Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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17. To ask the Minister for Health if it is her intention to bring Children’s Health Ireland under the remit of the HSE; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34602/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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There has been a succession of extant and pending reports which have raised corporate and clinical governance concerns at CHI.

In response, I have moved to strengthen structures at CHI by appointing two members of the HSE Board to the Board of CHI. Work is also ongoing to ensure a smooth transition to a new chairperson and the filling of the other vacancies.

Further, the Service Level Agreement between CHI and the HSE has been strengthened, and there is increased involvement from the Dublin Midlands Regional Executive Officer. This includes the establishment of the HSE CHI Improvement Steering Group to coordinate oversight of a range of matters of focus at CHI.

Further arrangements are also being considered, designed to support CHI’s new CEO to enable her to continue with the transformation programme which involves the significant work ongoing to commission and transition services to the new children’s hospital.

The CHI CEO is currently restructuring the Clinical Directorates, and the recruitment of clinical specialty leads, with appropriate management and leadership responsibilities, is ongoing. In addition, a Clinical Transformation Director was appointed in September 2024, a new Director of Operations commenced in June, and a new Deputy CEO is due to commence in the coming weeks.

We are at a crucial stage in the children’s hospital programme and significant upheaval at this stage could create substantial disruption, or delay to this project. Strengthening governance through enhanced performance monitoring provides oversight without destabilising operations.

It is important that CHI is given the support and the time to continue the significant reform underway across both current services and in preparation for the New Children’s Hospital.