Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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366. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the establishment of an inquiry into the historical licensing and prescribing of sodium valproate and the filling of the four currently unfilled epilepsy nurse specialist posts approved in 2018 to manage the mandatory patient safety requirements for women who are prescribed sodium valproate; if he will also consider establishing a stakeholder group to review safety and risk measures around prescribing and distributing this drug; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28431/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Details of the proposed inquiry into the historical licensing and use of sodium valproate in Ireland and the establishment of a stakeholder group to address ongoing concerns relating to the use of this drug are currently being considered by officials within the Department of Health.

Regarding the epilepsy nurse specialist posts, as this 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.