Written Answers Nos. 1075-1098
1075. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in commencing construction of the new ten-bed rehabilitative residential unit in Midleton to replace the Owenacurra facility; the updated timeline for completion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72266/25]
View answerAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.
1076. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if community mental health teams in the HSE Southwest are currently accepting more new cases than they are discharging; the actions which are being taken to address capacity pressures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72267/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
1077. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health if it is HSE policy that pharmacists participating in the free HRT scheme must ascertain a patient's sex assigned at birth when they suspect this differs from their gender marker in medical records; if so, the legal and medical basis for this requirement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72271/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1078. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health the reason a decision was made to remove a full care package from a child (details supplied), if the full care package can be reinstated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72273/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
1080. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health if she will ensure the surgical hub, planned for Letterkenny University Hospital will be a standalone hub with no direct connection to the rest of the hospital, as is the case with all other surgical hubs across the State, so as to ensure that no surgical procedures are cancelled due to a lack of beds in the hospital. [72280/25]
View answerI have asked the HSE, as sponsoring agency with day-to-day responsibility for the delivery of the surgical hubs to respond to you directly in relation to the matters raised.
1081. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the way in which she plans to ensure that there is a sustainable pipeline of surgeons from the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland to Model 3 hospitals across the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72281/25]
View answerThe report ‘Surgery Medical Workforce in Ireland 2024-2038: An expert stakeholder informed review’ (HSE, 2024) outlines stakeholder informed recommendations on the future demand for consultants across 10 specialties of surgery. These recommendations are considered at a regional level and therefore take account of the regional requirements to include Model 3 and Model 4 hospitals and specialist hospitals.
Recommendations regarding the required annual higher specialist training intake numbers to meet consultant demand are also outlined in this report. Training programmes are delivered through the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). Stakeholders involved in the development of the recommendations include clinical and training leads from the National Clinical Programme in Surgery, the National Clinical Programme for Trauma and Orthopaedics, and the RCSI.
In consultation with the HSE, the RCSI is implementing a planned expansion of core training (Basic Surgical Training - BST) and higher surgical training (HST) numbers to ensure a sustainable national pipeline of surgeons. The annual intake to BST has increased from 60 in 2020 to 100 in 2025, representing a 65% increase over this period. The intake to HST across the ten surgical specialties has also grown by almost 32%, from 44 in 2020 to 58 in 2025.
Model 3 hospitals are a core and planned component of the surgical training pathway with structured rotations across Model 3 and Model 4 hospitals ensuring sustained exposure and experience. In parallel, the planned expansion of core and higher surgical training numbers from 2025 onwards is designed, in consultation with HSE NDTP, to deliver a sustainable national pipeline of surgeons to meet future workforce needs, including for Model 3 hospitals.
1082. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health to support an organisation (details supplied) in their ongoing campaign to ensure that spinal muscular atrophy is implemented without delay in the newborn screening programme. [72285/25]
View answerAs Minister for Health, I am determined to support our screening programmes, which are a valuable part of our health service, enabling early treatment and care for many people, and improving the overall health of our population.
Currently, all babies (between 3 and 5 days old) are offered newborn bloodspot screening (generally known as the ‘heel prick’ test), which tests for nine rare but serious conditions that are treatable if detected early in life. The Programme for Government commits to continually reviewing the number of conditions babies are screened for.
Incremental progress continues to be made on the expansion of the National Newborn Bloodspot Screening Programme (NNBSP). In 2023, two recommendations from the National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC) on the addition of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) to the NNBSP were approved.
In Budget 2024, an additional €1.4 million of new development funding was provided to support the SMA/SCID implementation process. Once both conditions have been fully implemented, the number of conditions screened for in Ireland will increase to 11.
In terms of the current implementation status, the HSE has advised that the equipment needed to enable the roll-out testing for SMA and SCID has been purchased, delivered and successfully installed at the newborn screening laboratory and significant progress continues with regards to the laboratory verification process. The recruitment process to hire the additional staff required to support the expansion of the NNBSP has been completed and work continues on developing screening pathways for both conditions.
In relation to concerns raised around the length of the implementation process, it should be emphasised that Ireland is not taking longer than other comparable countries to assess and implement additions to the NNBSP.
The Health Council of the Netherlands first recommended screening for SMA in 2019 and implementation was completed three years later in October 2022. In the United States of America, it took six years to fully implement SMA screening after it was added to the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP) in 2018. In the United Kingdom, screening for SCID and SMA have been under consideration by the UK National Screening Committee since 2017 and 2018 respectively.
Nevertheless, I am acutely aware of how difficult it is for parents, families and children who have received a diagnosis of a rare disease, and how challenging daily life can be for them.
This is why I remain committed to the further expansion of screening in Ireland in accordance with internationally accepted criteria and best practice.
1083. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the national datasets her Department is required to hold for governance, planning and oversight of all services funded under the Health Vote; to identify the datasets that are not currently in place; and to set out the timeline to establish full national data coverage across the system. [72291/25]
View answerThe HSE submits reports to the Minister and Department outlining progress against the objectives of its Corporate Plan, National Service Plan and key healthcare reforms. Data on performance against NSP objectives and targets and key reform actions is reported through the Management Data Report and National Performance Report, both of which are published each month: www.hse.ie/eng/services/publications/performancereports/
The HSE is continuing to add to the performance data it publishes, and the HSE and Department are continuously working together to identify data gaps and reporting needs. A Data Systems Working Group was established in 2024 between the HSE and Department to service requests for information, in the form of data, to the HSE from the Minister for Health. This group ensures that data are transferred to the Department of Health in accordance with all relevant data protection law.
1084. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the governance framework used by her Department to obtain assurance that the HSE and all section 38 and 39 providers comply with national standards on governance, audit and risk; the date of the last full assurance review; and the actions her Department takes when risks are escalated. [72292/25]
View answerI thank the Deputy for his query. As the Deputy is aware my Department operates to high standards of professionalism and effectiveness when dealing with the HSE. Under the Health Act 2004, the HSE has primary responsibility for funding the Section 38 & Section 39 bodies for the provision of health and social care services on it’s behalf. As a result, primary oversight responsibility for the non-statutory bodies is with the HSE and this includes dealing with issues relevant to the delivery of healthcare services as they arise.
In accordance with section 38, Health Act 2004, the HSE may enter into a service arrangement with a body for the provision of a health or personal social service on behalf of the HSE. These organisations receive the majority of their funding from the HSE, sourced from government allocations under the national health budget, and employees are classified as public servants.
Bodies funded under Section 39, Health Act 2004, are independently operated, grant funded bodies that provide a service similar or ancillary to a service that the HSE may provide and the employees of such bodies are not public servants.
My Department has Governance oversight of HSE, while the HSE has governance oversight of the S38 and S39 bodies. The HSE has a formal national governance framework within which such funding relationships are managed. As part of this governance framework, the HSE requires all grant-aided non-statutory agencies to submit their annual audited accounts to it. It is the responsibility of HSE to escalate issues regarding S38 and S39 bodies to the Department in the first instance with relevant Units in the Department assisting depending on the issue(s) involved.
The Minister for Health appoints Board Members for six S38 bodies, these are Beaumont Hospital Dublin, St. James’s Hospital Dublin, Tallaght University Hospital, the Dublin Dental Hospital, Leopardstown Park Hospital, and Children’s Health Ireland (CHI). All other S38 and S39 bodies are non-statutory or private bodies that provide health and social care services to the HSE.
My Department, in conjunction with the Board of the HSE, conducts a quarterly high-level meeting which involves the CEO of the HSE, the Chair of the HSE Board, the Secretary General of the Department of Health and the Minister for Health (myself). Issues arising from the HSE Statement of Internal Control (SIC) are a standing agenda item for these meetings. The HSE arrangements for governance of voluntary hospitals is not specifically included on the SIC and may arise in the broader context of consideration of issues with potential to impact service delivery.
In addition to the quarterly Ministerial meeting, my Department also holds a quarterly risk management meeting with the HSE Chief Risk Officer and the HSE Enterprise Risk Management team to enhance governance and oversight of risk management.
Overall, by using these governance, audit and risk standards, my Department ensures that top level management in the HSE and the HSE Board are held accountable in managing the delivery of healthcare services.
1085. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the national KPIs approved by her Department for monitoring recruitment activity, vacancy levels, clearance timelines and delivery of development posts; and the date on which full KPI reporting will be operational across all HSE regions. [72293/25]
View answerI have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.
1086. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the controls her Department uses to oversee the €23 billion staffing and pay envelope in the absence of granular national vacancy and pay data; and the measures she intends to introduce to strengthen national visibility and performance monitoring. [72294/25]
View answerThe HSE provide the Department of Health with a range of reports detailing staffing levels and associated pay costs across the HSE. These reports include the HSE’s monthly staff census, monthly Report detailing HSE recruitment against agreed recruitment levels, the monthly pay data by category of pay cost and site, and regular responses to ad-hoc data requests.
These reports facilitate in depth analysis of actual staff growth and pay costs incurred against the HSE’s ~€12 billion Department of Health funded pay budget.
To facilitate additional analysis of actual staffing pattern within the HSE, Department officials are currently engaging with HSE colleagues in the development of reports that will detail the progress of offers of employment through the HSE’s recruitment process.
Long-term, the completion of the roll-out of the National integrated Staff Records and Pay (NiSRP) system across the whole of the HSE will be a significant development in the provision of real time staff information on staffing levels and pay across the HSE. It is excepted that this will support an even greater understanding of the HSE’s actual staffing growth and pay costs.
1087. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the governance structure approved by her Department for oversight of delayed transfers of care linked to housing or home support gaps; the reporting duties placed on the HSE; and the dates and findings of the most recent Departmental reviews. [72295/25]
View answerThe HSE Urgent and Emergency Care Plan Operational Plan 2025-2026 (UEC Plan) presents a comprehensive framework designed to promote collaboration and integration across the healthcare system. Central to this plan are the national priorities and actions, which are divided into two categories:
National Priorities• : Universal actions and priorities, focused on achieving operational excellence, optimising resources, and reducing delayed transfers of care (DTOC) nationally.
Operational Actions: • Specific and detailed actions designed to support and enable regions in meeting UEC KPI targets.
The delivery of UEC Plan is being measured against the following four KPIs:
Trolleys• : The Average Monthly Trolley Count at 8am 280
DTOC• : Total number of Delayed Transfers of Care (DTOC) 300
24hr PET• ( 75 Years) < 24hrs; 99%
24hr PET • (All Attendees) <24hrs; 97%
Delayed Transfers of Care are categorised as follows:
• Type A Home Support Service: awaiting access to home support services.
• Type B Residential Care Support: awaiting access to residential care support.
• Type C Access to Rehabilitation: awaiting access to rehabilitation services.
• Type D Complex Clinical Need: patient with complex clinical needs awaiting access to specific services
• Type E Homelessness/Housing Support/Adjustment: homeless patient, patient requiring home adaptions or patient awaiting access to Supported Living / housing with care.
• Type F Legal Complexity/Ward of Court: patient is a refugee or asylum seeker and needs specific placement or there is a legal complexity associated with the patient, or they are a Ward of Court.
• Type G Non-compliance/Cooperation with Process: patient/family refusing to co-operate with care detailed in discharge plan or with NHSS process. Homeless patient refusing to leave the hospital.
The UEC Plan sets out the integrated governance and oversight framework for UEC which fully aligns to the HSE’s formal governance structure (IHA, Region, CEO, Board, Minster). This framework aims to enhance accountability, streamline decision-making, and ensure that UEC activities progress effectively while meeting KPI performance targets. DTOC are reported and monitored daily as part of the UEC Governance and Oversight Framework.
Progress on UEC activity and performance is reported according to the agreed schedule as follows:
• Daily UEC situational analysis reports to the UEC Oversight Group and the DoH, covering acute ED demand, and general acute and critical care bed demand and availability.
• UEC reports providing updates on UEC Plan actions and comparisons of current activity and performance to previous weeks and years at both national and site levels.
• The Monthly National Performance Report (NPR) and Regional Performance Reports (RPRs) providing updates on regional performance, including performance against regional UEC targets to the SLT, CEO, Board and Health Minister.
• Quarterly Red, Amber, Green (RAG) reports submitted by the Health Regions to the National HSE UEC Oversight Group, providing status updates on the implementation of national priorities and 2025 operational actions.
• The Management Data Report (MDR) from the HSE reports on activity, including DTOC, with respect to the National Service Plan.
1088. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the reason her Department has not produced a national financial impact assessment of delayed transfers of care arising from housing shortages; and the date by which she will introduce regular cost reporting for this cohort. [72296/25]
View answerThis a matter for the Department of Housing and should be redirected to that Department.
1089. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the governance and policy framework approved by her Department for gender identity services for children and young people; the date of the most recent review; and the steps being taken to ensure full compliance with national safeguarding and clinical governance standards. [72297/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1090. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the national datasets her Department requires for planning and oversight of gender identity services for minors, including referral numbers and diagnostic profiles; the datasets that are not yet in place; and the timeline for establishing a national dataset that meets evidence-based standards. [72298/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1091. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health her Department’s policy on evaluating international clinical guidance before alignment with national frameworks; the assessments carried out on WPATH Standards between 2018 and 2023; and the timeline for completing a formal review of these standards in light of the Cass Review. [72299/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1092. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Health the amount spent by the HSE on acquiring the shingles vaccine in 2023, 2024 and 2025; the number of people administered the shingles vaccine by county in 2023, 2024 and 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72313/25]
View answerAs this is an operational matter for the HSE, I have referred the question to the HSE for a direct reply.
1093. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has carried out any clinical or economic evaluation of post-loss mental health follow-up in primary care, including the estimated cost of introducing a standardised pathway and the projected costs to the Exchequer arising from untreated trauma or extended work absence; and if she will publish any findings or methodologies used. [72314/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
1094. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the status of work to establish a national data-collection framework for pregnancy-loss outcomes, including counselling access, waiting times, and follow-up; the governance structure responsible for delivery; and the expected timeline for the first dataset. [72315/25]
View answerAs the National Women and Infants Health Programme leads on the management, organisation and delivery of maternity, gynaecological and neonatal services, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1095. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the national reporting requirements for waiting times in addiction services; the reason no national dataset currently exists; and the timeline for introducing full national reporting of assessment and treatment waiting times. [72319/25]
View answerAs the issue of waiting times is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly.
To support the strategic approach to the regional planning of drug services, the Dept is completing an audit of drug services. Phase 1 of the audit was the development of an interactive map to facilitate access to publicly funded drug treatment and family support services (www.drugsandalcohol.ie/services_map). Phase 2 of the audit is identify and rank needs, using a variety of data sources and research. This includes the latest available data from the CSO, NDTRS and the HRB, surveys, commissioned reports/research and evaluation studies.
1097. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health when a person in long-term care will receive an appointment for dental treatment (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72324/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
1098. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Health her plans to bring forward amendments to the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023 to explicitly include nicotine pouches within its scope; whether all relevant provisions of the Act will apply to such products; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72325/25]
View answer1099. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Health the specific regulatory measures she is preparing in relation to nicotine pouches as part of the forthcoming Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) (Amendment) Bill 2025; including any proposed restrictions, controls, or enforcement mechanisms; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72326/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1098 and 1099 together.
On the 18th of November 2025 the Government approved the addition of measures to the draft Public Heath (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) (Amendment) Bill to regulate all non-medicinal nicotine products, such as pouches. These measures are a minimum legal age of sale, restrictions on point of sale display and a prohibition on advertising in retail outlets. These measures are currently being drafted with the Office of the Attorney General. Nicotine pouches are not currently subject to regulation under European Union tobacco control legislation. A harmonised EU-wide framework for regulating novel nicotine products would be more effective than individual Member State action, as it prevents regulatory circumvention through cross-border purchases. In this context and representing the views of Ireland and several other Member States, I have urged the European Commission to introduce new legislation at the earliest opportunity. Furthermore, I also have advocated for the inclusion of all novel nicotine products - such as nicotine pouches - within the scope of this proposal. I have also called for a prohibition on cross-border distance sales to ensure the integrity of national regulatory measures.
