David Cullinane
Question:345. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the reason pluvicto was not approved for reimbursement but luthathera received approval; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10724/26]
View answerMedicinal Products
Questions (345)
Written answers
Under the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on the pricing and reimbursement of medicines and medical devices; therefore, the matter has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
Health Services Staff
Questions (346)
David Cullinane
Question:346. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of sanctioned pathologist posts at University Hospital Waterford; the number of vacant posts; the details of recruitment timelines for unfilled posts; the details of staffing levels and additional posts sought in each of the years since 2020 to-date in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10725/26]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Hospital Services
Questions (347)
David Cullinane
Question:347. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health her plans to restore full operational capacity of pathology at University Hospital Waterford (UHW); if she or the HSE or UHW has been engaged by the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration regarding the inability of UHW to provide post-mortems for coroner inquests. [10726/26]
View answerWritten answers
As the Deputy will be aware, the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has responsibility for coroners' legislation and policy, and is actively engaging with all relevant stakeholders, including my Department and the HSE, on this matter.
Since 2 January 2026 coronial post-mortems have been provided by locum consultants recruited by the Department of Justice, using the available facilities and auxiliary staff of University Hospital Waterford.
The Department of Justice has advised my Department that the service will be provided on a three day per week schedule.
Historically, the Health Service has assisted in the provision of coronial post-mortem services, on a “grace and favour” basis. While Consultant Pathologists are employed by the HSE, coronial post-mortems are carried out independently for the justice sector.
Increasingly the “grace and favour” model is not working. Hospitals are withdrawing from the provision of coronial post-mortem examinations.
The reasons for these withdrawals are diverse and complex. They include a shortage of consultant pathologists willing to undertake this work and increasing diagnostic workloads.
It continues to be the case that consented (i.e. non-coronial) post-mortem examinations will be provided for the Health Service by pathologists at UHW.
My Department and the HSE will continue to engage constructively with the Department of Justice to support a long-term resolution to this issue. All stakeholders remain committed to ensuring the continuity, quality and efficiency of coroner directed post-mortem services.
Departmental Data
Questions (348)
David Cullinane
Question:348. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the data collected by her Department and the HSE relating to primary medical certificates. [10727/26]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Health Services
Questions (349)
Niamh Smyth
Question:349. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health for an update on a case (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10736/26]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Departmental Strategies
Questions (350)
Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh
Question:350. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Health if she will embed an action plan to end preventable baby deaths in the next National Maternity Strategy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10777/26]
View answerWritten answers
The National Maternity Strategy 2016-2026 is in its final year. The continued improvement of our maternity services is a priority for this Government, as outlined across a number of Programme for Government commitments, including to develop a successor to the current Strategy.
Reducing preventable perinatal and neonatal deaths is a core priority of this work. Significant progress has been made in improving maternity and neonatal outcomes, supported by a programme of training, research, audit, and development and review of clinical guidelines through the National Maternity Strategy. A full assessment of the delivery of the National Maternity Strategy 2016-2026 will form a key part of the considerations for the successor, as outlined in the Programme for Government. Further work is being undertaken by the Department and the HSE in 2026 to collate an evidence base from which this successor will draw. This includes learnings from the recently published National Maternity Experience Survey 2025, where over 3,300 women participated to ensure that women’s voices and experiences continue to be at the centre of maternity policy. This planned approach will assess the achievement of the current Strategy and identify the direction of the successor in order to adapt and deliver measurable improvements for women and infants in our maternity services.
Health Services Staff
Questions (351)
Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh
Question:351. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Health if she will sanction an implementation lead to support clinical guideline adherence in maternity units across the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10778/26]
View answerWritten answers
Responsibility for the operational delivery, governance, and reporting of maternity services rests with the HSE, supported by established clinical audit, regulatory, and inspection frameworks, including those overseen by HIQA and the National Women and Infants Health Programme. These bodies have ongoing roles in monitoring safety outcomes and data quality across maternity units. As 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.
Departmental Data
Questions (352)
Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh
Question:352. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Health if she will consider collecting routine data on first and second trimester miscarriages; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10779/26]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Suicide Incidence
Questions (353)
Darren O'Rourke
Question:353. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health the male suicide rate across the State, by age, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10786/26]
View answerWritten answers
The Department of Health is not responsible for the publication of statistics on the number of suicides in the State. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) publishes Vital Statistics for the Minister for Social Protection in accordance with the provisions of Section 2 of the Vital Statistics and Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act, 1952 and Government Order SI 831 of 2007. Vital Statistics include statistics on deaths by cause of death.
Data on deaths by date of occurrence is published by the CSO in the Vital Statistics Annual Report where all figures are classified by year of occurrence i.e. the year in which the death occurred (available at [https://www.cso.ie/en/statistics/birthsdeathsandmarriages/vitalstatisticsannualreport/]). Information on deaths is only available for deaths which have been registered with the General Registers Office (GRO). Deaths not registered with the GRO during the year of occurrence or the subsequent 22 months are not available for the Vital Statistics Annual Report.
All deaths attributable to external causes are referred to the Coroner. Investigations can take a protracted length of time to complete. As such, these deaths are registered after the standard three-month time period, and can be later than the 22-month deadline for CSO Vital Statistics annual report publications.
As deaths due to external causes are reported to the Coroner's Office, the number of deaths reported for these causes for any given period will likely underrepresent the number of deaths which have occurred due to suicide, accidents or other external causes of mortality. Given the impact of late registrations, the CSO introduced a range of additional tables for ‘Revised Deaths Occurring’ to take account of late registered deaths.
The CSO publish a dedicated annual release on Suicide Statistics (available at [https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-ss/suicidestatistics2022/]). The latest release was published in November 2025 for deaths occurring in 2022. In that release, the CSO reported that the crude suicide rate for 100,000 of the population was 9.6 overall, with it being 15.2 for males and 4.2 for females. Please find below a table of the crude suicide rate (per 100,000 population) for males, females and all persons by age group for 2022.
Table 1 Crude suicide death rates by sex and age group, 20221
|
Age Group |
All |
Male |
Female |
|
All ages |
9.6 |
15.2 |
4.2 |
|
10 - 14 years |
1.1 |
1.6 |
0.5 |
|
15 - 19 years |
7.7 |
12.7 |
2.4 |
|
20 - 24 years |
9.6 |
16.5 |
2.6 |
|
25 - 29 years |
13.7 |
22.8 |
4.7 |
|
30 - 34 years |
11.7 |
18.6 |
5.2 |
|
35 - 39 years |
13.5 |
21.7 |
6.0 |
|
40 - 44 years |
15.2 |
21.8 |
8.9 |
|
45 - 49 years |
13.0 |
20.4 |
5.8 |
|
50 - 54 years |
13.1 |
21.6 |
4.7 |
|
55 - 59 years |
14.5 |
22.2 |
7.0 |
|
60 - 64 years |
12.0 |
16.2 |
7.9 |
|
65 - 69 years |
9.6 |
16.0 |
3.3 |
|
70 - 74 years |
14.7 |
25.0 |
4.8 |
|
75 - 79 years |
7.7 |
12.1 |
3.7 |
|
80 - 84 years |
5.2 |
9.1 |
1.9 |
|
85 years and over |
3.6 |
6.3 |
1.9 |
Age-groups where no deaths occurred due to suicide have been omitted from this table
Source: CSO, Suicide Statistics 2022, Table 1 https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-ss/suicidestatistics2022/
The CSO-Suicide Mortality Statistics Liaison Group (see https://www.cso.ie/en/aboutus/lgdp/cgt/ocg/csogroups/smslg/) works with a range of stakeholders, including the Department of Health, to improve the quality and timeliness of suicide statistics and their dissemination.
Connecting for Life (CfL), Ireland’s national suicide reduction strategy, which came to an end in 2024, has guided suicide reduction efforts for the last decade. Reducing deaths by suicide is a very complex task, but evidence and experience internationally shows that measurable improvements in suicide prevention can be achieved through effective cross-governmental work. Connecting for Life adopted this approach and suicide reduction initiatives have been advanced in many areas, including health, local government, justice, media, and agriculture.
Work to develop a successor suicide reduction strategy is well advanced. Connecting for Life has been formally evaluated, and the Department of Health has run a public consultation survey, which received approximately 1,900 submissions, and held 7 in-person consultation sessions. The significant response by the public to this consultation demonstrates the strength of feeling to reducing lives lost to suicide in our country. The voices of those with lived experience will be central to shaping our next national strategy.
The reports arising from the various aspects of the public consultation and the findings from the evaluation of Connecting for Life will be invaluable in the development of Ireland’s next suicide reduction strategy.
An Expert Advisory Group, and a Lived Experience Reference Group, were established and have supported the development of recommendations for the new strategy. A draft strategy is currently under review and the Department of Health will launch this new strategy in 2026.
Departmental Data
Questions (354)
Darren O'Rourke
Question:354. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health the life expectancy for both men and women across the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10788/26]
View answerWritten answers
Total life expectancy in Ireland in 2023 was 82.9 years. For males, life expectancy was 81.1 years and for females it was 84.6 years. In 2023, Ireland's life expectancy was above the EU average and was the seventh highest among the 27 EU member states.
Life expectancy in Ireland has increased. A decade earlier (2014) total life expectancy was 81.4 years, for males it was 79.3 years and for females it was 83.6 years.
Data on life expectancy at a sub-national level (for NUTS2 regions) for 2023 is given in the Table below.
Table 1: Life expectancy at birth by sex, NUTS2 regions, 2023
|
NUTS2 Region Code |
Region Name |
Males |
Females |
Total |
|
|
|
Years |
Years |
Years |
|
IE0 |
Ireland |
81.1 |
84.6 |
82.9 |
|
IE04 |
Northern and Western |
80.9 |
84.9 |
82.9 |
|
IE05 |
Southern |
80.6 |
84.1 |
82.3 |
|
IE06 |
Eastern and Midland |
81.6 |
85.0 |
83.3 |
Source: Eurostat database [https://doi.org/10.2908/DEMO_R_MLIFEXP]
2023 is the latest data available for life expectancy in Ireland. Data is sourced from Eurostat and can be accessed here [https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Mortality_and_life_expectancy_statistics].
Health Services
Questions (355)
Tom Brabazon
Question:355. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Health the locations within CHO9 where specialist lymphoedema clinics are located; the WTE staff, by job title, working in each of those clinics, by location, in tabular form. [10799/26]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Health Services Staff
Questions (356)
Tom Brabazon
Question:356. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Health the number of ophthalmologists, optometrists and dispensing opticians providing services to medical card patients under the community ophthalmic services scheme in each years since 2022 to-date in 2026, in tabular form. [10800/26]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Health Services
Questions (357)
Tom Brabazon
Question:357. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Health if cataract surgeries will be carried out at the new Dublin North HSE surgical hub due to be opened in April 2026. [10801/26]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Medical Cards
Questions (358)
Louise O'Reilly
Question:358. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the number of people that have lost their medical cards as a result of social welfare increases bringing them over the threshold since Budget 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10808/26]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Medical Qualifications
Questions (359)
Pádraig Rice
Question:359. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No.438 of 2 October 2025, if the HSE’s review of the physician associate grade has been completed, given that it was due by the end of 2025; the timeline being worked towards for publication; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10826/26]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Health Services
Questions (360)
Pádraig Rice
Question:360. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the work of the expert panel established following the independent audit on hip surgery thresholds for children with developmental dysplasia of the hip in Children’s Health Ireland and the National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh, following the appointment of a chair; if the terms of reference have been completed; if they will be published; the timeline for beginning the reviews; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10827/26]
View answerWritten answers
As this is an operational manner, I have asked the HSE to reply directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Hospital Procedures
Questions (361)
Pa Daly
Question:361. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of cases where an oncology patient (details supplied) is required to repeatedly contact a hospital department themselves in order to secure or confirm radiology appointments; the rationale for this practice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10830/26]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Hospital Appointments Status
Questions (362)
Pa Daly
Question:362. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the current waiting times for radiology appointments at the Glandore Centre, Cork University Hospital, including for oncology referrals; the reasons for any delays; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10831/26]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Hospital Services
Questions (363)
Pa Daly
Question:363. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the measures being taken to address delays in radiology services at Cork University Hospital, particularly for cancer patients requiring timely imaging; whether additional staffing or capacity is being considered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10832/26]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Hospital Services
Questions (364)
Marie Sherlock
Question:364. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the level of staffing in the specialised nursing service within the neurology service in CHI Temple Street; the capacity of their advice and information service offered between 8am-11am; and the number of children and families that they can see between these hours; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10834/26]
View answerWritten answers
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Medical Records
Questions (365)
Pádraig Rice
Question:365. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 341 of 10 December 2025, the status of the vendors shortlist for electronic health records, following approval to commence procurement; the number of vendors on the shortlist; if any vendors have been ruled out; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10835/26]
View answerWritten answers
Following approval of the Preliminary Business Case, Government also noted the HSE’s intention to commence vendor shortlisting for the national Electronic Health Record system. The HSE will now prepare for the publication of a Request to Participate notice on eTenders and inviting all EHR vendors to participate in this shortlisting stage. Commencing the procurement phase (shortlisting) for the National Electronic Health Record (EHR) marks a significant milestone in the modernisation of Ireland’s health service. The step follows Government’s approval of the Preliminary Business Case (including independent external assurance processe and Major Projects Advisory Group Reviews), confirming compliance with the State’s Infrastructure Guidelines. This investment in digital capability represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to modernise Ireland’s health infrastructure, delivering safer, smarter and more connected care for decades to come.