Written Answers Nos. 834-856
834. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health for an update on information sought during the summer from the Department of Health in the North in relation to cross-Border work ongoing in scoping the paediatric pathology services in both jurisdictions with a view to creating one cross-Border service; the timeframes relating to the overall project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54863/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis Government is committed to fostering collaboration with Northern Ireland on healthcare, research, training and education to achieve improved health outcomes for everyone on the island of Ireland.
I discussed the potential for the development of perinatal and paediatric pathology services for the island with Minister Nesbitt earlier this year. There are acknowledged challenges with these services, particularly with recruitment due to the global shortage of specialists.
In light of these challenges, an agreement has been reached to progress a collaborative all-island approach to the design of services capable of serving both jurisdictions.
Officials from both Departments and relevant clinical leads from both jurisdictions met in May and July to progress this work collaboratively to ensure that the design of this service can benefit people across the island.
I remain committed to continuing collaboration on the design and development of this services.
835. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health the month the new primary care centre and outpatients department in Nenagh will open. [54873/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Health Service Executive (HSE) holds responsibility for the provision, along with the maintenance and operation of Primary Care Centres, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
836. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health when dementia and Alzheimer's care services will be provided in Nenagh primary care centre. [54874/25]
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.
837. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health her plans for the nursing staff residency block on the grounds of Nenagh Hospital; the purpose for which it is currently being used; and the number of people currently using it. [54875/25]
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.
838. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health the dates and attendees at all her meetings with HIQA since she took office. [54878/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra839. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health when the new extension to provide more beds to Nenagh Hospital will be commenced. [54879/25]
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.
840. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health the date the provision of special needs dental services in Nenagh will resume; and if is she aware that no special needs dentist is provided currently. [54885/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
841. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health the actions she is taking to ensure proper paediatric prosthetic services, including long-term rehabilitation and to help affected families with homage currently being forced to seek treatment abroad. [54886/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Health Service Executive (HSE) provide an extensive range of aids and appliances to individuals living with a wide variety of different medical conditions. These support individuals to continue living within their communities and to enjoy a greater quality of life than would otherwise be the cast
This includes the provision of prosthetics to medical card holders. For eligible patients, the provision of prosthetic limb services, is largely based on a clinical assessment of need, a prioritisation process, value for money, and consideration of the available budgets.
As the Deputy raises questions regarding the administration of these services, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
842. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of the shortage of GPs accepting medical card patients in Galway/Roscommon and the difficulties this is creating for patients who are trying to avail of the services they are entitled to; the steps she is taking to address this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54889/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraGPs are self-employed practitioners and therefore may establish practices at a place of their own choosing. There is no prescribed ratio of GPs to patients, and the State does not regulate the number of GPs that can set up in a town or community. Where a vacancy arises in a practice with a GMS contract, the HSE becomes actively involved in the recruitment process to find a replacement GP.
Where a person that holds a medical card or GP visit card experiences difficulty in finding a GP to accept them as a patient, the person concerned having unsuccessfully applied to at least three GPs in the area (or fewer if there are fewer GPs locally) can apply to the HSE Eligibility Unit which has the power to assign a GMS patient to a GP's GMS patient list in accordance with the GMS contract.
Work is ongoing to increase the number of GPs practising in the State and thereby improve access to GP services for all patients across the country.
Over €340 million in additional annual investment in general practice has been provided under the 2019 and 2023 GP GMS Agreements. The Agreements provide for increased GP capitation fees, increased and new supports for practices, as well as new fees for additional services. The 2023 Agreement also provided for the expansion of GP visit card eligibility in 2023 to all children under 8 years of age and all those who earn up to the median household income.
The annual intake of doctors into the GP training programme has been increased by approximately 80% from 2019 to 2024, with 350 new entrant training places made available in 2024 and again in 2025. As a result, the number of GP graduates has increased in recent years and will continue to increase in the coming years.
In addition, recruitment of GPs from abroad is ongoing under the International Medical Graduate (IMG) Rural GP Programme. As of the end of Q2 2025, 122 IMG GPs were placed in GP practices, and a further 23 had competed the programme.
Lastly, a Strategic Review of General Practice is underway. The review, with input from key stakeholders, is examining the broad range of issues affecting general practice including issues related to GP capacity and will consider possible mechanisms to attract more GPs to underserved areas. Following its completion, a final report will be presented to me outlining the findings of the review and setting out recommended actions for a more sustainable general practice.
843. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Health her plans to scrap the subsidised blister pack cost to the public starting in January 2026; if she will consider reversing this decision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54893/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Community Pharmacy Agreement 2025 does not remove phased dispensing.
Phased dispensing was introduced in 1996 for patient safety reasons. The supply of medication in instalments can support patients prescribed certain high-risk medications who are at risk of medication misadventure if these medications were to be supplied on a monthly basis, as is the norm under the community drug schemes. Where a phased dispensing claim is submitted, the current requirement is that an item must be dispensed across multiple supply occasions. Community pharmacies receive additional payments in respect of phased dispensing.
Monitored Dosing Systems are systems that enable the individual medicine doses to be organised according to the prescribed dose schedule. These are sometimes referred to as blister packs. The State has never agreed to fund Monitored Dosing Systems.
However, a practice has built up whereby the use of Monitored Dosing Systems are charged as if for phased dispensing. The State has never agreed to this. Phased claiming was never intended to be used to submit claims in lieu of the provision of Monitored Dosing Systems.
Whilst Monitored Dosing Systems may have a role for some patients there is significant uncertainty around the robustness of the evidence supporting its use. The National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics carried out an evidence assessment which indicated that the evidence was, at best, equivocal to support such a programme.
Significant expenditure is therefore being incurred where it was never intended by the State. It has been agreed to introduce improved controls in this regard and to limit the use of phased dispensing to specified high risk drugs, where a patient safety concern may exist.
Phased dispensing support is currently available under the GMS (medical card) Scheme for the following reasons:
• Reason 1 - at the request of a patient's physician.
• Reason 2 - due to the inherent nature of a medicinal product i.e. product stability and shelf life.
• Reason 3 - where a patient is commencing new drug therapy with a view to establishing patient tolerance and acceptability before continuing on a full treatment regime.
• Reason 4 - in exceptional circumstances where the patient is incapable of safely and effectively managing the medication regimen.
Under the Community Pharmacy Agreement 2025, from January 2026, phased dispensing under reason 1 and 4 will be limited to a defined set of high-risk medication classes. These are:
• Psychotropics;
• Opioids;
• Codeine; and
• Pregabalin and gabapentin.
The approved list of medications under these classes will be provided by the HSE in due course.
For reasons 1 and 4, by focusing phased dispensing reimbursement on the medication categories on the approved list, phased dispensing payments can be targeted to medications with the highest risk or potential for misuse.
Phased dispensing fees will remain payable as per current arrangements under reasons 2 and 3 and will not be subject to the approved list.
The salient point here is that appropriate phased dispensing is not being removed in this Agreement.
The introduction of improved controls around phased dispensing is being done in a way which puts patient safety first and allows the State to repurpose €20m of funding to be used to implement new patient-centred services.
It remains open to pharmacies to charge patients for the use of Monitored Dosing Systems as a private service.
844. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Health if she will consider upgrading services at Navan accident and emergency department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54894/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, the HSE has proposed planned service changes at Our Lady’s Hospital Navan in line with the Securing the Future of Smaller Hospitals: A Framework for Development (2013), to ensure the safe and sustained delivery of services, with patient safety being the primary concern.
I want to assure the Deputy that no decision regarding the HSE’s proposal for the transition of the Emergency Department at Navan has been agreed by me or by this Government.
I recognise that proposed changes to hospital services can cause much concern among the communities who use those services. It is important to note that the purpose of the reconfiguration changes that the HSE has put forward are about enabling Navan Hospital to provide more care, not less.
More broadly, services are being enhanced in Our Lady’s Hospital Navan under a number of different national health programmes and plans. The hospital has received a significant increase in funding from 2020 to 2025 at almost 50%. In the same period, staffing has increased by 14% and bed numbers by 30%. Under the Acute Hospital Bed Expansion Plan a total of 46 new and replacement beds will be delivered at Our Lady's Hospital Navan by 2031. This includes 31 beds delivered between 2021-2024 and 15 beds between March 2025 – 2028.
In 2024, the hospital completed a Rheumatology Day Centre and refurbished the Orthopaedic Theatres. The refurbishment of the hospital’s Outpatient Department is expected to be completed in the coming weeks. Ongoing capital investment projects in the Capital Programme also include an extension to the rear of the outpatient department (Rheumatology Day Centre) and an upgrade of Electrical Power Infrastructure including a new Main Distribution Board and upgrade of electrical backup provision.
Future plans include a new Pulmonary Function Laboratory and public car park refurbishment both due for completion later this year.
845. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Health the funding in place for adults suffering from ADHD and depression to cover the cost of therapy sessions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54895/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Health and HSE do not cover the cost of therapy sessions for individuals, however there are a number of services in place to assist adults with ADHD with access to ADHD services and also to talk therapies.
ADHD has long been recognised as one of the most common psychiatric disorders in children and it is now known to persist into adulthood. Core symptoms include inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity.
As Minister, I'm proud to have launched the Model of Care for Adult ADHD and to have resourced the establishment of the teams envisioned by the Model of Care. Supported by funding of over €5m on a recurring annual basis, the National Clinical Programme on ADHD in Adults currently has 7 teams operational. Additional funding I secured in Budget 2025 will roll out all further teams envisaged in the Model of Care. This National Clinical Programme is based on multi-disciplinary community teams to diagnose and treat ADHD in adults, and teams include a psychologist.
Last year, I also secured funding for the Understanding and Managing Adult ADHD Programme (UMAAP), a six-week programme run by ADHD Ireland which has proven highly beneficial and effective for adults who have completed it. More information on accessing this course is available from ADHD Ireland.
Better access to talk therapies for people experiencing mental health difficulties, including ADHD, is a priority for myself as Minister, the Government, and the HSE.
I recently launched free counselling supports for men, supported by recurring annual funding of €2m. The supports are available via GPs and are being actively promoted through a national campaign targeting men The initiative will provide over 15,000 free counselling sessions to men and establishes accessible supports over the phone and in-person.
The funding is targeted at assisting with stigma reduction and to actively encourage men who otherwise would not usually avail of counselling to seek help with their mental health, to assist men in accessing mental health services, and to provide much-needed support for men experiencing a mental health crisis.
This initiative is embedded within Ireland’s approach to mental health policy implementation. Both Sharing the Vision – A Mental Health Policy for Everyone, and Connecting for Life, Ireland’s national strategy for suicide prevention, emphasise that talk therapies should be considered a first-line treatment option for most people who experience mental health difficulties.
More broadly, the HSE is also working to establish a therapeutic interventions service improvement programme board (TISIP). The programme board will provide consolidated leadership and governance for therapeutic interventions across the whole health system, with the aim of increasing capacity, and facilitating access to, high quality integrated supports and services for all who require them.
Medical card holders have access to free counselling from the HSE’s National Counselling Service, through the Counselling in Primary Care service (CiPC), with referral from their GP.
Finally, the HSE funds a wide range of organisations nationwide to provide mental health supports, including free and low cost counselling options from partners such as MyMind and Turn2Me, comprehensively outlined on yourmentalhealth.ie.
846. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to provide an update in relation to the implementation of the National TB Strategy at the National TB Centre in St. James’s Hospital, in view of the fact that TB incidences have increased by 30% in 2024, with a concerning rise in multidrug resistant (MDR) TB cases, posing a serious public health risk; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54902/25]
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.
847. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the progress to date regarding the implementation of the actions outlined in the publication in 2024 by Irish respiratory and public health clinicians ‘A Collaborative Tuberculosis Strategy for Ireland: 2024-2030’; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54903/25]
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.
848. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if consideration will be given to the provision of funding for the national TB centre and clinical team at St. James’s Hospital, in view of the fact that to date no funding has been allocated for the delivery of this essential service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54904/25]
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.
849. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to provide an update regarding the provision of resources for the Irish mycobacterial reference laboratory at St. James’s Hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54905/25]
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.
850. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Health the specific paediatric prosthetic devices which are currently funded by the HSE; if these include activity-capable and sport-appropriate components; and if not, the reason. [54906/25]
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.
851. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Health the average and longest current waiting times for children to receive prosthetic limbs and subsequent upgrades or replacements; and the steps being taken to reduce these delays. [54907/25]
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.
852. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Health the estimated average out-of-pocket cost to families for child prosthetic provision in Ireland; and the measures being considered to reduce or eliminate reliance on fundraising by parents to meet basic mobility needs. [54908/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Health Service Executive (HSE) provide an extensive range of aids and appliances to individuals living with a wide variety of different medical conditions. These support individuals to continue living within their communities and to enjoy a greater quality of life than would otherwise be the case.
This includes the provision of prosthetics to medical card holders. For eligible patients, the provision of prosthetic limb services, is largely based on a clinical assessment of need, a prioritisation process, value for money, and consideration of the available budgets.
As the Deputy raises questions regarding the administration of these services, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
853. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Health if she will review the quality and usability of prosthetics provided to children in Ireland; if this review will include direct consultation with families and service users; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54909/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Health Service Executive (HSE) provide an extensive range of aids and appliances to individuals living with a wide variety of different medical conditions. These support individuals to continue living within their communities and to enjoy a greater quality of life than would otherwise be the case.
This includes the provision of prosthetics to medical card holders. For eligible patients, the provision of prosthetic limb services, is largely based on a clinical assessment of need, a prioritisation process, value for money, and consideration of the available budgets.
As the Deputy raises questions regarding the administration of these services, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
854. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Health if she is aware that the wind energy industry continues to rely on the outdated 2017 HSE Position Paper on Wind Turbines and Public Health, which is contrary to more recent advice issued by the HSE (details supplied); if the 2017 Position Paper has been formally withdrawn; if not, the reason it has not been withdrawn; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54923/25]
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.
855. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of the critical shortage of health care assistants in the Clonmel and south Tipperary area; the immediate measures being taken to address the waiting lists for home support services for older persons and those requiring post-hospital care.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54927/25]
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.
856. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Health the current number of individuals in the Clonmel and south Tipperary area who are awaiting allocation of home support hours; the average waiting time for new applicants; and the steps being taken to reduce these waiting lists. [54928/25]
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.
