Written Answers Nos. 573-582
573. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Health the number of ambulance bases in Galway; the location of each; the permanent number of ambulances assigned to each base; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13532/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
574. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Health the number of full time paramedic staff with the ambulances service in County Galway; the number of staff permanently located at each ambulance base within Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13533/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
575. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Health the number of requests for ambulance service that were not facilitated on 6 February 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13534/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
576. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Health the details of the means by which ambulance service triage call for ambulance requests; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13535/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
577. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Health the number of calls made for an ambulance request on 6 February 2026 in County Galway that were responded to where the ambulance arrived at the correct patient location, in tabular form (details supplied) [13536/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
578. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Health the status of the progression of the development works on the new ambulance base at Recess, County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13537/26]
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.
579. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Health the steps her Department is taking to address the gaps in the assisted human reproduction legislative framework that continue to affect LGBTQ+ families, including the lack of recognition for international surrogacy arrangements, the exclusion of some same-sex female couples from parental recognition pathways, the limited routes available to gay men seeking to become parents’, the absence of definitions that reflect the lived realities of transgender parents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13543/26]
View answerThe Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024 was signed into law by the President in July 2024, having passed all stages in both Houses of the Oireachtas.
The primary purpose of this complex and far-reaching legislation is to regulate fertility clinics providing treatment and ensure that assisted human reproduction (AHR) practices and related areas of research are conducted in a more consistent and standardised way and with the necessary oversight. The 2024 Act encompasses the regulation for the first time of a wide range of practices undertaken in Ireland, including: the use and donation of gametes and embryos for AHR and research; pre-implantation genetic testing of embryos; and embryo and stem cell research. The establishment of the Assisted Human Reproduction Regulatory Authority (AHRRA), as provided for in the legislation, is a vital component for the effective regulation of this sector.
Prior to this, the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 introduced a regulatory framework for the legal parentage for children born in Ireland as a result of a donor-assisted human reproduction (DAHR) procedure which takes place in an authorised Irish DAHR facility. This allows for the birth of a donor conceived child to be registered as such by an tArd-Chláraitheoir (the Chief Registrar). This applies equally to single women, same-sex female couples and opposite-sex couples, when they have undertaken a DAHR procedure in full accordance with the 2015 Act.
The AHR Bill as initially published also included provisions in respect of domestic altruistic surrogacy. However, the final 2024 Act also includes substantive new provisions in respect of the regulation of future surrogacy arrangements undertaken by Irish residents in other jurisdictions and the recognition of parentage arising from certain past domestic and international surrogacy arrangements.
While the 2024 Act was progressing through the Houses of Oireachtas, issues were identified which required further consideration and consultation with the Office of the Attorney General. Formal drafting of the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) (Amendment) Bill – which is largely concerned with outstanding issues of parentage and citizenship, but also seeks to make other necessary amendments to various other sections of the 2024 Act – is at an advanced stage, led by the Office of Parliamentary Counsel, along with officials from my Department, the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (DoJHAM), and the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE).
I welcome the opportunity to hear all perspectives on issues relevant to the work of my Department. I was happy to meet with Equality for Children / the LGBTQ+ Parenting Alliance and, indeed, other advocacy groups, and to listen to their views. At the meetings, the groups shared their experience and were given time to make their views known. So, I can assure the Deputy that I am fully up to speed on the issues of interest to the groups.
I would also mention that many of the issues raised in relation to what they wish to see included in the forthcoming AHR Amendment Bill are reflected in the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health’s pre-legislative scrutiny (PLS) report, which was published in October 2025. The PLS report and recommendations have been and are being considered as part of the formal drafting process.
This is a very complex area and we need to get it right. However, please be assured that progressing the AHR legislation and making the AHRRA fully operational are Government priorities and represent key commitments in the Programme for Government.
580. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Health if funding will be made available via the mental health capital plan for a specific mental health crisis unit for County Wexford following discussions on Friday, 13 February with the HSE; if so, if she can outline a timeline for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13563/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
581. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to confirm that the estimate for immunisation has increased from €10,788,000 in 2025 to €54,377,000 in 2026 in the Revised Estimates for Public Services under primary care reimbursement services (details supplied); the cause for this increase in immunisation spend; the services or costs which fall under this increased allocation; whether any budget has been allocated for the expansion of adult immunisation programmes, such as RSV vaccination for older adults; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13594/26]
View answerPCRS expenditure is not budgeted or controlled at individual scheme level, and the breakdown of Subhead L.1 in the Revised Estimates appendices was constructed for presentational purposes only. The scheme-level PCRS figures shown for 2025 in the Revised Estimates appendix were incorrectly stated and do not reflect the correct indicative 2025 allocations for these schemes.
To allow for a more accurate comparison of PCRS programme allocations, the Department has provided an indicative analytical breakdown of the 2025 Subhead L.1 PCRS allocation. This is based on applying the relative scheme proportions used in the 2026 breakdown to the 2025 PCRS allocation. This approach provides a more meaningful comparison of relative scale across schemes, while recognising that PCRS expenditure is not budgeted or controlled on this basis.
On this indicative basis, immunisation expenditure in 2025 would be estimated at approximately €52 million, rather than the €10.8 million shown in the Revised Estimates appendix. This does not represent a change to the voted Estimate, but is provided to avoid a misleading comparison with 2026.
In relation to RSV, a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) on RSV immunisation for infants and adults is currently being undertaken by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA).
The findings of the HTA will provide advice to my Department to inform a policy decision on the most appropriate RSV immunisation strategy for infants and adults aged 65 and older. HIQA’s assessment will assess the clinical effectiveness, cost effectiveness and budget impact of alternative strategies for the immunisation of infants and adults aged 65 years and older against RSV. This HTA will also consider the organisational, resource, ethical, patient and social implications associated with these alternative strategies.
The outcome of the HTA will inform the development of any longer-term programme and future decision making on the matter of RSV immunisation in Ireland.
582. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to provide, the full list of all non-statutory bodies in receipt of direct funding from her Department in each of the past five years; the annual amount allocated to each body; the policy unit responsible for oversight of each body; whether a formal governance framework is applied by the Department to each body; and the statutory or administrative basis under which such oversight is exercised, in tabular form. [13606/26]
View answerThe information requested for each non-statutory body in receipt of direct funding from the Department is set out at the following link.
