Written answers
Thursday, 9 June 2016
Department of Health
Legislative Programme
Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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182. To ask the Minister for Health the Bills he will reinitiate relevant to his Department from the previous Dáil; the Bills he will introduce in the coming sessions; when he will introduce each Bill; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15203/16]
Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Medical Practitioners (Amendment) Bill 2014, the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015 and the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016 were before the Oireachtas when the previous Dáil was dissolved in February this year. The current Dáil has agreed that the Medical Practitioners (Amendment) Bill 2014 and the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016 are to be restored to the Dáil Order Paper. Subject to the agreement of the Seanad, the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015 will be restored to the Seanad Order Paper.
Information on other Bills under the aegis of my Department and in the new legislative programme is set out below, including information on the purpose of each Bill.
| Title | Purpose | Current position |
|---|---|---|
| Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill | The Bill will control certain drugs, including prescription medicines, which are being misused and sold illegally. | For publication this session. |
| Open disclosures provisions for inclusion in Department of Justice and Equality Civil Liability (Amendment) Bill | These provisions deal with supporting the open disclosure to patients of patient safety incidents. | Expected publication date 2016. |
| Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) (No.2) Bill | To insert policies and principles for secondary legislation into the Principal Act and to provide for the establishment of supervised injection facilities. | Drafting is at an advanced stage |
| Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Bill | To amend the Medical Practitioners Act 2007, the Dental Act 1985, the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005, the Pharmacy Act 2007, the Nurses and Midwives Act 2011 and the Health Acts 1953 and 2004 to provide for: (1) Amendments required by the transposition of Directive 2013/55/EU. (2) An appeal against the minor sanctions. (3) Amendments in relation to a number of other issues including amendments to the registration of medical practitioners. | Expected publication date Q4 2016. |
| Health Information and Patient Safety Bill. | To provide a legislative framework for the better governance of health information and initiatives including data matching and health information resources for use in the health service and support for clinical audit and patient safety notifications. The Bill will also provide for the extension of HIQA’s remit to private health service providers. | The General Scheme was approved in November 2015. |
| Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill | To amend the risk equalisation credit rates and corresponding stamp duty levies payable under the Risk Equalisation Scheme. | Expected publication date Q4 2016. |
| New Children’s Hospital Establishment Bill | To establish a statutory body to provide paediatric acute services in Dublin at the new children’s hospital, taking over those services currently provided by Our Lady’s Hospital Crumlin, Temple Street and the paediatric service at Tallaght Hospital. The Bill will also make amendments relating to the functions of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (Establishment) Order. | Work is ongoing on a General Scheme with the aim of finalising this for submission to Government in July 2016. |
| Health (Transport Support) Bill | To provide for a scheme to make individual payments as a contribution towards transport costs to people with severe disabilities on a low income who cannot access public transport. | Work is ongoing on a General Scheme with the aim of finalising this for submission to Government in July 2016. |
| Patient Safety (Licensing of Healthcare Facilities) Bill | To provide for a mandatory system of licensing for public and private healthcare facilities. | Work is ongoing on a General Scheme with the aim of finalising this in 2016. |
| Assisted Human Reproduction Bill | To provide a legislative framework for the regulation of assisted human reproduction (AHR) practices and stem cell research. | Work is ongoing on a General Scheme with the aim of finalising this by end of Q1 2017. |
| Health and Wellbeing (Calorie Posting and Workplace Wellbeing) Bill | To require food premises to display calories on menus and to require all public sector employers to have and to report on a Health and Wellbeing policy. | Work on a General Scheme is underway. |
| Public Health (Sale of Tobacco Products and Non-Medicinal Nicotine Delivery Systems) Bill | To provide for inter alia, the: (1) Introduction of a licensing system for the sale of tobacco products. (2) Introduction of a licensing system for the sale of non-medicinal nicotine delivery systems (NMNDS). (3) Prohibition of the sale of tobacco products from temporary or mobile units/containers. (4) Prohibition of the sale of tobacco products at events/locations primarily intended for persons under 18 years of age. (5) Prohibition of the sale of tobacco products by persons under 18 years of age. (6) Prohibition of the sale of NMNDS by persons under 18 years of age and to persons under 18 years of age. | Work on a General Scheme is underway. |
| Health Act 2007 (Amendment) Bill | To provide for the extension of the Health Information and Quality Authority's functions to encompass regulation in the area of medical ionising radiation protection. | Work on a General Scheme is underway. |
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