Written Answers Nos. 428-449
428. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the recently revised Framework for the Assessment Of Children In Need and their Families limits or reduces access to cognitive assessment for children, including in cases where intellectual disability is not suspected; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23489/26]
View answer429. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality how the revised Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and Their Families ensures that children with uneven developmental profiles, including those who may be “twice exceptional” will be appropriately identified within the system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23490/26]
View answer430. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has conducted any impact assessment on how the revised Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and Their Families may affect the identification of children whose needs are masked by high cognitive ability or compensatory functioning; what safeguards are in place to prevent under-identification of such children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23491/26]
View answer431. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if access to cognitive or psychological assessment remains available where there is evidence of significant intra-individual discrepancy, asynchronous development, or unexplained underachievement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23492/26]
View answer432. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if consideration has been given to the potential for increased reliance on private assessments arising from any restriction in public access to cognitive assessment and the implications this may have for equity of access; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23493/26]
View answer433. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the training or guidance is being provided to assessment officers and multidisciplinary teams to ensure that complex presentations, including masking and twice-exceptionality, are recognised under the revised Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and Their Families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23494/26]
View answer434. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department intends to review the implementation of the revised Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and Their Families to ensure that no cohort of children is excluded from identification due to the streamlining of assessment processes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23495/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 428, 429, 430, 431, 432, 433 and 434 together.
The Assessment of Need process is intended to determine if a person has a disability, as described in the Disability Act 2005, and, if they do, their health and education needs (if any) and the health and education services required to meet those needs.
The proposed changes to the Disability Act will not change the definition of disability as set out in the Act, nor will they change the type or quality of clinical assessments available or the role of the Assessment Officer in establishing whether there is a disability as defined under the Disability Act.
The proposed improvements to the Assessment of Need (AON) process are designed to clarify processes, support and strengthen decision-making, and ensure greater consistency across HSE regions.
The HSE Assessments Officers will continue to have access to appropriate training and supports to ensure consistency, compliance with statutory obligations, and high-quality engagement with children and families. As well as induction and ongoing training, Assessment Officers have structured access to clinical expertise within relevant services such as Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs) and Primary Care. This includes:
• Clinical consultation sessions to support decision making in complex cases.
• Access to discipline-specific clinicians for advice regarding assessment pathways, interpretation of clinical documentation, and onward referrals.
• Escalation routes to senior clinicians or Disability Managers where cases present with atypical or multifaceted needs.
• Peer support and supervision.
It is important to emphasise that children do not require an Assessment of Need to access health services, including Primary Care, Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs) or Mental Health Services, or education supports.
Families who have concerns regarding their child’s health or developmental needs should contact the HSE to access the appropriate services. HSE services work on a needs-led rather than diagnosis-led system and will work with families to develop an appropriate plan and supports for their children. For example, CDNTs follow best clinical practice when working with children and operate under the well-established philosophy of family-centred practice.
With regard to the wider legislative reforms, Government announced a series of improvements to the Assessment of Need process in December 2025 which will make the process more effective and efficient for children and families. Over time, this should lead to a reduction in the waiting time to receive an assessment. These changes includes legislative reform and operational improvements to support the efficiency and effectiveness of the Assessment of Need process.
Under the proposed improvements to the Assessment of Need process there will be no change to a person’s right to apply for an Assessment of Need or to the statutory timeframe for processing an eligible Assessment of Need application, which is 6 months from the date it is received.
For families who have further concerns, the Department has published Frequently Asked Questions on the proposed legislative changes which in addition to the material above may be of assistance. These documents are available on the Department’s website under Publications: “Assessment of Needs Process and Proposed Changes” (www.gov.ie/en/department-of-children-disability-and-equality/publications/from-subject-received-size-categories-aoife-carragher-dcde-fw-dcde-website-aon-1532-1-mb/).
With regard to the use of private clinical assessments, these are procured through the Assessment of Need Targeted Waitlist Initiative which focuses on those children and families who have been waiting longest for an assessment of need. The HSE and HSE-funded agencies ensure that the contracted providers are appropriately qualified and that any assessments or interventions are provided in line with the appropriate standards, appropriate procurement procedures, Garda vetting and due diligence practice.
Any privately commissioned reports for Assessment of Need are reviewed by an appropriately qualified HSE clinician at local level to ensure they meet adequate governance standards.
The Department will continue to work with the HSE towards supporting improved and more timely access to quality services and assessments for children and their families.
435. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childcare places that have been available in Cork city and Cork county in each of the past five years, including, if possible, the first three months of 2026. [23510/26]
View answerEach year, Pobal compiles data from Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) providers as part of the Early Years Sector Profile. Data for the Early Years Sector Profile is typically captured in May/June of each programme year. While ELC and SAC offerings vary across service providers and the allocation of ELC or SAC places is flexible, the published capacity data provides an estimate of the number of children enrolled in ELC and SAC and the percentage of services with at least one vacant place at a given time.
The most recent published capacity data for the 2024/25 programme year estimated that there were 17,025 children enrolled in ELC and SAC services in Cork County. This data also indicated that 43% of services in Cork County had at least one vacant place. In Cork City, there were an estimated 8,617 children enrolled in ELC and SAC services and 40% of services had at least one vacant place. The tables below summarise the data for ELC and SAC enrolments for the 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, and 2024/25 programme years in Cork City and Cork County. In the tables, ELC refers to all children aged zero to four years and non-school going children aged between four and six years. SAC refers to school going children aged between four and six years and all children over six years of age.
Cork County
|
Year |
ELC Estimated enrolments |
% of ELC services with at least one vacant place |
SAC Estimated enrolments |
% of SAC services with at least one vacant place |
|
2024/25 |
11,033 |
39% |
5,991 |
38% |
|
2023/24 |
10,908 |
38% |
6,754 |
42% |
|
2022/23 |
10,279 |
43% |
4,019 |
47% |
|
2021/22 |
10,351 |
56% |
3,386 |
48% |
|
2020/21 |
12,015 |
50% |
3,099 |
52% |
Cork City
|
Year |
ELC Estimated enrolments |
% of ELC services with at least one vacant place |
SAC Estimated enrolments |
% of SAC services with at least one vacant place |
|
2024/25 |
5,805 |
37% |
2,808 |
37% |
|
2023/24 |
5,854 |
36% |
3,317 |
48% |
|
2022/23 |
5,856 |
48% |
1,913 |
49% |
|
2021/22 |
5,869 |
56% |
1,261 |
40% |
|
2020/21 |
3,215 |
63% |
612 |
74% |
Notes: The number of enrolments in some areas during 2020/21 were impacted by Covid-related restrictions.
Further information can be found on the Early Learning and Childcare data website. The Capacity Section of the website provides information on the number of children enrolled, services with vacant places, and services with a waiting list.
436. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childcare services that have been open in Cork city and Cork county in each of the past five years including, if possible, the first three months of 2026. [23511/26]
View answerAs the subject matter of the Deputy's question relates to an operational matter for Tusla, I have referred the matter to them for a direct reply.
437. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health if she will be updating the evidence base in relation to alcohol sponsorship of sport, as was committed to in the 2014 'Report of the Working Group on Regulating Sponsorship by Alcohol Companies of Major Sporting Events'; if she is aware of recent research on how alcohol sponsorship of sports drives child and youth alcohol consumption (details supplied); and if she is aware that youth alcohol consumption now stands at 78%, only slightly down from 2002 when it stood at approximately 82% and was considered a public health crisis. [23466/26]
View answerMy Department continuously monitors and evaluates evidence in relation to the public health aspects of alcohol consumption as it becomes available.
Alcohol advertising and sponsorship were considered at length in the lead up to the publication of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill. The issue was examined by the then Joint Committee for Transport and Communications with stakeholders from sporting organisations as well as the alcohol industry, the College of Psychiatrists in Ireland and Alcohol Action Ireland.
The Committee concluded that banning sponsorship of sports by the alcohol industry was not merited at this time and made a number of recommendations including that a prohibition on sponsorship by the alcohol industry should only be considered if it were done on a pan-European basis in order to ensure that Irish sports and sporting organisations are not operating at a disadvantage relative to their international competitors.
In addition, following a Government Decision, a Working Group on Regulating Sponsorship by Alcohol Companies of Major Sporting Events was established. The Group had representation from a number of Government Departments and was chaired by the Department of An Taoiseach. As part of its work, the Group conducted a consultation, inviting evidence-based responses to questions on the impacts of alcohol sponsorship on consumption.
The Group's final report set out that it had not been able to reach clear evidence-based conclusions on the actual costs and benefits of further regulation of sponsorship by alcohol companies of major sporting events. The Group therefore concluded that the most useful approach would be to identify a range of options which could be taken and seek to elaborate the likely advantages and disadvantages of each approach, to inform consideration by Government.
The Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 was developed to address the harms caused by alcohol consumption in Ireland. The Act contains a suite of measures aimed at reducing alcohol consumption and harm generally and specifically delaying the age of initiation of alcohol use and reducing consumption among young people.
The Act is designed to achieve those objective by protecting children from exposure to alcohol products and alcohol advertising. Measures already in operation include restrictions on alcohol advertising on public transport, near schools, creches and playgrounds. In addition advertising has been restricted on television and radio and at events aimed at children. Alcohol products and advertising are also separated from other groceries in mixed retail outlets in order to reduce the likelihood that children will be exposed to them.
Regulations relating to advertisements under Section 13 of the Act are currently being developed in conjunction with the Office of Parliamentary Counsel.
438. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Health the reason the HSE hairpiece contribution for those with non-cancer related medical alopecia has been reduced from €770 to €500; if she will consider reinstating the full contribution for those with non-cancer related medical alopecia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23151/26]
View answer439. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Donegal will be contacted by St. Vincent's Hospital regarding their diagnosis and treatment plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23173/26]
View answer“As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.”
440. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health for an update on the roll out of the shingles vaccine in Ireland; If her Department plans to introduce the vaccine for those over 50 years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23184/26]
View answerThe immunisation programme in Ireland is based on the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC). NIAC considers the prevalence of the relevant disease in Ireland as well as international best practice in relation to immunisation when developing its advice.
The current NIAC guidelines state that the shingles vaccine may be considered for those aged 65 years and older, due to the greater burden and severity of disease in this age group and in those aged 18 years and older at increased risk of shingles.
The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has carried out a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) on the herpes zoster vaccine which protects against shingles. A HTA is a multidisciplinary research process that collects and summarises information about a health technology. HIQA’s HTA examined the evidence on the clinical effectiveness and safety of shingles vaccines. The cost effectiveness and budget impact were also reviewed, along with the ethical, social and organisational implications of including the vaccine in the adult immunisation schedule.
HIQA published this HTA on 19 July 2024. The HTA found that adding the shingles vaccine to the routine immunisation schedule, at the vaccine price at the time, for all adults aged 65 years and over would not be cost effective and would be associated with a substantial budget impact.
While the vaccine is considered safe and effective, its protective effect diminishes over time. HIQA also noted the substantial budget impact associated with vaccination. If made available to everyone aged 65 and older, vaccination would cost €218 million over five years.
Whilst the HTA found that the introduction of the shingles vaccine was not cost effective based on the cost of the vaccine, it found that it could be cost effective for vaccination of those at 75 years and 80 years if the cost of the vaccine was reduced by 80%.
Given that the healthcare budget is finite and decisions regarding increased spending relating to a change in one area could impact the provision of other health technologies and treatments within the healthcare system, the cost-effectiveness must be considered in any decision-making process.
My Department considered the findings of this HTA in 2024 and determined that the introduction of the vaccine could be reconsidered when the cost effectiveness of the vaccine is confirmed as being more favourable
I can confirm that the introduction of the shingles vaccine to the immunisation schedule in Ireland is again being actively considered for a cohort of immunocompromised individuals, in line with NIAC advice and cognisant of the cost effectiveness of market pricing and available funding.
441. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the number of HSE orthodontists covering the population of Cork and Kerry; if any posts are currently vacant; and the steps that have been taken to fill these vacancies. [23202/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
442. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health the average wait time for orthodontic treatment in the southwest region. [23203/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
443. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health to introduce an Allergy Action Plan, including education and training to ensure that the use of epinephrine auto-injectors is properly addressed in schools as this is an important step in helping ensure that all children can have a safe and positive experience in school without the constant need to be on guard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23204/26]
View answerIn October 2015, the then Minister for Health signed The Medicinal Products (Prescription and Control of Supply) (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2015 (S.I. 449/2015) into effect. These regulations increase access to specified prescription-only medicines in an emergency, including the use of adrenaline. This allows for the administration of adrenaline for known (or suspected) anaphylaxis to be administered by trained members of the public in emergency situations, without the need for a prescription. It is important to highlight that there is provision for organisations such as schools and workplaces to store these medications for the administration by a trained person.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland provide guidance on the implementation of this amendment for pharmacists, and the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council has developed a course for the education and training of persons to safely and competently administer adrenaline in an emergency.
There is responsibility to ensure that medications are stored and administered safely and appropriately. Those with a known risk of anaphylaxis should carefully follow their doctor’s guidance regarding carrying an adrenaline pen (‘EpiPen’) on their person.
Community pharmacies are among the most accessible and trusted healthcare providers in Ireland. The State recognises the importance of pharmacies being prepared to administer these medicines safely and effectively. This is reflected in the Community Pharmacy Agreement 2025 which establishes an Emergency Medicine Administration Preparedness Allowance. To recognise that community pharmacists are authorised to administer emergency medicines, and that this service is provided on an ad hoc basis requiring pharmacists to be trained and ready to respond, an annual recurring allowance of €525 will be made available to community pharmacy contractors, which commenced in January 2026. Further details are available at: https://ipu.ie/ipu-review-article/community-pharmacy-agreement-2025-building-a-sustainable-pharmacy-model-for-the-future/#ScrollDown.
444. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health if she will consider that schools are often the first place where allergies are experienced and this is the reason relying on another child’s prescribed auto-injector is not a safe policy, therefore, every school should have its own emergency auto-injectors available to respond quickly when an unexpected reaction occurs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23205/26]
View answerIn October 2015, the Minister signed The Medicinal Products (Prescription and Control of Supply) (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2015 (S.I. 449/2015) into effect. The regulations empower schools to act swiftly if a serious allergic reaction occurs and allows for the administration of adrenaline for known or suspected anaphylaxis, to be administered by trained members of the public in emergency situations, without the need for a prescription. Of note, there is provision for organisations such as schools and workplaces to store these medications for the administration by a trained person e.g. a teachers or staff members who have completed appropriate training.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland provide guidance on the implementation of this amendment for pharmacists, and the Pre Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) has established a course for the education and training of persons to safely and competently administer adrenaline in an emergency.
There is a responsibility to ensure that medications are stored and administered safely and appropriately. Those with a known risk of anaphylaxis should carefully follow their doctor’s guidance regarding carrying an adrenaline pen (‘EpiPen’) on person.
445. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Health if she will report on the progress being made on a unit within Cork University Hospital (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23206/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
446. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No.1040 of 27 January 2026, if she investigate a matter (details supplied) and respond in full. [23209/26]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
447. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health the number of dentists participating in the dental treatment services scheme in County Clare in each year from 2022 to date; the number of medical card holders eligible for the scheme in Clare in each year from 2022 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23212/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
448. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Health to engage with the National Clinical Lead for SATUs and relevant stakeholders in the HSE mid-west region to establish a sexual assault treatment unit in Nenagh primary care centre, Tipperary, particularly given its central location and the lack of a SATU in the mid-west region; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23217/26]
View answerAs this is an operational matter for the Health Service Executive, the HSE has been asked to reply directly to the Deputy.
449. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health the number of dentists participating in the dental treatment services scheme in County Clare in each of the years from 2022 to-date in 2026; the number of medical card holders eligible for the DTSS in County Clare in each year from 2022 to-date in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23222/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
