Written answers
Thursday, 18 December 2025
- Departmental Funding
630. To ask the Minister for Health if her Department funds drug addiction prevention initiatives; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73694/25] - Dental Services
632. To ask the Minister for Health the number of children in County Waterford awaiting HSE public dental services, including special needs dentistry, in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025; and to... - Departmental Policies
633. To ask the Minister for Health if she will declare Covid-19 an occupational illness, as has been done in many other European Union member states, so that healthcare workers suffering from... - Departmental Schemes
634. To ask the Minister for Health if the mechanism for interscheme transfer from one GP training programme to another can be reinstated (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on... - Departmental Data
635. To ask the Minister for Health to provide a list of the 44 hospital-controlled car parks that provide patient parking; to provide a list of those that provide concessions with details of... - Hospital Charges
636. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the programme for Government commitment to reduce hospital car parking charges; who holds responsibility for overseeing this commitment... - Primary Care Centres
638. To ask the Minister for Health if she will provide an update on the site selection for the proposed primary care centre for Maynooth/Leixlip, in light of reports that the location may be... - Dental Services
639. To ask the Minister for Health the number of WTE senior dentists based at Shamrock Plaza primary care centre in the years of 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form. [73317/25] - Hospital Staff
640. To ask the Minister for Health the number of consultant dermatologists based at St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny, in the years of 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form. [73318/25] - Health Services Staff
641. To ask the Minister for Health the number of WTE public health nurses based at Leighlinbridge health centre in the years of 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form. [73319/25] - Hospital Staff
642. To ask the Minister for Health the number of WTE consultant ophthalmologists based at University Hospital Waterford in the years of 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form. [73320/25] - Mental Health Services
643. To ask the Minister for Health the number of people admitted to the Central Mental Hospital, and the number of persons discharged in 2024, as the information provided to date has been... - Care Services
644. To ask the Minister for Health if her Department will support a call from the board of directors of a day centre (details supplied) and have a meeting with the board and also the HSE; and if... - Health Services
645. To ask the Minister for Health the number of clients who receive services on a weekly basis at the CRANOG Resource Centre in Castleblayney, noting that the centre has six full-time... - Departmental Correspondence
647. To ask the Minister for Health if she will review the correspondence (details supplied); if she will address the concerns raised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73397/25] - Departmental Funding
648. To ask the Minister for Health if she will reconsider the decision to remove State funding for monitored dosing blister packs from January 2026, given the essential role these packs play in... - Departmental Projects
651. To ask the Minister for Health when planning and design will commence for a project and the estimated time for completion of this project (details supplied); and if she will make a statement... - Nursing Homes
652. To ask the Minister for Health to expedite a fair deal appeal (details supplied) as this family cannot afford the costs of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73409/25] - Home Help Service
653. To ask the Minister for Health if supports will be allocated to home carers for changes that must be made in line with HIQA's draft national standards for home supports services (details... - Departmental Inquiries
654. To ask the Minister for Health for assistance in relation to a hospital discharge (details supplied). [73430/25] - Healthcare Infrastructure Provision
655. To ask the Minister for Health the alternative options for a health centre which is being explored by the HSE in respect of the improvement works or an extension (details supplied); and if... - Health Services Waiting Lists
656. To ask the Minister for Health to provide a breakdown of the wait times to see a consultant at all HSE fertility hubs across the country, in tabular form; the measures taken to ensure the... - Disability Services
657. To ask the Minister for Health if she is aware of any scheme or funding stream for the provision of guide dogs for a visually impaired person living in a rural area who is no longer working... - Healthcare Policy
658. To ask the Minister for Health if phased dispensing will still be provided free of charge for patients at the request of their physician; whether the HSE expects this to take place for many... - Health Services Staff
659. To ask the Minister for Health to provide a schedule of campaigns over the last five years aimed at attracting medical professionals working abroad to come back to work in Ireland; the... - Healthcare Policy
660. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 264 of 3 December 2025, if measures will be taken with the changes in prices of blister packs from January 2026 to... - Nursing Homes
661. To ask the Minister for Health the number of registered nursing homes by county (and if possible, local electoral area) in each year between 2013 and 2023, split by sector (HSE, private and... - Medical Cards
662. To ask the Minister for Health to put a system in place whereby any incremental rise in the old-age pension is matched by a similar rise in the qualifying income for the medical card, as it... - Vaccination Programme
663. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated price, per patient, of the standard flu vaccine and of the enhanced flu vaccine; if she will introduce a policy of offering both and allowing... - Health Service Executive
664. To ask the Minister for Health to provide further details with respect to a person’s new role within the HSE (details supplied); if they retain the salary from their previous role; to... - Departmental Expenditure
665. To ask the Minister for Health the annual cost to the State of reimbursement for monitored dosing systems, or blister packs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73487/25] - Health Services Staff
666. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 458 of 6 November 2025, the status of the estimated 390 posts required to achieve baseline implementation of Phases 1 and... - Healthcare Policy
667. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 2883 of 29 July 2025, if she stands by her statement that alcohol health information labelling will be implemented in... - Health Services
669. To ask the Minister for Health her views on the closure of the national gender service’s waiting list to new clients from 1 March 2026; the engagements she has had with the national... - Healthcare Policy
670. To ask the Minister for Health if she will address the concerns regarding the treatment of women with endometriosis raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a... - Departmental Data
672. To ask the Minister for Health whether any gaps, deficiencies, or capacity constraints were identified during the national pandemic command post exercise conducted in March 2025; to list... - Health Services
675. To ask the Minister for Health the maximum laboratory surge capacity available nationally for infectious disease testing during an elevated risk event, including PCR and genomic sequencing;... - Laboratory Facilities
676. To ask the Minister for Health whether her Department has identified any constraints in laboratory throughput, reagent supply, staffing availability, or logistics that would limit surge... - Health Services
677. To ask the Minister for Health whether the national Outbreak Case and Incident Management System and the National Immunisation Information System are fully operational on a national basis;... - Infectious Diseases
679. To ask the Minister for Health whether her Department has conducted any assessment since 2020 of infectious disease screening capacity at Ireland’s designated points of entry; the... - Departmental Reviews
682. To ask the Minister for Health whether her Department has conducted any review since 2018 of the regulatory, quality assurance and clinical governance framework applying to health screening... - Departmental Data
684. To ask the Minister for Health to state, for each of the years 2022, 2023, and 2024, the number of compliance checks carried out by or on behalf of the HSE on non-statutory bodies in receipt... - Departmental Reports
686. To ask the Minister for Health to state whether her Department receives aggregated reports from the HSE on the results of compliance checks carried out on non-statutory bodies, including... - Health Services
687. To ask the Minister for Health the expected timeline for the inclusion of donor assisted fertility treatments within the publicly funded assisted human reproduction scheme; the measures... - Legislative Measures
689. To ask the Minister for Health to list all legislative changes recommended by the future of healthcare committee in the 2027 Sláintecare report; the status of each; the progress made to... - Departmental Data
690. To ask the Minister for Health the number of stillborn births in Ireland in each of the past ten years, in tabular form. [73526/25] - Departmental Expenditure
692. To ask the Minister for Health the spending by her Department on breastfeeding support between the years 2020 and 2025, and planned for 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter.... - Departmental Data
693. To ask the Minister for Health the number of individuals who received breastfeeding supports in 2024 per public health nurse services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73529/25] - Health Services
694. To ask the Minister for Health whether she accepts that neither her Department nor the HSE currently has any formal performance target requiring occupational therapy waiting times in Cork to... - Primary Care Services
695. To ask the Minister for Health her views on whether a waiting time of up to 39 weeks for access to occupational therapy services in Cork are clinically acceptable and consistent with... - Health Services Staff
696. To ask the Minister for Health the additional whole-time-equivalent occupational therapy posts her Department has identified as necessary in Cork to achieve a maximum waiting time of 12... - Departmental Data
697. To ask the Minister for Health the number of activities carried out under a heading in the midlands region in 2024 and to date in 2025; the number of autopsies carried out in Mullingar,... - Health Services Waiting Lists
709. To ask the Minister for Health the number of people waiting for diagnostic tests at the latest available data point, in tabular form. [73626/25] - Dental Services
710. To ask the Minister for Health the dental service capacity and access, including DTSS participation, claims activity and waiting lists for dental, orthodontic, and dental surgery services,... - General Practitioner Services
711. To ask the Minister for Health the number of GPs and GPs providing GMS services, by local health area and per 10,000 population, from 1 December 2020–2025, in tabular form. [73628/25] - Health Service Executive
712. To ask the Minister for Health the total spend by the HSE and section 38 hospitals on agency staffing and recruitment services annually from 2019-2025, in tabular form. [73629/25] - Departmental Expenditure
714. To ask the Minister for Health the management consultancy and external professional services spend by each section 38 organisation, by firm and service type, annually from 2019–2025,... - Departmental Data
716. To ask the Minister for Health the total cost of medical negligence litigation, including settlements, awards, and legal fees, annually from 2014–2025, in tabular form. [73633/25] - Healthcare Policy
717. To ask the Minister for Health whether she considers it appropriate that elective, non medically indicated circumcision procedures may be authorised in public hospitals in the absence of any... - Health Service Executive
718. To ask the Minister for Health if her Department has issued any guidance, circulars, memoranda, policy notes, or informal instructions to the HSE or to any health region since 2020 regarding... - Health Services
719. To ask the Minister for Health if her Department exercises any oversight role in relation to decisions by health regions to authorise elective, non medically indicated circumcision... - Healthcare Policy
721. To ask the Minister for Health if her Department has assessed the consistency of regional decision making on elective, non medically indicated circumcision procedures with national consent... - Hospital Waiting Lists
723. To ask the Minister for Health the current waiting list for audiology services broken down by county and by location, age, assessment type and procedures; and the length of time individuals... - Departmental Inquiries
726. To ask the Minister for Health to reply to correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73689/25] - Medical Cards
727. To ask the Minister for Health the number of discretionary medical card applications received for persons aged over 70 in 2025; the number approved; the number refused; the number of appeals... - Home Help Service
728. To ask the Minister for Health the number of people in County Waterford waiting for home support at December 2022–2025 (or latest comparable date), in tabular form; and the number of... - Mental Health Services
729. To ask the Minister for Health the number of people in County Waterford waiting for CAMHS, broken down by length of wait, on a quarterly basis for 2022–2025, in tabular form. [73699/25] - Hospital Waiting Lists
730. To ask the Minister for Health the number of people in County Waterford waiting for Jigsaw, broken down by length of wait, on a quarterly basis for 2022 to 2025, in tabular form. [73700/25] - Dental Services
732. To ask the Minister for Health the capacity and access to public dental services in County Waterford, including DTSS participation, claims activity, and waiting lists for dental,... - Hospital Admissions
734. To ask the Minister for Health the average time to admission, the waiting-time distribution, and the number of patients leaving without being seen via the emergency department at University... - Hospital Procedures
735. To ask the Minister for Health the number of hospital-initiated scheduled care cancellations at University Hospital Waterford, for year-to-date 2022–2025, broken down by appointment... - Hospital Services
737. To ask the Minister for Health the bed occupancy rates at University Hospital Waterford, and the number of days full-capacity protocols were in operation at the hospital, for year-to-date... - Health Service Executive
738. To ask the Minister for Health the number of assaults recorded against patients and staff at University Hospital Waterford and other HSE facilities in County Waterford, for year-to-date... - Hospital Services
739. To ask the Minister for Health the ambulance response performance for Clinical Status 1 incidents in the south east region, including response times, proportions met, and incident volumes by... - Hospital Waiting Lists
741. To ask the Minister for Health the number of patients in County Waterford on primary care and community services waiting lists, broken down by service type, age group, and length of wait, at... - Departmental Policies
742. To ask the Minister for Health if the HSE has a policy on drug addiction prevention; and if so, if a policy document is available; and if she will provide the same. [73716/25] - Health Service Executive
743. To ask the Minister for Health if the HSE has a policy on harm reduction in relation to drug taking; and if so, if a policy document is available; and if she will provide the same. [73717/25] - Departmental Schemes
744. To ask the Minister for Health the sums paid via the clinical indemnity scheme for Mid-West HSE settled claims; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73722/25] - Departmental Data
745. To ask the Minister for Health the number of claims which were not settled in the period 2015-2020 for the Midwest region and are still outstanding; and if she will make a statement on the... - Health Strategies
746. To ask the Minister for Health when an overall organ transplant strategy will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73727/25] - Departmental Expenditure
747. To ask the Minister for Health for a breakdown of the total amount spent by her Department on social media, TV, print, and so on, to inform the public of the commencement of the Human Tissue... - Departmental Data
748. To ask the Minister for Health whether the independent panel, as required under the Human Tissue Act 2024, has been created; if so who the members of this panel are; and if she will make a... - Departmental Communications
749. To ask the Minister for Health the communications that took place with health care professionals on the Human Tissue Act 2024; how it will impact their approach; and if she will make a... - Health Services
750. To ask the Minister for Health when an overall strategy for the treatment of end-stage kidney disease will be published. [73731/25] - Medical Cards
752. To ask the Minister for Health her position on the provision of medical cards for patients in end-stage kidney disease; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73733/25] - Hospital Appointments Status
753. To ask the Minister for Health when an appointment will be made for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73779/25] - Health Services
754. To ask the Minister for Health for an update on the north Kerry lookback review; if this review will be published before the end of the year; the reasons for the ongoing delay; the... - Health Services Waiting Lists
756. To ask the Minister for Health the number of people waiting to access CT scans, broken down by county and by period of time waiting, in tabular form, in each of the years 2020 to 2025; and... - Health Services
757. To ask the Minister for Health the current and known upcoming vacancies at University Hospital Kerry; the dates on which the vacancies arose or will arise; the dates when vacancies are... - Hospital Waiting Lists
763. To ask the Minister for Health the number of people resident in County Waterford waiting for a first outpatient appointment at University Hospital Waterford in 2023, 2024 and to date in... - Covid-19 Pandemic
767. To ask the Minister for Health if she will consider extending the long-Covid payment scheme beyond December 2025 in light of the ongoing impact on healthcare workers and other affected...
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