Written Answers Nos. 866-887
866. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Health for an update on her Department's engagement with parents of children who they suspect suffer from PANS-PANDAS; the measures her Department is taking to develop guidelines; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53347/26]
View answerI thank the Deputy for raising this important matter regarding engagement with parents of children potentially suffering from PANS/PANDAS.
As Minister for Health I meet with patient advocacy and representative groups from time to time, including those suffering from rare diseases. In addition, Officials in my Department, the HSE and CHI have regular engagement with patient advocacy and representative groups.
A very high volume of meeting requests are received by my office from patient advocates wishing to meet with me, diary schedule permitting.
However, I have asked relevant officials in the Department to engage with parents of children affected by PANS/PANDAS with a view to arranging a meeting with officials in the near future.
867. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Health to review a matter raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53365/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
868. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the number of general practitioners that were employed through the general medical services scheme in each of the years 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026; the estimated annual cost of the GMS in each year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53384/26]
View answerGPs are private practitioners, most of whom hold agreements/contracts with the HSE for the provision of health services without charge including the GMS contract for the provision of GP care to medical card and GP visit card holders. The GMS is not a contract of employment.
Under the GMS contract, GPs are reimbursed by the HSE Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) primarily on a capitation basis. They also receive fee-per-item payments for certain services and a range of financial practice supports.
The HSE PCRS website provides data on the number of HSE contracted GPs by month. The table below shows the number of GPs who hold a GMS contract, as well as the number of GPs who do not hold a GMS contract but hold some other HSE contract(s), for the current month and as of January 2024, 2025 and 2026.
|
- |
GPs with a GMS contract |
Non-GMS GPs with other contracts |
|
July 2026 |
2,604 |
642 |
|
January 2026 |
2,598 |
634 |
|
January 2025 |
2,539 |
615 |
|
January 2024 |
2,518 |
592 |
PCRS annual reports provide details of GP payments under the GMS and other schemes. As per the 2024 annual report, approximately €912 million was paid to GPs under the GMS scheme by PCRS in 2024. GMS costs for subsequent years will be detailed in subsequent PCRS annual reports when published.
869. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the total number of sanctioned whole-time equivalent posts per medical discipline in each of the years 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026; the number of posts that remain unfilled per discipline, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53385/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
870. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the total number of locum staff employed in public hospitals through private healthcare agencies in each of the years 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026; the total estimated cost in each year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53386/26]
View answerI have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
871. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the estimated total spend on the National Treatment Purchase Fund to address the waiting lists in each of the years 2024 and 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53387/26]
View answerThe National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) Annual Report for 2024, including the 2024 Annual Financial Statements as certified by the Comptroller and Auditor General, published on the NTPF Website shows that Patient Care Expenditure for 2024 amounted to €234,971,000.
The NTPF Annual Financial Statements for 2025 will be laid before the Oireachtas when received by the Department, following certification by the Comptroller and Auditor General, and will also be published in the Annual Report for 2025 on the NTPF website:
www.ntpf.ie/about-the-ntpf/publications/
872. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the amount of the total healthcare budget that is outsourced to provide healthcare through independent bodies, private providers or agencies in each of the years 2024 and 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53388/26]
View answerI have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
873. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the estimated average wage of Section 38 and Section 39 workers separately; the number of workers in each section in 2024 and 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53389/26]
View answerThis Parliamentary Query has been referred to the HSE for direct response to the Deputy.
874. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health if she will request the HSE to urgently prioritise funding for a facility (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53392/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
875. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Health the number of staff that will be employed onsite at the new National Children's Hospital; the number of parking spaces that will be available at the new hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53395/26]
View answerAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
876. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Health to provide details of all grant schemes currently available through her Department for which individuals or community groups are eligible to apply; the purpose of each grant scheme; the eligibility criteria; the application process; the opening and closing dates for application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53419/26]
View answerDear Deputy, outlined below are details related the grant schemes which are operated by my Department.
Period Dignity Scheme
Purpose of the Scheme
The Period Dignity Scheme supports the provision of free, safe and suitable period products, with a particular focus on women and young girls who may experience difficulty in affording or accessing such products, including those affected by poverty, homelessness, addiction, social exclusion or other forms of disadvantage. The scheme forms part of the Department’s broader work to address period poverty by improving access to products in public buildings and publicly funded services, supporting community-based distribution, and contributing to the reduction of stigma and barriers to participation in education, employment, sport and other activities of daily life.
Eligibility Criteria
Funding is provided to Local Authorities and non-governmental organisations that are positioned to deliver period dignity supports within communities.
Application Process
The Department invites Expressions of Interest and engages directly with eligible organisations and public bodies, including Local Authorities, Family Resource Centres and non-governmental organisations. Eligible bodies are required to submit the Department’s Expression of Interest template by the specified deadline:
1. Submit an Expression of Interest using the Department’s template by the specified deadline.
2. Complete any outstanding reporting requirements from the previous funding year, where applicable.
3. The Department reviews the application and determines whether the proposal may be supported within the available funding parameters.
4. Successful applicants are issued with a draft Service Level Agreement for review, signature and return.
5. The Department countersigns the Service Level Agreement and returns the finalised version.
6. The applicant submits an invoice to enable payment of the approved funding.
7. Additional or second-round funding may be offered later in the year, subject to available budget and prevailing priorities, where appropriate.
Applications are generally assessed having regard to the following considerations:
• the intended target population and the level of identified need;
• the proposed approach to ensuring that period products are available and accessible;
• the strength of partnerships with local community organisations and services;
• the extent to which the proposal will support period dignity and awareness; and
• the applicant’s capacity to deliver the initiative and meet appropriate reporting requirements.
The scheme is not available to individual applicants.
Opening and closing dates
Applications opened on 22 January 2026 and closed on 6 March 2026. Subject to the availability of unallocated funding, a further call may issue later in the year.
Other Healthy Ireland initiatives
Healthy Ireland also supports the Walking Tracks initiative and the Outdoor Swimming Initiative, both of which are aimed at promoting increased participation in physical activity through improved community and public infrastructure. Funding is allocated through national sporting bodies and onward to clubs, rather than directly to individuals, and current funding allocations under these initiatives have been made.
The Nursing Home Resident Environment Enhancement (REE) Scheme
• The €10m Nursing Home Resident Environment Enhancement (REE) Scheme opened for applications on 16 April 2026 and will close on 20 November 2026.
• The REE Scheme provides targeted funding for structural/other works carried out to specifically enhance the resident environment, safety and facilities in nursing homes in compliance with Regulation 17 (Premises) as it applies to internal and external communal spaces for residents, their bedrooms/bathrooms, and equipment, furniture and furnishings for use by residents.
• The REE Scheme is open to all operational voluntary and private nursing homes registered with the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) as of 1 January 2026, and in receipt of payment under the National Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS) for the provision of long-term residential care services.
• Up to €25,000 is available to each qualifying nursing home.
• Eligible nursing homes may claim for works carried out between 1 January 2025 and 20 November 2026 that meet the scheme criteria.
• The Department of Health are responsible for all policy matters in relation to the scheme and will provide oversight of the scheme. The Department of Health report to the Minister of State with special responsibility for Older People and Housing on the operation and progress of the scheme.
• The Health Service Executive (HSE) administer the scheme, the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) administer the application process and provide support and advice to the HSE, and the HSE make payments where appropriate under this scheme.
877. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Health the steps she is taking to ensure that people living with dementia can access the home care they have been assessed as needing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53429/26]
View answerAs this is an operational matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
878. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of private house calls that HSE pest control services attended within the Dublin region in 2025 and to-date in 2026; the average time it take for pest control services to attend a private house call after a request to the pest control service; and if the HSE pest control services carries out subsequent work at a private house, after an initial call which discovers that work is need to be carried out regarding pest control at the house. [53430/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
879. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Health when the statutory home support scheme will be commenced; the barriers that now prevent its implementation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53431/26]
View answerThe Programme for Government commits to "Design a Statutory Homecare Scheme to allow people to stay in their own home for as long as possible." Enabling older people with care needs to continue to live independently at home for as long as possible, is a priority for the Government and as such it has committed to establishing a new Statutory Scheme for regulation of home support services, which the Department of Health is currently developing.
A critical first step has been ensuring that the home support providers are regulated. An important development in the home care sector has been the introduction of the Health (Amendment) (Home Support Providers) Act 2026 which introduces for the first time, the registration and regulation by HIQA and the Chief Inspector of Social Services of all of public, private and voluntary home support providers in Ireland. The Bill has been approved by Cabinet and was published on 22nd December 2025. It was signed into law by the President on 1st July 2026. Now that the Bill has been enacted, the Department will continue to work with HIQA and in consultation with the sector, on the legal drafting of the secondary legislation (the regulations).
The objective of the proposed registration system is to improve the safety and quality of home support services. It will ensure that registered home support providers do not operate below the standard set by Ministerial regulations. The new system of regulation for home support providers will ensure that the public can be confident that the services provided are of a high standard and will bring Ireland in line with best international practice.
This Act provides for the regulation of the sector by HIQA. Final amendments have been made to draft regulations for home support providers following public consultation and engagements with stakeholder groups.
Alongside this legislation, the Department is working to address the future financing of homecare, the reform of the model of service delivery and the breadth of issues relating to recruitment and retention in this sector; all in the context of a substantial expansion of the State-funded home support service.
How home support will be funded in the future will be an essential factor of the new Statutory Scheme. Currently, home support services are fully exchequer funded for those who have been assessed by the HSE as requiring the service. The Department is researching different funding models which will form an important part of the evidence base for the development of a sustainable funding model for home care services and has commissioned several reports from the ESRI and the European Observatory on Health Systems.
This research is being examined, as it forms an important part of the evidence base for the development of a sustainable funding model for home support services in the context of our ageing population. The Capacity Review was undertaken by the ESRI and published in June 2025. Regional projections were published in November 2025. This will help to inform the levels of service provision required into the future (out to 2040) and will be a key piece of research for this workstream.
It is important to note that no decision on future funding options has been made, and further research is underway.
880. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the reason neither hospitals (details supplied) in Drogheda or Dundalk provides faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) for symptomatic patients; when it is intended to introduce the service in County Louth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53432/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
881. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health to provide, for each hospital currently providing faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) for symptomatic patients, the average waiting time from GP referral to FIT testing, together with the average waiting time from GP referral to colonoscopy following a positive FIT result, broken down by hospital site. [53433/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy as soon as possible.
882. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has assessed the impact of the absence of faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) services in County Louth on waiting times for suspected bowel cancer patients attending a hospital (details supplied) in Drogheda; and if she will provide the waiting time from GP referral to colonoscopy for those patients [53434/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
883. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health to provide, for each hospital currently providing faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) for symptomatic patients, the average, median and longest waiting time from GP referral to FIT testing and GP referral to colonoscopy following a positive FIT result, broken down by hospital site; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53435/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
884. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 478 of 18 June 2026, if she will provide an update on an appointment for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53436/26]
View answerUnder the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. The Minister for Health is prohibited from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
885. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the annual cost of the national unused medicines return and disposal scheme; the details of the contract awarded to the appointed waste disposal provider including its duration and value; whether the contract was subject to competitive tender; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53451/26]
View answerUnder the Health Act 2004, the day-to-day operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health services is a matter for HSE. This query has therefore been referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
886. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Health if her Department and the HSE can assess the needs of a person (details supplied) and ensure that suitable ongoing suitable accommodation and care in a HSE facility or other appropriate accommodation is provided for them; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53502/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
887. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Health with regard to incident data collected by SATUs and collated at national level for annual service reports, the number of incidents that occurred in Tipperary, Clare and Limerick per year for the past ten years, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53504/26]
View answer888. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1166 of 28 April 2026, the number of UHL FME patients that sought a follow up health check or other services in Cork SATU, as per the arrangement in place and referenced in a previous PQ (details supplied) , by year, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53505/26]
View answer889. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 2790 of 14 April 2026, if further work has been carried out at national and regional level regarding the establishment of a specialist child and adolescent sexual assault treatment unit in the mid-west since the PQ was answered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53506/26]
View answer890. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1156 of 28 April 2026, the further engagements and steps that have taken place at national and regional level since May 2026 regarding the establishment of a mid-west SATU; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53507/26]
View answer894. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1168 of 28 April 2026, if the HSE has yet collated overall data regarding the number of victims from the mid-west who have accessed the SATU services elsewhere, notably Galway and Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53541/26]
View answer895. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1168 of 28 April 2026, if information regarding the number of victims from the mid-west who have accessed the SATU services in Cork and Galway has been obtained from said SATUs, given the fact that not all service users engage with An Garda Síochána prior to attending an SATU service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53542/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 887 to 890, inclusive, 894 and 895 together.
As this is an operational matter, this PQ is referred to the HSE for direct response to the deputy.
