Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 May 2026
1100. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Health the provisions that are being put in place to protect vulnerable populations for heat related health risks resulting from heatwaves and climate change; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34571/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland's first National Climate Change Risk Assessment, published in June 2025, identifies increased exposure to heat among the risks faced by the country's population. Informed by this, the Health Climate Change Sectoral Adaptation Plan 2025-2030 was launched in November 2025 as one of a suite of Plans setting out a whole-of-Government approach to improving the State's resilience to the impacts of climate change and mitigate the risks faced by vulnerable populations.
My Department led a cross-sectoral body of work in 2024 which reviewed the thresholds and guidance in relation to heatwaves, publishing advice for vulnerable populations and relevant stakeholders which can be found at: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-defence/publications/heat-and-heat-waves/.
In addition, the National Skin Cancer Prevention Plan 2023-2026 includes a number of measures aimed at reducing the risks faced by vulnerable population cohorts during periods of extreme heat. The Plan includes targeted interventions in relation to outdoor workers, adolescents and young people, and those who engage in sports, tourism and outdoor recreation.
Over the period to 2030, the Health Sectoral Adaptation Plan will seek to build on these measures and support action, both by the health sector and across other relevant sectors, to reduce the impacts of extreme heat on vulnerable population groups in Ireland. The HSE has identified the need to improve the recording of the impacts of climate-related incidents, including heat, on the vulnerable, and the need to ensure health service delivery during and following such incidents.
My Department also chairs an international working group under the WHO European Region, which will carry out a body of work in 2026 aimed at sharing experiences and inform policy responses in relation to heatwaves on the basis of international best practice.
