DÁIL ÉIREANN

Sitting Time

15:30

Sitting Date

17/01/2012

^ Leaders' Questions ^

Deputy Finian McGrath: On behalf of the Technical Group I offer my deepest sympathy to the families of the fishermen who died at Glandore Harbour in west Cork and to the fishing communities of Ireland and Egypt.  It was a very sad day, in particular because the incident happened only 2 km from land.

I raise the issue of our health service and the debate about front-line services, particularly in regard to the announcement yesterday about the proposed cuts of €700 million in 2012.  I nearly choked on my cornflakes this morning when I heard the Minister for Health saying there would be no cuts to front-line services. What planet is the Minister living on?  Is he really serious?  Does the Taoiseach agree with him that when €700 million is removed from the HSE budget there will be no cuts to front-line services?

Deputy Pat Rabbitte: Is the Deputy sure it was not a microphone?

Deputy Finian McGrath: How can the Government provide services to our senior citizens when it closes 555 beds in community nursing hospitals?  What are these people going to do?  Will the safety of older people be compromised?
Looking at the Government's proposals of today and yesterday, does the Taoiseach accept that more than 600 people will lose their home helps?  Does he accept there are cuts of up to 10% on disability front-line services?  Does he accept there will be a reduction of 7% in child protection services?  Does he accept there will be fewer day care services, respite and personal assistants for people with disability and that there will be no increase in home care packages in 2012?
Are all these not front-line services?  How can a health service be run without having the resources and the staff to provide the services?

A Deputy: Hear, hear.

The Taoiseach: The Minister, Deputy Reilly, faces the reality in which we live in this country in 2012.  He is not one to shirk his responsibility, being both a medical practitioner and Minister for Health.  He wants to see that the very best level of health service is provided for all our people.  That will not happen-----

Deputy Mattie McGrath: He has a funny way of going about it.

The Taoiseach: -----unless there are serious changes made to the structure and the way in which the health service is run and provided for.  I do not accept that elderly people will be compromised nor do I accept many of the assertions the Deputy made.
The HSE plan has been published and approved by the Minister.  Details of it need to be examined and teased out.  The Minister has identified areas where there will be savings and where targeted savings will be achieved.  There are to be further reductions in numbers but we do not yet know the actual figure.  The initial assessment was for a very high level of retirements of the order of 4,500 but I understand this is now anticipated to be in the region of 3,200.  The Minister has increased the drugs payment scheme monthly threshold by €12 and various measures to reduce drug costs are included in his programme for 2012.
Next year the introduction of legislation to allow public hospitals to raise charges in respect of all private patients, even if they are not in a designated private bed, will add greatly to the capacity of public hospitals to deal with their business.  There will be extra efficiencies built into the targets for disability, mental health and child care services.  I do not accept the assertions made by the Deputy.
As I noted in reply to Deputy Adams, this will be a very challenging year for the health services.  I commend those workers in the health services who have bought into the very necessary changes that are coming so that we can and will provide a health service of which we can be proud, for our young, not so young and elderly alike.  The end objective is to have that service available to people of all categories, as close as possible to them, as efficiently as possible and based on their medical requirements, as distinct from what they have in their pocket.  That involves primary care centres, home care packages, community relationships and the changes to the structures that are set out in the programme approved by the Minister.  This plan will be debated in the House and we can go into it at greater length if the Deputy so wishes.

Deputy Finian McGrath: The Taoiseach stated he does not accept my figures.  These figures come from the Minister and his proposals and were given to me by the service providers.  As a backbencher I deal with the reality of sick and disabled people every day.
In the past the Taoiseach promised to cut waste in the health service, something all Members support, just as we strongly support reform.  Is the Taoiseach not taking his eye off the ball?
End of Take
Will the Taoiseach accept that groups such as the Carers Association and the Irish Senior Citizens Parliament share these concerns about the cuts to elderly health services?  What will happen to those elderly people who live at home but depend on local hospital provision?  Does the Taoiseach accept patients did not cause this economic and banking crisis?  Why should they have to pay for it?
For once and for all, will the Taoiseach put to rest the claim that under these proposals his Government will cut the 34 en-suite beds for cystic fibrosis patients at St. Vincent’s University Hospital to 20 beds when the patients and their families were promised they would not be?  If it is not the case, why are his backbenchers expressing strong concerns on this matter to the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly?

The Taoiseach: Deputy Finian McGrath is aware the Health Service Executive, HSE, national service plan, published yesterday and authorised by the Minister for Health, has a budget of €13.317 billion for 2012.  As outlined in the plan, a minimum number of 555 nursing home residential beds may close in 2012 — 111 in HSE Dublin mid-Leinster, 105 in HSE north east, 180 in HSE south and 159 in HSE west.  These figures are indicative.  The Minister for Health is engaged with communities about the viability of several existing homes.
It should also be noted the service plan includes an additional €55 million for the nursing home support scheme in 2012, equivalent to what it was in 2011.

Deputy Mattie McGrath: It will dry up quickly.

Deputy Brendan Howlin: We will see about that.

The Taoiseach: Consequently, it is anticipated there will be 23,611 people availing of the scheme this year, an increase of 1,200 from 2011.
The figures in the HSE service plan have been set out by the Minister for Health.  I do not accept Deputy Finian McGrath’s assertions that elderly people will be left aside and neglected or there will be a disruption of the magnitude as described by him in many services.

Deputy Mattie McGrath: We will wait and see.

The Taoiseach: I cannot give Deputy Finian McGrath a definitive answer on the cystic fibrosis services at St. Vincent’s.  The Minister for Health will respond to him on that.