Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 May 2026
635. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to provide the full list of data fields recorded within any centralised HSE database, case-management system, spreadsheet, or reporting structure used for the administration of the Treatment Abroad Scheme. [41201/26]
View answer636. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the treatment abroad scheme records procedure categories using standardised coding systems; if so, to specify those systems. [41202/26]
View answer637. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the treatment abroad scheme records the clinical indication or diagnosis associated with approved treatments abroad. [41203/26]
View answer638. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the treatment abroad scheme records destination hospital, provider, and jurisdiction for each approved case. [41204/26]
View answer639. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the treatment abroad scheme records estimated approved cost and final reimbursed expenditure separately for each approved case. [41205/26]
View answer640. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of internal audits, external audits, Comptroller and Auditor General reviews, or governance reviews concerning the treatment abroad scheme have taken place since 2020, broken down by year. [41206/26]
View answer641. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any audit, review, or oversight process relating to the treatment abroad scheme identified deficiencies in data collection, reporting, expenditure monitoring, or governance controls since 2020. [41207/26]
View answer642. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether minutes, reports, briefing documents, dashboards, or expenditure summaries arising from quarterly treatment abroad scheme oversight meetings with the Department of Health Eligibility Unit are retained centrally. [41208/26]
View answer643. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the treatment abroad scheme maintains outcome-monitoring data regarding procedures funded abroad, including complication rates, revision procedures, adverse events, or follow-up care requirements. [41209/26]
View answer644. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE intends to establish a formal national reporting framework for the treatment abroad scheme including standardised activity, expenditure, and governance reporting. [41210/26]
View answer645. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Comptroller and Auditor General audit of the treatment abroad scheme conducted in 2022 identified any governance, procedural, administrative, documentation, authorisation, oversight, compliance, or record-keeping observations, recommendations, or weaknesses, notwithstanding the statement that there were no findings regarding expenditure. [41211/26]
View answer646. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the 2022 Comptroller and Auditor General audit of the treatment abroad scheme examined specific procedure categories or referral pathways and, if so, to provide details of the categories examined. [41212/26]
View answer647. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the 2022 audit of the treatment abroad scheme included examination of prior authorisation processes, consistency of decision-making, regional variations, documentation standards, consultant referral verification, MDT governance procedures, and post-treatment outcome monitoring. [41213/26]
View answer649. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any recommendations, observations, action points, or governance improvements arose from the 2022 audit of the treatment abroad scheme; and, if so, whether all such actions have been implemented. [41215/26]
View answer665. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to identify the official, office, unit or governance structure with final responsibility for oversight of the treatment abroad scheme; and to set out the reporting line between that function, the HSE and their Department. [41234/26]
View answer666. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the treatment abroad scheme is subject to a formal written governance framework, programme charter, oversight protocol or internal control framework; if so, when it was approved and last reviewed. [41235/26]
View answer668. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any annual governance review, assurance statement, compliance certification or similar review is completed in respect of the treatment abroad scheme. [41237/26]
View answer669. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any designated officer is responsible for ensuring value-for-money compliance, expenditure control and public financial governance in respect of the treatment abroad scheme. [41238/26]
View answer670. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any cumulative annual expenditure threshold under the treatment abroad scheme triggers enhanced review, senior management escalation or Departmental notification. [41239/26]
View answer671. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any per-patient expenditure threshold applies under the treatment abroad scheme and whether high-cost cases require separate financial approval distinct from clinical approval. [41240/26]
View answer672. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether retrospective expenditure analysis is carried out to identify outlier costs, repeated high-cost providers, abnormal billing patterns or unusual procedure-level expenditure under the treatment abroad scheme. [41241/26]
View answer673. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any formal mechanism exists to benchmark the cost of procedures funded under the treatment abroad scheme against comparable costs in other EU or EEA jurisdictions. [41242/26]
View answer674. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any procurement, commissioning, preferred-provider or provider-assurance framework exists where overseas providers are used repeatedly under the treatment abroad scheme. [41243/26]
View answer676. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether patient-reported outcome measures are collected in respect of procedures funded under the treatment abroad scheme. [41245/26]
View answer677. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any mechanism exists to suspend, restrict, review or escalate referrals to an overseas provider where concerns arise regarding outcomes, standards, billing or patient safety. [41246/26]
View answer679. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether their Department has reviewed the adequacy of current governance, audit, expenditure-control and outcome-monitoring arrangements for the treatment abroad scheme since 2020; and if so, to provide the date and outcome of that review. [41248/26]
View answer680. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether their Department distinguishes, for governance purposes, between treatments unavailable in the State due to capacity constraints and treatments unavailable due to policy, clinical, ethical or regulatory considerations. [41249/26]
View answer681. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any additional governance safeguards apply where the State funds, through the treatment abroad scheme, procedures which are not routinely provided within the Irish public healthcare system. [41250/26]
View answer682. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any external body, including HIQA, the HSE Internal Audit function, the Comptroller and Auditor General or another assurance body, has been asked since 2020 to review the governance, expenditure control or patient-safety oversight of the treatment abroad scheme. [41251/26]
View answer683. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Department has received any advice, briefing or internal submission since 2020 on the financial, clinical or governance risks associated with the treatment abroad scheme. [41252/26]
View answer684. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether they will commission an independent governance and value-for-money review of the treatment abroad scheme, having regard to public expenditure, patient safety, outcome monitoring and cross-border provider oversight. [41253/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 635, 636, 637, 638, 639, 640, 641, 642, 643, 644, 645, 646, 647, 649, 665, 666, 668, 669, 670, 671, 672, 673, 674, 676, 677, 679, 680, 681, 682, 683 and 684 together.
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
