Written Answers Nos. 251-265
251. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the current waiting time for children’s therapy services, speech and language, occupational therapy and physiotherapy under the primary care scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36444/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
252. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the amount of public funding that has been allocated to the NTP fund in 2024 and 2025; and the amount of that funding that has been used for outsourcing public patients to private hospitals. [36448/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) Annual Financial Statements 2024 have been audited and certified by the Comptroller and Auditor General and laid before the Oireachtas. The Annual Financial Statements for 2024 will be incorporated into the NTPF Annual Report 2024 for publication on the NTPF website in the coming weeks.
In relation to the specific query raised, the NTPF received funding of €239 million in 2024. The certified Annual Financial Statements 2024 provides a breakdown of patient care expenditure between public and private hospitals, and the amount spent in relation to the outsourcing of public patients to private hospitals was €155,171,000.
Under the 2025 Waiting List Action Plan published in February this year the NTPF, from its budget of €230 million, is committed to providing 178,000 episodes of care for public patients:
• 130,000 Outpatient appointments
• 28,000 Inpatient/Day case procedures and
• 20,000 GI Scopes
The breakdown of expenditure between public and private hospitals in 2025 will depend on the volume and category of procedures required and the corresponding available capacity in the relevant locations. When the Annual Financial Statements in respect of 2025 have been certified by the Comptroller and Auditor General, they will be laid before the Oireachtas and incorporated into the NTPF Annual Report for 2025 for publication on the NTPF website.
253. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the average waiting time, by hospital group and speciality, for inpatient and day-case procedures; and the five longest specialties in terms of average wait time. [36449/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is acknowledged that many patients are still waiting too long for hospital appointments and treatments. I am conscious of the burden that this places on patients and their families.
I published the Waiting List Action Plan (WLAP) for 2025 on February 12th, representing this Government’s commitment to reducing waiting times for patients and improving access to hospital care.
In keeping with this commitment, significant funding of €420m was allocated to the Waiting List Action Plan for 2025, €190m for the HSE and €230m for the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF).
With the 2025 plan, we are continuing to build upon the progress delivered to date under the multi annual action plan approach, progressing towards the ultimate vision of a public healthcare service in which everyone has timely access to high-quality scheduled care, where and when they need it.
In relation to the particular query raised by the Deputy, the NTPF collects data on patients on waiting lists at a point in time and the average time that these patients have been waiting is provided in the table at the following link.
254. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if she will accept the Labour Court’s recommendation to extend the special scheme of paid leave for certain eligible public health sector employees suffering from long Covid until 31 December 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36453/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Minister has accepted the Labour Court’s recommendation to extend the special scheme of paid leave for certain eligible public health sector employees suffering from long covid until 31 December 2025.
255. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Health if she is considering including fibromyalgia as a long-term illness; if she will consider access for patients to GP visit cards/medical cards regardless of income; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36455/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Long-Term Illness (LTI) Scheme was established under Section 59(3) of the Health Act 1970 (as amended). Regulations were made in 1971, 1973 and 1975, prescribing 16 conditions to be covered by the Scheme. These are: acute leukaemia; mental handicap; cerebral palsy; mental illness (in a person under 16); cystic fibrosis; multiple sclerosis; diabetes insipidus; muscular dystrophies; diabetes mellitus; parkinsonism; epilepsy; phenylketonuria; haemophilia; spina bifida; hydrocephalus; and conditions arising from the use of Thalidomide.
Under the LTI Scheme, patients receive drugs, medicines, and medical and surgical appliances directly related to the treatment of their illness, free of charge. While there are currently no plans to extend the list of conditions, it is important to remember that the LTI Scheme exists within a wider eligibility framework.
People who cannot, without undue hardship, arrange for the provision of medical services for themselves and their dependants may be eligible for a medical card under the General Medical Services (GMS) Scheme. In accordance with the provisions of the Health Act 1970 (as amended), eligibility for a medical card is determined by the HSE.
In certain circumstances the HSE may exercise discretion and grant a medical card, even though an applicant exceeds the income guidelines, where he or she faces difficult financial circumstances, such as extra costs arising from illness. The HSE afford applicants the opportunity to furnish supporting documentation to determine whether undue hardship exists and to fully take account of all relevant circumstances that may benefit them in assessment. In circumstances where an applicant is still over the income limit for a medical card, they are then assessed for a GP visit card, which entitles the applicant to GP visits without charge.
The issue of granting medical card eligibility based on having a particular disability or illness was previously examined in 2014 by the HSE Expert Panel on Medical Need and Medical Card Eligibility. The Group concluded that it was not feasible, desirable, nor ethically justifiable to list medical conditions in priority order for medical card eligibility. In following the Expert Group’s advice, a person’s means remains the main qualifier for a medical card.
Under the Drugs Payment Scheme (DPS), no individual or family pays more than €80 a month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines. The DPS is not means tested and is available to anyone ordinarily resident in Ireland. The DPS significantly reduces the cost burden for families and individuals with ongoing expenditure on medicines.
There has been a significant focus on improving access to and the affordability of healthcare services over the last few years. This includes reductions in the DPS threshold, expansion of access to free GP care, and the abolition of all public in-patient hospital charges for children and adults. These measures continue to create a health and social care service that offers affordable access to quality healthcare.
Individuals may also be entitled to claim tax relief on the cost of their medical expenses, including medicines prescribed by a doctor, dentist, or consultant. Relief is at the standard tax rate of 20%.
256. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health if she will instruct the HSE to cease plans to move all high-protein oral nutritional supplements to list B (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36459/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
257. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Health the number of hospital appointments, including surgeries and procedures, carried out in Tallaght University Hospital on a Saturday from 2022 to date in 2025, broken down by appointment or procedure per month, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36460/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
258. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE psychiatrists, by grade, based at Springfield/Tallaght primary care centre in the years of 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36461/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
259. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE consultant paediatric ENT surgeons based at CHI Crumlin in the years of 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36462/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
260. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE public health nurses based at Kilnamanagh/Tymon primary care centre in the years of 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36463/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
261. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Health when a child (details supplied) will receive support services of speech therapy, occupational therapy and psychology services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36466/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
262. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Health if she will outline plans to improve the feeding, bathing and mobility facilities at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, for young children who have disabilities and additional needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36480/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.
263. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health to outline details of the recent move of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee from the Royal College of Physicians to the Health Information and Quality Authority; the impact this development will have on the speed at which vaccines could be added to the national immunisation programme bearing in mind it currently takes on average six years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36487/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra264. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health if there has been an increase in the budget and extra resources allocated to the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) arising from the recent move of NIAC from the Royal College of Physicians to the Health Information and Quality Authority as a consequence of this move; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36488/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra265. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health if the National Immunisation Advisory Committee will remain an independent committee with the ability to define their own work programme, arising from the recent move of NIAC from the Royal College of Physicians to the Health Information and Quality Authority; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36489/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 263 to 265, inclusive, together.
The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) took over the hosting the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland in March 2025.NIAC, as an independent advisory committee, will continue to deliver independent recommendations and advice to my Department, develop the National Immunisation Guidelines for Ireland and advocate for best immunisation practices in the Irish context.
NIAC carries out a critical role as Ireland's National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) by providing evidence-based expertise to inform safe and effective immunisation policies. Its’ recommendations are informed by the Committee’s assessment of population health risks, the burden of disease and evidence of the potential benefits and harms associated with the vaccine among other considerations.
These recommendations are first considered by the Chief Medical Officer who will then make a recommendation to myself as Minister. After deliberation, the Minister makes a policy decision.
In advance of any change in policy, the Minister can request that HIQA carry out an evaluation of the impacts of potential policy changes. HIQA has a statutory remit, under its Act, to evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of health technologies, providing advice to the Minister for Health on budget impact, organisational and social aspects, and ethical and legal issues.
These evaluations take the form of Health Technology Assessments (HTAs). HTAs assist decision makers in assessing the merits and potential shortcomings of new health technologies, policies or services. A HTA is a multidisciplinary research process which looks at the evidence of the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine. It also looks at the value for money, cost effectiveness, organisational, social and ethical issues of providing a new vaccine. The information is collected and presented in a systematic, unbiased and transparent manner.
The outcome of the HTA will be considered by the Minister in coming to a decision in relation to any changes to the National Immunisation Programme.
Given that the healthcare budget is finite and decisions regarding increased spending relating to a change in one area could impact the provision of other health technologies and treatments within the healthcare system, the cost-effectiveness must be considered in any decision-making process.
The move to HIQA included an increase in the size of the NIAC secretariat which provides clinical, technical and administrative support to the Committee. This recognises NIAC’s growing workload, which has increased significantly in recent years due to developments in the field of immunisation.
