Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 July 2026
490. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1276 of 26 May 2026 if the national treatment abroad office in Kilkenny is the sole point of approval for all treatment abroad scheme applications; and the circumstances under which an application is approved, reviewed, or processed outside the Kilkenny office. [50561/26]
View answer491. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1276 of 26 May 2026 to confirm whether the HSE maintains a written procedure, circular, or delegated authority schedule setting out which staff grade or management level is authorised to approve treatment abroad scheme applications; and if no such written procedure exists, the basis on which approval authority is exercised. [50562/26]
View answer492. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 267 of 27 May 2026 to provide a response concerning whether an approval rate benchmarking exists between specialties, consultants, or regions under the treatment abroad scheme, noting that the previous response addressed an unrelated question on the age profile of overseas gender affirmation surgery approvals rather than the question as tabled. [50563/26]
View answer502. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to provide the specific euro threshold or thresholds above which Grade VII approval no longer applies to treatment abroad scheme applications; the grade or officeholder responsible for authorising applications above each such threshold; and the nature of the "applicable derogations" referenced in the Health Service Executive's reply of 19th June 2026. [50582/26]
View answer505. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health given that individual figures may be withheld on confidentiality grounds, to provide the highest individual expenditure approved under the treatment abroad scheme in each year since 2020 in banded form (for example, within ranges of €50,000); and to confirm whether any approved application since 2020 exceeded €500,000. [50585/26]
View answer506. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to confirm directly whether the Comptroller and Auditor General has examined the treatment abroad scheme specifically at any point since 2020; to provide the date of any such examination; and to confirm whether any external, non-HSE body has conducted a value-for-money or governance review of the scheme since 2020. [50586/26]
View answer507. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to confirm directly whether the absence of publicly available approval thresholds within the treatment abroad scheme appears on the Health Service Executive's corporate risk register; and if it does not, to confirm this directly rather than by general reference to oversight arrangements. [50587/26]
View answer508. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further Parliamentary Question No. 581 of 14 June 2026, in which the Health Service Executive did not address the substantive matter raised, to confirm whether the treatment abroad scheme dataset records the age of patients approved for funding of overseas gender affirmation surgeries; if this data is not currently captured, to state the reason; and if her Department will request that the Health Service Executive provide a direct and complete answer to the original question. [50591/26]
View answer509. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1116 of 19 May 2026, in which expenditure figures were provided for treatment costs and travel costs only, to confirm whether the figures published include accommodation, administration, translation, or assessment costs; if so, to provide a separate costed breakdown of each category for the years 2020 to 2025; the way in which zero applications and zero approvals were recorded for 2024 while 13 S2 authorisations were issued and €62,127.47 was expended in that same year; and whether this reflects multi-year carryover from approvals granted in prior years. [50592/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 490, 491, 492, 502, 505, 506, 507, 508 and 509 together.
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
