Results 81-100 of 1,149,862 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Michael McDowell OR speaker:Jennifer Murnane O'Connor OR speaker:John Paul Phelan OR speaker:Gary Gannon OR speaker:Michael Moynihan OR speaker:James Browne OR speaker:Norma Foley OR speaker:Noel Grealish OR speaker:Kieran O'Donnell OR speaker:Fergus O'Dowd OR speaker:Robert Troy OR speaker:Ossian Smyth OR speaker:Cian O'Callaghan OR speaker:Johnny Mythen OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh OR speaker:Stephen Donnelly OR speaker:Damien English OR speaker:Dessie Ellis OR speaker:Leo Varadkar OR speaker:Joe McHugh OR speaker:Catherine Connolly OR speaker:Michael McGrath OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh16 OR speaker:Alan Farrell OR speaker:Willie O'Dea OR speaker:Colm Burke OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh26 OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh21 OR speaker:Róisín Shortall OR speaker:Alan Kelly OR speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh31 OR speaker:Paul Murphy) in 'Committee meetings'

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: The scheme is GP access to diagnostics. I will get the exact figure for the Deputy but I think it is approximately €46 million this year. It is very expensive. It is brand new. We started it in 2021. It is very expensive but has been very popular with GPs. To be honest, it is probably one of the reasons we see such an increase in referrals to the outpatient lists because more...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: Is the Minister saying that anybody who is referred for diagnostic testing by a GP is entitled to that free of charge?

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: Yes.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: The point was made to me by somebody that they were going to a private provider because VHI did not reimburse if it was done in a hospital. What is the situation regarding that?

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: If it is a referral from a GP, private health insurance is not needed. It is free.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: Is that for any diagnostic test?

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: Certainly, for the ones I have listed. There may be ones, cardiac CT, for example, that are not covered. I imagine there will be some tests that are not covered but the ones I have listed are.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: Chair, can I have two minutes to discuss the drugs services? I will be very quick on this. There is a lot of concern across the board about community drugs task forces - local and regional drugs task forces. The allocation to them has more or less stayed static for several years. I think it is €4.2 million this year.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Colm Burke: The total budget is €40.5 million. The social inclusion budget has increased by €40.5 million in two years.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: I am talking about the drugs and alcohol task forces.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Colm Burke: I gave the figures earlier. The drugs budget is €4.2 million and this is for new initiatives in the whole drugs area. The budget for 2025 will be €4.2 million in addition to what is in 2024. The total social inclusion budget is €40.5 million of an increase. It has increased from €220 million to €260 million.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: That is for other things apart from the task forces.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Colm Burke: It is for a whole range of services.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: I am specifically asking about the task force funding.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Colm Burke: There is €1.5 million additional funding for task forces. The funding will support a co-ordination role of 24 drugs and alcohol task forces across the country including the increased demand for services, especially for due to the use of cocaine. There is an increase but other initiatives are being started.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: It is modest given the work of task forces which are the lynchpin in disadvantaged communities in terms of responding. It does bring together the various partners.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Colm Burke: We are working on a number of projects. For instance, I am working on one project where we talk about transferring a whole lot of services out from night support facilities to a day centre. We are talking about doing that. As I outlined earlier, the supervised injection facility will open in December. There are a number-----

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: A point I want to make about the task forces is that increasingly they are aiming to be partners in the provision of community services, whether that is family support or bringing together education partners. The task forces are facilitating a lot of that joined-up thinking and activity to have a comprehensive response in areas where drug use is very prevalent. The task forces are saying...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Colm Burke: That is a fair point because I met someone else yesterday who is in a totally different area and again it is annual rather than multi-annual funding and it is something we need to look at. I have only been in the Department for the last six months and this is an issue that has come up in a number of cases and is something we need to look at, how we can make that decision about it being...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Róisín Shortall: In a tight labour market that is just hopeless.