Thursday, 23 Apr 2026

Departmental Policies

Ceisteanna (509)

Cormac Devlin

Ceist:

509. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the supports that are available to separated parents who are required, by virtue of court-ordered access arrangements or the location of the other parent, to travel to and secure short-term accommodation in another jurisdiction in order to exercise access to their children; whether her Department has engaged with the issues faced by such parents, including those travelling from the State to Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29602/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Children, Disability and Equality

This is not a matter for this Department but rather for my colleague the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.

Disability Services

Ceisteanna (510)

Réada Cronin

Ceist:

510. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Health the steps being taken to address staff shortages within the primary care speech and language therapy service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29511/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Disabilities Assessments

Ceisteanna (511)

Réada Cronin

Ceist:

511. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Health whether any alternative assessment pathways are being offered to children currently waiting for or primary care speech and language therapy an assessment of need or primary care occupational therapy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29512/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Health Services

Ceisteanna (512)

Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh

Ceist:

512. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Health whether orientation and mobility services for the visually impaired and blind fall within the remit of her Department or the Department of Education and Youth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29229/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill

This PQ is not for the Department of Health. We respectfully request that this Parliamentary Question be redirected to the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, as the matters raised fall under their remit.

Health Services

Ceisteanna (513)

Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh

Ceist:

513. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Health if she will fund further orientation and mobility training beyond pre-existing Cork and Waterford services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29230/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill

As this is a service matter, this PQ has been referred to the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.

Health Services Staff

Ceisteanna (514)

Michael Healy-Rae

Ceist:

514. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in a CORU registration (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29235/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

The Deputy should be aware that the applicant (details supplied) has created an application on CORU's registration system but has not completed all of the application steps required.

I understand that the CORU registration team contacted the applicant, on Friday 17th April, to explain the status of his application and to inform him of the steps required to complete his application.

I hope this clarifies the matter for you.

Medical Aids and Appliances

Ceisteanna (515)

Michael Cahill

Ceist:

515. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health to provide blood glucose monitors to type 2 diabetes patients with particular emergency cases (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29243/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter and under 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, this question has been referred to the HSE for attention and direct reply to the Deputy.

Medical Cards

Ceisteanna (516)

Michael Cahill

Ceist:

516. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health to provide full medical cards to all diabetes patients who are currently referred to the long-term illness scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29244/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

Medical card provision is primarily based on financial assessment. In accordance with the Health Act 1970 (as amended), eligibility for a medical card is determined by the HSE, which assesses each application on a qualifying financial threshold. This is the amount of money that an individual can earn per week and still qualify for a card. It is specific to the individual’s own financial circumstances. People under 70 are assessed under the general means tested medical card thresholds which are based on an applicant’s household income after deduction of tax, PRSI and Universal Social Charge. Certain expenses are also taken into account. Detailed guidelines are available at: Assessment for a medical card - HSE.ie. People aged 70 or older are assessed under medical card income thresholds which are based on gross income. However, those aged over 70 can also be assessed under the general means tested scheme where there are particularly high medical costs. Details are available at: Medical card for over 70s. The issue of granting medical cards on the basis of illness or a disability was previously examined in 2014 by the HSE Expert Panel on Medical Need and Medical Card Eligibility. The Group concluded that it was not feasible, desirable, nor ethically justifiable to list medical conditions in priority order for medical card eligibility. In following the Expert Group’s advice, a person’s means remains the main qualifier for a medical card.

Every effort is made by the HSE, within the framework of the legislation, to support applicants in applying for a medical card - in particular, to take full account of difficult circumstances in the case of applicants who may be in excess of the income guidelines. In such circumstances, the HSE may exercise discretion and grant a medical card, for example:

• Discretionary medical cards issued to patients with significant medical expenses but who do not satisfy the means test.

• Emergency medical cards are issued to patients that are terminally ill, or are seriously ill, and in urgent need of medical care that they cannot afford. Further information regarding emergency medical cards can be found at: HSE – Emergency Medical Cards

I can assure the Deputy that, to ensure the medical card system is responsive and sensitive to people's needs, my Department keeps medical card issues under review and any changes are considered in the context of any potential broader implications for Government policy, the annual budgetary estimates process and legislative requirements arising.

Health Services Staff

Ceisteanna (517)

Seán Canney

Ceist:

517. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health the reason that at present paramedics and EMTs do not receive the same level of flat-rate expense allowances as other frontline healthcare professionals, such as nurses, despite carrying out comparable clinical duties and being subject to similar uniform requirements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29278/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Health Service Executive

The HSE must follow the official process for the disposal of properties by State bodies and agencies. When a HSE property has been vacated by a service it is necessary to establish if it is surplus to requirements and to decide whether to retain the property in the healthcare estate. If the property is to be disposed of, the process hierarchy is set out as follows:

• Offer the property to the LDA via written notification.

• Should the LDA not choose to take up the property, under DPER Circulars 11/2015 & 17/2016 the HSE must then offer the property to other State Stakeholders via the State Property Register.

• Should no other State Stakeholders take up the property, the property may then be placed for sale on the open market.

My Department engages with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the LDA in relevant work including in the context of the Housing for All subgroup on State Lands, "Delivering Homes, Building Communities" 2025-2031: An Action Plan on Housing Supply & Targeting Homelessness, and the LDA Report on Relevant Public Land.

Minister for Health

Statutory obligations exist for all State bodies, including the HSE, in respect of the disposal of surplus properties, including properties potentially suitable for housing. These obligations are set out in DPER Circulars 11/15 Protocols for the Transfer and Sharing of State Property Assets, and 17/16 Policy for the Property Acquisition and for Disposal of Surplus Property, which require all State bodies to offer properties to other State stakeholders (including Local Authorities). Additional obligations exist under the Land Development Agency Act 2021.

The HSE must follow the official process for the disposal of properties by State bodies and agencies. When a HSE property has been vacated by a service it is necessary to establish if it is surplus to requirements and to decide whether to retain the property in the healthcare estate. If the property is to be disposed of, the process hierarchy is set out as follows:

• Offer the property to the LDA via written notification.

• Should the LDA not choose to take up the property, under DPER Circulars 11/2015 & 17/2016 the HSE must then offer the property to other State Stakeholders via the State Property Register.

• Should no other State Stakeholders take up the property, the HSE then places the property for sale on the open market.

My Department engages with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the LDA in relevant work including in the context of the Housing for All subgroup on State Lands, "Delivering Homes, Building Communities" 2025-2031: An Action Plan on Housing Supply & Targeting Homelessness, and the LDA Report on Relevant Public Land.

Queries in relation to the LDA, Housing For All, and the 2025-2031 Action Plan should be directed in the first instance to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Housing.

My Department and the HSE will continue to work collaboratively with all key stakeholders in relation to its surplus assets as part of an all-of-Government approach to increasing housing stock.