Written Answers Nos. 585-610
585. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of persons awaiting commencement of a home support package in Cork City and County, by Community Healthcare Network area, at the end of each month from January 2024 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11400/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
586. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of existing home support recipients in Cork City and County who are awaiting additional approved hours; the average waiting time for those hours to be delivered; and the steps being taken at national level to reduce these delays. [11401/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
587. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total number of persons on home support waiting lists nationally, by CHO area, at the most recent reporting date; the criteria used by her Department to assess regional equity in home support provision; and whether Cork has been identified as a high-pressure area requiring targeted intervention. [11402/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
588. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the assessment her Department has undertaken of home support workforce capacity in Cork City and County, including recruitment, retention, and attrition rates; how these factors are impacting waiting lists; and what workforce planning measures are being implemented to address shortages. [11403/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
589. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of home support hours funded nationally and in Cork city and county for each year from 2022 to date; the number of hours actually delivered; the gap between funded and delivered hours; and the reasons identified for any persistent underspend or delivery shortfall. [11404/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
590. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has assessed the extent to which delays in home support provision are contributing to premature admission to long-term residential care; whether any cost-comparison or value-for-money analysis has been conducted; and if she will publish any such assessment. [11405/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra591. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the governance mechanisms which exist within her Department to monitor home support waiting lists; how frequently data is reviewed at ministerial level; and what accountability measures apply where waiting lists remain persistently high. [11406/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra592. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether national targets exist for maximum waiting times for home support services; if not, whether she intends to introduce such targets; and the timeline for achieving measurable reductions in waiting lists in Cork city and county. [11407/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
593. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the way in which current home support waiting list levels align with Sláintecare commitments to care in the community; whether her Department accepts that prolonged delays undermine that policy objective; and what corrective actions are planned. [11408/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra594. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health what population-based demand modelling her Department uses to project future home support needs; whether Cork’s ageing profile has been factored into capacity planning; and whether additional funding or staffing allocations are planned for 2026. [11409/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra595. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to provide, for each year from 2020 to 2025 inclusive, the total gross expenditure met from Vote funding under the treatment abroad scheme in respect of patients aged under 18 years; the number of prior authorisations approved in each year for this age cohort; and the aggregate expenditure per year associated with those approvals. [11439/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra596. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department categorises or tracks treatment abroad scheme expenditure by treatment type or clinical category, including gender-related healthcare; and if so, to set out the categories used, the year in which such categorisation commenced; and how this information is used for expenditure control and policy oversight. [11440/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra597. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the expenditure-control framework applied by her Department to the treatment abroad scheme since 2020, including whether any annual or multi-annual budget ceilings, control totals, or sanction limits have been set at Departmental level; and if not, the reason no such ceilings apply to this area of Vote expenditure. [11441/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra598. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to detail the governance and approval chain within her Department and the HSE for managing treatment abroad scheme expenditure, including the name of the responsible Division in her Department, the budget holder accountable for TAS expenditure, and the role of the Department’s Eligibility Unit in monitoring or approving budget variances. [11442/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra599. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to list all audits, reviews, or value-for-money examinations conducted since 2020 by or on behalf of her Department, the HSE Internal Audit function, or the Comptroller and Auditor General that included the treatment abroad scheme; and for each audit to provide the year conducted, scope, principal findings, and whether any recommendations were made regarding expenditure control or governance. [11443/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 595, 596, 597, 598 and 599 together.
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. As the HSE holds responsibility for the management and operation of the EU Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS), for persons entitled under EU Regulation 883/04, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
600. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she accepts that neither her Department nor the HSE currently operates any national key performance indicators governing recruitment clearance timelines, including Garda vetting, occupational health clearance, HR approval stages, or the time from job offer to commencement; whether she considers the absence of such KPIs compatible with effective workforce planning and patient safety; and if she will outline the policy rationale for not requiring the measurement of recruitment clearance timelines across the public health system. [11453/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a recruitment matter we have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy
601. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she will issue a formal policy direction to the HSE to introduce mandatory national key performance indicators for recruitment clearance and appointment timelines, including external candidate onboarding; whether such KPIs will apply uniformly across all health regions; and the quarter and year by which full national KPI reporting on recruitment timelines will be operational. [11454/26]
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.
602. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has assessed the impact of recruitment control measures introduced in 2023 and 2024 on clearance delays, vacancy persistence, and service delivery; whether the absence of clearance-timeline KPIs has limited the State’s ability to quantify those impacts; and if she will publish any internal reviews, analyses, or briefings undertaken by her Department on recruitment delays arising from centrally imposed controls. [11455/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a recruitment matter we have asked the HSE to reply directly to the Deputy on this matter
603. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the way in which national accountability for recruitment performance is maintained following the establishment of six health regions under Sláintecare, in circumstances where recruitment clearance timelines are not measured at national level; whether she accepts that devolving workforce autonomy without national clearance benchmarks weakens oversight; and the steps being taken by her Department to ensure consistent, transparent measurement of recruitment timelines across all regions. [11456/26]
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
604. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the current waiting list for CAMHS services at the end of January 2026, by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11458/26]
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.
605. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will receive an appointment to see the paediatric spinal neurosurgery service at Beaumont Hospital; if she is aware of the delay in scheduling a consultation despite clinical findings indicating a suspected tethered spinal cord and progressive neurological deterioration; and if she will ensure that this case is prioritised given the time-sensitive nature of the condition. [11478/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra606. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE emergency department nurses at Beaumont Hospital as of 3 February 2026; and if this number will be further increased during the first half of 2026. [11484/26]
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.
607. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Health the average waiting times to see a consultant paediatric ENT surgeon at CHI Temple Street for a first appointment. [11485/26]
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.
608. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Health if the medicine skyclaris/ omaveloxalone will be reimbursed by the HSE as it is the only drug approved to treat Freidreicsh’s ataxia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11491/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013, the HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on the pricing and reimbursement of medicines and medical devices; therefore, I have asked the HSE for an update in this matter.
The HSE has advised that it is committed to providing access to as many medicines as possible, in as timely a fashion as possible, from the resources available (provided) to it.
The HSE must robustly assess applications for pricing and reimbursement to make sure that it can stretch available resources as far as possible and to deliver the best value in relation to each medicine and ultimately more medicines to Irish citizens and patients.
HSE decisions on which medicines are reimbursed by the taxpayer are made on objective, scientific and economic grounds.
There are formal processes which govern applications for the pricing and reimbursement of medicines, and new uses of existing medicines, to be funded and / or reimbursed.
The HSE considers the following criteria prior to making any decision on pricing / reimbursement, in line with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013:
(1) The health needs of the public,
(2) The cost effectiveness of meeting health needs by supplying the item concerned rather than providing other health services,
(3) The availability and suitability of items for supply or reimbursement,
(4) The proposed costs, benefits, and risks of the item or listed item relative to therapeutically similar items or listed items provided in other health service settings and the level of certainty in relation to the evidence of those costs, benefits and risks,
(5) The potential or actual budget impact of the item or listed item,
(6) The clinical need for the item or listed item,
(7) The appropriate level of clinical supervision required in relation to the item to ensure patient safety,
(8) The efficacy (performance in trial), effectiveness (performance in real situations) and added therapeutic benefit against existing standards of treatment (how much better it treats a condition than existing therapies) and,
(9) The resources available to the HSE.
In terms of the specific details of the application for pricing and reimbursement of omaveloxolone (Skyclarys®):
The HSE received an application for pricing and reimbursement of omaveloxolone (Skyclarys®) on the 1st August 2024 from Biogen Idec (Ireland) Limited (the applicant) for the treatment of Friedreich’s ataxia in adults and adolescents aged 16 years and older.
• The first step in the process is the submission of a Rapid Review dossier (a clinical and economic dossier) to the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE) for assessment. The HSE commissioned the Rapid Review process on the 2nd August 2024.
• The NCPE Rapid Review assessment report was received by the HSE on the 29th August 2024. The NCPE advised the HSE that a full Health Technology Assessment (HTA) was recommended to assess the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of omaveloxolone compared with the current standard of care.
• The HSE commissioned a full HTA on the 25th September 2024 as per agreed processes.
• The NCPE HTA Report was received by the HSE on the 16th December 2025. The NCPE recommended that omaveloxolone not be considered for reimbursement: [Omaveloxolone (Skyclarys®). HTA ID: 24033 | National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics][].
• The HSE Corporate Pharmaceutical Unit (CPU) is the interface between the HSE and the Pharmaceutical Industry in relation to medicine pricing and reimbursement applications.
• The Drugs Group is the national committee which the HSE has in place to make recommendations on the pricing and reimbursement of medicines. The membership of the HSE Drugs Group includes public interest members. Pharmacoeconomic reports are reviewed by the HSE Drugs Group along with the outputs of commercial negotiations, and any patient group submission(s) received. The HSE Drugs Group considers all of the evidence and makes a recommendation to the HSE Senior Leadership Team.
• The decision making authority in the HSE is the HSE Senior Leadership Team. The HSE Senior Leadership Team decides on the basis of all the demands it is faced with (across all services) whether it can fund a new medicine, or new use of an existing medicine, from the resources that have been provided to it in line with the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013.
This application remains under consideration with the HSE. The HSE cannot make any comment on possible outcomes from the ongoing process.
609. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the establishment of the registration board for clinical biochemists; the current phase of development (details supplied); the timeline being worked towards; the reason for the delay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11496/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra610. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the establishment of the registration board for orthoptists; the current phase of development (details supplied); the timeline being worked towards; the reason for the delay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11497/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 609 and 610 together.
As the Deputy is aware, CORU is Ireland’s multi-profession health and social care regulator. Seventeen health and social care professions are designated for regulation by CORU under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005.
To date, registers have opened for twelve of the seventeen professions designated for regulation by CORU representing the regulation of over 35,000 health and social care professionals.
For the remaining designated professions, including Clinical Biochemists and Orthoptists, CORU is continuing the substantial work required to open the registers with CORU’s current workload particularly focussed on psychologists, counsellors and psychotherapists.
However, CORU has carried out extensive scoping work on both clinical biochemists and orthoptists to determine the most appropriate approach for progressing the regulation of these professions. As each is relatively small and presents distinct complexities in applying CORU’s regulatory framework, this analysis has been an important step in identifying viable regulatory pathways.
I have been advised that my Department will receive recommendations from CORU on the next steps to enable the regulation of these professions in the second half of the year.
