The Asthma Society of Ireland

Lobbying Organisation The Asthma Society of Ireland

Date published 13 Jan, 2017

Relevant Matter Matters involving public funds

Public Policy Area Health

Period 1 Sep, 2016 to 31 Dec, 2016

Specific Details On behalf of the 470,000 people with asthma, we lobbied to have the following matters addressed in Budget 2017: (1) Reduce the cost of living with asthma by subsidising asthma medication. (2) To improve Secondary Care services for people with asthma (3) Improve Primary Care services for people with asthma. (4) Improve outdoor and indoor air quality. (5) Reduce the threat from tobacco products.

Intended results For these matters to be addressed in Budget 2017 through policy and Funding Announcements as part of the budgetary process.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Kevin Kelly - Asthma Society - Advocacy and Communications Manager

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) Yes

Current or Former Designated Public Official(s)

Avril Power (Former DPO) Senator (Seanad)

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Mass communications

Email All Oireachtas Members Emailed all Oireachtas members a copy of the Asthma Society Pre-Budget Submission 2017 seeking their support to have the policies outlined within the document included in Budget 2017.

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Meeting (2-5)

All 3 meetings took place in Leinster House. The agenda was as follows: >Reduce the cost of living with asthma by subsidising asthma medication through the long term illness scheme or the introduction of a chronic disease card >To improve Secondary Care services for people with asthma by recruiting additional asthma specilaists particularly in the area of Paediatric medicine >Improve Primary Care services for people with asthma by delivering on the commitment to provide everyone with asthma with a free structured annual review with their GP as per the National Clinical Programme for Asthma. > Improve outdoor and indoor air quality as it has a profound effect on the quality of life of the 470,000 asthmatics in Ireland >Reduce the threat from tobacco products by introducing measures to lower the availability and prevalence of tobacco in Ireland as per the Tobacco Free Ireland document

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Simon Harris Minister (Department of Health)

Denis Naughten Minister (Department of Environment, Climate and Communications)

John Dolan Senator (Seanad)