Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will not use all of the 30 minutes. I will break my contribution into three components. The first is on the Bill, which I will go through in a small bit of detail. I have two very capable Ministers of State in front of me, one of whom is leaving the Chamber. I want to make a number of short pre-budget contributions. I will raise a very serious issue which is not one I have raised before with the Minister. It is on something very specific which I want to raise on the record of the House.

The Labour Party will support the Bill but I am perturbed with regard to why it took so long to come before the House. It was drafted and in place over six months ago while I was still in government. It is not contentious; it is something the House will, by and large, support. This is the "Go slow" Dáil and the "Whatever you do, do nothing" Dáil. This is a Bill that could have been brought before the Houses before now. Why was it not? It should not have been delayed.

There is no issue on the fees in the amendment to the Irish Medicines Board Act so long as everything is done within the regulations set out and normal caveats apply to things like double jobbing. The amendments to the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act are long overdue. Anomalies existed with regard to the different groups that received settlements down through the years and the amendment is necessary because of that. It is long overdue, it is common sense and we very much support it. On the amendment to the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013 and the over-the-counter medicines, we welcome that this change will be brought about. It is necessary to update it to ensure that all of these are covered under the GMS scheme so that people will be protected and will have the medicine they require.

I have very strong views on the issue of tobacco packaging. Unlike the previous speaker, I have never smoked. I absolutely despise the practice. I have zero tolerance of it. I am perturbed that it took so long to bring this forward. I accept all the amendments; they are a necessity. It is a pity the Minister of State with responsibility for public health is not still in the Chamber because this is an area in respect of which we need to up our game. We need to up our game with regard to public health, smoking and young people. The percentage of young people smoking is unacceptable. We have a huge awareness campaign across a range of different areas. Public health policy needs to improve dramatically in respect of this matter and we must use new mediums to connect with young people. We have to intervene very quickly with them, show them it is not cool to smoke and that the health impacts over their lifetimes will be disastrous. The number of young people one sees smoking is disheartening. From a public health point of view, we will have the full support of the House. The Minister will have everyone's support, although possibly not the support of one of the Ministers of State in the Department of Health, particularly in light of some of his recent comments.

This an area in respect of which there is a need for an increase in funds. We should ensure we are using every medium and social media in particular. There should be a concentrated campaign in schools and colleges to ensure the effects of smoking on health are brought to their attention. A discourse should be encouraged in Irish society to the effect that smoking is not an acceptable practice, that it has impacts beyond one's own health and that it affects other people's health. It is something we need to improve on. We need to be very honest. Such a practice and such honesty from all Ministers of State in the Department of Health would be helpful in light of the recent comments by one Minister of State in this area. I compliment the Minister of State with responsibility for health promotion on her honesty in how she is tackling some of the issues. I hope all other Ministers of State in the Department of Health take up this practice, particularly in trying to ensure we limit the damage smoking is doing to our young people in particular and to everyone in society.

I want to raise a number of pre-budget issues. We will be putting forward our budget proposals in the coming days. I will get a great deal of time to speak on this matter on many different occasions, so I will not take up too much time doing so now. I want to be very specific. We have to completely change tack in the area of community interventions, home help hours and home-care packages. Like a number of other Deputies who are present in the Chamber, I am a member of the Committee on the Future of Healthcare. A submission was made by one of the hospital groups. If one breaks that submission down, it was saying that in order to prevent the overcrowding in some of our hospitals, which is obviously a serious and critical issue, we need to redistribute the funding in the community sector and ensure that it is actually administered, real, and having results. That will do more to prevent the overcrowding we see in our hospitals all the time. Given the ongoing discussions, I implore the Minister of State to make provision for a dramatic increase in home help hours and home-care packages. I also ask that in the administration and coverage of community intervention teams, we create a situation where they are consistent across the country. We should not have a situation where, for example, they work certain hours in the south east, other hours in the south west and another group of hours in the mid west. Some are working Monday to Friday and others are working Sunday to Sunday. It is just crazy. We need a consistent approach and one that is working all over the country.

There is a necessity, from the point of view of the backlog, to invest serious funding in the area of dental health care for children. I am nearly ten years at this and in my time in politics I have never seen backlogs such as those which exist now in terms of the provision of dental care for children and particularly for young teenagers. The indications I am getting with regard to waiting times are absolutely scandalous. It needs to be dealt with because it will create other costs down the road if it is not dealt with. It means we are only pushing problems down the road which will cost us more so we might as well put in the intervention for these people as early as possible.

The final issue on which I wish to comment has nothing to do with the budget or the Bill. It is something I have not raised before but it is very important. I want the Minister of State to take some account of it. I refer to the treatment abroad scheme. This is a scheme whereby treatment that cannot be brought about in Ireland happens elsewhere, in many cases in Northern Ireland or Britain. The costs are quite severe and the cases that are brought about in this area are unique. In the past, this was managed through the HSE but part of the management of the costs has transferred to the Department of Social Protection in recent years. Some of those who have to avail of this scheme are not being treated well and are falling between the two stools of the two Departments. I would like the Minister of State to investigate this. I have one example of a young boy who is four years of age. I will not give his full name. His first name is Billy and he loves tractors. He suffers from transverse myelitis, which is a neurological disorder caused by an infection. He is paralysed. He had a home-care package at three years of age, with which I was able to help him.

He does not live in my constituency, if anyone thinks so, but actually in the constituency of the Minister of State, Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy. Although he received great treatment at Temple Street hospital and a fantastic reception from the Health Service Executive, HSE, with a home care package, Billy’s condition in the rehabilitation centre could not be improved. Subsequently, he had to go under the transfer abroad scheme to Stoke Mandeville Hospital in the UK. In fairness, under the scheme, Billy’s associated costs are covered as well as flights for his mother. Billy’s condition is very rare and the quicker the intervention he gets, the more chance he has of making a recovery. He will have to spend one week of every five weeks going to Stoke Mandeville. The issue is that the one week he already has gone over to Stoke Mandeville has cost his family €3,000. If his treatment will take up to four years, this cost will not be sustainable for his family.

I thank the Acting Chairman for giving me some latitude on this. The family has asked me to highlight this case and has already made it public, so I am not stepping outside on this. There is a precedent with the exceptional needs payment from the Department of Social Protection. It is a unique case and there seems to be a gap between the HSE and the Department of Social Protection. The community welfare officer has said they cannot do any more. It needs a quick rethink to impact on the life of a beautiful young boy who has a great future in front of him. I have visited him myself and he has a huge personality. His family is looking for the State to match up and do its best for him too.

I will pass on the personal details of the case to the Minister of State. I hope she, along with the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, and the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Leo Varadkar, will examine this to find a solution for Billy and others who may be in this situation. I do not believe what has occurred in this case is deliberate. Simply put, since the transfer from the HSE to the Department of Social Protection, a gap has emerged in how it is being dealt with. I would appreciate it if it could be looked into.

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