I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue and it is great to get the opportunity to discuss it. The Minister and I are committed to supporting our national population-based screening programmes. As we all know, screening saves lives and it is important that decisions on changes to our existing screening programmes, such as changes to the age range eligible for screening, are made in line with international best practice. When a woman turns 50, she receives a notification to attend her BreastCheck appointm…

I thank the Deputy for raising this. As he said, if it saves one life, it will be important. I reiterate how important it is that when people are invited to screening appointment, they take it up. Some 13,000 people in Ireland a year are diagnosed with skin cancer. I was one of those people this year. Thankfully, even though I had a malignant tumour, I was lucky that I got the all-clear recently after two procedures. It does focus the mind when you realise that there can be positive outcomes if it is caught early e…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health. The Minister and I appreciate that hyperemesis gravidarum, or severe nausea, is a debilitating condition for women. The Minister is anxious that our health service should support women with this condition in every way possible. Improving women's health outcomes is a priority for the Minister and the Government. We made a strong commitment to promoting women's health in the programme for Government and …

Sorry, to get it reimbursed. However, I assume their doctor can prescribe it.

Okay. The answer does not really deal with the question the Deputy is asking and, therefore, I will raise this with the Minister and his officials to see if anything can be done. Perhaps the Deputy can clarify, in his response, if a patient must go to a consultant and pay for that appointment in order to get the prescription to claim the cost back.

The Deputy is absolutely right that time is of the essence. If a woman is eight or nine weeks pregnant and is extremely sick, the last thing she wants to do is to get up and try to make a consultant appointment. Cariban, which is regarded as a beneficial treatment for hyperemesis, does not have a marketing authorisation from the European Medicines Agency or the Health Products Regulatory Authority and, therefore, cannot be added to the formal reimbursement list under the 2013 Health Act. I assume that is the reason…

I thank the Deputy for raising this most important issue of the section 39 funding requirements of the Circle of Friends Cancer Support Centre. I also thank and acknowledge the staff and volunteers for the valuable work they do at the centre. The need to address survivorship care for those living with and beyond cancer is now recognised internationally, and groups such as the Circle of Friends Cancer Support Centre emphasise the importance of quality of life during and after cancer treatment. People living can requ…

I thank the Deputy for raising the importance of Circle of Friends Cancer Support Centre. We are all familiar with similar organisations in our constituencies. Waterford city has Solas Cancer Support Centre. It is such an important place. I know how important cancer support centres are. They are key in providing psycho-oncology and psychosocial support, and it is important that the development of dedicated survivorship programmes continue in order to enable patients to maximise their quality of life. The important …

I thank the Deputy for the question. The Department of Health acknowledges that there are variations in the cost of care across community hospitals and private nursing homes, with public community units generally having a higher cost of care. The HSE will always step in where a resident's needs are sufficiently complex that they are not able to be cared for anywhere else in the community. The HSE needs to be staffed to deliver that kind of complex care. I have put in place a €10 million scheme to cover 75% of energ…

I thank the Deputy for his contribution and for his proposed amendment. I remember being here this time last year and having the exact same debate. I must, however, reject the amendment and I will outline the reasons for this rejection. Section 7F of the Health Insurance Acts provides that if a beneficiary of the risk equalisation scheme makes more than a reasonable profit, the excess will be returned to the risk equalisation fund. This legislation was introduced in order to fulfil the requirements of the European …

I thank Deputies Nash, Guirke, O'Rourke and O'Dowd for raising the matter of the ambulance bypass protocols at Navan hospital's emergency department and for providing me with the opportunity to update the House on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Donnelly. There are a number of ambulance bypass protocols in place throughout the country at this time and they are important to ensure patients receive the right care in the appropriate hospital, depending on their clinical needs. Our Lady's Hospital Navan provides a range…

I thank the Deputies for their contributions on this matter. I know how important it is. I also know that the Minister shares a concern to ensure that patients in Navan, County Meath in general, the north east and any other part of the country can access urgent services when they need them. As I mentioned earlier, there is currently an ambulance bypass protocol in place for Our Lady's Hospital, Navan, in respect of paediatric patients, obstetrics patients, major trauma patients, heart attack patients and stroke car…

I want to thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I want to thank him for the work he did to advocate for that family. As the Deputy said, his parents wanted to bring their little man home. If the Deputy had not raised the issue here, that might not have happened. That little man is at home tonight with the comfort of his parents and his two brothers, I am thankful that it is happening. Why did this happen? I cannot tell the Deputy that, but it should not have happened. At this most difficult time in the…

Palliative care is a core component of healthcare provision in Ireland. We have to make sure it is available to every child and adult when they need it, whether it is at home or in hospital. We do not think often enough about it until we hear the story of a young child whose parents were heartbroken because they did not have the opportunity to bring their little man home. The Deputy said he was told in 2020 the service had progressed. The specialist palliative care team in Children's Health Ireland works in close l…

I thank Deputies Harkin and MacSharry for raising the issue of staffing and services at SUH. I was sitting here today when Deputy Harkin raised it on Leaders' Questions. SUH is a model 3 hospital with a 24-7 emergency medicine service. It delivers a wide range of local and regional services on an inpatient, day case and outpatient basis, including a range of specialties such as cardiology, medical oncology, critical care, cancer, maternity, paediatrics, radiology, acute medicine and acute surgery, as well as a numb…

I thank both Deputies. I could hear the passion in both their voices as they spoke about this issue, and the genuine concerns they both have. The HSE winter plan for 2022-23 will support community services this winter to respond to anticipated high levels. Specific initiatives for SUH include three healthcare assistants to support community services on the chronic disease hub, three administrative staff to support referral pathways between SUH and the community, one clinical nurse manager to act as GP liaison, thre…

I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien; and the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke. I wish the Minister of State the very best as well. I thank Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan for his question on the activities of the OPR concerning county and city development plans. It is probable that the Deputy has already heard much of the response I am about to give him. The Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, gives the OPR a statutory basis to carry out three main functions. O…

I know the Deputy has raised this issue on several occasions. To conclude, there were four occasions where the Minister had decided not to include all of the recommendations made by the office, and they were in regard to Kerry, Cork, Westmeath and Laois. For each of the four, the Minister has prepared and submitted a statement of reason to both Houses of the Oireachtas as to why he had not agreed with the recommendations of the OPR. As the Deputy said, seven development plans are still undergoing the review process…

I compliment the Oireachtas committee members who have taken such an interest in the Spring Lane halting site. I am aware of the ombudsman's report. It is disappointing to hear from all three Deputies that things have not improved after the site having been visited and funding provided. I agree wholeheartedly that these issues need to be addressed urgently. I am taking this Topical Issue matter on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. The Housing (Traveller Accom…

As regards the points made, it appears that plans are in place for a long-term solution, with €6 million having been approved by the Department for plans under way by the council for the development of a group housing scheme at the adjacent and disused Ellis Yard and the redevelopment of Spring Lane and Ellis Yard. Officials from Cork City Council have been in ongoing engagement with the families on the site, with the aid of mediators funded by the Department, which is welcome, to reach agreement on long-term accom…