Written Answers Nos. 967-984
967. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the total approved bed capacity of the Central Mental Hospital; the current number of operational beds; the current occupancy level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14247/26]
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.
968. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the number of persons currently awaiting admission to the Central Mental Hospital; the average waiting time for admission over the past 12 months; the longest current waiting time; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14248/26]
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.
969. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Health if she will address the continued refusal to recognise the UK qualification in dental hygiene with oral therapy for professional practice in Ireland; the rationale for this position given the significant backlogs in dental services, particularly within school dental programmes, where the recognition of this qualification could help alleviate service pressures, support the public dental system, and enable Irish citizens trained abroad to return home to work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14291/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Dental Council have advised that UK dual qualified dental hygienists and dental therapists can register as dental hygienists in Ireland.
Currently, in accordance with the Dentists Act 1985, a dental hygienist can work to the treatment plan outlined by a dentist, who first examines the patient. Dental hygienists provide preventive focused oral health care to children and adults, of all ages.
A Dental hygienist who obtained their Diploma from one of the two dental universities in Ireland, are entitled to automatic recognition of their qualification and are entitled to apply for registration.
A Dental hygienist who obtained their qualification from an institution in the UK and have obtained registration in the UK, they are entitled to automatic recognition of their qualification and are entitled to apply for registration.
A qualification obtained outside of Ireland and the UK and:
• One registered with a competent authority to practice your profession, where the profession is regulated in that State;
• or
• One has pursued the profession in question on a full-time basis for one year or for an equivalent overall duration on a part-time basis during the previous 10 years, from the submission of ones application, in a State which does not regulate that profession.
One can apply for assessment, for the purpose of obtaining registration.
970. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if she will urgently expedite an appointment for a person (details supplied). [14296/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder 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.
971. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Health to provide a breakdown of the amount of money paid to each agency the HSE used in 2025 to hire agency staff across all public nursing homes; the total number of agency staff used in 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14298/26]
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.
972. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the mechanisms which ensure that the Health Service Executive is informed promptly of prolonged or recurring wildfire or smouldering smoke incidents affecting residential communities; whether formal information-sharing protocols exist between the HSE, the Environmental Protection Agency, local authorities and emergency services; whether any review was undertaken following the August 2025 wildfire in Ticknick Park/Cherrywood to assess public-health preparedness and inter-agency coordination; and the measures, if any, which have since been implemented to strengthen protection of vulnerable populations during similar future events; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14372/26]
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.
973. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delays affecting a person (details supplied) in accessing vital occupational therapist support; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14374/26]
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.
974. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health to provide a list of all State agencies within her Department that allocate programme and project funding to section 39, section 56 and section 10 organisations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14393/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe only state agency within my Department that allocates programme and project funding to any of the organisations outlined in your question is the HSE.
975. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the State agencies within her Department that have made provision for the pension auto enrolment payment as part of their allocation to funded organisations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14411/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe HSE is the only State agency within the Department of Health that funds Section 39 organisations. They have advised the following:
Staff of voluntary bodies funded by the HSE under Section 38 are considered public servants and typically already members of an occupational pension scheme. Therefore, auto-enrolment will typically not apply. Many staff of voluntary bodies funded by the HSE under Section 39 are already part of occupational pension schemes or have a pension via payroll deductions. Therefore, auto-enrolment will not apply to those staff. The HSE will be gathering data from the Section 39 sector it funds over the coming months to establish what level of staff the auto-enrolment will apply to. This will enable an assessment of the likely scale of any cost of the auto-enrolment scheme for HSE funded Section 39 employees. That assessment will inform consideration of any funding issues and how best to address the same.
976. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of incidents of seclusion, physical restraint and other restrictive interventions recorded in each child and adolescent mental health services inpatient unit in each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025; whether trauma-informed training is mandatory for all clinical and support staff in these units; if not, the reason it is not mandatory; the total funding allocated to trauma-informed education nationally over the same period; and whether she is satisfied that the current level of training and resourcing is sufficient to reduce coercive practices in CAMHS inpatient settings. [14439/26]
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.
977. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether trauma-informed educational interventions such as those evaluated in a child and adolescent inpatient mental health unit are being rolled out nationally across CAMHS units; and if not, the plans that are in place to do so. [14440/26]
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.
978. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of beds at the Central Mental Hospital in Portrane and other National Forensic Mental Health Service (NFMHS) facilities that remain unavailable due to staffing or operational delays, and the reasons why they are not yet operational; the average waiting time for transfer and the number of individuals who have waited over 12 months in inappropriate prison settings; the impact of the January 2026 suspension of “therapeutic bail” on the waiting list and on the timely access to hospital care for minor offenders; whether she is satisfied that current staffing, resourcing, and operational arrangements are sufficient to protect the safety and wellbeing of prisoners with acute mental health needs; and the concrete timeline for opening all remaining beds and fully addressing the backlog of transfers. [14441/26]
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.
979. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health when home support will commence for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal deemed clinically fit for discharge home from a Community Hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14445/26]
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.
980. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the current staffing levels at Linn Dara approved centre; the number of additional nurses, doctors, and multidisciplinary staff required to restore the centre to its registered capacity of 24 CAMHS beds; the recruitment campaigns currently active; and the timeline to achieve safe and fully staffed operation. [14457/26]
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.
981. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the timeline and milestones for commissioning and opening the 20-bed CAMHS Inpatient Unit at the National Children’s Hospital [14458/26]
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.
982. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the way in which safe, regulated inpatient CAMHS capacity will be maintained during 2026 as services transition from St. Vincent’s adolescent inpatient unit to Linn Dara and the NCH unit; the contingency measures in place if staffing or commissioning timelines slip; and the way in which continuity will be monitored. [14459/26]
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.
983. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE can provide detailed, up-to-date data on the number of CAMHS inpatient beds available nationally; the number of beds currently operational versus registered capacity; referrals received and admissions granted for 2022–2025; and any unregulated or alternative placements made due to capacity constraints [14460/26]
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.
984. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the evidence supporting claims that reduced inpatient activity reflects improved community CAMHS provision, including data on referrals, displaced activity into paediatric wards, emergency admissions, or situations where referrals are not made due to limited inpatient capacity. [14461/26]
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.
