Departmental Consultations

Tuesday, 13 January 2026

Questions (2147)

Sorca Clarke

Question:

2147. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health whether standards or service-level targets exist for her Department or bodies under the aegis of her Department, in responding to correspondence from members of local authorities; if compliance with such standards is monitored; the reasons for delays or failures to respond to correspondence from elected members; and the measures being taken to ensure more consistent and timely communication going forward. [74256/25]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Health

The Department receives a large amount of correspondence on a wide variety of topics throughout the year, including from members of the public, TDs and local authorities.

The Department has developed a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to provide guidance on the process of responding to ministerial correspondence, including desired timeframes. The number of representations received and the response times are regularly monitored and reviewed, to support planning and compliance with self-imposed targets.

I have asked the HSE to respond directly. Details for other bodies under the aegis of my Department are operational matters for the bodies concerned and the Deputy should contact the relevant Director/CEO/Registrar directly.