Written Answers Nos. 1040-1060
1040. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of referrals made to Tusla related to reported sexual abuse of children in both 2024 and 2025; the number of referrals made to Tusla for therapy following sexual abuse reports in 2024 and 2025 and, of these referrals in these years, the number of referrals that received therapy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12827/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraStatutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. The Deputy is seeking information in relation to an operational matter for Tusla. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla, and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.
1041. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 261 of 2 April 2025 and No. 1865 of 8 September 2025, the reason her Department has not conducted an audit comparing the number of hours funded versus the actual hours provided to disability day service users; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12906/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1042. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current number of disability service providers operating in the State, broken down as follows: Section 38, Section 39, private for-profit companies; and for a further breakdown of annual funding allocated to each provider, and the funding allocated to HSE disability services. [12922/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
1043. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health for an update on her engagement on the case of a person (details supplied). [12014/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Taoiseach, Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and I recognise the significance and sensitivity of the coronial investigation process for bereaved family members.
The inquest hearing referenced in the Deputy’s question has not yet commenced and is currently subject to judicial review proceedings. As is the usual practice, we cannot comment on individual cases.
It is important to stress that coronial investigations are the responsibility of coroners, who are independent in the exercise of their statutory investigative function.
A decision to hold an inquest and, thereafter, any decision in respect of the operation of the inquest must rest entirely with the individual coroner.
Neither us as Ministers, nor our Departments, can interfere with a coroner in the exercise of their statutory function. Therefore, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.
With regard to family involvement in mental health care, I as Minister for Mental Health am fully supportive of the involvement of family members in the care and treatment of an individual, where consent is granted. There are mechanisms currently in place to allow clinicians to breach patient confidentiality in limited circumstances.
Medical Council guidelines allow for clinicians to breach patient confidentiality where the clinician believes the person or another person to be at risk of harm. While the prediction of risk is never easy, this pathway does remain available to clinicians. The decision to breach confidentiality or not, and who to inform, is a decision of the treating clinician. Any review of Medical Council guidelines must be led by the Medical Council and informed by clinical practice.
Patient confidentiality is a cornerstone of medical ethics, particularly when it comes to consent. Where consent is concerned, mental health treatment is treated no differently to any other medical speciality. It is at the discretion of the individual as to what and how much information they allow a doctor or service to disclose to their family members.
Sharing the Vision, Ireland’s national mental health policy, underpins the support for family involvement, and indeed the support of family and loved ones is explicitly mentioned in two of the four service delivery principles, and are referenced throughout the policy. Sharing the Vision clearly states that there is a role for family, carers and supporters in a person’s care and treatment and addresses the need for access to advocacy and care in the community.
As you may be aware, the new Mental Health Bill will similarly support the involvement of family members and loved ones, with the consent of the individual concerned, by explicitly stating that people accessing inpatient services may nominate a family member or other person with whom they can consult with throughout their treatment and who they can nominate to receive certain information about their care and treatment.
However, as stated earlier, the pathway remains for a clinician to make a decision as to whether it is necessary to breach a person’s confidentiality, where they believe the person could be a risk of harm to themselves or others.
1044. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the briefings she has received on the auto enrolment scheme being rolled out to section 39 and 38 organisations operating on behalf of the State; if she has received any legal advice as to the employment status of employees in section 38 and 39 organisations as a result of the auto enrolment process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12440/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Auto-Enrolment Retirement Savings System arises from legislation introduced by the Department of Social Protection and establishes a statutory retirement savings scheme for eligible employees.
For the purposes of the legislation, an “employee” is defined broadly as a worker who is paid by an employer, regardless of whether that employer is in the public or private sector.
Section 38 employees are employed by organisations funded under Section 38 of the Health Act 2004 and are generally regarded as public servants, employed directly or aligned with the HSE in respect of standardised pay and pension arrangements. In practice, Section 38 employees are members of established occupational pension schemes and therefore would not generally be impacted by the auto-enrolment legislation, as the scheme is intended for employees who do not already have access to an occupational pension scheme.
Section 39 employees are employed by organisations funded under Section 39 of the Health Act 2004. These employees are employed by private bodies and are not employees of the State. Their pay and conditions of employment are determined by their individual employers. This employment status does not change as a result of the introduction of auto-enrolment. Where Section 39 employees do not have access to an occupational pension scheme and meet the eligibility criteria set out in the legislation, they may fall within scope of the auto-enrolment system.
Overall, the introduction of auto-enrolment does not alter the employment status of either Section 38 or Section 39 employees.
1045. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Health if she can confirm that the advanced paramedic care will be re-instated in County Monaghan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12576/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1046. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Health for an update on the proposal for Sligo Airport to become the base for the new HEMS helicopter, given the vital importance of this service to the region following the departure of the S-92 and the AW189 (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12768/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1047. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of nurses since 2021 that are registered in Ireland who previously worked in Japan, in tabular form [11593/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraResponsibility for the regulation of nurses and midwives in Ireland rests with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). The NMBI is an independent regulatory body established under the Nurses and Midwives Act, 2011.
As the registration of nurses is an operational matter for the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI), I have referred the question to the NMBI for its attention and direct response to the Deputy.
1048. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of persons on a waiting list to see a consultant plastic surgeon at Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown for a first appointment. [11594/26]
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.
1049. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of nurses since 2021 that are registered in Ireland who previously worked in Thailand, in tabular form. [11595/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraResponsibility for the regulation of nurses and midwives in Ireland rests with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). The NMBI is an independent regulatory body established under the Nurses and Midwives Act, 2011.
As the registration of nurses is an operational matter for the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI), I have referred the question to the NMBI for its attention and direct response to the Deputy.
1050. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 422 of 29 January 2026, when the review on dermal fillers by the Health Research Board will be completed and the report submitted to her office; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11612/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government 2025 includes a commitment to examine the administration of dermal fillers as an area of priority, with a goal to ensure that dermal fillers are administered only by trained healthcare professionals. A report by the Health Research Board is expected within the first half of the year, which will contribute to informing my Departments approach to delivering this commitment.
Once received, my Department will undertake a detailed review of the report, including related policy analysis and an assessment of broader implications arising, to inform appropriate next steps in this area. We also plan to engage with stakeholders as part of the programme of work to progress this matter.
1051. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health to provide a breakdown of the number of patients presenting to hospital accident and emergency departments (details supplied) with mental health issues; and the number of those who were admitted to mental health units, by month for 2025. [11613/26]
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.
1052. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Health the current number of emergency ambulances available to serve the north Dublin area; the measures being taken to address ambulance delays and to increase ambulance capacity in the region; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11627/26]
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.
1053. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health if her Department, or any agency working on its behalf, ask families to sign a non-disclosure agreement in relation to compensation that was received as part of the Hep C/HIV scandal [11629/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have been assured by the Hepatitis C and HIV Compensation Tribunal that no request of any kind regarding non-disclosure is made of an applicant by the Tribunal.
Application forms are freely available on the Tribunal’s website for inspection by members of the public. I draw particular attention to the Certificate of Authority which each applicant is asked to sign when submitting a claim. This certificate authorises certain bodies to supply documents to the Tribunal relevant to the applicant’s case. It also authorises the Tribunal to notify these bodies about the case. It does not impose any duty of non-disclosure on the applicant.
Under section 3(12) of the Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal Act 1997, the Tribunal must conduct its hearings otherwise than in public. In line with this statutory requirement, the Tribunal operates on the basis that all data submitted to it is confidential, a right which vests in the individual applicant. If the Tribunal proposed to contact any of the authorities mentioned in the signed Certificate of Authority, it would do so having informed the applicant and/or their legal advisers that it intended to do so. This is established practice.
The right to confidentiality which vests in the applicant is subject to the discretion reserved to the Tribunal in the Certificate of Authority. Applicants may waive their right to confidentiality if they wish. Any such direction or indication by an applicant, would be requested by the Tribunal to be submitted in writing.
I also wish to state that neither I, as Minister, nor Department of Health officials have any remit to intervene with or direct the Tribunal in any way that would compromise or undermine its independence and integrity.
1054. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health if the HSE, or any agency working on its behalf, ask individuals to sign any agreements or contracts of any kind in relation to citizens who were infected by Hepatitis C or HIV by any State services; and if she will detail these agreements or contracts were, and provide an example of them [11630/26]
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.
1055. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Health if she will consider raising the age threshold for eligibility under the child optical scheme beyond 12 years-of-age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11632/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Health Service Executive (HSE) provides optical services free of charge to pre-school children and national school children referred from child health service and school health service examinations who are discovered to have sight problems. These children are referred to the appropriate service for treatment. In such circumstances, these services will continue to be provided until the child has reached the age of 16.
The Community Ophthalmic Services Scheme (COSS) is a national fee-per-item scheme which was introduced in 1979. Under the COSS, medical card holders aged over 16 years can be seen by ophthalmologists, community ophthalmic physicians, optometrists or dispensing opticians.
The HSE Primary Care Eye Services Review Group Report, published in 2017, estimated that 60% of existing outpatient activity could be moved to primary care thus enabling hospital services to focus on patients who require more specialist diagnostics or treatments.
The National Clinical Programme for Ophthalmology, also published in 2017, developed a model of care detailing how the realignment of eye services from an acute hospital setting to the community would be undertaken.
The HSE has been developing multidisciplinary Integrated Eye Care Teams in accordance with this model of care. These teams facilitate assessment, diagnoses, management and treatment and in some cases pre-op/post-op care enabling most patients to be seen in their own locality. Where necessary, patients can be referred onwards to acute Ophthalmology services to receive the necessary specialist input.
Transferring the routine care of children aged 8+ years to the care of local private optometrists under the COSS remains a priority and work is ongoing to progress this.
1056. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health the timeline as to when she was made aware of the large scale baby formula recall (details supplied); the procedure that was followed in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11634/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra1057. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health the safeguards that are in place to minimise the impact of a largescale baby formula recall (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11635/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra1058. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health the actions she is taking to engage with the HSE in relation to the series of recent recalls of baby formula; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11636/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra1059. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health if there is an emergency plan being put in place in reaction to the series of recent recalls of baby formula; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11637/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1056, 1057, 1058 and 1059 together.
In Ireland, responsibility for food safety, including the management and communication of food recalls, rests with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), which acts as the competent authority under food safety legislation.
FSAI leads the national response when a food safety risk is identified, this process is governed by EU food law, including Regulation (EC) 178/2002.
Timeline of Ministerial Awareness
Following the publication of the European Food Safety Agency’s (EFSA) rapid risk assessment on cereulide in infant formula Danone informed the FSAI that they intended to expand the recall of infant and follow-on- formulas. My Department was informed of the recalls when the issues were identified and assessed by the relevant authorities.
When the recall was initiated the FSAI implemented established procedures to ensure that clear, timely and consistent information was provided to the public. This included:
• Direct communication with retailers and distributors to ensure affected products were removed from sale;
• Publication of food safety alerts to inform consumers;
• Engagement with media outlets to disseminate public health advice to parents and caregivers;
• Liaison with relevant health authorities and consumer groups to ensure that advice was accessible and that it was widely communicated.
Safeguards to Minimise the Impact on Families
Ireland’s food-safety regulatory system includes the following:
• Mandatory traceability requirements enabling identification of affected batches;
• Continuous oversight by authorised officers including the HSE/National Environmental Health Service (NEHS), the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and other official agencies operating under service contract to FSAI;
• Participation in the EU-wide Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) ensuring swift cross-border communication; and
• Enforcement measures such as compliance notices and closure orders, where required.
These safeguards support timely intervention, protect vulnerable consumers such as infants, and minimise disruption to families, as much as possible.
Engagement with the Health Service Executive (HSE)
My Department continues to engage with the FSAI, receiving ongoing briefings and updates, on the management of the incident as it progresses.
The Department of Health engages closely with the HSE’s Health Protection Office and the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, receiving regular updates on surveillance findings, risk assessment, Public Health management and relevant international Public Health coordination.
Supply planning
I am aware that recalls of infant and follow-on formula are concerning for parents, guardians and caregivers. I am aware of concerns regarding the supply of infant formula following reports of recalls in other jurisdictions. Based on information available to date, FSAI has advised my Department that there is no indication of a general shortage of infant formula in Ireland. The situation continues to be monitored closely, including through engagement with EU counterparts and suppliers.
I will continue to keep the situation under review and will be guided by the advice of the relevant public health and food safety authorities.
A comprehensive set of safeguards are already in place to minimize risk and safeguard public health.
Key safeguards include:
• Regular inspections and official controls carried out by competent authorities to ensure food businesses comply with legal requirements;
• Enforcement action when a business is found to be non-compliant or poses a risk to public health;
• Established recall and withdrawal procedures that allow for the rapid removal of unsafe food from the market;
• Ongoing food safety training and education to ensure food businesses understand and meet their obligations;
• Targeted food testing and surveillance, including monitoring of higher risk foods such as infant formula;
• Public notices are issued through multiple channels—including online updates, media (radio, TV, newspapers), and email alerts—to ensure parents, caregivers, and retailers receive accurate information as quickly as possible. This helps safeguard consumers and supports the protection of public health.
My Department will continue to monitor the situation and engage with the relevant public health and food safety authorities in this matter.
1060. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the reason older people in Louth such as a person (details supplied) are being informed that they must hold a medical card in order to receive a public health nurse visit; if she will direct the HSE to end this practice; if she will ensure that older people with significant care needs can access public health nursing services irrespective of medical card status; and if she will provide a breakdown of any other counties where this requirement applies. [11644/26]
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.
