Mairéad Farrell
Question:802. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Health if alternative public treatment options are available for a child (details supplied). [37379/25]
View answerHealth Services
Questions (802)
Written answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
Medical Aids and Appliances
Questions (803)
Emer Currie
Question:803. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health for an update on when the HSE will make omnipod insulin pumps available to patients in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37380/25]
View answerWritten answers
Under the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on the pricing and reimbursement of medicines and medical devices; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
Departmental Correspondence
Questions (804)
Sean Fleming
Question:804. Deputy Seán Fleming asked the Minister for Health to reply to correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37382/25]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Mental Health Services
Questions (805)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:805. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if a subsidy is available for children directed to the care of a psychotherapist after six weeks (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37397/25]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Dental Services
Questions (806)
Niamh Smyth
Question:806. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health when an appointment will be offered to a child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37399/25]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
Laboratory Facilities
Questions (807)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn
Question:807. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the cost of outsourcing routine blood samples from Letterkenny University Hospital to private laboratories for the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 to date, in tabular form. [37411/25]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Patient Transport
Questions (808)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn
Question:808. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the expenditure on private taxis by Letterkenny University Hospital for the years 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 to date, in tabular form. [37412/25]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Disease Management
Questions (809)
Michael Cahill
Question:809. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health if she will host a rare disease conference; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37420/25]
View answerWritten answers
The National Rare Disease Steering Group was established in December 2023. The Steering Group was tasked with developing a new Rare Disease Strategy for Ireland that set out the vision for rare disease services in Ireland and the actions that were required to achieve this.
The Steering Group finalised the National Rare Disease Strategy in the last number of weeks. I have approved the Strategy and it has been brought to Government for approval. It is expected that a launch will take place in the coming weeks with implementation commencing immediately afterwards.
Funding of €1.5m was provided in Budget 2025 for the development of supports and services for people living with a rare disease in Ireland, with an additional €5m provided to support the implementation of this Strategy. This includes raising awareness in the clinical and public domains of rare diseases.
With regard to hosting a Rare Disease Conference, there is currently nothing planned as the priority now is on moving into the important initial implementation stages. It is envisioned that with the publication and implementation of the new strategy increased awareness of rare diseases will follow as a result. Specific events to raise awareness may be planned over its life cycle.
Medicinal Products
Questions (810)
Liam Quaide
Question:810. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health when the HSE plans to complete a full health technology assessment in relation to EYLEA (aflibercept) given this was recommended by an NCPE Rapid Review assessment report in December 2012; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37421/25]
View answerWritten answers
Under the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on the pricing and reimbursement of medicines and medical devices; therefore, I have asked the HSE for an update in this matter.
The HSE has advised it is committed to providing access to as many medicines as possible, in as timely a fashion as possible, from the resources available (provided) to it.
The HSE must robustly assess applications for pricing and reimbursement to make sure that it can stretch available resources as far as possible and to deliver the best value in relation to each medicine and ultimately more medicines to Irish citizens and patients.
HSE decisions on which medicines are reimbursed by the taxpayer are made on objective, scientific and economic grounds.
There are formal processes which govern applications for the pricing and reimbursement of medicines, and new uses of existing medicines, to be funded and / or reimbursed.
The HSE considers the following criteria prior to making any decision on pricing / reimbursement in line with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013:
(1) The health needs of the public,
(2) The cost effectiveness of meeting health needs by supplying the item concerned rather than providing other health services,
(3) The availability and suitability of items for supply or reimbursement,
(4) The proposed costs, benefits, and risks of the item or listed item relative to therapeutically similar items or listed items provided in other health service settings and the level of certainty in relation to the evidence of those costs, benefits and risks,
(5) The potential or actual budget impact of the item or listed item,
(6) The clinical need for the item or listed item,
(7) The appropriate level of clinical supervision required in relation to the item to ensure patient safety,
(8) The efficacy (performance in trial), effectiveness (performance in real situations) and added therapeutic benefit against existing standards of treatment (how much better it treats a condition than existing therapies) and
(9) The resources available to the HSE.
In terms of the specific details of the application for pricing and reimbursement of aflibercept (Eylea®):
The HSE received an application for pricing / reimbursement on the 6th December 2012 from Bayer (the applicant) for aflibercept (Eylea®) indicated for adults for the treatment of neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
• The first step in the process is the submission of a Rapid Review dossier (a clinical and economic dossier) to the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE) for assessment. The HSE commissioned the Rapid Review process on the 10th December 2012.
• The NCPE Rapid Review assessment report was received by the HSE on the 21st December 2012. The NCPE advised the HSE that a full Health Technology Assessment (HTA) was recommended in order to explore the clinical data and the costs within a formal pharmacoeconomic framework.
• The NCPE publishes details of medicines where the HSE has commissioned a Rapid Review assessment and / or a full health technology assessment on their website. The website is updated at regular intervals and includes assessment outcomes and updates on reimbursement for each individual medicine and indication listed. Details of the assessment(s) of aflibercept (Eylea®) are available at www.ncpe.ie/aflibercept-eylea/.
• The HSE Corporate Pharmaceutical Unit (CPU) is the interface between the HSE and the Pharmaceutical Industry in relation to medicine pricing and reimbursement applications.
• The Drugs Group is the national committee which the HSE has in place to make recommendations on the pricing and reimbursement of medicines. The membership of the HSE Drugs Group includes public interest members. Pharmacoeconomic reports are reviewed by the HSE Drugs Group along with the outputs of commercial negotiations, and any patient group submission(s) received. The HSE Drugs Group considers all of the evidence and makes a recommendation to the HSE Senior Leadership Team.
• The decision making authority in the HSE is the HSE Senior Leadership Team. The HSE Senior Leadership Team decides on the basis of all the demands it is faced with (across all services) whether it can fund a new medicine, or new use of an existing medicine, from the resources that have been provided to it in line with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013.
As it currently stands a completed HTA is required to progress this application, as per the formal processes governing the pricing and reimbursement of medicines. The HSE cannot make any comment on possible timelines from the ongoing assessment process.
Nursing Homes
Questions (811)
Michael Cahill
Question:811. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health to urgently expedite a case (details supplied) and allow for a long-term nursing home bed in St. Columbanus Home, Killarney, County Kerry, as this is a most urgent case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37423/25]
View answerWritten answers
As this is an operational matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (812)
Michael Cahill
Question:812. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health if a procedure will be expedited (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37425/25]
View answerWritten answers
Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Departmental Correspondence
Questions (813)
Brendan Smith
Question:813. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health if she will give detailed consideration to correspondence received from an organisation (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37429/25]
View answerWritten answers
The national immunisation programme in Ireland is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). The committee's recommendations are based on the prevalence of the relevant disease in Ireland and international best practice in relation to immunisation. It makes recommendations on vaccination policy to my Department. NIAC continues to revise recommendations to allow for the introduction of new vaccines in Ireland and to keep abreast of changes in the patterns of disease. It also considers emerging evidence and therefore the immunisation schedule will continue to be amended over time.
Once a recommendation from NIAC has been received and considered by the Chief Medical Officer of my Department, a request can be made to HIQA to carry out a Health Technology Assessment. This assessment looks at the evidence of the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine. The assessment also looks at the value for money, cost, organisational, social and ethical issues of providing a new vaccine. The information is collected and presented in a systematic, unbiased and transparent manner.
The recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV, Shingrix) is licensed in Europe for the prevention of shingles and its most common complication, post-herpetic neuralgia.
NIAC recommends the RZV vaccine for adults aged 65 and older, and for adults aged 18-49 who are at increased risk of shingles.
My Department asked the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to carry out a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) on the herpes zoster vaccine which protects against shingles.
HIQA published this HTA on 19 July 2024. The HTA found that adding the shingles vaccine to the routine immunisation schedule would not be cost effective and would be associated with a substantial budget impact.
Given that the healthcare budget is finite and decisions regarding increased spending relating to a change in one area could impact the provision of other health technologies and treatments within the healthcare system, the cost-effectiveness must be considered in any decision-making process. My Department has considered the findings of this HTA and determined that the introduction of the vaccine could be reconsidered when the cost effectiveness of the vaccine is confirmed as being more favourable.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (814)
Niamh Smyth
Question:814. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health if a case will be reviewed and hip surgery expedited for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37431/25]
View answerWritten answers
Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Hospital Facilities
Questions (815)
Claire Kerrane
Question:815. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health further to a response by the HSE to Parliamentary Question REPDR 25/01974, if a wider issue (details supplied) will also be rectified; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37434/25]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Primary Care Centres
Questions (816)
Claire Kerrane
Question:816. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health for an update on a new site for a primary care centre Ballaghaderreen, County Roscommon; to outline the next steps for the process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37440/25]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Medicinal Products
Questions (817)
Paul Lawless
Question:817. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of the drug "ryeqo" to treat endometriosis; if she will be willing to consider adding it to the list of reimbursable items for medical card holders; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37441/25]
View answerWritten answers
Under the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on the pricing and reimbursement of medicines and medical devices; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
Question No. 818 answered with Question No. 768.
Primary Care Centres
Questions (819)
Albert Dolan
Question:819. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Health for a status update on the planned primary care centre for Portumna; the steps being taken to expedite this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37464/25]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Healthcare Infrastructure Provision
Questions (820)
Albert Dolan
Question:820. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Health the plans in place for the St. Brigid's Psychiatric Hospital site in Ballinasloe, County Galway. [37465/25]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Ambulance Service
Questions (821)
Joe Cooney
Question:821. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Health to detail all requests for additional staffing for the National Ambulance Service since January 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37478/25]
View answerWritten answers
Requests for additional staffing for the National Ambulance Service (NAS) is a matter for the Health Service Executive (HSE). The HSE as part of their National Service Planning processes make requests for additional resources to my Department and all requests are considered in line with the annual estimates process.
This government is committed to continued investment in our National Ambulance Service (NAS), which has seen the annual financial allocation to the NAS grow by over 40% since 2022. This year's budget of €285 million includes €8 million in new service development funding for 180 new posts in the NAS, which will convert to a full year investment of €16 million in 2026. This additional funding is focussed on building further emergency frontline capacity, expanding alternative care pathways and further developing NAS specialist services including critical care retrieval.
Since January 2022, the total NAS staffing complement has grown by 20% to 2,455 whole time equivalents as of the end of April 2025. Around 85% of all NAS staff are employed in direct patient care roles.
As this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible, with any further information it may have in the matter.
Vaccination Programme
Questions (822, 823)
Colm Burke
Question:822. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health whether the commitment in the new National Sexual Health Strategy 2025-2035 to expand access to existing vaccination programmes in "private settings" includes pharmacy-based vaccination; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37479/25]
View answerColm Burke
Question:823. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health whether the commitment in the new National Sexual Health Strategy 2025-2035 to prioritise increased free access to current and future vaccines protecting sexual health will include implementing the NIAC recommendation to provide the HPV vaccine to unvaccinated women under 45 years old who have been treated for CIN lesions, ideally within 48 months of treatment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37480/25]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 822 and 823 together.
The immunisation programme in Ireland is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). The committee's recommendations are based on the prevalence of the relevant disease in Ireland and international best practice in relation to immunisation. It makes recommendations on vaccination policy to my Department.
The ages at which vaccines are recommended in the immunisation schedule are selected, where possible, in order to give each child the best possible protection against vaccine preventable diseases. The HPV vaccine is intended to be administered, if possible, before a person becomes exposed to HPV infection. The HPV vaccine is currently offered, free of charge, to boys and girls in first year of secondary school and is administered through the School Immunisation Programme. It is critical that the HPV vaccine is administered early and before any likely exposure to HPV. My Department will continue to be guided by NIAC's recommendations on any emerging evidence in this area.
The National Sexual Health Strategy, 2025-2035, and the National Sexual Health Action Plan, 2025-2028 commit to:
• Promoting the uptake of the HPV vaccine for young men and boys, as per the Programme for Government commitment;
• Prioritising increased free access to current and future vaccines protecting sexual health, through expanding existing programmes, increasing STI clinic capacity and through expanding free access in primary care, student health and private settings;
• Prioritising work to progress the development of the National Immunisation Information System (NIIS) that will enable uptake of mpox, HBV, HPV and other vaccinations to be measured systematically in key groups;
• Planning for similar equitable access and uptake monitoring for new vaccines, aligning with individual need and not the type of service attended;
• Considering the optimum strategic approach to emergency vaccination needs in the setting of new and emerging STIs, improving emergency response preparedness for vaccines;
• Supporting expanded vaccine uptake with targeted information campaigns.
The Strategy has just been launched; the first meeting of the Implementation Group was held on the 24th June. It is intended, as stated in the Strategy, to prioritise setting up the governance structures in the first instance, including topic specific sub-groups. Once this is completed, planning for individual actions, including those concerning delivery models for vaccination, will commence.
Question No. 823 answered with Question No. 822.
Civil Registration Service
Questions (824)
Aidan Farrelly
Question:824. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Health the steps that must be taken, and documentary evidence that must be provided, by a couple giving notification to marry to the civil registration services, where that notification is of a timeframe shorter than the standard three months due to the medically affirmed likelihood of a greatly shortened lifespan of one of the couple; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37482/25]
View answerWritten answers
This is a matter for Department of Social Protection and should be redirected to that Department.
Mental Health Services
Questions (825)
Joanna Byrne
Question:825. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the recent meeting with HSE regional health areas-regional executive officers and teams within mental health services for Louth, Meath and the midlands, with a focus on improvements to all aspects of youth mental health care; the areas identified for improvement from these meetings; the areas of positive delivery of services identified at these meetings; the initiatives to reduce CAMHS waiting lists identified; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37488/25]
View answerWritten answers
As the Deputy will be aware, I recently commenced a series of visits to all HSE Regional Health Areas to meet with the Regional Executive Officers and their staff to focus on improvements to all aspects of Youth Mental Health care, to identify areas where increased activity is needed, and also areas of innovative and positive service delivery.
I conveyed in my meeting with HSE Dublin and North East that reducing the waiting list for CAMHS is one of my main priorities as Minister for Mental Health. The Programme for Government makes several commitments relating to CAMHS, including a commitment to providing additional resources to reduce CAMHS waiting lists.
The HSE Dublin and North East region had 1,050 children waiting to be seen by CAMHS as of 31st May last, which represented 24% of the national waiting list for CAMHS. Of most concern to me was that 88 children in the HSE DNE region were waiting more than 18 months to be seen. In total, 216 children were waiting more than 12 months, and I strongly indicated that this was unacceptable to me, as Minister.
The HSE Dublin and North East Region has been allocated €720,000 in Waiting List Initiative funding for CAMHS for 2025. This funding is intended to reduce the waiting list by 300 cases. Following my visit however, I was concerned that this funding was not being targeted to the teams with the most challenging waiting lists, or to teams with children who were waiting longest. As Minister, it is important to me that when I secure additional resources for specific purposes that they are used to achieve the desired outcomes.
Furthermore, I was concerned about vacancies in CAMHS Louth/Meath, and also vacancies in CAMHS Dublin North City and Dublin North City West. I understand from my visit that there are historical challenges with recruitment in certain areas of the region. However, I asked the local HSE to prioritise the advertising and recruitment of these posts as a matter of urgency and to ensure that the proper systems are in place to fill routine vacancies in a timely manner in the future.
Arising from my visit, I subsequently wrote to the Regional Executive Officer in HSE Dublin and North East and asked her to ensure that:
• intensive support will be provided to the teams with the highest waiting lists to support them to eliminate waiting times more than 12 months.
• that ‘Wait List Initiative’ funding will be used to target the removal of children waiting the longest (i.e. more than 12 months).
• that CAMHS vacancies in the region will be prioritised for immediate recruitment, and that vacant/cover/backfill posts will be prioritised for CAMHS on an ongoing basis to avoid capacity issues contributing to wait list growth.
• that within 3 months of my visit no child or young person will be waiting longer than 18 months in any CAMHS team in the region.
• that within 6 months no child or young person will be waiting longer than 12 months in any CAMHS team.
• that the waiting list for children and young people for psychological interventions in primary care will be addressed as a priority to ensure timely access to interventions, and to reduce the pressure these wait times are having on the CAMHS service.
I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible on the operational service improvements planned or now underway for the HSE Dublin and North East area arising from my recent visit there.
In the broader context, I have adopted fundamentally the same approach on the visits I have undertaken to-date to other Regional Health Areas and this will continue for my visits to remaining RHAs over the near future. In addition, the Department of Health in conjunction with the HSE will continue to regularly monitor progress on the Mental Health component of the HSE Annual Service Plan 2025.