Written Answers Nos. 1099-1120
1100. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health the number of inspections, compliance notices, closure orders or enforcement actions issued by Food Safety Authority of Ireland and authorised officers in meat processing facilities over the past two years; the types of breaches detected; the follow-up actions taken in each category, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72331/25]
View answerThe Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has overall responsibility for the enforcement of food law in Ireland; therefore, as this is an operational matter, I have asked the FSAI to reply directly to the Deputy.
1101. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health the current waiting list for chronic pain services at Beaumont Hospital; the number of patients waiting more than four months; the number of patients aged over 65 years within those lists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72332/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1102. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health the additional resources and personnel that will be provided to D-Doc Services during the upcoming Christmas-New Year period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72333/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to reply to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
1103. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health if the named consultants on University Hospital Kerry’s website are those who are actually employed in UHK currently; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72355/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1104. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Health if she will extend the special scheme of paid leave for healthcare workers impacted by long Covid beyond 31 December 2025; if she will recognise long Covid as an occupational illness to qualify for occupational injury benefits; if she has met with healthcare workers unions in relation to this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72357/25]
View answerAfter a hearing in the Labor Court in June, it was recommended that a final extension of the current Special Scheme to the 31st of December 2025, at which point anyone remaining on the scheme should transition to the Public Service Sick Leave Scheme. Any employee of the public health sector remaining unwell beyond that date, may utilise the full provisions of the Public Service Sick Leave Scheme which will provide further support. Employees who did not qualify for the Special Scheme but are also impacted by Long-Covid may also utilise the supports of the sick leave scheme.
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.
While the EU Advisory Committee on Health and Safety recommended the recognition of COVID-19 (not long-COVID) as an occupational illness in health and social care settings, recognition of COVID-19 nationally as an occupational illness falls under the remit of the Minister for Social Protection. After reviewing the EU recommendation, the Minister for Social Protection found that COVID-19 did not meet the requirements to be recognised as an occupational illness in the context of the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme and the Social Welfare Consolidation Act.
1105. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health her plans to address overcrowding in the accident and emergency department at University Hospital Kerry (UHK); if the provision of a significant increase in the number of beds available in UHK will be expedited in order to address this longstanding issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72363/25]
View answerAs our health system faces into what is traditionally the most challenging periods of the year, I would like to assure the deputy that every measure is being taken to ensure that overcrowding is kept to a minimum in Kerry University Hospital and all our hospitals. The third iteration of the UEC Operational Plan is currently in operation and one of the 4 pillars of the plan is hospital avoidance. This focuses on supporting patients in settings other than the Emergency Department and avoiding the need for inpatient care.Amongst the initiatives involved in the plan are:
• Vaccine Preventable Illness, promote uptake of Influenza, Measles and COVID-19 vaccinations to improve compliance for all target groups including Healthcare Workers Specialist Care in the Community.
• Community Specialist Teams (CSTs) for Chronic Disease Management.
• GP Out of Hours Work with GP Out of Hours Services to maintain/increase GP OOH contacts and reduce the level of GP OOH referrals to EDs.
• NAS Care Pathways Maximise usage of existing NAS alternative care pathways.
• Injury Units to provide a 7-day service, 8am to 8pm including Bank Holidays.
In addition to these measures the HSE has made provisions to bolster GP services with the addition of 20,000 hours available through the GP Surgery Enhanced Service to target respiratory issues which will run from December 8th to February 15th inclusive.Mask wearing is just one of the measures we can all take to protect ourselves from infection this winter and lessen the pressures on our EDs. Individuals who wish to wear a mask should not be discouraged from doing so, in particular when disease incidence is high. Measures such as vaccinations, good hand hygiene and cough and sneeze etiquette are also important in preventing the spread of infections.
This winter COVID-19 and Flu Vaccines are available to eligible individuals by GPs and pharmacists.Expansion of community care and other measures to provide people the care they need outside of the ED can improve patient flow in acute hospitals by reducing unnecessary attendances and improving discharge supports such as home support and residential care. This will allow our ED resources to be better utilised, delivering care to those most urgently in need.
There has been a significant increase in investment in University Hospital Kerry since 2020. The budget for UHK has increased from €112 million in 2020 to almost €185 million in 2025, an increase of 67% over this period.The Department has also invested in staffing at the hospital. Staffing has increased by 31% (376) since the end of December 2020 (1,215) to end of October 2025 (1,591).University Hospital Kerry has 283 inpatient beds (Adult and Paediatric), including 19 critical care beds. Since 2020, 34 additional beds were delivered in UHK. The Acute Inpatient Bed Capacity Expansion Plan 2024 – 2031 aims to deliver an additional 4,367 acute inpatient beds nationally including an additional 108 beds for UHK. This will bring additional capacity at UHK to 142.
1106. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health her plans to reduce waiting times at the emergency department at University Hospital Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72364/25]
View answerI would like to assure the deputy that every measure is being taken reduce the waiting times in our Emergency Departments including University Hospital Kerry. We are making progress in reducing the number of patients on trolleys nationwide and intensive work is ongoing with the HSE in this regard. This reduction has been achieved despite a significant increase in the number of patients presenting to Emergency Departments, particularly in cohort of patients aged 75 years and older. There has been an improved performance with every iteration of the UEC Plan. The successes of 2025 was built on the UEC 2024-25 Plan. That plan has now been superseded by the UEC 2025-26 Plan, which will run until Q2 of 2026. Priority actions are set out under four operational pillars: Hospital avoidance, Emergency Department operations, In-hospital care delivery and Discharge management. The actions are focused on balancing system capacity and demand while optimising patient flow.
Amongst the initiatives involved in the plan are:
• Vaccine Preventable Illness: The HSE is promoting the uptake of Influenza, Measles and COVID-19 vaccinations to improve compliance for all target groups including Healthcare Workers Specialist Care in the Community.
• Community Specialist Teams (CSTs) for Chronic Disease Management to deliver 19,000 patient contacts each month. CSTs for Older Persons will deliver 11,750 patient contacts each month.
• NAS Care Pathways Maximize usage of existing NAS alternative care pathways.
• Injury Units to provide a 7-day service, 8am to 8pm including Bank Holidays.
• The operation of 10-bedded Virtual Wards in University Hospital Limerick (UHL) and in St Vincent's University Hospital (SVUH), scaling to 25 virtual beds for each site by year end to deliver 50 virtual beds in total.
• Providing additional and extended hours for senior decision makers and staff integration. In addition to this the HSE has made available a provision of an additional 40,000 hours for GP Enhanced Surgery Care and Out of Hour GP Care to alleviate the pressures on EDs during the busy winter period.
1107. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the number of staff vacancies at University Hospital Kerry, broken down by department and grade, in each of the years 2015 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72365/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1108. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the breakdown of current staffing in community nursing in each HSE region, by function and by grade; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72366/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1109. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the number of vacancies of RGNs in community nursing roles in each HSE region; the measures being taken to address this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72367/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1110. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health the considerations when providing a buggy for children with cerebral palsy; and if it is possible for parents to top-up the HSE contribution and purchase an alternative model. [72373/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1111. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Health the number of walk ins that have presented to the accident and emergency department of Naas General Hospital in each of the first 11 months of 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72401/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1112. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE psychologists based at Naas primary care centre in 2023, 2024 and to-date in 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72402/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1114. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health to provide a list of HSE funded organisations who provide pregnancy related counselling and/or post abortion counselling; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72436/25]
View answerAs the Deputy's question relates to a service issue, I have referred it to the HSE for direct response.
1115. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the current staffing complement and vacancy rate for each CAMHS team nationally, including psychiatry, psychology, social work, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, nursing and administrative support; and the number of posts approved but not yet filled. [72438/25]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
1116. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the number of operational CAMHS-ID teams; the current staffing of these teams; the number of children waiting for CAMHS-ID services; and the plan and timeline to fill all posts recommended under national policy. [72439/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
1117. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health for an update on the implementation of all recommendations of a report (details supplied), including clinical audits completed; numbers of children receiving re-evaluation; compensation payments made to date; and the measures in place to ensure no recurrence of the failings identified. [72440/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
1118. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the number of children currently waiting for primary care psychology, by CHO, in tabular form ; and the current funded staffing versus the recommended level. [72441/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the HSE to respond to the deputy as soon as possible.
1119. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the latest figures for adults on waiting lists for community mental health teams; primary care psychology; counselling in primary care (CIPC); other community therapeutic supports, by CHO including wait times, in tabular form. [72442/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
