Written Answers Nos. 681-698
682. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE has conducted any centralised assessment of variation in operational or clinical decision-making between the six Health Regions since their establishment; and if she will provide details of any such assessment. [36192/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
683. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any governance framework exists to ensure consistency of service access criteria across the six Health Regions; and if she will provide a copy of that framework. [36193/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
684. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Department of Health has requested or commissioned any audit, review, or risk assessment regarding regional variation in healthcare decision-making since 2022. [36194/26]
View answerMy Department has not commissioned a standalone audit or risk assessment specifically focused on regional variation in healthcare decision-making since 2022. The six Health Regions were established in 2024 and the phased transition to the new structures is ongoing.
Oversight of regional variation is built into the governance and performance arrangements supporting the Health Regions. The HSE’s Performance and Accountability Framework supports the ongoing monitoring of service delivery and outcomes, including the identification of variation across regions.
685. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE maintains any national register, dashboard, or monitoring mechanism tracking regional inconsistencies in policy implementation, patient access, approvals, or operational practices. [36195/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
686. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any concerns have been raised internally within the HSE regarding inconsistent application of national policies across Health Regions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36196/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
687. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE Chief Internal Auditor has identified regional inconsistency as a governance or operational risk within any audit, assurance, or advisory work since 2022. [36197/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
688. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health how the HSE ensures equal treatment of patients across all six Health Regions in circumstances where no dedicated audit of regional decision-making consistency has been conducted. [36198/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
689. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any external assurance body has reviewed consistency of governance arrangements across the six Health Regions since 2022. [36199/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
690. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any national escalation mechanism exists where differing regional interpretations of HSE policy arise; and if she will provide details of same. [36200/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
691. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE intends to undertake a dedicated internal audit into consistency of decision-making across Health Regions; and if not, the reason for this position. [36201/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
692. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the length of time each currently vacant residential property owned or managed by the Health Service Executive has remained vacant, categorised by (i) less than six months, (ii) six to twelve months, (iii) one to three years and (iv) more than three years. [36256/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
693. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Health Service Executive maintains any regional or local databases tracking expenditure on vacant residential properties, including security, insurance and maintenance costs; and if so, to provide details. [36257/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
694. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total expenditure incurred by the Health Service Executive on security, insurance and maintenance for vacant residential properties in each of the past five years, based on available local or regional records. [36258/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
695. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any audit or review has been conducted since 2020 into vacant residential properties owned by the Health Service Executive and their associated holding costs. [36259/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
696. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the absence of a central database tracking costs associated with vacant residential properties owned by the Health Service Executive has been identified as a governance or financial oversight risk. [36260/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
697. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Health Service Executive has examined the potential use of vacant residential properties for step-down care, staff accommodation, social housing partnerships or emergency accommodation purposes. [36261/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
698. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of vacant residential properties owned by the Health Service Executive which are currently boarded up or secured by private security contractors. [36262/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
