Written answers
Tuesday, 8 April 2025
- Protected Disclosures
847. To ask the Minister for Health the earliest date on which she was made aware of protected disclosures regarding unnecessary pelvic osteotomies conducted on children for developmental... - Departmental Funding
854. To ask the Minister for Health if vertebral body tethering (VBT) surgery is formally approved for funding by the HSE; if not, the funding mechanisms under which any previous VBT procedures... - Childcare Services
856. To ask the Minister for Health the number of vertebral body tethering surgeries that have been performed in Children’s Health Ireland hospitals to date. [16524/25] - Health Service Executive
857. To ask the Minister for Health if the HSE has outsourced any vertebral body tethering procedures to private facilities (details supplied); and if so, the number of cases that have been... - Departmental Funding
858. To ask the Minister for Health if any vertebral body tethering (VBT) procedures have been funded through the treatment abroad scheme; and if so, the number of Irish children that have... - Departmental Data
859. To ask the Minister for Health if a charity (details supplied) has facilitated or performed any vertebral body tethering surgeries to date. [16527/25] - Childcare Services
860. To ask the Minister for Health if any research on vertebral body tethering is being conducted or has been completed in Children’s Health Ireland; if so, the scope of this research;... - Health Service Executive
862. To ask the Minister for Health how the HSE ensures that outcomes from vertebral body tethering surgeries are accurately tracked and monitored in the absence of a spine register. [16530/25] - Medical Aids and Appliances
865. To ask the Minister for Health if the tethering devices used in vertebral body tethering procedures comply with EU Medical Device Regulations and relevant Irish safety standards. [16533/25] - Health Service Executive
866. To ask the Minister for Health how the HSE tracks and monitors the use of vertebral body tethering-specific medical devices in the absence of a dedicated procedure code. [16534/25] - Childcare Services
868. To ask the Minister for Health if HIQA has been made aware if any vertebral body tethering procedures have been performed in CHI despite not being formally approved for use by the HSE; and... - Patient Safety
869. To ask the Minister for Health the steps HIQA and the HSE are taking to ensure oversight, patient safety, and regulatory compliance regarding the use of vertebral body tethering in Ireland.... - Healthcare Policy
870. To ask the Minister for Health the timeline, and staging posts, for delivering a national policy on adult safeguarding for the health and social care sector; when she hopes to bring policy... - Health Services
871. To ask the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in a matter (details supplied); the measures this family can take to speed up the process of accessing a therapist; and if she will... - Disability Services
872. To ask the Minister for Health the reason foetal alcohol spectrum disorder is not recognised as a disability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16565/25] - Ambulance Service
873. To ask the Minister for Health for an update on the provision of a 24-7 ambulance service for Arklow and Baltinglass; if this service will be operational in 2025; and if she will make a... - Hospital Appointments Status
874. To ask the Minister for Health if a hospital appointment will be expedited for a young person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16618/25] - Hospital Staff
875. To ask the Minister for Health if a clinical HSCP director will be appointed to the executive management team in the mid-west health region; if so, when she expects this to happen; and if... - Health Services
877. To ask the Minister for Health if podiatrist services are available in Carlow and Kilkenny; if not, when the services were last available; and her intentions to restore a full level of... - General Practitioner Services
878. To ask the Minister for Health if patients with long-term illness requiring regular blood tests to be taken by their GP will have their costs covered under the medical card scheme; and if... - Pharmacy Services
879. To ask the Minister for Health to provide a timeline for commencement of pharmacists being able to prescribe prescription-only medication; and if she will make a statement on the matter.... - Health Services Staff
880. To ask the Minister for Health the number of regional community-based specialist eating disorder services; the locations of these services; the number of WTE health and social care... - Pension Provisions
882. To ask the Minister for Health if she will outline the process by which retired nurses were informed of the overpayment of their pensions; if those affected can arrange to repay the amount... - Assisted Human Reproduction
883. To ask the Minister for Health when it is intended to fully implement the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16655/25] - Dental Services
884. To ask the Minister for Health for a list of all dentists in Clare that undertake dental work for those in receipt of a medical card as part of the dental treatment service scheme; the... - Medicinal Products
885. To ask the Minister for Health when weight loss drugs will be made available to people on medical cards as those struggling to lose large amounts of weight, but who do not have diabetes,... - Departmental Projects
887. To ask the Minister for Health if she will provide a schedule of all capital projects being delivered or which have been completed by her Department and organisations under the aegis of her... - Food Safety
888. To ask the Minister for Health in light of the EU recently passing the EU Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/89 authorising the placing on the market of UV-treated powder of whole... - Health Services Staff
889. To ask the Minister for Health the number of full-time public health nurse posts within CHO4, in 2023, 2024 and 2025 to date; the specific geographic area(s) within CHO4 that currently have... - Departmental Schemes
890. To ask the Minister for Health why person (details supplied) is not entitled to the CGM sensors reimbursement scheme considering their new diagnosis; and if she will make a statement on the... - General Practitioner Services
891. To ask the Minister for Health how many GPs are in the Belmullet area in County Mayo; to list the locations with the corresponding GPs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16714/25] - Departmental Funding
893. To ask the Minister for Health for a detailed progress report in regard to the granting of the initial capital funding approval for a new 108-bed block that will help address the chronic... - Health Services
894. To ask the Minister for Health if additional physiotherapy and speech and language supports to a patient can urgently be provided in County Kerry (details supplied); and if she will make a... - Departmental Data
895. To ask the Minister for Health the number of empty homes which are subject of a Fair Deal agreement. [16721/25] - Nursing Homes
896. To ask the Minister for Health the number of homes which are subject of a Fair Deal agreement. [16722/25] - Health Services
897. To ask the Minister for Health when free HRT will be made available; if there are plans to refund those people who have paid for medicines since the beginning of the year; and if she will... - Hospital Staff
898. To ask the Minister for Health the number of emergency department doctors on duty on Saturday night, 29 March 2025, in Cork University Hospital; and if she will make a statement on the... - Covid-19 Pandemic Supports
899. To ask the Minister for Health if she intends to extend the Covid payment scheme beyond June 2025; the number in receipt of the payment; and her views on a once-off payment in each case... - Healthcare Infrastructure Provision
900. To ask the Minister for Health the plans for a building (details supplied); if the building will be brought into use under the HSE Minor Capital Programme; and if not, has it been deemed... - Hospital Staff
901. To ask the Minister for Health if she will provide a breakdown of the 185 new posts, hospital-wide, for which approval has been received at University Hospital Kerry; and if she will make a... - Home Care Packages
903. To ask the Minister for Health the steps that have been taken to implement the supports for older people, as outlined in the Programme for Government, with particular emphasis on those... - Departmental Data
905. To ask the Minister for Health the number of people who discharged themselves from Cork University Hospital emergency department without treatment on 29 March 2025 (details supplied); and if... - Disability Services
906. To ask the Minister for Health if she is aware that lipoedema (details supplied) is not recognised as a disability in Ireland even though it can severely impact mobility in patients as young... - Departmental Inquiries
909. To ask the Minister for Health to examine the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16789/25] - Departmental Reports
910. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 722 of 25 March 2025, if the total value of payments reported for the period (details supplied) is accurate; his views on... - Health Services Staff
911. To ask the Minister for Health the number of house calls carried out by doctors from each of the treatment centres of ShannonDoc services during each day of the 2024-2025 Christmas-new year... - Medical Cards
912. To ask the Minister for Health if there is a form of reimbursement, full or partial, for medical card holders if they attend a private hospital. [16814/25] - Health Services Staff
913. To ask the Minister for Health for a breakdown, by county, on the monthly basis from January 1 2024 to 31 December 2024, of how many staff providing homecare services working for the HSE are... - Hospital Appointments Status
914. To ask the Minister for Health if a surgery appointment can be expedited for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16821/25] - Health Services Waiting Lists
915. To ask the Minister for Health the psychology waiting-list numbers and exact wait-times, in months and years, for children and adolescents in each integrated health area of the Dublin and... - Health Services Staff
919. To ask the Minister for Health for the primary care psychology staffing levels, by grade of psychologist, and per population size, served in each integrated health area of the South West... - Health Services Waiting Lists
923. To ask the Minister for Health the psychology waiting-list numbers and exact wait-times, in months and years, for children and adolescents in each integrated health area of the Mid West... - Health Services Staff
925. To ask the Minister for Health for the current primary care psychology staffing levels, by grade of psychologist, and per population size, served in each integrated health area of the Mid... - Departmental Data
928. To ask the Minister for Health the cost to date of hotel accommodation for former residents of (details supplied) since the premises was vacated in October 2023; a breakdown of work... - Departmental Legal Cases
929. To ask the Minister for Health for a breakdown of legal costs for the years 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 incurred by the state arising from the defence of cases taken by members of the public... - Mental Health Services
930. To ask the Minister for Health for the number of residents accommodated by the HSE in a property acquired for residential mental health service use in (details supplied); and the opening... - Organ Donation
931. To ask the Minister for Health her plans to increase the number of key organ donation personnel in intensive care units. [16873/25] - Vaccination Programme
932. To ask the Minister for Health the position in respect of the supply and delivery of enhanced influenza vaccines for older persons for the 2025-2026 winter season. [16874/25] - Hospital Closures
933. To ask the Minister for Health when the decision to close the patients account office in Ennis Hospital was made; when management in Ennis Hospital were made aware of the decision; and if... - Medical Cards
934. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1593 of 19 March 2025, if her Department will provide further clarity as to the reason two individuals (details supplied)... - Hospital Admissions
935. To ask the Minister for Health if a person (details supplied) will be placed on the local orthodontic list in Cavan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16913/25] - Health Service Executive
937. To ask the Minister for Health if she is aware that senior management teams in the HSE have given approval to well-paid public consultants setting up private companies to do public work... - Hospital Staff
938. To ask the Minister for Health to confirm the retirement of a senior psychologist from Ennis Day Hospital; the number of psychologists of each grade currently in Ennis Day Hospital; when any... - Health Services
939. To ask the Minister for Health for details on ultrasound scans by private services contracted by the HSE, for the purposes of dating start of pregnancy for women considering abortion within... - General Practitioner Services
940. To ask the Minister for Health the number of GPs reimbursed (PCRS) for the year 2024 and Q1 in 2025, in tabular form, for first and second consultations for terminations of pregnancy; and if... - Health Service Executive
941. To ask the Minister for Health to outline where the €54 million in HSE savings on medicines was achieved in 2024; what medicines savings were achieved; if it was through negotiation... - Departmental Inquiries
944. To ask the Minister for Health if the long delay in treatment in respect of a person can be urgently addressed (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16968/25] - Health Services Staff
946. To ask the Minister for Health to clarify if there are primary care psychology staff in each primary care centre in the country. [16985/25] - Health Services
947. To ask the Minister for Health to outline how an individual can access care from primary care psychology staff in a primary care centre. [16986/25] - Health Services Waiting Lists
948. To ask the Minister for Health to outline the waiting lists for primary care psychology care in each primary care centre in the country, in tabular form. [16987/25] - Departmental Funding
949. To ask the Minister for Health if funding is available this year to refurbish Raheny health centre, Dublin 5. [16991/25] - Mental Health Services
950. To ask the Minister for Health the primary care centres and or health centres within CHO9 that currently offer adult mental health day services, in tabular form. [16992/25] - Hospital Facilities
951. To ask the Minister for Health the nature of refurbishment works that were carried out at Clontarf Orthopaedic Hospital in 2023, 2024 and to-date in 2025, in tabular form. [16993/25] - Departmental Strategies
952. To ask the Minister for Health if she will prepare a ten year national allergy strategy, including the provision of appropriate training for GPs and those in education and care settings.... - Medicinal Products
953. To ask the Minister for Health if palforzia will be made available by the HSE. [17007/25] - Health Services
954. To ask the Minister for Health if oral immunotherapy will be provided by the HSE for those suffering from allergies. [17008/25] - Hospital Facilities
957. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the refurbishment and extension of Macroom Community Hospital, Macroom, County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17013/25] - Grant Payments
961. To ask the Minister for Health her plans to provide grants to first responders (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17036/25] - Departmental Staff
962. To ask the Minister for Health to provide a list with the job titles and salaries of all Ministerial staff, and Department private secretaries. [17057/25] - Hospital Facilities
963. To ask the Minister for Health when the new bed block will begin construction in Nenagh Hospital. [17112/25] - Departmental Funding
965. To ask the Minister for Health if she has made funding available to the HSE to ensure that a transport service is in place for service users of St. Francis day care centre in Galway city;... - Pension Provisions
966. To ask the Minister for Health if she is aware of the situation involving the pension entitlements of certain psychiatric nurses in Galway (details supplied); and if she will make a... - Health Services Waiting Lists
967. To ask the Minister for Health the average time people were waiting to be seen in each emergency department in the State in each of the past ten years, in tabular form. [17188/25] - Departmental Data
968. To ask the Minister for Health the number of claims made against the State by women who allege their Cervical Check smear tests were misread, or their families, in each of the past ten years... - Hospital Facilities
969. To ask the Minister for Health the number of emergency departments which have closed in the State in each of the past 20 years; and the number of emergency departments which have been opened... - Departmental Data
970. To ask the Minister for Health the total cost to the State of the cyber attack on the Department of Health and HSE in recent years. [17191/25] - Hospital Staff
971. To ask the Minister for Health the number of nurses employed in each hospital in the State. [17192/25] - Debt Collection
973. To ask the Minister for Health the amount paid to debt collectors by each hospital in the State to seek outstanding payments from patients, in each of the past ten years in tabular form.... - Ambulance Service
974. To ask the Minister for Health how many ambulances have had to make calls to Cobh, County Cork, over the last three years, and what the response time was; and if she will make a statement on... - Health Services
975. To ask the Minister for Health if the HSE has discontinued the provision of a diabetic foot clinic service at Camlin medical centre, Longford, which was previously available to patients; if... - Departmental Data
976. To ask the Minister for Health the amount paid out by each hospital group in compensation in each of the past ten years, in tabular form. [17260/25] - Hospital Appointments Status
977. To ask the Minister for Health the number of appointments cancelled in each hospital in the State in each of the past ten years, in tabular form. [17266/25] - Cancer Services
978. To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons who underwent surgery for cancer in the State in each of the past ten years. [17267/25] - Health Service Executive
979. To ask the Minister for Health to confirm that the information contained in relation to the primary childhood immunisation schedule declination form being issued to parents by the HSE, when... - Sexually Transmitted Infections
980. To ask the Minister for Health if her attention has been drawn to the UK government's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommendation that a targeted vaccination programme... - Hospital Waiting Lists
981. To ask the Minister for Health the plans on how her Department will reduce surgical wait times for patients in the public health service. [17301/25] - Health Services
982. To ask the Minister for Health the progress on the delivery of the six new planned surgical hubs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17302/25] - Departmental Projects
984. To ask the Minister for Health for an update on the progress of her Department's plans towards the full digitisation of Irish healthcare records and information systems. [17304/25] - Departmental Funding
985. To ask the Minister for Health what funding the Mater Misericordiae Hospital receives for chairs for chemotherapy patients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17326/25] - Solar Energy
986. To ask the Minister for Health the number and location of HSE health and social care facilities that are planned to have solar panels installed in 2025, by county, in tabular form; and if... - Transport Costs
989. To ask the Minister for Health the number of people who availed of hospital transport to attend hospital appointments from south Tipperary over the past five years; the budget for this... - Pharmacy Services
990. To ask the Minister for Health the steps she is taking, as per the Programme for Government commitments, to undertake a review of the drug reimbursement process; and if she will make a... - Ambulance Service
997. To ask the Minister for Health when the HSE recruitment embargo will be lifted for students applying to the National Ambulance Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17383/25] - Hospital Appointments Status
998. To ask the Minister for Health the average length of time that patients are awaiting for an initial appointment after being referred for care in hospitals (details supplied), per speciality,... - Hospital Staff
999. To ask the Minister for Health the number of WTE emergency medicine registrars based at Galway University Hospital in 2024 and to-date in 2025, in tabular form; if this number will be... - Hospital Appointments Status
1001. To ask the Minister for Health if an appointment can be expedited for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17403/25] - Medical Cards
1002. To ask the Minister for Health when she will bring forward proposals to provide medical cards for children over eight-years-of-age as proposed in the Programme for Government. [17411/25] - Hospital Facilities
1003. To ask the Minister for Health when a dedicated public specialist unit will be provided for Limerick and the mid-west for adults with eating disorders. [17412/25] - Hospital Appointments Status
1004. To ask the Minister for Health if she will expedite an appointment for a person in County Kerry (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17430/25] - Health Services Staff
1005. To ask the Minister for Health if she will urgently examine a case in respect of retired HSE workers (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17434/25] - Hospital Facilities
1006. To ask the Minister for Health to provide a list of all hospitals, separated by model one, two, three and four, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17436/25] - Departmental Data
1007. To ask the Minister for Health if she aware of an ICT regulatory management system, described as DER, being developed by HIQA since 2023, and any problems arising with the project in terms... - Departmental Schemes
1008. To ask the Minister for Health if she will consider reviewing the long-term illness scheme to provide financial support to people with Crohn's disease; and if she will make a statement on... - Health Services
1009. To ask the Minister for Health to urgently intervene and examine a case (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17452/25] - Vacant Properties
1010. To ask the Minister for Health if her Department has any vacant or derelict buildings in Dublin-Rathdown; to provide the addresses of these buildings and details on the length of time they... - Charitable and Voluntary Organisations
1011. To ask the Minister for Health if her Department can offer any support to a not-for-profit registered charity (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17493/25] - Hospital Waiting Lists
1012. To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting longer than two weeks to be seen by BreastCheck following an urgent referral, by site, in tabular form. [17506/25] - General Practitioner Services
1015. To ask the Minister for Health the total paid to each private diagnostics provider under the GP access to the community diagnostics scheme in each of the years since its launch in 2021 and... - Health Services
1016. To ask the Minister for Health the timeline she is working towards in extending the bowel cancer screening programme to people aged 50 to 74 years; if she is still committed to completing... - Departmental Projects
1017. To ask the Minister for Health if she will provide an update on the integrated financial management system project; the timeline she is working towards for completion and operation of the... - Primary Care Centres
1018. To ask the Minister for Health if the Galway city west primary care centre has received HSE property/board approval; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17520/25] - Departmental Communications
1019. To ask the Minister for Health if she has been in communication with the Department for Social Protection as part of the interdepartmental working group tasked with assessing the impact of... - Hospital Services
1029. To ask the Minister for Health the reason it took until March 2025 to notify parents of serious concerns at Children’s Health Ireland and National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh... - Health Services Waiting Lists
1039. To ask the Minister for Health to review case of a person (details supplied); if you can provide an update on same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17584/25] - Departmental Data
1049. To ask the Minister for Health the number of public defibrillators in each local authority area; and how those numbers compare to 2020, in tabular form. [17635/25] - Legislative Reviews
1050. To ask the Minister for Health if she will consider amending the forthcoming alcohol labelling regulations to allow for a standardised approach to wine labelling commencing with the 2026...
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