Written Answers Nos. 503-523
503. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total value of funded posts that remained unfilled in 2024 in CHO4, by month; and the value of any associated salary allocation that was not used for pay expenditure within CHO4. [68819/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter we have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.
504. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the number of people in County Donegal currently on audiology waiting lists broken down by adults and children, in tabular form; the length of time they have been waiting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68852/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
505. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the number of vacancies that exist within audiology services in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68853/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
506. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the status of the new primary care centre in Dungloe, County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68854/25]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive (HSE) holds responsibility for the provision, along with the maintenance and operation of Primary Care Centres, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
507. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if she will instruct her Department to provide more resources and staff to CDNT8 (details supplied). [68859/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter we have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.
508. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if patients who are seated in chairs in emergency departments for extended periods such as for more than six-hours are included in the official trolley numbers published by the Health Service Executive; if not , if she will consider introducing a more comprehensive reporting system that records all patients awaiting an inpatient bed including those who are seated or accommodated in inappropriate spaces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68869/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
509. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if she will provide updated information on the plans of the HSE for the new primary healthcare centre proposed for an area (details supplied), including the expected timeline for delivery, the services to be delivered there, and any capital or staffing allocations made to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68870/25]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive (HSE) holds responsibility for the provision, along with the maintenance and operation of Primary Care Centres, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
511. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health her plans to expedite the delivery and full opening of the Killarney Community Nursing Home of 130 beds; the penalties which are in place for late delivery; the legal obstacles which remain to be surmounted; the person or body responsible to ensure its delivery; the person or body accountable for the debacle of 'have beds, can't open, (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68892/25]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to you in relation to this matter.
512. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health to urgently publish the overdue north Kerry CAMHS lookback review (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68895/25]
View answerBoth I, and the Department of Health, await submission by the HSE of the Final Report by Dr. Halpin in relation to the North Kerry Lookback Review.
I am closely monitoring developments on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in North Kerry, including the timeline for the completion of the Lookback Review. The HSE has indicated that the Review will be made available as soon as possible, acknowledging that necessary due diligence and related processes must be adhered to in the finalisation of the Review. The HSE has confirmed that it will expedite this as much as possible.
I understand that all file reviews have now been completed, and all children, young people and their families have been communicated with directly in relation to the outcome of their file review. My main concern throughout this process has been to ensure that children, young people and their families are communicated with directly in advance of the publication of the Lookback Review.
I will continue to work closely with the HSE Child and Youth Mental Health National Office to drive reform of CAMHS nationally, to ensure that this key specialist service which benefits so many young people and their families each year is safe, accessible, child-centered, and delivered to the highest of standards.515
513. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the approved whole-time equivalent staffing levels for Arbour House, St Finbarr’s Hospital, for each year 2023, 2024 and 2025, broken down by role, and the number of posts that remain unfilled in each year. [68907/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
514. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the average number of service users assigned to each addiction counsellor in Arbour House in each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025. [68908/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
515. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of service users waiting for an initial assessment in Arbour House who have been waiting more than 12 weeks, more than 24 weeks and more than 36 weeks. [68909/25]
View answer527. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the current waiting-list management protocol for service users awaiting initial assessment in Arbour House; and the date on which her Department last reviewed performance against national timelines for addiction services. [68921/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 515 and 527 together.
My department does not collect data in relation to waiting times from individual addiction providers. As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
516. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of approved 2024 HSE development posts that are currently filled by temporary staff and by agency staff, broken down by staff grade, and the reasons these figures were not included in the HSE’s reply to Parliamentary Question 59635/25. [68910/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
517. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the average length of time taken for an applicant for a 2024 HSE development post to complete the clearance process before being placed on payroll, the number of applicants currently in clearance for more than 3 months, 6 months and 12 months, and the operational reasons for these delays. [68911/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
518. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the impact of the 2024–2025 HSE employment control measures on the staffing targets approved for 2024, the number of posts for which recruitment was paused or deferred as a result, and the expected timeline to lift remaining restrictions in order to fill all outstanding development posts. [68912/25]
View answerIn July 2024 a tripartite agreement on an upper limit for Department of Health funded HSE staffing numbers was reached between the Department of Health, the HSE and the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service reform and Digitalisation.
The agreed ceiling was 129,752 Whole Time Equivalents (WTE) and was arrived at by combining the number of WTE in place at the end of December 2023 with total WTE required for new initiatives included in the 2024 Budget settlement.
The agreement also removed the recruitment embargo that was in place at the time. Currently, there are no restrictions on recruitment other than the obligations to stay within WTE and funding limits.
519. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the performance targets set by her Department for the HSE regarding recruitment timelines for both replacement vacancies and newly funded service development posts, the monthly metrics used to monitor progress toward these targets, the current national performance against each target, and the expected timeframe to eliminate the reported gap of 6,852 funded WTE posts as of September 2025. [68913/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
520. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has conducted any central review of the number of non-medical circumcisions undertaken in public hospitals in each of the years 2020 to 2025, whether the HSE has provided annual activity reports on this category of elective procedures, and if so when these reports were received. [68914/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
521. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health when her Department last received from the HSE a cost-impact analysis for elective procedures without medical indication, including non-medical circumcision, identifying total annual theatre time allocated to such procedures and the effect on paediatric surgery waiting lists. [68915/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
522. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether a governance framework exists within her Department requiring clinical audit of elective procedures performed without medical indication; if so, what audit standards apply; and how compliance is monitored. [68916/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
523. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the statutory or policy basis on which elective procedures without medical indication are authorised within the public hospital system; and if any legal advice has been sought on the permissibility of allocating public resources for such procedures. [68917/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
