Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Health the person that is undertaking the review of the National Traveller Health Advisory Committee; the date on which it will be completed; when the next meeting of the National Traveller Health Advisory Committee will take place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4945/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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My Department undertook to conduct a review of the Traveller Health Advisory Committee (THAC) at the end of 2012. An external reviewer is to be charged with completing the review subject to a process of appointment that is currently underway. It is hoped that the review will commence in the coming weeks and take approximately 4-6 weeks to carry out, at which time a report will be submitted to my Department for its consideration. Meetings of the THAC have been suspended pending the outcome of the review.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Health of the €115 million additional demographic moneys allocated to Health Service Executive social inclusion budget in 2012, the amount that was allocated towards traveller health developments; of the indicative additional demographic budget of €114 million allocated to social inclusion in 2013, the amount that will be allocated for traveller health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4946/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The Health Service Executive Social Inclusion budget for 2012 totalled €115 million. The allocation for this Care Group amounts to €114 million for 2013. This covers a range of areas including Addiction; Alcohol; Homelessness; Intercultural Health (i.e. Asylum seekers, refugees, migrants etc.); Irish Travellers and Roma; LGBT; and HIV/AIDS, together with elements of community development and gender based violence. The total Traveller health budget for 2011 amounted to €12.3 million. This amount does not include costs of health service provision of those mainstream services which members of the Traveller community are entitled to access. Finalised Traveller health budget figures for 2012 are not yet available but are expected to be approximately 2-5% lower than the 2011 figure, in line with the funding reductions applied as part of the requirement of the health service to meet ongoing financial challenges. A similar reduction is expected to apply during 2013. However efforts are being made to protect the funding allocated towards more vulnerable groups as far as possible.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Health in view of the fact that the appalling health profile of travellers evident in the All Ireland Traveller Health Study Report published in 2010, when he will develop an action plan/update the National Traveller Health Strategy to address traveller health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4947/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The All Ireland Traveller Health Study (AITHS) was carried out in 2007 and the findings were published in September 2010 with a follow up Birth Cohort Study published in September 2011. It was a comprehensive study of the health and social status of the Traveller community in Ireland and was carried out by the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Population Science, University College Dublin on behalf of Travellers, with the direct involvement of Travellers. The findings of the Study provide a strong evidence base for assessing existing and future service delivery and allowed the identification of a range priorities and means of addressing these.

The following priority areas for action were identified to address the findings of the Study: Mental Health; Suicide; Men’s Health; Addiction/Alcohol; Domestic Violence; Diabetes; Cardiovascular Health. The HSE has already put in place measures to address these agreed priority areas and the Traveller Health Advisory Forum within the HSE is in the process of preparing a detailed action plan. In addition, the forthcoming Health and Wellbeing Framework will put in place new structures which will focus on the cross sectoral social determinants of health and will incorporate actions relating to addressing health inequalities among marginalised groups such as Travellers.