Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister to the House. This is a short Commencement matter relating to living donors of kidney transplants. The issue of giving assistance to donors was raised at the health committee some months ago. If a person is a living donor he or she will obviously be out of work for a period. My understanding is that it can be anything up to three months. The entire cost of dialysis at the moment is approximately €75,000 per annum per patient in real terms. There are approximately 1,800 people on dialysis. Living donors bring great benefits to the recipient of the kidney, obviously, but also to the State. What those concerned are looking for is small. If people incur a loss of earnings there should be some facility for them. They should be able to receive some remuneration so that they are not out-of-pocket for coming forward on a voluntary basis and giving assistance to a third party. I am raising the issue in this context. I have not heard anything back on the matter although it was raised at the health committee and I have not received any related proposals. I may be out of touch on the matter but I am unaware of any new proposals.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Burke for raising this issue. I am pleased to inform the House that I introduced a scheme to reimburse the expenses of living donors on 12 November last year. The scheme provides for the reimbursement of loss of earnings incurred by living kidney donors and provides for the reimbursement of accommodation and travel expenses incurred as a direct result of kidney donation.

A key principle of organ donation is that it should be voluntary and unpaid. However, it is recognised that most living donors incur financial losses while donating a kidney. The scheme that I have introduced is based on the premise that any reimbursement granted does not provide a financial incentive or reward to the potential donor. The reimbursement scheme applies to a person who has been selected as a potential donor by the living donor programme at Beaumont Hospital and to those who, under clinical supervision of the national renal transplant programme at Beaumont, travel to the United Kingdom for a paired kidney donation.

The loss of earnings incurred from the time the donation takes place and up to 12 weeks post-donation are eligible for reimbursement. A maximum of €6,000 applies in respect of loss of earnings and payments can apply to either salaried or self-employed donors. In addition to loss of earnings, reasonable travel and accommodation expenses incurred from when the person is selected as a potential donor through to the inpatient stay when the donation takes place and for up to 12 weeks post-donation are eligible for reimbursement. Again, there is an upper limit of €6,000.

I am pleased to inform the House that provision was included in the Finance Act 2014 to ensure that these reimbursements are exempt from income tax. The Department of Social Protection has agreed that in circumstances where a donor is in receipt of a payment from that Department, such payments will continue for a period of up to 12 weeks from donation. This is, of course, provided that such payments are in line with the normal rules and regulations of the Department of Social Protection.

The reimbursement scheme is administered by the HSE. Up to the end of May it had received 13 applications for reimbursement from living donors and has paid out €15,000 so far. In conjunction with the HSE, my Department proposes to review the operation of the scheme before the end of the year to see how it is working and to consider how it might work better.

Finally I wish to put on record my thanks and those of the Government as well as our appreciation to living kidney donors, who donated kidneys in record numbers last year. The gift of life they have given to others is an example to all of us.

Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for a comprehensive reply. The only other question I have in respect of the kidney donation issue relates to the current position on the number of consultants we require. I realise it was not part of my question. Anyway, we have over 1,800 people on dialysis. Let us compare this to Norway, which has a population of 4.8 million. It has only approximately 370 or 380 people on dialysis. We have a good deal of catching up to do on the matter. I wonder if any proposals are in place to try to increase the number of consultants who can provide the operations that are required.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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To be honest, I am not familiar with the Norwegian figures. However, I know from the Irish Kidney Association that we are one of the few countries in the world which has more people who have had kidney transplants than the number of those who are on dialysis.In respect of kidney donations, we are in the top tier of countries in the western world. Transplants are carried out in three hospitals, namely, the Mater, St. Vincent's and Beaumont. Recruitment is under way in all sites. While the Mater and St. Vincent's have been relatively successful in their recruitment campaigns, recruitment has been a challenge for Beaumont.