Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

856. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1660 of 19 March 2025, the status of the Patient Safety (Licensing) Bill; the timeline she is working towards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57365/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

On 24 June 2025, I brought a Memorandum to Government seeking approval to recommence drafting of the Patient Safety (Licensing) Bill 2025. Approval was granted.

Legislative priority had previously been given to the Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Act 2023 which was commenced in September 2024 (other than Section 68). The Patient Safety (Licensing) Bill is part of a suite of measures to improve patient safety. The Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Act 2023 provides the legislative framework for the extension of the Health Information Quality Authority's regulatory remit to private hospitals. This Act also includes provisions for the establishment of a legislative framework for mandatory open disclosure and reporting of designated serious patient safety incidents and, the provision of certain legislative protections for the conduct of clinical audit against explicit clinical standards on a national basis. The Patient Safety (Licensing) Bill is the next important step in this suite of legislation.

Following the government decision of June 2025 to proceed with drafting, this Bill has been placed on the Department of Health’s legislative agenda. My Office has been engaging with the Office of the Attorney General and a drafter has been allocated to the Bill. Further engagement with stakeholders has commenced and will continue over the coming months