Written Answers Nos. 781-801
781. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Health if she will consider providing sustainable funding for national physiotherapy services for people with multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37255/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
782. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the average length of time it takes to recruit non-clinical staff off a panel in the HSE; and the length of time the recruitment of technical service officers takes. [37260/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
783. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Health the up-to-date progress report on the new primary care centre in Graiguenamanagh, County Kilkenny; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37269/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
784. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Health to provide a breakdown, per county, of number of GPs (or WTE) there are for the years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025; in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37282/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Please note that GPs are private practitioners, most of whom hold at least one contract with the HSE for the provision of medical services on its behalf, such as the GMS contract for the provision of GP services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders. Accordingly, it may only be possible for the HSE to respond in relation to HSE contracted GPs.
785. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Health if the HSE has completed the assessments of tenders for the development of a primary care centre at An Spidéal, County Galway; if it has selected a successful tender; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37287/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
786. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Health if the HSE has completed the assessments of tenders for the development of a primary care centre at Claregalway, County Galway; if it has selected a successful tender; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37288/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
787. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Health if the HSE has completed the assessments of tenders for the development of a primary care centre at Oranmore, County Galway; if they have selected a successful tender; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37289/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
788. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health to explain the issue with regard to the lack of funding between the HSE and a charity (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37315/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
789. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if permanent contracts of employment will be offered to all radiography and radiation therapy graduates this year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37318/25]
View answerThe department have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly on this matter.
790. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of the recent legislation in the UK which has effectively legalised abortion for the full nine months of pregnancy; whether her Department has monitored the passage of this legislation; her views on the proposals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37321/25]
View answerIt would not be appropriate for me to comment on legislative changes in another jurisdiction.
As the Deputy is aware, the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018 was signed into law on 20 December 2018. Expanded termination of pregnancy services have been available since 1 January 2019. The Act allows termination to be carried out in cases where there is a risk to the life, or of serious harm to the health, of the pregnant woman; where there is a condition present which is likely to lead to the death of the foetus either before or within 28 days of birth; and without restriction up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Prior to the May 2018 Referendum on the 8th Amendment, the General Scheme of the Bill to regulate termination of pregnancy was published. The final legislation enacted is consistent with the published proposals.
791. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Health when section 232 of the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024 will be commenced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37326/25]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, Section 232 of the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024 expands the circumstances under which a retrospective declaration of parentage can be granted to a second intending parent under the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 in respect of a child born following a donor-assisted human reproduction procedure which took place before commencement of the 2015 Act in May 2020.
Section 232 will amend Section 20 of the 2015 Act and allow for a declaration of parentage in circumstances where the procedure did not take place in a clinical setting and in cases where a known donor was used, providing that they consent to the granting of the declaration.
As these amendments concern procedures before the District and Circuit Court, it is necessary that the relevant Rules of Court are updated to reflect the changes to be introduced, and before Section 232 of the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024 can be commenced.
Officials in my Department have been working with their colleagues in the Courts Service in the preparation of updated Rules of Court for the District and Circuit Courts. It is planned that the updated Rules will be ready for consideration by the relevant Rule Committees of the District and Circuit Courts at their next meetings, which take place in September and October.
Once these changes have been approved by the Committees, they will then need to be approved by the Minister for Justice. Following that approval it will be possible to commence Section 232 of the 2024 Act, which I intend to do as soon as practicable thereafter.
792. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Health if she will confirm that the co-location of standalone maternity hospitals with adult acute hospitals will remain Government policy into the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37333/25]
View answerCo-location of remaining standalone maternity hospitals with adult acute services aligns with international best practice. Co-location provides mothers access to a full range of medical and support services. Tri-location with paediatric services ensures immediate access to specialist paediatric services.
In 2023, Government gave approval for the National Maternity Hospital project to proceed to tender. The new hospital will be co-located with St Vincent’s University Hospital. The tender process, which began in September 2023, is now complete. Tender evaluation is ongoing.
Relocation projects for the remaining standalone maternity hospitals are at an early stage. Relocation project proposals are required to progress through a series of approval stages. This is in line with the Infrastructure Guidelines published in December 2023.
793. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Health the progress regarding the co-location of the UHL maternity hospital to the Dooradoyle campus; if she will provide an estimated timeline for such a move to be completed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37334/25]
View answerIt is Government policy, in line with international best practice and as re-iterated in the National Maternity Strategy, to co-locate our remaining standalone maternity hospitals with adult acute hospitals.
Co-location of maternity services with adult services provides mothers with access to a full range of medical and support services should the need arise. The availability of these services helps ensure the delivery of an optimum, safe service, particularly for high-risk mothers and babies.
Co-location of the National Maternity Hospital to the St Vincent’s Hospital campus, which is the first maternity hospital to be co-located under the National Maternity Strategy, is currently subject to a tender process to select the contractor to build that new facility.
The co-location of University Maternity Hospital Limerick to the University Hospital Limerick campus in Dooradoyle is considered to be the next maternity co-location project. The scale and complexity of delivering a new maternity hospital means that the co-location will be considered a major capital project and subject to the requirements of D/PENDR's Infrastructure Guidelines. This proposal is currently at an early appraisal stage with a Strategic Assessment Report/ Preliminary Business Case under development.
794. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Health if she will confirm previous statements by Ministers for Health that any decisions about reconfiguration of health services in the mid-west will be underpinned by clinical advice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37335/25]
View answerHIQA was requested to conduct a review of urgent and emergency care in the Mid West region with the primary objective of ensuring safe quality acute care. As part of this review, HIQA was requested to consider the case for a second Emergency Department in the context of the population changes in recent years and ongoing pressures at the ED at University Hospital Limerick (UHL).
This review will provide advice to me, as Minister for Health, to inform decision-making around the design and delivery of urgent and emergency healthcare services in the Mid West.
The Terms of Reference (published August 2024) specify that the review is conducted in a programmatic manner, through the delivery of a number of separate work streams. The Terms of Reference state that the review is to determine current evidence-based best practice in the design and delivery of urgent and emergency care services, as applied on a population-wide basis within comparable health services. This involves a structured approach to evidence gathering and synthesis, allied to engagement with relevant clinical and operational experts and clinical leaders for key specialties.
As part of the review, an Expert Advisory Group (EAG) was convened. The EAG comprises of representation from a range of different stakeholder organisations including patient and public representation; healthcare providers, managers and policy makers; as well as clinical and methodological experts. The role of the EAG is to provide access to information and expert interpretation of the evidence, to inform development of the advice.
Therefore, any advice in relation to the reconfiguration of health services in the Mid West and subsequent decisions in that regard will be underpinned by clinical advice.
I look forward to receiving the final report and the advice from HIQA once this important work is completed.
795. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Health if she will provide a detailed breakdown of ambulance handover times for each emergency department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37336/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
796. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Health for a breakdown of total WTEs for all grade codes from 2020 – 2025; and to provide the activity analysis for the same period by HSE Region, in tabular form. [37337/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
797. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Health if safe staffing levels exist in each emergency department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37338/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
798. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Health if funding will be provided to deliver the required acute hospital capacity as determined by the ESRI acute demand projections for each hospital in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37339/25]
View answerThe Department of Health is committed to building a demand and capacity modelling capability, necessary for any modern health system. The Department commissioned the ESRI as part of the Department of Health-ESRI ‘Joint Research Programme in Healthcare Reform’ to undertake a new Capacity Review to inform and increase our capability in long-term strategic planning.
The ESRI has built out their Hippocrates projection model that provides base year estimates and projections of demand, capacity and expenditure. The Hippocrates projection modelling estimates activity rates on a 2023 baseline by age and sex. Demand is then projected by multiplying activity rates by projected population in 2040. Various assumptions and scenarios are applied to give a range of projections for services and bed capacity.
The 2025 Capacity Review is projecting future demand (at a National and Health Region level) for: Public Acute Hospitals; General Practice services; and Older Persons services. These are projected to 2040, aligned with the National Planning Framework. These findings will make our planning process more responsive to new data, evidence, and policies as they emerge, helping to inform future policy decisions and interventions.
The Capacity Review will not be a one-off standalone piece of work, but rather the Hippocrates projection model will be developed over time to allow for the inclusion of future additional data (e.g. census 2026) and policy considerations as required, to produce regular capacity projections in the future.
The ESRI report on public acute hospitals highlights the capacity challenges we face in meeting the needs of our growing and ageing population. Increasing bed numbers and the necessary resources and workforce will require careful long-term planning. We are already making significant strides to increase patient capacity. Between 2020 and 2024, we opened 1,218 new acute inpatient beds, and the Programme for Government has committed to delivering thousands more through the acute bed capacity expansion plan, new surgical hubs, and elective treatment centres. With unprecedented uplift in funding and workforce increases in recent years, we are targeting future capital investment where it is needed most. Indeed, the Hospital In-Patient Bed Capacity Plan published in 2024 aligns with the review by ESRI. Funding of this capacity is being considered in the context of the National Development Plan review underway. Immediate future funding requirements are considered by the Department as part of the annual Estimates process.
While the required capacity increase is substantial, ESRI’s report also considers health policies that reduce potential demand. Investing in improved population health, increased productivity, and reducing avoidable hospitalisations will help us make the best use of bed capacity in the future. Continued implementation of Sláintecare will shift care away from hospital settings, better meeting future demand and delivering care to those who need it.
799. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Health for an update on the programme for Government commitment to move to a health-led approach to drug addiction and to divert those found in possession of drugs for personal use to health services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37354/25]
View answerThe Programme for Government ‘Securing Ireland’s Future’ reaffirms the Government’s commitment to a health led approach to drugs use. It commits to divert those found in possession of drugs for personal use to health services.
The Department of Health and the Department of Justice have devised a health diversion scheme for individuals in possession of drugs for personal use, within the existing legal framework. Under the scheme, An Garda Síochána will refer individuals in possession of drugs for personal use to health services on a discretionary basis. Under the scheme, people will not be penalised for possessing drugs for personal use.
The operational details whereby people will be referred to the health services under the scheme are being finalised by An Garda Síochána and the Director of Public Prosecutions.
I believe that a health-led approach to drug use, that diverts those found in possession of drugs for personal use to health services, will lead to better outcomes for individuals and society.
800. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health to review the case of a person (details supplied) and expedite an appointment for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37363/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
801. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Health to consider expanding the free HRT scheme to include those treatments that are not covered under the drug payment scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37378/25]
View answerThe Health Service Executive (HSE) has statutory responsibility for pricing and reimbursement decisions, in accordance with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013. In line with the 2013 Act and the national framework agreed with industry, a company must apply to the HSE to have a new medicine added to the reimbursement list.
The Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) arrangement commenced on 1st June 2025. The Health Insurance (Amendment) and Health (Provision of Menopause Products) Act 2024 underpins this HRT arrangement.
Under this legislation, reimbursement support is for women who have been prescribed HRT products by their healthcare provider for the treatment of menopause. It applies to HRT products reimbursable by the HSE.
A list of such items, including some Exempt Medicinal Products, can be found in pharmacy circular 08/2025, which is available at: www.hse.ie/eng/staff/pcrs/circulars/pharmacy/pharmacy-circular-08-25-hrt-arrangements.pdf
However, pharmacists can contact the HSE for any HRT related reimbursement support queries by emailing pharmacy.response@hse.ie.
