Written answers

Thursday, 15 July 2021

Photo of Pádraig O'SullivanPádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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361. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the HSE breastfeeding action plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32189/21]

Photo of Frank FeighanFrank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.

I can confirm however that in May of this year I announced significant investment towards implementing the HSE Breastfeeding Action Plan, with €1.58 million of funding to provide an additional 23.5 lactation consultants across hospital and community settings.

Photo of Pádraig O'SullivanPádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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362. To ask the Minister for Health if staffing levels of lactation consultants will be increased in line with international staffing benchmark and be fully accessible in all maternity units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32190/21]

Photo of Frank FeighanFrank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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As part of Sláintecare’s Healthy Living pillar, “A Healthy Weight for Ireland: Obesity Policy and Action Plan 2016-2025", Healthy Ireland has committed to implement the Ten Steps Forward. These Steps engage and co-ordinate multi-sectoral action to help reduce obesity and commit to investment in additional resources in acute and primary care settings together with enhanced training, provision of supports to mothers and social marketing.

This year, Healthy Ireland is making a significant investment towards giving children the best start in life through facilitating the implementation of the National Breastfeeding Action Plan. Ireland has a culture of bottle feeding and, in order to improve child and maternal health, as well as reductions in childhood obesity and chronic diseases, we need to improve our breastfeeding rates. In May, I announced funding of €1.54m which will provide the additional 23.5 lactation consultants across hospital and community settings, that are required to ensure timely skilled assistance for mothers who wish to breastfeed and support enhanced training, skills and knowledge to frontline staff.

Photo of Pádraig O'SullivanPádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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363. To ask the Minister for Health if funding will be provided to remove any barriers to recruitment of new international board certified lactation consultant hospital posts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32191/21]

Photo of Frank FeighanFrank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems. The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.

Healthy Ireland has made a significant investment towards giving children the best start in life through facilitating the implementation of the National Breastfeeding Action Plan. In order to improve child and maternal health, as well as reductions in childhood obesity and chronic diseases, we need to improve our breastfeeding rates. For this reason I announced in May funding of €1.54m which will provide the additional 23.5 lactation consultants across hospital and community settings, that are required to ensure timely skilled assistance for mothers who wish to breastfeed and support enhanced training, skills and knowledge to frontline staff.

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