Written answers

Tuesday, 12 July 2016

Photo of Maureen O'SullivanMaureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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500. To ask the Minister for Health his views on whether persons with visual impairments are adequately catered for in the Disability Act 2005; his plans to increase services for those who are blind and visually impaired; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20622/16]

Photo of Maureen O'SullivanMaureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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501. To ask the Minister for Health to consider implementing a comprehensive national vision strategy to adequately address the needs of the 224,000 adults and children here that are blind or visually impaired; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20623/16]

Photo of Finian McGrathFinian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 500 and 501 together.

Part 2 of the Disability Act 2005 provides for a statutory system for the assessment of individual health and personal social services needs for persons with a disability including those who are blind or who have a visual impairment. This section of the Act was partly commenced in 2007 and currently all children including blind/visually impaired children born on or after 1st June 2002 have been deemed as being eligible to apply for an assessment of need under the Act.

Questions in respect of other aspects of the Disability Act 2005 should be referred to my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality in the first instance.

The Government is committed to providing and developing vision services and supports through health prevention, screening and intervention policies and programmes, all of which contribute to address the priority goal of the World Health Organisation's Vision 2020, namely to eliminate avoidable blindness. The health service is addressing the prevention of eye disease and blindness across the broad range of health services including acute, primary and community based services.

The Programme for a Partnership Government places a particular focus on updating the national eye care plan. On the particular call for a National Vision Strategy, the National Clinical Programme for Ophthalmology is providing the necessary clinical leadership to ensure equitable and high quality care for ophthalmic patients and to minimise the incidence of needless blindness. The Programme has devised a high level strategy for the delivery of eye care and is of the view that a community based model is most appropriate. This is supportive of the aims of the Primary Care Eye Services Review Group, which was established by the Health Service Executive's Primary Care Division. This Review Group is currently preparing an implementation plan to support its Review. The overall aim of the Review Group is to shift the management of many eye conditions from acute care services to primary care and community services, as appropriate.

People with disabilities, including blind and visually-impaired people, can access specialist disability services, which are provided in a variety of community and residential settings. These may be provided directly by the HSE or in partnership with voluntary service providers such as the National Council for the Blind and the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind.

In relation to the provision of health and personal social services for people who are blind/visually impaired, I have arranged for the question to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy. If the Deputy has not received a reply from the HSE within 15 working days, he can contact my Private Office and they will follow the matter up with the HSE.

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