Written Answers Nos. 650-669
650. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to detail the staffing and ICT resources required to support IFMS deployment to voluntary hospitals, and to provide the total estimated cost of these supports. [68041/25]
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.
652. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to provide a detailed breakdown of the 2025 overspend in acute hospitals, primary care, agency staffing and high-tech drugs, disaggregated by hospital group and HSE region. [68047/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the year 2025 is not yet complete, it is not possible to provide a breakdown of HSE overspends at this time.
653. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the specific management and expenditure-control measures that will be implemented in 2026 to prevent further overspends, including targets for reduced agency use and revised approval protocols. [68048/25]
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.
654. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the breakdown of the 2025 agency-staffing cost increase between wage inflation, volume increases, and grade mix; and her Department's projected agency expenditure for 2026. [68049/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe cost of agency staff in D/Health funded HSE in the nine month period from 1 January to 30 September 2025 was €609 million. This represented an increase of €65 million (12%) over the cost of agency staff in the equivalent period in 2024 (€544 million).
The €65 million increase includes pay rate adjustments similar to those received by public sector workers in October 2024, March, 2025 and August 2025 of €18.4m (3.38%). The remaining €46.8million increase relates to a year on year increase in agency staff hours worked and the mix of the several thousand different staff grades included therein.
655. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the staffing levels per 100,000 population for medical, nursing and midwifery, health and social care professionals and administrative grades in each HSE region; and if the south-west region is above or below the national average for each staff category. [68050/25]
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.
656. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to set out the current national policy governing circumcision procedures in public hospitals where there is no medical indication; and to specify the clinical, administrative and ethical basis for authorising such procedures. [68051/25]
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.
657. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to confirm which public hospitals provide circumcision procedures without medical indication; and the number of such procedures carried out in each of the past five years, by hospital. [68052/25]
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.
658. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to confirm whether non-medically indicated circumcision procedures in public hospitals are funded publicly, funded privately, or subject to co-payment; and the charging and accounting treatment applied. [68053/25]
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.
659. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the governance structures, approval mechanisms and oversight processes that apply when theatre capacity, anaesthetists and surgical teams are allocated to non-medically indicated procedures. [68054/25]
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.
660. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has carried out any assessment of the impact of non-medically indicated circumcision procedures on surgical waiting lists, day-case capacity and resource allocation, and to publish any findings. [68055/25]
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.
661. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of theatre slots allocated annually for non-medically indicated circumcision procedures in each of the past five years, broken down by hospital group. [68056/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter I have asked the HSE to respond to the deputy as soon as possible.
662. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if the HSE will establish a formal reporting process to identify approved posts that remain unfilled for more than six months; and the expected timeline for introducing such a system. [68057/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter I have asked the HSE to respond to the deputy as soon as possible.
663. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to publish her Department's methodology for calculating the financial impact of long-term vacancies on agency spend, overtime costs and service capacity; and to confirm whether a standardised template will be introduced for HSE regions. [68058/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs part of the annual budgetary process, the Department of Health include an estimated cost for on-boarding staff as part of their budgetary calculations.
The Department of Health do not employ a methodology for calculating the financial impact of long-term vacancies on agency spend, overtime costs and service capacity given the large number of variables involved - several thousand pay grades and pay scales, the duration of vacancy, different overtime and agency rates.
The Department's focus is on costs actually incurred and the measures necessary to ensure this spend remains within budgetary targets.
664. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the policy and operational basis on which the HSE seeks retrospective recovery of specialist-qualification allowances from staff who received the allowance in good faith; and if a formal appeals or waiver mechanism exists for such cases. [68059/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAlthough controls and procedures are in place to avoid incorrect salary or allowance payments, employees may occasionally receive an overpayment or underpayment of salary or an allowance.
It is HSE policy to correct these errors as soon as possible. The Payment of Wages Act, 1991, section 5(5), affords an employer a legal right to recover any overpayment of wages, allowances or expenses from the wage of employees
If there is a dispute in relation to an underpayment or overpayment, employees have recourse as set out within HSE Grievance Procedures. While the employee is engaging in this process no deductions will be made.
Please find the Grievance and Disciplinary Procedure attached.
665. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if she will instruct the HSE to suspend retrospective recovery of specialist-qualification allowances in cases involving administrative error pending a full review of the issue. [68060/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAlthough controls and procedures are in place to avoid incorrect salary or allowance payments, employees may occasionally receive an overpayment or underpayment of salary or an allowance.
It is HSE policy to correct these errors as soon as possible. The Payment of Wages Act, 1991, section 5(5), affords an employer a legal right to recover any overpayment of wages, allowances or expenses from the wage of employees
If there is a dispute in relation to an underpayment or overpayment, employees have recourse as set out within HSE Grievance Procedures. While the employee is engaging in this process no deductions will be made.
Please find the Grievance and Disciplinary Procedure attached.
666. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Health if she will address the concerns regarding the recent publication of the Standards and Criteria for Counsellors and Psychotherapists by CORU, raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68063/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, CORU is Ireland’s multi-profession health and social care regulator. With extensive experience in introducing regulation to health and social care professions for the first time, CORU has already established twelve registers for a range of professions. CORU’s work ensures the protection of the public by regulating the work of over 30,000 health and social care professionals.
Counsellors and psychotherapists perform a vital role, providing therapeutic care to often vulnerable people. Regulation is being introduced to these professions to protect the public, ensuring that care provided is of a consistently high standard and always by suitably qualified individuals.
The Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board was established in 2019 and since that time has been working to progress regulation of both professions.
In July 2025 CORU published two key documents for each of these professions:
For each profession there is:
Standards of Proficiency• , which set out the minimum knowledge and skills required for entry to the Register.
Criteria for Education and Training Programmes• , which set the requirements for how professional training programmes are designed and managed to ensure graduates consistently meet the Standards of Proficiency.
These requirements set out the level of education and clinical training needed to practise safely and effectively. Ireland is now the first country in the world to establish distinct regulatory standards for entry to both professions. Setting these standards has now laid the foundations so education programmes can be designed to ensure consistency of education and training and the standards for entry into practice for both professions.
Under EU Directive 2018/958, and the transposing Irish legislation (S.I. No. 413 of 2022), a proportionality assessment is required prior to the introduction of regulation of a profession. Throughout its work to introduce regulation of both professions, CORU has ensured compliance with the Directive, including assessing the proportionality of the Standards and Criteria.
As part of this work to ensure compliance with the Directive, the 2023 public consultation explicitly sought stakeholder feedback on the proportionality of the proposed Standards and Criteria before these were finalised by the Board.
CORU continues to engage regularly with my Department to ensure compliance with EU requirement and remains committed to transparent, fair, and proportionate regulation that protects the public and supports practitioners. A regulatory risk assessment was conducted by CORU and is available on their website and a proportionality assessment on the Standards of Proficiency and Criteria for Education and Training was conducted, submitted to my Department and forwarded onto DFHERIS for onward submission to the Commission.
In relation to entry level qualifications, the National Framework of Qualifications thresholds - Level 8 for Counsellors and Level 9 for Psychotherapists - relate to educational entry routes, not to hierarchies of professional value or scope of practice after registration. Both professions will remain equally accountable to CORU’s Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics and subject to the same requirements for Continuing Professional Development.
The differentiation between counselling at Level 8 and psychotherapy at Level 9 reflects the differences in the depth, complexity, and autonomy required at entry to practice.
The standards provide clarity for education providers, employers, regulators, and the public about the threshold for safe practice without constraining the broader evolution of either profession.
On issues such as personal therapy and clinical supervision CORU’s competency-based framework ensures that essential attributes such as self-awareness, reflexivity, and ethical judgment are achieved through validated educational methods, including clinical supervision, reflective practice, and experiential learning.
CORU’s criteria mandate structured, practice-integrated supervision that enables supervisors and educators to directly evaluate proficiency and ensure safe practice. This approach provides robust, verifiable safeguards while maintaining flexibility for different theoretical modalities. The standards set the threshold for safe and effective practice, without restricting innovation or allowing education providers to exceed these minimum requirements at their discretion.
I am confident that CORU’s work will bring clear benefits for public protection. The framework has been designed to strengthen standards of practice while ensuring that training pathways and workforce supply are not adversely affected.
I am assured that CORU will continue to engage closely with education providers, professional bodies, and other stakeholders as the regulatory process advances, keeping public protection at the centre of this work.
I am eager to see this work progressed so that two very important professions are finally regulated, in the interest of public protection.
667. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health when national reporting for chronic pain expenditure, activity and outcomes will be introduced; and the steps her Department is taking to ensure that the HSE provides full and standardised national data for all hospital groups and community services. [68064/25]
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.
668. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the current national waiting times for chronic pain assessment and treatment at primary, secondary and tertiary levels; and the longest wait recorded in each hospital group. [68065/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra678. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to publish the current waiting times for chronic pain assessment and treatment in each hospital group, including the longest waits recorded, and the actions planned to reduce these delays. [68075/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 668 and 678 together.
It 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 in February, representing this Government’s continued commitment to reducing waiting times for patients and improving access to hospital care.
With the multi-annual action plan approach, we are 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.
My Department is engaging with the HSE and National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to develop the action plan for 2026, building on the progress delivered to date, renewing the focus on improving waiting times for patients, and considering the learnings from the challenges that arose in 2025.
In relation to the particular query raised, adult and child waiting list information by hospital, specialty, and time band is published monthly by the NTPF on its website: www.ntpf.ie/home/nwld.htm.
The information is now being made available through an interactive visual tool which provides users with a much-improved way of accessing and analysing waiting list information.
669. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of whole-time equivalent consultants in pain medicine, by hospital group; and the number of unfilled or approved posts currently vacant. [68066/25]
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.
