Written Answers Nos. 1023-1043
1023. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Health to consider implementing a clear reimbursement scheme for those patients who have been advised to seek care in Northern Ireland for orthodontic services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34005/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.
1024. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the status of an appointment for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34018/26]
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.
1025. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health for an update on appointment (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34020/26]
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.
1026. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health the number of the 77 planned residential places nationwide that are earmarked for Kilkenny; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34043/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra1027. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health to urgently allow for the transfer of a person (details supplied) to the Bon Secours Hospital in Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34046/26]
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.
1028. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health if she will provide a list of all capital projects, including hospital, primary care centre and other health infrastructure works delivered by her Department or the HSE, which have been completed on time and within budget in Fingal each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34058/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.
1029. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health to confirm that HSE home support (Clare) has approved a significant number of families for home care support which they are unable to provide due to staff shortages (details supplied); the statistics for the number approved and the number currently not receiving care; if she is planning any initiatives to remedy this staff shortage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34066/26]
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.
1030. Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan asked the Minister for Health the details of the implementation of Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 into primary and secondary legislation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34068/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraRegulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to consumers has been given legal effect to in national law by the Minister for Health in the European Union (Provision of Food Information to Consumers) Regulations 2014 (S.I. No. 556 of 2014). The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has overall responsibility for the enforcement of food law in Ireland, which is carried out by official agencies acting under service contract to the FSAI.
1031. Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Health if she will provide a list of all capital projects, including hospital, primary care centre and other health infrastructure works delivered by her Department or the HSE, which have been completed on time and within budget in Longford in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34088/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the management of the public healthcare estate, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.
1032. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health for assistance regarding an invalidity pension (details supplied). [34093/26]
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.
1033. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) In County Donegal will receive a new date for an orthopaedic operation at Sligo University Hospital; the reason planned surgery was cancelled; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34095/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI fully acknowledge the distress and inconvenience for patients and their families when hospital appointments are cancelled, particularly in the case of clinically urgent procedures. While every effort is made to avoid cancellation or postponement of planned procedures, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has advised that planned procedures and operations can be postponed or cancelled for a variety of reasons including capacity issues due to increased unscheduled care demand.
Patient safety remains at the centre of all hospital activity and elective care scheduling. To ensure services are provided in a safe, clinically aligned and prioritised way, hospitals follow HSE clinical guidelines and protocols.
Cancelled hospital procedures/appointments are, where appropriate, rescheduled as early as possible with priority given to patients requiring time-sensitive and urgent treatment. Patients that are cancelled are rescheduled with the next available appointment based on their clinical prioritisation, with urgent patients prioritised for access.
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. 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.
1034. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Health her views on a matter (details supplied) [34098/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is regrettable that SIPTU and UNITE members in the National Ambulance Service (NAS) have chosen to proceed with industrial action, given the clear risk this poses to service capacity and the potential disruption to emergency care and timely access to life-saving services.
Patient safety remains the overriding priority. The HSE has agreed contingency arrangements with the trade unions to ensure that life-threatening emergencies continue to be responded to and that patients are prioritised based on clinical need. Members of the public are advised to call 999 or 112 as usual in an emergency, and while there may be delays in responding to non-life-threatening calls, the emergency line remains fully operational and priority will be given to the most serious cases, including cardiac or respiratory arrest and major trauma such as road traffic accidents. All other health services remain in operation. For less urgent needs, patients may be directed to alternative care options such as local injury units, GPs, out-of-hours services or community pharmacies, with further information available on HSE.ie.
The State accepts that NAS pay structures need to be modernised, and previous engagement at the WRC concluded with the State offering pay increases of 3–14%, on top of the 9.25% increase under the current Public Service Agreement. While union leadership recommended these proposals to members, they were subsequently rejected in a ballot. The current position is that staff are seeking further pay increases without implementation of the agreed reforms, which were a core part of the WRC discussions.
While we want NAS staff to receive these pay improvements as quickly as possible, these increases were linked to essential service reforms designed to improve patient care, response times and how services are delivered, by supporting better deployment, and training and professional development of staff.
The only way to resolve this issue is through dialogue. The HSE remains available to engage at any time, and I strongly urge the unions to re-engage through the established industrial relations mechanisms in the interests of patients, staff and the wider public.
1035. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health whether Government is satisfied there is effective and consistently applied clinical governance oversight across HSE South West; whether identified clinical leadership gaps have been independently reviewed; whether vacancies, fragmented accountability or weak leadership structures have affected patient safety, service quality or risk management; the assurance that will be given that clinical governance failures are not contributing to repeated performance and safety concerns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34108/26]
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.
1036. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total agency staffing expenditure within the public Health Service to date in 2026, broken down by HSE health region, staff category, and service area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34121/26]
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.
1037. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the specific annual savings target set by the HSE for agency staffing expenditure in 2025 and 2026; the savings achieved to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34122/26]
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.
1038. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of agency staff converted to direct HSE employment under the July 2025 agency conversion framework, broken down by HSE health region and staff category [34123/26]
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.
1039. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the reason maintenance and technical agency staffing expenditure increased from €12.4 million in 2024 to €68.2 million in 2025; whether this increase has been reviewed by the HSE or her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34124/26]
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.
1040. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE records the reason for agency staffing expenditure by category, including vacancy cover, sick leave, maternity leave, surge activity, or unfilled recruitment; and if so, to provide the breakdown for 2024, 2025, and to date in 2026. [34125/26]
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.
1041. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Health if the number of dental hygienist courses provided nationally is sufficient to meet demand; if she has given consideration to the shortage of places and consequential effect of waiting times for appointments; if her Department is in correspondence with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science on this matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34154/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Oral Health Policy envisages moving oral healthcare services to a more prevention-focused model. In this model, dental hygienists could provide preventative elements of the oral healthcare services to both children and adults. However, the number of training places for dental hygienists in Ireland is currently limited, with approximately 20 dental hygiene places per annum between University College Cork and Dublin Dental University Hospital at Trinity College Dublin. We are working to address this.
The Government is firmly committed to ensuring our healthcare system is supported by a steady and sustainable pipeline of highly skilled graduates which is in line with Programme for Government commitments.
My Department regularly engages with colleagues in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) to discuss the expansion of training places with regards to oral healthcare professionals including dental hygienists. In that context, I understand that officials from DFHERIS are engaging with University College Cork to discuss in detail its proposal to establish a community-based dental outreach centre in North Cork, and to advance this important project.
The proposal, which includes a request for capital investment from my Department will support an increase in undergraduate capacity in dentistry, dental hygiene and dental nursing training places.
My Department has also received a draft proposal to increase training places for all oral healthcare professionals including dental hygienists at the Dublin Dental University Hospital at Trinity College Dublin. This will require further discussion to progress this proposal with the aim to maximise the benefit this proposal will have in terms of increasing the number of oral healthcare professionals in Ireland, as well as increased service provision.
I would like to inform the Deputy that my Department officials met with the Irish Dental Hygienists Association earlier this year to discuss proposals for direct access for dental hygienists. Following this meeting, there is ongoing work with regards to development of a policy paper with a view to advancing direct access for dental hygienists. Direct access must be safe and of course add value for patients.
My Department recently engaged with the Dental Council to discuss direct access and we are committed to progressing proposals to utilise dental hygienists who are important part of our oral healthcare workforce.
Alongside this, engagement with DFHERIS and the Higher Education Authority is ongoing to expand our oral healthcare workforce capacity in a sustainable and strategic manner, as well as exploring capacity regionally across the Technological University sector.By enhancing our future workforce, we are taking steps to ensure that the National Oral Health Policy is implemented.
1042. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Health for an update regarding the status of and funding for, the RSV immunisation programme for newborns for 2026. [34165/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland's Immunisation Programme is informed by the advice of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee, (NIAC). NIAC considers the prevalence of the relevant disease in Ireland as well as international best practice in relation to immunisation when developing its advice.
My Department has agreed the scope of the RSV Infant Immunisation Pathfinder Programme for 2026/2027, which will be the same as for last season. That is, RSV immunisation will be offered to babies born in-season and infants aged 6 months old or younger at the start of the RSV season, in line with NIAC advice.
My Department is currently giving consideration to the findings and options set out in HIQA's recently published HTA on RSV immunisation for infant and adults, including operational and budgetary impacts, ahead of making a policy decision on a longer-term RSV Immunisation Strategy.
1043. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health the estimated total costs for the newly completed Killarney Community Nursing Unit, including all payments associated with the public private partnership contract, including not just the cost of design and construction, but also the cost of financing, operating and maintaining the facility, and including the provision of a fully maintained facility for the duration of the contract; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34171/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.
