Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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1456. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. of 27 May 2025, if she can confirm the dates in which the correspondence detailed was issues (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29721/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Departmental officials have contacted the Medical Council in relation to their correspondence in this case and I understand that the former CEO of the Medical Council and the President of the Medical Council wrote to the complainant on the dates set out below.

The CEO of the Medical Council wrote to the individual concerned on 16th January 2023 in reply to correspondence of 9th January 2023. A further letter dated 5th July 2024 issued from the CEO in response to correspondence of 27th June 2024. The CEO wrote again on 22nd July 2024 following receipt of further correspondence of 9th July 2024.

In addition, the President of the Medical Council wrote to the individual concerned on 30th August 2024.

Officials in my Department also wrote to the individual concerned on 7th August 2024, 21st August 2024 and 4th June 2025.

The case raised by the Deputy relates to an ongoing complaint before the Medical Council and as such it is not appropriate for me to comment further on this specific matter. It is important to note that the Medical Council has sole responsibility in arriving at its findings in relation to complaints. Under the Medical Practitioners Act 2007, the Minister for Health is specifically precluded from issuing directions to the Council in relation to its functions in investigating complaints.

As Minister I am aware that a protracted complaints process has an adverse impact on all parties. Recently commenced amendments to the Medical Practitioners Act have introduced changes to the investigation of complaints at the preliminary stage and the Medical Council has introduced improvements to the complaints process that will allow certain categories of complaints to be resolved earlier.