Aidan Farrelly
Ceist:896. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Health if she has visited Naas General Hospital since her appointment as Minister, and, if so, the purpose of each visit, in tabular form. [51834/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraHospital Inspections
Ceisteanna (896)
Freagraí scríofa
I have not visited Naas General Hospital since my appointment as Minister for Health but I look forward to meeting with patients and staff when the opportunity arises.
Health Services Staff
Ceisteanna (897)
Aidan Farrelly
Ceist:897. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Health the specialist teams and services in place to support children requiring prosthetics alongside complex abdominal and stoma care; and if the HSE has sufficient expertise and resources in place to deal with this care. [51835/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Health Services Staff
Ceisteanna (898)
Aidan Farrelly
Ceist:898. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE consultant paediatric ophthalmologists and paediatric ophthalmologist registrars based at CHI Temple Street in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form. [51836/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Healthcare Policy
Ceisteanna (899)
Paul Murphy
Ceist:899. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of the damage to public health caused by weeks of gorse fires at Ticknock (details supplied); if she will liaise with the appropriate authorities to take action to prevent a recurrence so as to protect families, children and older people from further heart, lung and neurological damage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51853/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Healthcare Policy
Ceisteanna (900, 901, 922)
Michael Healy-Rae
Ceist:900. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if she intends to allocate funding in the upcoming Budget for post-acute inpatient neurorehabilitation beds in the southwest, in line with the Programme for Government commitment to develop more specialist inpatient neurorehabilitation beds; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51855/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Pat Buckley
Ceist:901. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Health her plans to allocate funding in Budget 2026 for post-acute inpatient neurorehabilitation beds in the southwest in line with the Programme for Government commitment to develop more specialist inpatient neurorehabilitation beds. [51856/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Pádraig O'Sullivan
Ceist:922. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the steps she will take to allocate funding in Budget 2026 for post-acute inpatient neurorehabilitation beds in the southwest in line with the Programme for Government Commitment to develop more specialist inpatient neurorehabilitation beds; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51947/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 900, 901 and 922 together.
The Deputy will be aware that there are many services that the HSE needs to support each year from within its Oireachtas approved Budget. Please note that the level of funding available to each Government Department is being considered as part of the national estimates and budgetary process for 2026, which is currently underway.
Pending completion of this process, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to comment further on any proposals at this stage.
Question No. 901 answered with Question No. 900.
Hospital Appointments Status
Ceisteanna (902)
Niamh Smyth
Ceist:902. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health if she will review correspondence (details supplied); if she will expedite the appointment in question; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51870/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Under 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 Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Food Safety
Ceisteanna (903)
Martin Kenny
Ceist:903. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Health the number of food recalls, and the name of the food processors involved, in 2025 to date, in tabular form. [51889/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has overall responsibility for the enforcement of food law in Ireland; therefore, as this is an operational matter, I have asked the FSAI to reply directly to the Deputy.
Food Safety
Ceisteanna (904)
Martin Kenny
Ceist:904. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Health if the food safety authority has investigated all instances of food recalls to date; and what the results of these investigations were. [51891/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has overall responsibility for the enforcement of food law in Ireland; therefore, as this is an operational matter, I have asked the FSAI to reply directly to the Deputy.
Food Safety
Ceisteanna (905)
Martin Kenny
Ceist:905. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Health if the food safety authority issued any enforcement orders or penalties in relation to food recalls for 2025. [51893/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has overall responsibility for the enforcement of food law in Ireland; therefore, as this is an operational matter, I have asked the FSAI to reply directly to the Deputy.
Food Safety
Ceisteanna (906)
Martin Kenny
Ceist:906. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Health if food that is recalled for reason of an outbreak of disease, or suspicion of an outbreak of disease, is disposed of; how it is disposed of; and if there is transparent oversight of its disposal. [51895/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has overall responsibility for the enforcement of food law in Ireland; therefore, as this is an operational matter, I have asked the FSAI to reply directly to the Deputy.
Hospital Facilities
Ceisteanna (907)
Liam Quaide
Ceist:907. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health the plans for additional post-acute inpatient neurorehabilitation beds in the south west, in line with the programme for Government commitment to develop more specialist inpatient neurorehabilitation beds; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51896/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
Medical Cards
Ceisteanna (908)
Naoise Ó Muirí
Ceist:908. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Health the income thresholds which now apply for the medical card and for the GP only card; the current level of population eligible for each scheme; and the way the level of take-up has changed over the past twelve months due to the relaxed eligibility conditions. [51916/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Health Services Staff
Ceisteanna (909)
Ryan O'Meara
Ceist:909. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Health the number of vacancies on the North Tipperary CDNT team; when the vacancies will be filled; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51922/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Health Services Staff
Ceisteanna (910)
Ryan O'Meara
Ceist:910. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Health the number of psychologists on the North Tipperary CDNT team; if this number can be increased to combat the current waitlist; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51923/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Health Services
Ceisteanna (911)
Ryan O'Meara
Ceist:911. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Health the services and supports which are available for children who need to access early intervention in North Tipperary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51924/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, it has been referred to the Health Service Executive for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
Health Services Staff
Ceisteanna (912)
Ciarán Ahern
Ceist:912. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Health for an update on the 37 healthcare assistants and 18 staff nurse vacancies in older care services in CHO7 which are currently subject to approval; the expected timeframe for approval of the positions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51932/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Departmental Data
Ceisteanna (913)
Conor Sheehan
Ceist:913. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Health the number of persons waiting for PrEP appointments; the waiting time through the sexual health programme, by clinic, for 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51934/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
A national HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) programme commenced in November 2019, following a HIQA HTA, which concluded that its introduction would be safe, effective, and cost saving. Free PrEP medication is available to individuals who meet clinical eligibility criteria, attending HSE approved PrEP services.
It is vital that those at risk of HIV infection are encouraged to access regular testing and preventive programmes such as PrEP and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). These measures are key elements towards achieving UN and WHO aims of ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Europe by 2030 and supporting wider national and international commitments, including the Sustainable Development Goals.
Free PrEP medication is available to individuals who meet clinical eligibility criteria, attending HSE approved PrEP services. These include public PrEP services, delivered through the public network of STI clinics, and some general practice (GP) services and private providers. There are currently 13 approved public PrEP services, located in public STI clinics, and 17 private or general practitioner (GP) PrEP providers. Appointments at the 13 public PrEP services are free of charge, however, the private providers charge for consultations.
The number of people eligible to access PrEP has been expanding since inception, with the number of individuals re-imbursed for PrEP at least once expanding from 1763 in 2020 to 4,419 users by the end of 2024. The population has grown significantly in recent years, and clinical criteria for PrEP eligibility have been widened, increasing the number of people eligible.
While the PrEP service continues to grow, many PrEP services had reached capacity and service users were reporting challenges accessing appointments. In order to expand PrEP services and provide additional supports to our rapidly growing population, we have been allocated additional funding of €550,000, through Budget 2025, to further support delivery of the PrEP scheme, bringing the total allocation to €6.45m this year.
This additional funding is comprised of €0.2m for additional PrEP drug costs, and €0.35m for additional staffing in the public STI clinics from July 2025, increasing capacity for in-person appointments. The HSE advises that the funding is supporting an additional 7WTE across 4 STI clinics, from July 2025. All staff should be in place, facilitating additional appointments within the public system by the beginning of October. Once this capacity is in place, some additional work is required to understand the extent of remaining unmet need/demand for PrEP, which has been estimated as circa 30% prior to putting additional WTE in place.
In order to further increase capacity for PrEP, a number of additional measures have been deployed and are being developed, including administrative efficiencies, the use of telephone consultations and use of the free home STI testing scheme for routine tests. In order to increase the number of providers, a PrEP competency framework and eLearning platform has been developed; these can be accessed by GPs with an interest in providing PrEP.
An additional €600,000 has been allocated to support free home STI testing this year, given increasing demand for the service and its use to support the PrEP scheme. Funding for home STI testing is €4.82m in 2025. Over 126,000 kits were ordered in 2024, with a return rate of 71% and with just under 10% of returned kits indicating reactive results.
In addition to further funding for both PrEP and for home STI testing in 2024, we are progressing further development of HIV Fast-Track Cities in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway. We are also supporting people living with HIV and countering the stigma they may experience. The HSE launched its new campaign, 'You, Me and HIV' in January, 2025, to raise awareness that people on effective treatment for HIV with an undetectable viral load will not transmit HIV infection to partners; undetectable is equal to untransmissible.
The potential to widen eligibility and access for PrEP and PEP delivery, through the public system, its partnerships and through primary care (analogous to methods of provision in some other jurisdictions), is being considered under the new National Sexual Health Strategy, which was published in June.
The Department of Health and HSE Sexual Health and Infectious Diseases Programmes are also working together on plans to fulfil the commitments on HIV supports, including Models of Care for HIV and sexual health, and an HIV Action Plan in addition to further capacity for PrEP.
As the details of current waiting lists for public PrEP services in specific clinics are service matters, I have also asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy, as soon as possible.
Hospital Services
Ceisteanna (914)
Claire Kerrane
Ceist:914. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health if she will meet with Oireachtas Members in relation to the downgrading of maternity services at Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe, as requested in view of the fear and worry in the area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51935/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The safety and quality of our maternity services are of critical importance to the women and families who use them, as well as to this Government.
The developments at the Portiuncula University Hospital (PUH) maternity unit may undoubtedly cause concern and worry for many women and families who attend or plan to attend services at PUH.
The safety and quality of maternity services are of critical importance. I understand developments at the Portiuncula University Hospital maternity unit are causing concern.
Of twelve reviews related to maternity care at Portiuncula, seven are now completed.
A highly experienced External Management Team was put in place in January 2025. This team includes a consultant obstetrician, director of midwifery and senior manager.
This team is continuing to oversee the work and safety of the unit. An Implementation Team is also progressing 52 recommendations from the seven completed reviews.
The maternity unit at Portiuncula has six obstetricians. Portiuncula has high levels of midwifery staffing compared with baselines and equivalent units.
On July 9th, the HSE announced higher-risk women would be transferred from Portiuncula. This may be to Galway or another unit of women's choice. This is in line with care pathways already in place.
The Implementation Team are working to ensure seamless transfer and care.
The HSE is also ensuring sufficient capacity at Galway University Hospital. This includes additional recruitment, and creating more dedicated maternity theatre space.
This work will continue to progress over the coming months. Close monitoring is continuing within both the HSE and the Department of Health.
It is important that we continue keep the public informed as this work progresses. I and the HSE will continue engaging with regional representatives on this matter.
Health Service Executive
Ceisteanna (915)
Claire Kerrane
Ceist:915. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on a site (details supplied); the HSE plans for the lands retained; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51936/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As the Health Service Executive is responsible for the management of the public healthcare estate, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.
Home Care Packages
Ceisteanna (916)
Claire Kerrane
Ceist:916. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health the number of persons in counties Roscommon and Galway on waiting lists for a new home care package; and additional hours under current home care package, in tabular form. [51937/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
Health Services
Ceisteanna (917)
Claire Kerrane
Ceist:917. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health the number of persons in counties Roscommon and Galway on waiting lists for primary care, by service (e.g. occupational therapy, speech and language), and length of waiting times, in tabular form. [51938/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.