Tuesday, 19 May 2026

Emergency Services

Questions (1271)

Ken O'Flynn

Question:

1271. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of corrective actions, remediation plans or staff interventions initiated following dispatch compliance reviews since 2020. [37876/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Question No. 1272 answered with Question No. 1253.

Ambulance Service

Questions (1273)

Ken O'Flynn

Question:

1273. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any external audit reports, IAED assessments, Governance Validation Framework reviews, or accreditation findings relating to ambulance dispatch performance since 2020 identified deficiencies, recommendations, or areas requiring improvement. [37878/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Ambulance Service

Questions (1274)

Ken O'Flynn

Question:

1274. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE records the longest ambulance allocation or dispatch delay recorded nationally in each year since 2020. [37879/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Question No. 1275 answered with Question No. 1253.

Question No. 1276 answered with Question No. 1253.

Health Services

Questions (1277, 1290, 1291, 1303, 1304)

Ken O'Flynn

Question:

1277. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE considers the 2016 NAS Baseline and Capacity Review findings regarding the attainability of HIQA response standards to remain valid in 2026. [37882/26]

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Ken O'Flynn

Question:

1290. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any review has been conducted since the 2016 NAS Baseline and Capacity Review regarding the statement that HIQA ambulance response standards were "impossible to achieve"; and whether revised national targets were subsequently adopted. [37897/26]

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Ken O'Flynn

Question:

1291. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health who authorised the operational replacement or modification of the HIQA ambulance response standards referenced in the 2016 NAS Capacity Review. [37898/26]

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Ken O'Flynn

Question:

1303. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE has conducted any updated capacity review of the National Ambulance Service since the 2016 NAS Baseline and Capacity Review.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37910/26]

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Ken O'Flynn

Question:

1304. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any modelling has been conducted since 2020 regarding the investment required to achieve full compliance with historic HIQA ambulance response standards. [37911/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1277, 1290, 1291, 1303 and 1304 together.

The Government is committed to supporting increased capacity in the NAS in order to progress its process of continued strategic reform of pre-hospital services.

Sustained Government investment in the NAS has provided for an annual budget allocation increase of 67% since 2020 and a staffing growth of 30% or 571 whole time equivalents over the same time period. This investment has also led to significant reforms in patient care in line with the NAS's transformation into a modern, agile and responsive ambulance service well positioned to treat more patients at the most appropriate level of clinical need.

This year's allocation to the NAS includes New Service Development funding of €20 million for the recruitment of 263 additional posts, providing funding for up to 2,920 whole time equivalents by end 2026.

This year's new service developments are very much focussed on improving NAS performance against the key performance indicator targets published in the HSE's National Service Plan and based on the HIQA standard, as well as improving intermediate care performance through additional resourcing, and building further alternative care pathways capacity to treat more patients.

In addition, capital investment in 2026 of almost €50 million will be invested in the renewal and expansion of the NAS vehicle fleet and on modernised NAS infrastructure.

Mental Health Services

Questions (1278, 1279)

Marie Sherlock

Question:

1278. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the steps being taken to improve access to LGBTQ+-affirming mental health supports nationwide, particularly in relation to specific counselling supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37884/26]

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Marie Sherlock

Question:

1279. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the amount of funding currently allocated by her Department and the HSE towards LGBTQ+-specific mental health provision, counselling, psychological supports and early intervention services; the number of staff employed or funded specifically to support the mental health and psychological well-being of LGBTQ+ people, broken down by HSE health region; whether any assessment has been undertaken regarding regional gaps in service provision or unmet need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37885/26]

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Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Mary Butler)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1278 and 1279 together.

I recognise that members of the LGBTQI+ community can face particular challenges in relation to mental health, and I am committed to ensuring that services are inclusive, accessible and responsive to their needs.

Presently, the HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) funds 21 national NGOs, all providing mental health or suicide prevention supports at different levels or to specific targeted groups. In 2024, NOSP allocated over €8.3 million in funding to national organisations delivering these services.

There are three NOSP-funded national NGOs that provide services specifically for LGBTQI+ communities:

• LGBT Ireland, which received approximately €111,527, supporting training, a national helpline, peer supports, and mental health and suicide prevention initiatives;

• BeLonG To Youth Services, which received approximately €240,964, delivering national youth mental health programmes and supports for LGBT+ young people;

• Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI), which received approximately €79,964, providing advocacy, peer supports, and training to improve services for transgender individuals and their families.

In addition, many HSE-funded mainstream services support significant numbers of LGBTQI+ individuals, including Text About It, Jigsaw, Pieta and Samaritans, which provide crisis intervention and listening supports nationwide.

Samaritans provides a free, 24/7 listening service available to anyone in distress, including members of the LGBTQI+ community, and works in collaboration with a range of organisations, including LGBT Ireland.

In addition, Pieta works in partnership with BeLonG To to provide free targeted crisis counselling to LGBTQI+ young people who are self-harming, experiencing suicidal ideation or bereaved by suicide, alongside tailored education initiatives and engagement with LGBTQI+ communities, as set out in its 2024 Annual Report.

This year, at my request, the National Clinical Programme for Gender Healthcare is establishing bespoke counselling supports for gender questioning young people in partnership with Jigsaw. In addition, the National Clinical Programme for Gender Healthcare have agreed to fund additional counselling and family supports. Both initiatives have been agreed, funding is in place, and service provision should commence over the coming months.

The NOSP has also supported research into the mental health of LGBTQI+ communities, including the Being LGBTQI+ in Ireland (FINAL-Being-LGBTQI-in-Ireland-Full-Report.pdf - www.belongto.org/app/uploads/2024/04/FINAL-Being-LGBTQI-in-Ireland-Full-Report.pdf) study undertaken by Trinity College Dublin in partnership with BeLonG To, which highlights significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicidal behaviour among LGBTQI+ individuals compared to the general population.

These findings underscore the importance of ensuring that mental health services are inclusive, accessible and responsive to the needs of LGBTQI+ individuals. In this regard, I also welcome the Mental Health Commission's national guidance and training resources to support staff across mental health services in delivering inclusive, respectful and equitable care for LGBTQI+ service users.

The Government, and I, remain committed to a comprehensive, whole-of-system approach to suicide prevention and mental health, combining mainstream services with targeted supports and continuing to strengthen the inclusivity and effectiveness of services for all, including members of the LGBTQI+ community.

Question No. 1280 answered with Question No. 1246.

Ambulance Service

Questions (1281)

Ken O'Flynn

Question:

1281. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the National Ambulance Service maintains any internal dashboard, alert framework or escalation mechanism relating to prolonged ambulance allocation times. [37887/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Ambulance Service

Questions (1282)

Ken O'Flynn

Question:

1282. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health how the National Ambulance Service determines that no dispatch-related risks require escalation to the NAS Risk Register despite acknowledged national ambulance demand pressures. [37888/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Question No. 1283 answered with Question No. 1246.

Ambulance Service

Questions (1284)

Ken O'Flynn

Question:

1284. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any review has been conducted since the 2016 NAS Baseline and Capacity Review regarding the achievability of national ambulance response standards [37890/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Question No. 1285 answered with Question No. 1253.

Question No. 1286 answered with Question No. 1246.

Question No. 1287 answered with Question No. 1246.

Ambulance Service

Questions (1288)

Ken O'Flynn

Question:

1288. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE or National Ambulance Service maintains any dataset linking ambulance dispatch or allocation delays with patient outcomes, including mortality, clinical deterioration, cardiac arrest survival, or adverse incident reporting. [37895/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Ambulance Service

Questions (1289)

Ken O'Flynn

Question:

1289. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any national threshold exists for what constitutes an "extreme delay" in ambulance allocation or dispatch; and if so, to provide details of the threshold and escalation procedures. [37896/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Question No. 1290 answered with Question No. 1277.

Question No. 1291 answered with Question No. 1277.

Question No. 1292 answered with Question No. 1246.