Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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495. To ask the Minister for Health the level of funding allocated to the ophthalmology paediatric eye pathway for children requiring further assessment after childhood health screening; the efforts that are being undertaken to address the waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12418/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The HSE Primary Care Eye Services Review Group (PCESRG) Report was launched in June 2017. The Report sets out current levels of service, models of service provision and the consultation process undertaken with patients, advocates, ophthalmic staff and representative bodies.

It also highlights the limitations of the current model of service delivery, including the impact on waiting lists, and sets out the way forward for a significant amount of eye services to be delivered in a primary care setting.

The Report estimates that 60% of existing outpatient activity could be moved to primary care thus enabling hospital services to focus on patients who require more specialist diagnostics or treatments. This Report remains current and the HSE has advised that in 2022 it will advance the transfer of care for children aged 8+ years to local optometrists, thereby reducing waiting lists and enhancing access to primary eye care services.

A project team was established in late 2019 / early 2020 to progress this initiative with a wide-ranging membership including representation from the Department of Health. However, due to the requirement to focus resources on the Covid-19 pandemic it was necessary to pause the programme.

There is now a commitment to progressing the project through the reconvening of the project team. It is anticipated that it will be possible to bring the project to conclusion over a six to nine-month time frame.

Budget 2022 did not include a specific funding allocation for this project and HSE advances in this regard will be achieved in the context of the resources that have been allocated to the Executive.