Written Answers Nos. 371-390
371. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Health the reason no advanced paramedic has been trained since 2019; if there are plans in place to recommence this training; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14721/25]
View answer372. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Health when she expects to commence the implementation of the paramedic specialist grade for the National Ambulance Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14722/25]
View answerAs these are service matters for the National Ambulance Service (NAS) in the first instance, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
373. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Health the number of actual and attempted cyberattacks on her Department during each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024, the countries of origin of those attacks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14693/25]
View answerFor reasons of operational and national security it would not be appropriate to disclose details of my Department’s cyber security arrangements.
My Department continues to liaise closely with the NCSC, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, our security partners and with colleagues across the Public Service to ensure that best practice is followed as it relates to all aspects of Cybersecurity.
374. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Health to consider permanent funding to support the drug related intimidation and violence engagement programme; her plans with this programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14732/25]
View answerDRIVE is an interagency project set up to develop systems and structures across the country through all the local and regional drug and alcohol task forces to support people who experience drug related violence. The multi-agency response includes the Department of Health, the Department of Justice, An Garda Siochána, Community and Family Support Services and the Drug and Alcohol Task Forces. The Drug-related Intimidation Reporting Programme operated by an Garda Síochána is a key element of DRIVE.
The Department of Health is the lead funder of DRIVE. It provided €190,000 to carry out research about the nature and extent of the violence experienced. These data were used to develop an intervention model to address drug-related violence and intimidation across the country.
Since 2023, the Department has provided recurring funding of €250,000 to support the national roll-out of the DRIVE initiative. This funding is used to recruit a national coordinator, project workers, and a data analyst to develop a data collection system in conjunction with the Health Research Board.
The Department has allocated a further €80,000 in recurring funding for DRIVE in Budget 2025 to support the development of a national awareness campaign and to develop local DRIVE networks.
I am committed to working with DRIVE to ensure that support and advice are available for individuals and families affected by drug-related violence and intimidation.
375. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the number of approved consultant posts by discipline, speciality, and clinical site, in tabular form; the number filled on a permanent basis, temporary, locum or agency; the number of vacant posts; the length of time each vacant post has remained vacant; and the total number under recruitment. [14737/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
376. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health when she plans to meet with representatives of a victims group (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14740/25]
View answerI thank the Deputy for his question. I have indicated that I would be willing to meet with the Dignity4Patients support group. I have asked my officials to engage with the group in this regard.
377. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on plans to ensure that all State-run hospitals operate a full seven days per week services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14708/25]
View answerThe Programme for Government contains commitments to ensuring that a wider variety of healthcare services are available to the public in the evenings and weekends.
In line with these commitments, the HSE has begun the process of working to transition our health service to a 7-day service. In the first instance, Regional Leadership in the HSE have been asked to outline the key staff necessary to operate over a 7-day week.
By providing 7-day routine services in our hospitals we can improve the patient experience and enable faster discharges through the availability of consultants and other staff, labs and diagnostics across evenings and weekends
Many people will have had the experience of themselves, or a family member being kept in hospital over the weekend unnecessarily as there is no one to discharge them or to provide support services in the community.
A 7-day service will help to reduce our trolley numbers; will reduce the time patients spend in hospital unnecessarily; will speed up time for access to care; and can help in giving people alternative access to services in their communities and outside of acute settings.
378. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the specific and tailored mental health supports available to people living with FASD, in line with international best practice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14709/25]
View answerThis is not a matter for Department of Health. This question should be redirected to Department of Disabilities Children and Youth Affairs.
379. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Health if maternity hospitals are now routinely checking for the condition vasa praevia during the 20 week fetal scan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14712/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
380. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the long Covid scheme for healthcare workers suffering from long Covid; if she is conscious of the need to ensure long term support for these front-line workers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14714/25]
View answerIn the public health sector, a temporary Special Scheme was put in place for 12 months in July 2022 to support eligible staff who were impacted by Long-Covid. At the request of my Department, approval to extend the Special Scheme was granted by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP and Reform (DPENDPR) a number of times, most recently at the end of June 2024 when it was extended for a further 12 months on the existing terms for the existing cohort of employees already being supported by it. The Special scheme will end on the 30th of June 2025.
The sick leave scheme provides full pay for three months, followed by half pay for three months, and after that, Temporary Rehabilitative Remuneration may be applied for, which, if granted, provides up to a further 547 days of paid leave. The Critical Illness Protocol that forms part of the sick leave scheme may also provide additional supports if granted.
381. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Health the total sum spent on cybersecurity measures within her Department during each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024. [14675/25]
View answerThe health service was targeted by a criminally motivated cyber-attack in May 2021. The impact of this serious incident varied depending on the extent to which services relied upon technology, but in the main the ransomware attack had a devastating impact on the delivery of health services generally and specifically for patients who relied on them.
The HSE has invested significantly in cyber remediation since the cyberattack in 2021. An independent post incident report (PIR) commissioned by the board of the HSE following the attack, highlighted areas that needed to be addressed. The HSE have been very effective in addressing all issues highlighted since the publication of that report. Recommendations from that report were ranked such that the ones that would have the most immediate impact and could be implemented soonest, were pursued first. Following the immediate work to rebuild and reinstate systems and services, the HSE has produced a plan in January of each year, to advise what will be prioritised in terms of building cyber resilience, and these plans are informed by the recommendations of the PIR. This is what forms the basis of investment in cyber resilience every year since 2021.
There are multiple ongoing programmes of work focused on addressing all issues highlighted in the wake of the attack, reducing risk, building cyber resilience, and building additional cyber security capability and capacity through the establishment of a dedicated cyber security function under the leadership of a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) within the HSE.
The cost of remediation of services in the aftermath of the 2021 cyberattack was estimated by the HSE to be €102m (as of Nov 2024). The HSE continues to invest significantly in multi-layered cyber defences, including technology, processes, and people, in order to reduce the likelihood and impact of cyberattacks. The HSE allocated funding for specific actions within the voluntary sector also.
In order to address the ongoing risks associated with cyberattack and the need to build cyber resilience, the Government has provided additional, dedicated funding in recent years. There was an additional non-core funding of €40m in 2023, an additional allocation of non-core funding of €55m in 2024, and in 2025, the ICT & Cyber programme was allocated a total of €70m as part of core funding under the HSE National Service Plan.
382. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the process for renewal of medical cards, the frequency in which they are required to be renewed; if the HSE insists upon online applications; if the HSE consider it reasonable that a postal renewal application form should be completed within five to seven working days; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14749/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
383. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Health if an appointment will be expedited for a child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14755/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
384. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health if the HSE plans to publish responses to parliamentary questions for the year 2025, as it has for previous years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14756/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
385. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health how much money the HSE has spent on the treatment of eating disorders by private providers in Ireland from the years 2018 to 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14760/25]
View answer387. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health how much money has been spent by the HSE on the treatment of eating disorders in the United Kingdom from the years 2018 to 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14762/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 385 and 387 together.
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
386. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health how much money has been spent by the National Treatment Purchase Fund for the treatment of eating disorders by private providers from the years 2018 to 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14761/25]
View answer388. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health how much money has been spent by the National Treatment Purchase Fund for the treatment of eating disorders in the United Kingdom from the years 2018 to 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14763/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 386 and 388 together.
In relation to the particular query raised, the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) has advised my Department that it does not fund treatment for eating disorders in private healthcare facilities in the State or in the United Kingdom.
389. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Health if funding will be made available to recruit the additional 11 WTE staff needed towards delivering an obesity service in Mallow to coincide with the funding in the capital submission for 2025 for the required infrastructure; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14765/25]
View answerIn 2016, in response to rising obesity rates, the Irish Government launched A Healthy Weight for Ireland - our national Obesity Policy and Action Plan (OPAP). OPAP sits under Healthy Ireland, which is the framework for action to improve the health and wellbeing of everyone living in Ireland.
Under OPAP, Ireland put in place a comprehensive, whole-of-government strategy to address obesity and overweight and since 2016 has made progress across a number of policy initiatives. A key initiative was to develop a Model of Care for the Treatment and Management of Obesity and this was launched by the HSE and Royal College of Physicians in Ireland (RCPI) in 2021. The Model of Care sets out how the healthcare for children, young people and adults living with overweight and obesity in Ireland should be organised and resourced now and in the future. It identifies the service required, who should provide it and where the service should be delivered across the healthcare system. The Model of Care takes a population health approach to managing obesity, recognising the wider drivers of obesity such as genetics, environment and socioeconomic status.
One of the sites that was identified for level three obesity management services (acute specialist ambulatory care) was Mallow General Hospital. Funding provided in Budget 2023 under Phase 1 funding of the Model of resulted in the recruitment of 2 WTE in Mallow (Consultant Endocrinologist and Administrative support). Budget 2025 secured funding to complete the roll out of Phase One of the Model of Care and commence Phase Two. Phase One funding includes 6.5 WTE in Mallow to expand the team and operationalise the level 3 obesity management service in 2025.
A new obesity plan is under development for 2026 and will identify and prioritise a wide range of measures to continue to address overweight and obesity in Ireland, including building on the management and treatment services that have been established under A Healthy Weight for Ireland.
390. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health to provide a list the recommended services that should be available in a primary health care centre; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14776/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
