Ken O'Flynn
Written
718. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether additional orthopaedic assessment clinics or theatre capacity are planned in 2026 to address delays in knee replacement pathways. [36282/26]
TDs / Ken O'Flynn
Ken O'Flynn
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
9,005
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
86,377
words spoken in the chamber
Across 393 contributions. Plus 40 contributions from the chair, not counted
295
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
421
topics asked about
Across 20 departments
From the Dáil chamber only: committee meetings are not in this archive.
What they ask about
The subject headings the Oireachtas filed their questions under.
Who they ask
The departments their questions were addressed to.
Month by month
Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Questions asked 9,005 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 393 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 1 |
| January 2025 | 0 | 1 |
| February 2025 | 17 | 20 |
| March 2025 | 14 | 22 |
| April 2025 | 24 | 16 |
| May 2025 | 227 | 18 |
| June 2025 | 49 | 14 |
| July 2025 | 35 | 24 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 663 | 33 |
| October 2025 | 297 | 9 |
| November 2025 | 1,060 | 18 |
| December 2025 | 621 | 2 |
| January 2026 | 190 | 45 |
| February 2026 | 911 | 14 |
| March 2026 | 387 | 38 |
| April 2026 | 691 | 31 |
| May 2026 | 2,122 | 20 |
| June 2026 | 635 | 22 |
| July 2026 | 289 | 11 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 2 |
| September 2026 | 347 | 12 |
| October 2026 | 426 | 20 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 188 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Asked about similar topics
Worked out by computer from the subject headings of each TD's questions, giving more weight to headings few TDs use. It shows shared subjects, not shared views.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Cork North-Central 29 November 2024 to now
- party Independent Ireland 29 November 2024 to now
Ken O'Flynn
Written
719. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of orthopaedic patients removed from waiting lists in each of the past three years due to administrative review, non-response, or reclassification. [36283/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
720. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether patients awaiting orthopaedic surgery are routinely informed whether they are on an outpatient assessment list or a formal inpatient surgical waiting list. [36284/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
721. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Health Service Executive maintains any central register, log, database or reporting mechanism recording instances where concerns have been raised regarding inconsistent interpretation or application of national policy across health regions; and, if so, to provide details. [36285/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
722. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any key performance indicators currently used within the Health Regions framework specifically measure consistency of decision-making, policy application, or service eligibility across regions; and if so, to provide details of those indicators. [36286/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
723. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any regional variance analysis has been undertaken in respect of waiting times, service access criteria, funding approvals, or operational decision-making since the establishment of the Health Regions model; and if so, to provide the findings. [36287/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
724. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE Performance and Accountability Framework contains defined escalation thresholds for intervention where material regional disparities emerge; and if so, to provide those thresholds. [36288/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
725. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health number of formal escalations, interventions, corrective actions, or performance management measures initiated under the Performance and Accountability Framework in respect of Health Regions since their establishment. [36289/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
726. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any independent external evaluation has been commissioned regarding governance consistency within the Health Regions model; and if not, whether such an evaluation is planned. [36290/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
727. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Department has assessed the risk that increased regional autonomy could result in unequal access to services or inconsistent operational interpretation of national policy across different parts of the State. [36291/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
728. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether patients or service users currently have any formal mechanism to challenge regional inconsistencies in service access, eligibility determinations, or operational decisions between Health Regions. [36292/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
729. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether comparative regional dashboards exist showing differences in operational approvals, expenditure patterns, staffing allocation, or service delivery outcomes between the six Health Regions. [36293/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
730. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE intends to publish periodic comparative reports assessing consistency of service delivery and operational governance across all Health Regions [36294/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
731. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE maintains any centralised audit mechanism to assess whether local decisions regarding agency staffing comply with national policy restrictions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36306/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
732. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any written national framework exists governing exemptions, approvals, or derogations from agency staffing restrictions within the HSE; and to provide copies of any such framework [36307/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
733. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of occasions on which Health Regions exceeded their agency spend reduction targets since the introduction of the current controls, broken down by region and quarter. [36308/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
734. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE has assessed the governance risks associated with the absence of a central reporting system for monitoring compliance with agency staffing controls; and if so, to provide details of that assessment. [36309/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
735. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any internal audit, external audit, or review has been conducted regarding compliance with agency staffing restrictions since their introduction; and if so, to provide details and findings. [36310/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
736. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether regional variations exist in the implementation or enforcement of agency staffing restrictions across the six Health Regions; and if so, the measures in place to ensure national consistency. [36311/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
737. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any patient safety incidents, service disruptions, or staffing escalations have been linked to agency staffing restrictions since their introduction; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36312/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
738. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total agency spend for each Health Region for 2023, 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026, together with the reduction targets assigned to each region during those periods.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36313/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
739. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE records the number of unfilled posts or vacancies arising from restrictions on agency staff recruitment; and if so, to provide the figures by region and staff grade. [36314/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
740. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any national KPI framework exists to measure the operational effectiveness of agency staffing restrictions beyond expenditure reduction targets; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36315/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
741. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Department of Health has carried out any national analysis of the relationship between agency staffing expenditure and reductions in hospital waiting lists since the commencement of the multi-annual waiting list action plan approach in 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36316/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
742. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total expenditure on agency staffing associated with scheduled care, elective activity and Waiting List Action Plan delivery for each year from 2021 to 2026, broken down by hospital group and Health Region. [36317/26]