Written Answers Nos. 204-227
204. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the total spend on insourcing in each of the years 2021 to 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and the amount paid to each provider for each year of the relevant period. [38141/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has had no spend on insourcing in the specified years.
205. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the total spend on management consultancy and external professional services in each of the years 2021 to 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and the amount paid to each provider for each year of the relevant period. [38142/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department's total expenditure on management consultancy and external professional services for the years 2021 to 2024 and to date in 2025 is as set out in the attached tables.
It is the policy in the Department to only engage the services of external consultants where highly specialised skills are not available within the Department and when such an approach is considered to be more appropriate and cost-effective.
|
Supplier |
Project Description |
Expenditure |
|
Alpha Healthcare |
Provision of Strategy and Operations Support for the National Taskforce on Non-Consultant Hospital Doctors Workforce |
€ 132,791 |
|
Alpha Healthcare Ltd |
Analysis of the dental workforce to align with the actions of Smile agus Sláinte |
€ 30,750 |
|
BH Consulting |
Technology Recovery Plan |
€ 11,070 |
|
Crowe Horwath |
Review of the National Sexual Health Strategy |
€ 13,210 |
|
Crowe Horwath |
Patient Safety Complaints and Patient Safety Incidents Culture and Values Project |
€ 31,916 |
|
Deloitte Ireland LLP |
Professional consultancy services to support the development of a new National Digital Healthcare and Well-being Framework: 2023-2030. |
€ 221,715 |
|
Grant Thornton |
Provision of a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) for the Department. |
€ 119,033 |
|
HSE |
Tool for Risk, Interventions & Outcomes. Provides a framework that includes relevant safeguarding interventions and a field for measuring their outcomes. |
€ 11,350 |
|
Mazars |
Internal Audit |
€ 84,624 |
|
Mazars |
Actuarial Services - Private Health Insurance |
€ 28,208 |
|
Paul Dunphy |
Patient and Staff Stories Project on Antimicrobial Resistance and Sepsis (Phase 2) |
€ 61,180 |
|
Royal College of Surgeons |
To develop draft policy in respect of Patient Complaints concerning Clinical Judgement |
€ 20,000 |
|
Ace Druahgting T/A Information |
Legal Costs |
€ 5,290 |
|
Alan G Byrne BL |
Legal Costs |
€ 44,831 |
|
Allen Creative Limited |
Design |
€ 10,535 |
|
Andrew Whelan BL |
Legal Costs |
€ 6,888 |
|
Anthony Moore |
Legal Costs |
€ 96,563 |
|
Audry Deane |
Legal Costs |
€ 1,600 |
|
Bennis Design |
Design |
€ 3,070 |
|
Byrne Wallace |
Legal Costs |
€ 40,675 |
|
Catherine O Connell |
Legal Costs |
€ 500 |
|
Cian O'Carroll Solicitors |
Legal Costs |
€ 1,500 |
|
Ciaran Craven |
Legal Costs |
€ 5,950 |
|
Conal Devine and Associates |
Legal Costs |
€ 3,900 |
|
Conor Feeny BL |
Legal Costs |
€ 5,565 |
|
Core Full Solutions |
Consultancy |
€ 35,000 |
|
Dave Curran Design |
Design |
€ 6,211 |
|
Diane McDonald |
Legal Costs |
€ 12,645 |
|
Dr Stephen Stewart |
Consultancy |
€ 1,500 |
|
Dylan West |
Legal Costs |
€ 3,675 |
|
Eithne Fitzgerald |
Legal Costs |
€ 7,000 |
|
Elizabeth Davey |
Legal Costs |
€ 16,160 |
|
Emotion Media |
Design |
€ 1,700 |
|
Gabriel Scally Consulatants Ltd |
Consultancy |
€ 58,840 |
|
Grainne Healy |
Legal Costs |
€ 9,018 |
|
Harwyn Ltd |
Legal Costs |
€ 6,230 |
|
James Geoghegan |
Legal Costs |
€ 6,825 |
|
Javelin Advertising Ltd |
Design |
€ 79,052 |
|
Jennifer Goode BL |
Legal Costs |
€ 1,797 |
|
Kate MchMahon |
Legal Costs |
€ 9,984 |
|
Kate O Loughlin |
Legal Costs |
€ 6,720 |
|
Keith Arkins |
Design |
€ 395 |
|
Louise Beirne |
Legal Costs |
€ 3,150 |
|
Lucy O'Connell |
Legal Costs |
€ 12,481 |
|
Marie O Shea |
Legal Costs |
€ 42,500 |
|
McCann Fitzgerald Solicitors |
Legal Costs |
€ 18,500 |
|
Munster Research Consultancy |
Consultancy |
€ 15,000 |
|
Noreen Fitzpatrick |
Legal Costs |
€ 10,195 |
|
PA Consulting Services Ltd |
Consultancy |
€ 24,000 |
|
Resonate Design |
Design |
€ 5,798 |
|
Resource Employee Relations |
Consultancy |
€ 4,200 |
|
RoundTable Solutions Limited |
Legal Costs |
€ 10,710 |
|
Ruth A Fitzgerald |
Legal Costs |
€ 7,440 |
|
Sara Moorehead |
Legal Costs |
€ 2,364 |
|
Sean Costello and Co Solicitor |
Legal Costs |
€ 67,950 |
|
Sharon Brooks |
Legal Costs |
€ 21,199 |
|
Simon Boyle |
Legal Costs |
€ 16,500 |
|
Stephen Hanaphy |
Legal Costs |
€ 24,232 |
|
Stephen O'Herlihy |
Legal Costs |
€ 27,075 |
|
Studio Unthink Ltd |
Design |
€ 3,190 |
|
Zinc Design Consultants |
Design |
€ 14,420 |
|
|
Total |
€ 1,586,367 |
206. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the total cost of medical negligence litigation against the HSE and her Department in each of the years 2014 to 2024 and to date in 2025, including awards made in the courts, settlements made out of court to resolve disputes, and legal costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38143/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe State Claims Agency (SCA) has a statutory remit to manage personal injury claims on behalf of State Authorities. The SCA has provided me with the information set out below.
The information contained within this response was extracted from the National Incident Management System (NIMS) as per the below criteria.
The following table contains the transactional amounts paid (including VAT where applicable) under the Clinical Indemnity Scheme, that are associated with claims and a small number of incidents and inquests. This includes claims recorded by the SCA across hospitals, nursing homes, HSE locations including community healthcare locations, and COVID-19 response locations. It excludes transactional amounts paid under other designated schemes. It includes payments between 01/01/2014 and 30/06/2025 and is correct as of 01/07/2025.
|
Transaction Reporting Year |
Amount paid € |
|
2014 |
101,718,721 |
|
2015 |
190,265,065 |
|
2016 |
189,094,645 |
|
2017 |
242,024,417 |
|
2018 |
262,308,969 |
|
2019 |
313,455,916 |
|
2020 |
319,774,952 |
|
2021 |
353,798,356 |
|
2022 |
359,608,434 |
|
2023 |
352,360,476 |
|
2024 |
305,372,361 |
|
2025 (to end of June) |
148,053,183 |
|
Grand Total |
3,137,835,495 |
207. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number and percentage of accepted referrals and re-referrals offered an appointment and seen within 12 weeks by general adult community mental health teams in 2023, 2024, and to date in 2025 by team and the total, in tabular form. [38144/25]
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.
208. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number and percentage of accepted referrals and re-referrals offered an appointment and seen within 12 weeks by child and adolescent mental health teams in 2023, 2024, and to date in 2025 by team and the total, in tabular form. [38145/25]
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.
209. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of children admitted to adult mental health acute inpatient units in 2023, 2024, and to date in 2025, in tabular form. [38146/25]
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.
210. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the median wait time for screening or assessment by counselling in primary care services in 2023, 2024, and to date in 2025. [38147/25]
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.
211. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number and percentage of children aged 24 months who received the MMR vaccine at year end 2023, 2024, and at the end of June 2025, in tabular form. [38148/25]
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.
212. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health if she will respond to correspondence from a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38161/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThank you for your correspondence.
I responded to the person in question on Thursday 03 July, and have engaged with the service this young person is attending.
213. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of persons on CAMHS waiting lists by community healthcare network and length of wait at the end of quarter 2 of each year from 2023 to 2025, in tabular form. [38171/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
214. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of persons on diagnostic waiting lists at the end of quarter 2 of 2022 to 2025, in tabular form. [38172/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraWaiting times for radiology and diagnostic services have been recognised as an issue for some time. This year the Productivity and Savings Taskforce published an action plan for 2025 which commits to a range of services being available 7 days a week, including diagnostics activity. It will also ensure that all publicly funded diagnostics are captured in the National Integrated Medical Imaging System (NIMIS) by the end of 2025, thereby improving care coordination and reducing duplication of tests and procedures.
The NTPF is working to support access to radiology and in October 2024 it published a National Radiology Diagnostic Waiting List Management Protocol. As well as ensuring that patients seeking access to Radiology Diagnostic services are administratively managed in a safe, timely, fair, and equitable manner whilst waiting, the protocol will facilitate improved data collection and reporting about patients on Radiology Diagnostic waiting lists.
In the interim, the information that is currently being collected as part of a pilot project is being tested and validated at hospital, hospital region and national level and as such should not be used/reported without the context of the caveats set out below:
• Data is subject to inclusions and exclusions which are documented in the Data Profile Document. This document is available from Acute Operations and has been circulated to all Hospital Regions.
• Data contains urgent, routine and surveillance/planned activity which is currently not broken down in detail, as such this includes surveillance/planned activity which may not be exceeding planned date.
• Data is still undergoing validation at Hospital and Hospital Region level. Data does not take into account local nuances at site level (Site profile developed to support understanding of same).
• The purpose of this aggregate data is to provide a National Level overview of the number of patients waiting for modalities of CT, MRI and Ultrasound.
• This report is not intended to be used for the active management of hospital diagnostics waiting list, local reports and mechanisms should continue to be used for the management of diagnostics waiting lists at hospital level.
The NTPF provides my Department with quarterly reports which set out waiting list data for CT, MRI and Ultrasound. The HSE advises that, at present, further diagnostic scans (including cholangiopancreatography, electroencephalogram, angiogram, electrocardiogram and bone scan), are not yet captured as part of this project.
The Deputy has been provided with reports for each quarter in 2022, 2023, 2024 and Quarter 1 in 2025 in response to previous Parliamentary Questions.
The most recent report available for the end of Quarter 1 2025, indicates there was a total of 306,356 patients reported on the waiting list from all sites, this represents all outpatients waiting, urgent, semi urgent, routine and planned/surveillance (where diagnostic access is planned at particular time intervals).
215. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of dentists on the dental treatment services scheme at the end of quarter 2 for each year from 2023 to 2025 by local health office in tabular form; the number of dentists who submitted claims, and the total number of claims in the first half of each year. [38173/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
216. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of adults and children on HSE dental and orthodontic waiting lists at the end of quarter 2 for each year from 2023 to 2025, broken down by standard waiting times, by area, in tabular form. [38174/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
217. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of special care patients including both adult and children, who are on dental surgery waiting lists according to data held by local health offices at the end of quarter 2 for each year from 2013 to 2025 in tabular form; the breakdown by waiting time band and by local health office; the number on waiting lists for dental surgery under general anaesthesia; and the median waiting time for each. [38175/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
218. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Health whether she has been made aware of the current shortage in Ireland of a number of pain relief medications (details supplied); if she can outline the role the Health Products Regulatory Authority can play in ensuring alternative supplies are made available to hospices and community pharmacies caring for these patients, whether this be by expediting the batches currently being held up by regulatory issues, or by ensuring that parallel or exempt medicinal products from other EU countries or from Britain can be imported; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38178/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department is aware of the stress that shortages of medicines can cause for patients and healthcare professionals alike, thusly managing and mitigating medicine shortages is the subject of several workstreams across the Department and wider health service.
Department officials have reached out to our medicines regulator, the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), who have provided the following information regarding the shortages of medicinal products of interest to the Deputy:
Mundipharma, the Marketing Authorisation Holder for OxyNorm 10?mg/ml solution for injection or infusion, notified the HPRA on the 16th of June of a shortage of the 1?ml presentation which is expected to return to stock end of July/beginning of August. The HPRA was also notified on the 1st of July of a shortage of the 2?ml presentation which is expected to return to stock in September.
Shortages were also notified in March for the following AS Kalceks medicines. Resupply for each is currently anticipated mid to late August:
• Oxycodone hydrochloride 10 mg / ml solution for injection / infusion (1ml) PA2165/005/001
• Oxycodone hydrochloride 10 mg / ml solution for injection / infusion (2ml) PA2165/005/001
• Hydromorphone hydrochloride 20 mg / ml solution for injection / infusion PA2165/023/001
• Hydromorphone hydrochloride 50 mg / ml solution for injection / infusion PA2165/023/002
A medicine shortage is when the supply of a medicinal product is inadequate to meet the needs of patients. In European law, pharmaceutical companies and wholesalers should ensure an appropriate and continuous supply of the medicines they market. Companies should notify the HPRA of medicines shortages or potential shortages impacting the Irish market. When the HPRA receives a shortage notification, its role is to coordinate a multistakeholder response via the National Medicines Shortages Framework ("the framework"). The notification of possible shortages to the HPRA is the basis for triggering the framework and the associated coordinated multi-stakeholder response as required, including preventative or mitigation strategies.
The HPRA maintains a list of current shortages on its website and is in regular contact with suppliers in relation to these shortages with a view to minimising their duration and impact on patients. The webpage of the HPRA is updated daily as the HPRA receives new information related to ongoing and newly notified shortages. All notified hydromorphone and oxycodone shortages are currently listed on the dedicated HPRA notified shortages webpage and updates are published contemporaneously as they are received. Due to the critical nature of these medicines, these cases are being closely monitored and prioritised by the HPRA and mitigative strategies are actively being explored and pursued. These include, but are not limited to, liaising with suppliers of alternative marketed opioid analgesic intravenous medicines and expediting any outstanding regulatory issues that are causing delays in resupply.
An exempt medicinal product (EMP) is a medical product which is not licensed in Ireland but is prescribed by a doctor in the event of a lack of a licensed alternative. If a valid prescription is issued for an EMP in line with regulations, an appropriately authorised wholesaler can source that product from another market for supply to the patient. This will occur via the patient’s chosen pharmacy in line with their prescription.
Schedule 1 of the Medicinal Products (Control of Placing on the Market) Regulations 2007 includes an exemption which enables practitioners to prescribe a medicine as an EMP under that practitioner’s direct responsibility, in order to fulfil the special needs of that specific patient. If a valid prescription is issued for an EMP in line with the above Regulations, an appropriately authorised wholesaler can source that product from another market for supply to the patient via their pharmacy in line with that prescription.
Wholesalers and manufacturers are required by law to notify the HPRA in relation to any exempt products they source.
An EMP may not be prescribed or supplied in situations where an authorised or registered equivalent (i.e. same active substance(s), strength and dosage form) is available in Ireland. Healthcare professionals will attempt to source an alternative licenced medication prior to prescribing EMPs.
219. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the average patient experience time to admission via an emergency department for all patients for the first 6 months of each year 2023-2025, inclusive, statewide and for each location in tabular form; and to include the average for all patients and for patients aged 75 or older. [38180/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the deputy directly.
220. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of hospital-initiated scheduled care cancellations, by appointment type, for each quarter of each year 2022-2025, inclusive by hospital group and hospital, in tabular form. [38181/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis Government fully acknowledges the distress and inconvenience for patients and their families when hospital appointments and procedures are cancelled.
While every effort is made to avoid these postponements of planned procedures, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has advised that planned procedures and operations can be postponed or cancelled for a variety of reasons including capacity issues due to increased scheduled and unscheduled care demand, and unforeseen circumstances that may impact a service.
Patient safety remains at the centre of all hospital activity and elective care scheduling. To ensure services are provided in a safe, clinically aligned and prioritised way, hospitals follow HSE clinical guidelines and protocols.
In respect of reporting of cancellations, to improve the long-term efficiency of the service the HSE worked with hospitals and hospital groups in 2022 to develop a process for the collection and collation of data on cancellations. The cancellation data does not measure that a procedure or appointment did not go ahead, rather that the procedure/appointment did not go ahead on the date originally scheduled.
Cancelled hospital procedures/appointments are, where appropriate, rescheduled as early as possible with priority given to patients requiring time-sensitive and urgent treatment
The National Inpatient, Day Case, Planned Procedure (IDPP), and GI Endoscopy waiting list management protocol 2024 issued by the National Treatment Purchase Fund requires hospitals to reschedule elective care appointments within six weeks of cancellation, subject to patient confirmation regarding their availability to attend.
In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
221. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of delayed transfers of care for the first six months of each year 2023-2025, inclusive, at each location, in tabular form; the number of delayed discharges and the number as a percentage of all discharges; the number of bed days lost and the number as a percentage of all bed days available for the period. [38182/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to the deputy directly.
222. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the bed occupancy rates of each public and public voluntary hospital, by hospital group, for the first 6 months of each year 2023-2025, inclusive, in tabular form; the national average; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38183/25]
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.
223. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of days on which full capacity protocols were active for each statutory and section 38 hospital for the first 6 months of each year 2023-2025, inclusive, in tabular form. [38184/25]
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.
224. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of assaults recorded against patients at HSE facilities for the first 6 months of each year 2023-2025, inclusive, in tabular form. [38185/25]
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.
225. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of assaults recorded against staff at HSE facilities for the first 6 months of each year 2023-2025, inclusive, in tabular form. [38186/25]
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.
227. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of patients on primary care and community healthcare waiting lists, for each care service, at the end of the first 6 months of each year 2023-2025, inclusive in tabular form; the breakdown, by length of wait and by age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38188/25]
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.
