Written Answers Nos. 2281-2304
2281. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Health the number of adults whose mental health treatment abroad was arranged by the State in the past 36 months, the settings and countries; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74934/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2282. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Health the number of adults whose disability-related care abroad was arranged by the State in the past 36 months, the settings and countries; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74935/25]
View answerI understand the Deputy may be referring to the EU Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS) and EU Cross Border Directive (CBD). As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2283. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Health the number of children whose mental health treatment abroad was arranged by the State in the past 36 months, the settings and countries; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74936/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
2284. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Health the number of children whose disability-related care abroad was arranged by the State in the past 36 months, the settings and countries; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74937/25]
View answerI understand the Deputy may be referring to the EU Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS) and EU Cross Border Directive (CBD). As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2285. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Health the way in which the State regulates and monitors the use of practices (details supplied) in relation to people other than in ‘approved centres’ under the Mental Health Act 2001; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74938/25]
View answer2286. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Health the way in which the State regulates and monitors the use of restrictive practices (details supplied) in residential settings other than ‘approved centres’ under the Mental Health Act 2001; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74939/25]
View answer2287. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Health the way in which the State regulates and monitors the use of restrictive practices (details supplied) in community mental health services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74940/25]
View answerUnder current legislation, the regulatory remit of the Mental Health Commission is limited to approved inpatient mental health centres. This includes reporting on compliance with Rules and Codes of Practice on the following restrictive practices – the use of mechanical means of bodily restraint, physical restraint and seclusion. The Mental Health Commission does not regulate community mental health services at present.
The Mental Health Bill 2024 will expand the regulatory function of the Mental Health Commission to include all community mental health residences and services, and include rules to govern the use of ‘pharmacological restraint’ in inpatient mental health services.
The regulation of all community mental health services has been a key priority of mine since I took office and I am keen to see the regulation of these services commenced as quickly as possible. Additional resources will be required to ensure that HSE services being regulated for the first time can meet the statutory requirements of the Mental Health Bill and any Regulations made thereunder. Resources will also be required to expand the number of Inspectors working in the Mental Health Commission to inspect the new range of services.
Regulation in any sector requires a robust legal framework. Certain types of services that will be regulated under the new Mental Health Bill are the first of their kind to be regulated in the State. Furthermore, community services include a broader range of service providers outside of the HSE, including more private and for-profit providers. The Mental Health Bill will place obligations on these service providers to meet new statutory requirements and will potentially require services to review their procedures, premises and other matters if found to be noncompliant. Considering this, it is vitally important that the Bill and any Regulations made thereunder create a regulatory system that is legally robust, fair and person-centred.
The Bill is currently at Committee Stage in the Seanad and I look forward to enacting the Bill in the coming weeks.
2288. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Health the way in which the State regulates and monitors the use of restrictive practices (details supplied) in older people’s non-residential care settings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74942/25]
View answerThe use of restrictive practices in designated centres for older people and for people with disabilities (as defined under the Health Act 2007) is regulated and monitored by HIQA, and in approved centres (as defined under the Mental Health Act 2001) by the Mental Health Commission.
In relation to non-residential care services, HIQA’s National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare provide the quality standards framework for all healthcare services provided by or on behalf of the HSE (excluding mental health) and private hospitals. The framework includes standards in relation to the protection of rights, respect and promotion of dignity, privacy and autonomy and protection of service users from abuse.
More broadly, the Government has recently progressed a number of important initiatives to enhance the regulatory framework for older persons health and social care services in relation to adult safeguarding and home support services.
As the Deputy will be aware, there is already a framework of standards, policies and procedures in place across the health and social care sector to safeguard adults at risk, including older people, from abuse and harm. This includes a National Safeguarding Office in the HSE, specialist Safeguarding and Protection Teams in each health region, designated Safeguarding Officers within services and specific regulatory requirements for residential care services which are inspected against by HIQA and the Mental Health Commission.
In order to further strengthen this framework, a new National Policy Framework for Adult Safeguarding in the Health and Social Care Sector was approved by Government and published on 9 December 2025, and is the first policy of its kind in Ireland. The policy framework will extend across all public, private and voluntary health and social care services. A range of both legislative and non-legislative measures are included to significantly expand and strengthen existing supports and protections for adults at risk of harm across the health and social care sector. Implementation structures as set out in the policy will now be established, and the Chief Social Worker in the HSE will lead the development of an implementation plan within 6 months.
In relation to home support services, the 2025 Programme for Government includes the commitment to “Design a Statutory Homecare Scheme to allow people to stay in their own home for as long as possible.” Work is ongoing within the Department to progress this commitment. A necessary pre-condition for any statutory scheme is to ensure that the sector is regulated. The Department is therefore developing a regulatory framework for all home support providers, including the Health (Amendment) (Home Support Providers) Bill 2025.
This Bill will introduce, for the first time, the registration and regulation by HIQA and the Chief Inspector of Social Services of all home support providers in Ireland – public, private and voluntary. The objective of the proposed registration system is to improve the safety and quality of home support services. It will ensure that registered home support providers do not operate below the standard set by Ministerial regulations. This will help to instil confidence in the public that the services provided are of a high standard and will bring Ireland in line with best international practice.
The Bill has been approved by Cabinet and is currently being scheduled for presentation in the Dáil. Amendments may be made to the proposals included in the published Bill following scrutiny by the Dáil and the Seanad. After the Bill has been enacted, the Department will work with HIQA, and in consultation with the sector, on the legal drafting of the secondary legislation (the regulations).
2289. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Health for a comprehensive list or categorisation of residential care services that are known or believed to be operating without the necessary registration as a ‘designated centre’ under the Health Act 2007; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74943/25]
View answerUnder the Health Act 2007 (as amended) the Health Information & Quality Authority is responsible for registering, inspecting, and monitoring these centres to ensure safe, high-quality care, promoting residents' rights, and driving continuous improvement by enforcing regulations and standards. Inspections of designated centres ensure that services meet the requirements set out by the Health Act 2007, regulations and national standards in order to be registered to operate.
HIQA has advised my Department that it is not aware of any services believed to be operating without the necessary registration as a ‘designated centre’ under the Health Act 2007. Designated centres which meet the definition of designated centre set out in the Health Act 2007, as amended, are registered by the Chief Inspector in line with the Health Act 2007, as amended.
Children in care who are placed in residential care may be placed in children’s residential care centres (CRCs) operated by Tusla (statutory CRCs) or CRCs run by the non-statutory or voluntary sector. Currently, there are two separate mechanisms in place to monitor these units – Tusla registers and monitors those run by the voluntary and non-statutory sector, while HIQA monitors those run by Tusla itself.
The Child and Family Agency (Tusla) also places children in special emergency arrangements – these can be rented premises, ‘Airbnb’ or hotels staffed by agency or Tusla employees by utilising Section 36 of the Child Care Act 1991. These arrangements are not regulated and do not come under the remit of the Chief Inspector or the Health Information and Quality Authority.
2290. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Health the mental health care services, older people’s care services, disability services, respite services, end-of-life services, and addiction treatment services that operate in the State, other than ‘approved centres’ under the Mental Health Act 2001 and ‘designated centres’ under the Health Act 2007; the mechanisms by which they are regulated, inspected and otherwise monitored, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74944/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
2291. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Health the home care and home support services and service providers that are intended to be regulated under forthcoming legislation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74945/25]
View answerThe Health (Amendment) (Home Support Providers) Bill 2025 has been approved by Cabinet and was published on December 22 2025. The Bill will introduce, for the first time, the registration and regulation by HIQA and the Chief Inspector of Social Services of all of public, private and voluntary home support providers in Ireland.
The objective of the proposed registration system is to improve the safety and quality of home support services. It will ensure that registered home support providers do not operate below the standard set by Ministerial regulations. The new system of regulation for home support providers will ensure that the public can be confident that the services provided are of a high standards and will bring Ireland in line with best international practice.
The Bill is currently being scheduled for presentation to the Oireachtas, with a view to enactment in early 2026. After the Bill has been enacted, the Department will continue to work with HIQA, and in consultation with the sector, on the legal drafting of the secondary legislation (the regulations).
Further details on what constitutes a home support service and a home support provider, as well as exemption to the requirement to register, are set out under Section 69B of the published Bill.
2292. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Health the extent to which alleged restrictive practices (details supplied) have arisen in complaints to the HSE’s adult Safeguarding and Protection teams, in the past 36 months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74946/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
2293. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health if she or the CEO of the HSE will meet with a person (details supplied). [74952/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2294. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the steps taken to hire a new consultant for the pain clinic in the Mater Hospital; the expected start date for the new consultant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74953/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2295. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the current wait time for a person to receive an appointment for the pain clinic in the Mater Hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74954/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have asked the HSE to respond to the deputy as soon as possible.
2296. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the average wait time for an appointment for the pain clinic in the Mater Hospital, by month, for 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74955/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2297. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health if the HSE will consider the purchase of a closed school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74962/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2298. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Health if an organisation (details supplied) is advising pharmacists participating in the free HRT scheme to investigate if their patients are transgender where they suspect the gender marker on their medical records differs from their sex assigned at birth; if so, by what means pharmacists are being advised to identify such cases and obtain this information; the legal basis for this requirement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74966/25]
View answerThe Health Insurance (Amendment) and Health (Provision of Menopause Products) Act 2024 states that where a woman has been prescribed a HRT product by her healthcare provider to alleviate the symptoms associated with all stages of menopause, the cost of the HRT medications or products will be met by the State.
This is reflected in Pharmacy Circular 008/25 whereby the arrangement applies to women at the various stages related to menopause and includes perimenopause, post menopause, early menopause, premature menopause and medically induced menopause. This circular is available at the following link: www.hse.ie/eng/staff/pcrs/circulars/pharmacy/pharmacy-circular-08-25-hrt-arrangements.pdf.
It is in the circumstances outlined in the legislation that HRT medications are reimbursed under HRT Arrangements. The HSE must operate the arrangement in line with the legislation.
In addition, it is the professional responsibility of community pharmacists to clinically access prescriptions.
2299. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health to urgently address a matter (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74980/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
2300. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health her views on a matter (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74986/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter I have requested the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
2301. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health her views on a matter (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74987/25]
View answerIt is a priority for me, and for Government, to ensure that children who need services can access them and access them on time. This is in line with our national mental health policy Sharing the Vision, our suicide reduction strategy Connecting for Life, and the HSE Annual Service Plans.
Year-on-year funding for mental health services increased from €1.3 billion in Budget 2024 to €1.5 billion in 2025, and to nearly €1.6 billion in 2026. For context, this is an annual increase in funding of over 5% this year, and funding since I took up this office has increased by over 51%.
CAMHS nationally receives over €180 million annually, with a further €127million provided to NGOs, many of which focus on youth mental health. Under Budget 2025, an additional €2.9 million supported CAMHS to increase core staffing, develop a new CAMHS Emergency Liaison Service and expand CAMHS Hubs to improve crisis cover for services.
Budget 2026 provided funding for new early intervention youth mental health services, funding to support a digital single point of access for youth mental health services, an additional specialist CAMHS eating disorders team, two new Mental Health of Intellectual Disabilities teams for children, and five new mental health Discovery Colleges for young people.
CAMHS nationally also initiated a targeted campaign to reduce waiting lists across all CAMHS teams following receipt of €3 million waiting list initiative funding in 2025, and this will continue in 2026.
CAMHS is a secondary care specialist service for those aged up to 18 years, who have a moderate to severe mental health difficulty. Access to CAMHS is on the basis of prioritised clinical assessment, in line with the CAMHS Operational Guidelines which are available on the HSE website. All referrals to CAMHS are assessed by a multidisciplinary team. Approximately 2% of the population require support from this specialist service with over 90% of mental health needs requiring treatment in a primary care setting.
I established the National Office for Child and Youth Mental Health in the HSE in 2023 to improve leadership and all aspects of care across youth mental health. The Office published its new Youth Mental Health Action Plan in February 2025. This ambitious plan for comprehensive reform across all youth mental health services, including the specialist CAMHS service, will deliver services which are safer, effective, easier to access and which offers appropriate support at all levels when needed.
The three-year Plan sets out a clear roadmap for the Department and HSE to ensure children and families have equitable and timely access to high-quality mental health care, including better links with Primary Care and Disability Services, and greater use of e-mental health responses. My aim is that services will be better connected and easier to navigate, with increased focus on the rights of young people and their families. The development of a Single Point of Access for all child and youth mental health referrals in partnership with disabilities, primary care, and voluntary and statutory agencies is a key priority within the new Action Plan.
I undertook last year 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. This includes improving access and reducing CAMHS waiting lists, particularly for those waiting over 12 months. I have stressed also, the importance of filling all approved posts for each CAMHS team to ensure the effective delivery of services.
There is a long standing and well established reporting and monitoring system between the Department and HSE Mental Health in relation to improving access to CAMHS and to reducing CAMHS waiting lists. This involves regular meetings, and also reviewing detailed data returns which will be enhanced in the future.
There continues to be growing demand for CAMHS with the number of referrals to community teams increasing from 17,436 in 2020 to 25,721 in 2024 (an increase of 8,285 or 48%). As of end November 2025, Community CAMHS accepted 15,257 referrals which is 10.8% more than the same period last year. Despite this increasing demand, the total number on the waiting list at the end of November was 4,375, which should be seen in the context of increasing referrals over recent years. Nationally this represents a decrease of 179 children on the CAMHS waiting list down from 4,554 at the end of April 2025. Significantly, the number of children waiting for over 12 months has also decreased since April 2025 when I began my tour of the six health regions, down from 763 to 590 at the end of November 2025.
Both I, and the Department of Health, await submission by the HSE of the Final Report in relation to the North Kerry CAMHS 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 this matter.
I understand that all file reviews have been completed, and that 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.
The timing of the submission of the final report is not a matter for the Department nor for me. However, all stakeholders are aware that I am keen to receive the report as soon as possible. Once the report has been received and reviewed, Government will be in a position to consider the next steps.
I will continue to work closely with the HSE Child and Youth Mental Health National Office to drive reform of CAMHS nationally and to ensure that services are safe, accessible, child-centered, and delivered to the highest of standards.
2302. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Health to consider aiding in the medical evacuation of a person from Gaza (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [75015/25]
View answerI can advise the Deputy that Ireland continues a strong tradition of providing humanitarian assistance, including through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Irish Aid humanitarian and development assistance programme and the HSE Global Health Programme.
In September 2024, a Government decision was made that Ireland would evacuate up to 30 paediatric patients from Gaza (under 17 years of age) and their carers out of Egypt, in response to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) request to activate the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) to assist in addressing the Gaza healthcare needs through medical evacuation.
In July 2025, the Government amended the scope of the Gaza Medevac Initiative to allow family members of paediatric patients—parents, minor siblings, or adult dependent siblings of the patient —to obtain visas and permission to enter the State. The Government also agreed to examine other options in addition to Egypt for evacuation of paediatric patients from Gaza.
Since September 2024, Ireland has evacuated 20 paediatric patients and 88 accompanying family members in evacuations from Egypt in December 2024, May and December 2025 and from Gaza via Jordan in October 2025.
Such medical evacuations are highly complex, and many factors are subject to challenging, shifting external circumstances. Considerable cooperation among a variety of international stakeholders is necessary to ensure safe and successful operations.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza has the primary role of selecting patients for overseas medical evacuation. In consultation with WHO and other partners, the Ministry for Health in Gaza follows a strict set of criteria for selecting patients to be evacuated.
Only paediatric patients are considered for the Irish Gaza Medevac Initiative. Paediatric patients are selected by the Health Service Executive (HSE) and Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) from the WHO medevac-approved list, strictly subject to treatment capacity in the HSE and CHI.
Once CHI has confirmed that the selection criteria are met, offers of medical evacuation are made. If accepted, relevant authorities work to secure all required documentation and permits to allow the patient and their family members to be evacuated. Plans are drawn up to carry out the complex medical evacuation in cooperation with key organisations on the ground and in Ireland.
This is the process that has been followed in all medical evacuations to date and which will inform all future medical evacuations carried out by Ireland under the Gaza Medevac Initiative. In addition, there are many elements of an evacuation that are not within the control of the WHO or the participating European countries.
While I am fully aware of the significant number of patients from Gaza requiring medical evacuation, it is not possible to consider direct requests or representations for inclusion of particular patients in future medevac operations. It is important for the integrity of the Gaza Medevac initiative that paediatric patient selection be made by the HSE and CHI in line with the agreed process.
My Department, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (DJHAM), the Irish Red Cross, the HSE, CHI and international organisations will continue to work closely to deliver on the Government's commitment of evacuating up to 30 paediatric patients from Gaza and their families.
2303. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health the current status of supply of estradot (estradiol transdermal) patches in the State; the duration and cause of any supply disruptions affecting this product in 2024 and 2025; the steps taken by her Department and the HSE to mitigate these shortages; and whether she will provide a timeline for full restoration of supply; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [75026/25]
View answerAs of 12th January, no current shortages have been notified to the HPRA for Estradot 50mcg / 24-hour transdermal patch, Estradot 75 micrograms / 24 hours transdermal patches, or Estradot 100mcg / 24-hour transdermal patch. All Estradot shortages have been recently resolved.
My Department is aware of the stress that shortages of medicines can cause for patients and healthcare professionals alike, therefore mitigating medicine shortages and strengthening security of supply is the subject of several workstreams in my Department, the wider health service and across Europe.
Unfortunately, medicine shortages are a feature of modern health systems worldwide. There are a multitude of reasons why a medicine may not be available including: shortages of raw materials; manufacturing difficulties; or product recalls due to potential quality issues.
In European law, pharmaceutical companies and wholesalers should ensure an appropriate and continuous supply of the medicines they market. Companies are required to notify the HPRA of medicines shortages or potential shortages impacting the Irish market. The HPRA maintains a list of current and resolved shortages on its website.
The HPRA, along with other health service entities, is actively monitoring the national supply, and the current status is that HRT medicines are generally available. The HPRA has engaged with relevant suppliers to understand the reasons for current reports and to examine opportunities for regulatory flexibilities to assist meeting current demand. There are a number of medicines authorised for use in Ireland as HRT for the treatment of symptoms of menopause.
There has been intermittent supply of some hormone replacement therapy (HRT) presentations over recent years, not just in Ireland but also in other countries, due to a significant increase in demand and manufacturing issues which are limiting the ability to meet this increased demand. Persistent product shortages across this therapeutic area (HRT) have been managed and continue to be managed via the national Medicines Shortages Framework (MSF), coordinated by the HPRA. The MSF involves a multi-stakeholder approach to handling shortages of human medicinal products, and the HPRA engages with all such stakeholders, in all cases where it is required to, until such a time it is established that there is sufficient supply of medicinal products to meet the demand and continuity of care.
2304. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health if she will review the current dispensing arrangements under the free HRT scheme which limit hormone replacement therapy to one month’s supply at a time; the rationale for this restriction; the impact it has had on continuity of care during ongoing supply disruptions, including for estradot patches; if consideration has been given to allowing multi-month dispensing where clinically appropriate and where supply permits; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [75027/25]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
