Written Answers Nos. 248-269
248. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the supports available to parents of children with complex needs during school holidays; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48348/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
249. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if key contacts will be reinstated and assigned to children with complex needs as part of the CDNT; if not, the way in which the CDNT ensures that each child has a pathway and regular contact with the team; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48349/26]
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.
250. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of speech and language therapists that are currently in the CDNT; the number of those have been formally trained or certified in gestalt language processing; whether a GLP course is provided to parents to help them understand this very different way of processing language; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48350/26]
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.
251. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the training provided to a parent when a child is provided with an AAC device; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48351/26]
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.
252. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if consideration will be given to online acceptance of an offer for a course from the CDNT rather than a parent needing to phone directly; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48352/26]
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.
253. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason some children with disabilities are being denied specialist equipment, such as beds, under restrictive practice policies, while children with similar needs are approved for the same supports elsewhere; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48355/26]
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.
254. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Health the steps she is taking to restrict the advertising of food high in fat, sugar and salt, commonly referred to as junk food, to children via digital means and online marketing; if she is considering mandatory codes to restrict such advertising; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48175/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe current Obesity Policy and Action Plan (OPAP) was launched in September 2016 under the auspices of the Healthy Ireland Framework (Healthy Ireland: A Framework for Improved Health and Wellbeing 2013-2025).
OPAP covers a 10-year period up to 2025 and the overall aim is to reverse obesity trends, prevent health complications, and reduce the impact of overweight and obesity on health outcomes for individuals, families, the health system, and the wider society and economy. It recognises that obesity is a complex, multi-faceted problem and needs a multi-pronged solution, with every sector of society playing its part. OPAP is well aligned with the World Health Organisation in terms of the breadth of policy measures that have been introduced or are being considered in order to address obesity.
Under OPAP, Ireland put in place a comprehensive, cross-Government strategy to address obesity and overweight. Since 2016 significant progress has been made in delivering on the Ten Step Programme of OPAP and to drive policy initiatives and actions, ranging from health promotion and education initiatives and obesity prevention measures through to establishing services to treat and manage obesity within the health care system.
In 2024, the Safefood ‘Building a Healthier Environment’ public health campaign was launched by the then Minister of State for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy Colm Burke. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the unhealthy food environment, how this is harmful to children’s health and why it needs to change, particularly by highlighting the current prevalence and accessibility of unhealthy foods within the food environment and highlighting how much unhealthy foods in supermarkets are placed at children’s eye level. More information on this campaign can be found here (www.safefood.net/communications/news/2024/building-a-healthier-food-environment). To this end, the Department of Health has engaged regularly with Coimisiún na Meán regarding the issue of restricting the advertisement of HFSS foods to children and will continue to engage with An Coimisiún on an ongoing basis as work in this area continues.
The new OPAP is currently in development and is expected to be completed and published by the end of this year. As part of the development of the new OPAP, the Department has conducted an extensive stakeholder consultation and will consider a range of options for inclusion in the development of the new strategy.
255. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Health if she is satisfied that the concentration of fluoride added to public drinking water supplies remains within safe limits and is subject to adequate monitoring; if she will provide details of the current permissible fluoride levels and the frequency with which water quality testing is carried out; whether any recent reviews have been undertaken in respect of fluoridation levels in public water supplies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47891/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraCommunity water fluoridation (CWF) was introduced in Ireland in 1964 as a public health measure to improve oral health. Water fluoridation is the adjustment of the natural concentration of fluoride in drinking water for the prevention of dental caries (tooth decay). Fluoridation policy is provided for in the Health (Fluoridation of Water Supplies) Act, 1960 and in the Fluoridation of Water Supplies Regulations 2007.
There is strong evidence supportive of effective preventive approaches to reduce dental disease, including the value of water fluoridation. Under the Fluoridation of Water Supplies Regulations 2007 (S.I No 42 of 2007), Ireland is legally required to maintain its fluoridation levels at 0.6-0.8ppm. This is well below the threshold permitted under EU legislation, which requires this level must be less than 1.5ppm (European Union (Drinking Water) Regulations 2023 (S.I. No. 99/2023)). Many parts of the world including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, and parts of the UK and Spain have long-standing and comprehensive community water fluoridation programs. New water fluoridation programs continue to commence internationally most recently in further regions in Australia and most recently in Vietnam building on successes elsewhere.
Statutory responsibility for the monitoring of fluoride levels in public drinking water rests with Uisce Éireann as the water supplier. Under the European Union (Drinking Water) Regulations 2023, fluoride is classified as a chemical parameter and is subject to risk-based compliance monitoring, with sample frequency determined by the size and risk profile of the supply.
The HSE undertakes a monthly monitoring programme to assess compliance by Uisce Éireann with the provision of the Fluoridation of Water Supplies Regulations 2007 (S.I No 42 of 2007).
The Health Research Board (HRB) on behalf of this Department has conducted three comprehensive umbrella evidence reviews on the impact of water fluoridation at its current level on the health of the population. The most recent review ‘Effect of artificial community water fluoridation on dental health’ was completed in May 2025 and the most up to date evidence continues to support that CWF confers a substantial oral health benefit. The two previous reviews examined the impact on General health (‘Health Effects of Water Fluoridation’ (2015) and ‘Impact of community water fluoridation on systemic health excluding oral health’ (2022)). The conclusion was that there was no current evidence that there are negative health impacts at the optimal level of fluoridation as legislated for in Ireland. These evidence reviews were published by the HRB and are available on its website: www.hrb.ie.
The primary goal of the National Oral Health Policy (NOHP), Smile agus Sláinte, is to provide the supports, including delivery of dental services, to enable every individual to achieve their personal best oral health and to reduce inequalities within the population. Evidence from water fluoridation and its impact on oral health supports both goals.
The Department keeps the policy of water fluoridation, a core public health initiative, under constant review. To this end the Minister put in place a task force, the Fluoridation Surveillance Working Group (FSWG), in July 2023 to evaluate best practices in surveillance to ensure that Ireland’s continued monitoring of fluoridation and its impacts remain aligned with international best practices.
256. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Health to provide a costing of introducing an enhanced HAA medical card scheme for survivors of industrial and reformatory schools, based on the current estimated survivor population; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47903/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Education and Youth’s Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Act 2025 was signed into law in July 2025. The Act makes available - amongst other supports - the provision of health services without charge to survivors of residential institutional abuse, in the form of a medical card administered by the HSE.
The Medical Card issued under the Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Act gives survivors the same access to all services covered by a Standard Medical card but also entitles them to some enhanced benefits. In addition to providing an entitlement to the same services as a Standard Medical card, the Card provided under the Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Act is a life-long, non-means tested Card. Holders of the Medical Card for Survivors will not be required to pay prescription charges.
The health supports approved for survivors is tailored to their specific needs and has now been further strengthened by Government through the appointment of specified liaison officers which are now being recruited within the HSE and through improved access to State funded counselling and physiotherapy services.
Government previously approved the HAA card for a separate and distinct purpose (i.e. people who contracted Hepatitis C from contaminated blood or blood products). HAA cardholders have specific health needs as a result of having contacted a serious and life-threatening infection.Many of the services provided under the HAA card are already available under the medical card for survivors of residential institutional abuse - such as GP services, approved drugs, medicines, aids and appliances, public in-patient and out-patient services, dental, ophthalmic and aural services, physiotherapy, chiropody, home nursing, home support and counselling.
With regard to the estimated cost, further detailed work is currently being progressed in collaboration with the HSE to more clearly establish the estimated additional costs associated with the provision of additional services approved by Government in January 2026, over and above the existing provisions of the medical card under the Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Act 2025. In light of this ongoing work, a definitive cost is not readily calculable prospectively. The needs and support requirements of individual service users will ultimately impact on the demand for specific services and this in turn will have an influence on the overall costings involved. However, the average cost of a medical card to the State for a person over the age of 16 is approximately just over €1,900 per person per year, although this varies significantly depending on age and clinical need. The cost of additional benefits provided to survivors, such as the exemption from prescription charges would not be included in this figure.
257. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Health for an update in relation to progress being made to resolve clinical and regulatory issues which stand in the way of single women and same-sex couples in accessing free AHR; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47905/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra267. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Health if she will review eligibility criteria for publicly funded fertility treatment to ensure the inclusion of same-sex couples and single women who require donor sperm; if she will confirm the current eligibility structure contravenes equality legislation; her plans to reform this discriminatory element of the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47934/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra268. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Health if her Department is aware of unequal access to public IVF funding, specifically disadvantaging single parents and same-sex families; whether her Department is taking steps to address this discriminatory aspect of the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47935/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 257, 267 and 268 together.
The Model of Care for Fertility was developed by the Department of Health in conjunction with the HSE’s National Women & Infants Health Programme to ensure that fertility-related issues are addressed through the public health system at the lowest level of clinical intervention necessary.
The Model of Care comprises three stages of care. These begin in primary care (GPs), progress to secondary care through the six HSE-run Regional Fertility Hubs located across the country, and, where clinically indicated, advance to tertiary care.
Patients, following consultations in primary care, are referred by their GP to their designated Regional Fertility Hub for assessment and investigation. Before making a referral, the GP will provide appropriate advice and information on lifestyle factors, carry out relevant tests and examinations, and undertake any necessary initial interventions. The GP must also be satisfied that the couple has been trying to conceive naturally for an adequate period of time. The specific access criteria to avail of services provided at a Hub are less stringent than those required to be met in order to qualify for free assisted human reproduction (AHR) treatment.
Referrals for publicly-funded, privately-provided AHR treatment – including IVF (in-vitro fertilisation), ICSI (intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection) and IUI (intrauterine insemination) – commenced in September 2023, subject to patients meeting the criteria agreed by my Department and the HSE. The access criteria were developed by a multi-disciplinary group, with reproductive medicine expertise and followed consultation with experts in the field along with a review of the international evidence. These criteria are in keeping with those applied in other jurisdictions.
The terms of the publicly-funded AHR treatment initiative are underpinned by the primary policy principle of supporting couples experiencing fertility issues and, most specifically, those who have been trying unsuccessfully to conceive naturally at the time in question.
Just over 4,600 couples to date have been referred by a Reproductive Specialist Consultant for AHR treatment, following extensive investigations and/or secondary level treatment within the Regional Fertility Hubs. Furthermore, the Hubs have successfully and directly managed thousands more patients presenting with fertility-related issues who have been referred by their GP. Not all couples experiencing fertility challenges actually require such advanced and invasive interventions as IVF. In this regard, it should be noted that IUI represents a significantly less invasive and less complex form of treatment which can prove to be very effective for certain cohorts of patients.
There are complex regulatory and clinical issues to be considered in respect of certain categories of AHR treatment. In the case of treatment involving the use of donated gametes – whether by opposite-sex couples, same-sex couples, or single women – there is regulation at European level concerning the quality and safety of procedures involving donated gametes. Furthermore, the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 deals with matters relating to parentage and the right to identity of donor-conceived children arising from such procedures. Nevertheless, there are a number of further clinical and regulatory requirements regarding the donation of gametes and the use of such gametes which are being considered.
Notwithstanding the above, extensive consultation between Department officials, colleagues in the HSE, and relevant specialists in the field of reproductive medicine on this matter is continuing, including in respect of examining the position in other jurisdictions regarding publicly funding such treatment and the consideration of additional funding requirements which may ensue from such an expansion of the initiative.
It should be noted that supports previously available to patients who access IVF, or other AHR treatment, privately, whereby tax relief on the costs involved can be claimed under the tax relief for medical expenses scheme, continues to be provided.
In addition, a defined list of fertility medicines needed for fertility treatment is covered under the High Tech Arrangements administered by the HSE. Medicines covered by the High Tech Arrangements must be prescribed by a consultant/specialist and authorised for supply to the client’s nominated community pharmacy by the High Tech Hub managed by the Primary Care Reimbursement Service. The cost of the medicines is then covered, as appropriate, under the client’s eligibility, i.e., Medical Card or Drugs Payment Scheme. The annual cost to the State of the financial support for these medicines is far from insignificant.
I want to reassure you that my Department and the Government are focused, through the full implementation of the Model of Care for Fertility, on ensuring that patients receive care at the appropriate level of clinical intervention and then those requiring, and eligible for, advanced AHR treatment such as IVF will be able to access same through the most effective deployment of finite public resources.
Finally, it is important to note that the principle of equal access underpins the development of all legislative and policy measures in the area of AHR. In terms of the publicly-funded AHR treatment initiative specifically, any terms that have or will relate to the provision of donor-assisted human reproduction treatment, for instance, shall apply equally, irrespective of whether the intending parents are a same-sex couple or an opposite-sex couple, or if there is a single intending parent.
258. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if her Department will consider opening a clinic in Ireland for Lyme disease (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47921/26]
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.
259. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of the case of a person (details supplied); if she will ensure that the person is seen as a matter of urgency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47922/26]
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.
260. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health if a referral has been made for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal to St. Patrick's Mental health services for dedicated OCD CBT; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47924/26]
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.
261. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Health the number of MRI machines currently in use in each public and voluntary hospital; if she will indicate for each hospital, the number of years each machine has been in use; if all the machines are owned by the hospital or the HSE; and if not the details of ownership, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47925/26]
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.
262. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Health the number of x-ray machines currently in use in each public and voluntary hospital; if she will indicate for each hospital, the number of years each machine has been in use; if all the machines are owned by the hospital or the HSE; and if not the details of ownership; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47926/26]
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.
263. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Health the number of CT scanner machines currently in use in each public and voluntary hospital; if she will indicate the number of years each machine has been in use; if all the machines are owned by the hospital or the HSE and if not the details of ownership, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47927/26]
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.
264. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the turnover of psychiatrists within the community mental health team in County Donegal for the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47929/26]
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.
265. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health if a person (details supplied) in County Donegal will have access to a community mental health nurse in addition to a psychiatrist; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47930/26]
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.
266. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the rationale for permitting the continuation of the revised crewing model introduced by the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) during the Covid-19 pandemic, which allowed an emergency medical technician (EMT) and a paramedic to crew an emergency ambulance; whether this measure was intended to be temporary and pandemic-specific; if she is satisfied that the current model does not represent a lowering of pre-hospital clinical standards; if she will address concerns regarding the significant disparity in training and qualifications between EMTs and paramedics; whether she has engaged with PHECC regarding reinstating the pre-pandemic minimum crewing standard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47931/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraPHECC have advised my Department that the current PHECC minimum crewing model for an emergency ambulance is two PHECC-registered practitioners, one of whom must be at the level of Paramedic or higher.
Whilst a temporary crewing model was in place to respond to the particular circumstances of COVID-19, the minimum crewing model in place today is unchanged from that which pertained prior to COVID-19.
269. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Health if she has conducted an assessment of pharmacies following the introduction of the NVPS mandatory veterinary prescriptions for animal antiparasitic products, if its having an impact on pharmacy incomes and operation and if any pharmacies have ceased dispensing animal antiparasitic products as a result; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47962/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra270. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Health the number of pharmacies participating in the National Veterinary Prescription System (NVPS); the number of prescriptions processed each month by pharmacies since the beginning of 2026, in tabular form; if any pharmacies have withdrawn from dispensing animal antiparasitic products since the beginning of 2026; if she has engaged with the Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on the matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47976/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 269 and 270 together.
The National Veterinary Prescription System (NVPS) is operated by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). Data on pharmacy participation and prescription volumes are a matter for that Department.
