We are committed to building services for the transgender community with the HSE in accordance with international best practice across a number of programmes. The office of the national clinical advisor and group lead for mental health is involved in ongoing discussions. I hope we will have a clearer pathway in the coming weeks and months.