Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on Second Stage of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016. Part 2 of the Bill seeks to amend the Irish Medicines Board Act 1995 to allow for the payment of fees to members of the Health Products Regulatory Authority, formerly known as the Irish Medicines Board. I fundamentally agree with the principle of a person being paid a fee for work done and, as such, I agree with the amendment. There will be no additional cost to the Exchequer as a result of it.

Part 3 will amend the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009, which we all know as the fair deal scheme. Again, I agree with the change, which will exempt payments made under certain schemes from the calculation of assessment for the fair deal. I am particularly pleased that the Lourdes Hospital Redress Board and the Lourdes hospital payment scheme are to be included in the amendment. I agree that the key principle underlying the legislation in that a person must not be disadvantaged because he or she has accepted a payment under an ex gratiascheme which has been approved by the Government.

Like many other Members of the House, I have made a large number of representations about the fair deal scheme. In general, the scheme works very well and takes a lot of worry away from families about how their loved ones are cared for in their later years. However, one issue that comes up time and again is the location of the nursing home in relation to where the family resides. For example, we could have a situation in which a family based in north county Louth, say in Carlingford, could have a family member cared for in a nursing home in Ardee. This is happening on a regular basis and is a source of ongoing worry and concern for families.

We need to address this situation in a more formal manner and perhaps to include it in legislation. We should consider introducing a system whereby those availing of the fair deal scheme are located in a nursing home not more than, for example, 10 km from the family home, once a suitable nursing home is available. This would alleviate the problem of families not being able to visit their loved ones in nursing homes on a more regular basis and this would benefit the person in care, who will have a better quality of life while in the nursing home.

Part 4 amends the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013. The amendment will ensure that over-the-counter products, which do not require a prescription, can continue to be available under the GMS and community drug schemes. This will ensure that over-the-counter products, including emergency contraception and nicotine replacement, continue to be reimbursed to medical card holders after May 2018. The amendment refers to the parallel importation of medical products from EU countries. I ask that the Minister also examine the effects of this change in light the UK's decision to leave the EU and whether it will impact on the legislation.

Part 5 seeks to amend certain sections of the Public Health (Standardised Packaging of Tobacco) Act 2015. The amendment will deal with the retail packaging of cigarettes, "roll your own" tobacco products and cigars. I spent a lot of time in the previous Dáil as a member of the health committee and discussed in detail the packaging of tobacco products. My personal view is that tobacco products have no place in society and every effort should be made to remove them. While this is not going to happen in the near future, I am happy that at least we are making moves to limit the sale of tobacco. I was brought up in an era when tobacco was seen as acceptable and advertising played a major role in that. Major sporting events were sponsored by tobacco companies and TV advertising glamorised smoking.

Thankfully, this no longer happens and people are more aware of the dangers of tobacco and its effects on their long-term health.

In order to rid society of tobacco entirely, we must educate our young people. We must start this education process in primary school and continue it during secondary school. I spent a great deal of time researching this issue during my time on the health committee and have no doubt that we need to take a more proactive approach in our schools.

The amendment under discussion will tackle the problem of tobacco packaging and the influence that it has on the sale and promotion of tobacco once and for all. I welcome the Bill and look forward to its passage through the Houses.

See this speech in context