Ken O'Flynn

522. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department or the Health Service Executive has engaged with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage regarding the potential use of vacant residential properties for housing or accommodation purposes; whether any formal interdepartmental framework exists governing the repurposing of State-owned residential assets; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29291/26]

523. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of residential properties currently owned by the Health Service Executive which are in the process of being disposed of; whether any of these properties have been assessed for potential alternative public use prior to disposal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29292/26]

524. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Health Service Executive's management of its residential property portfolio, including vacancy and disposal decisions, has been subject to internal audit or review since 2020; the dates and findings of any such audits; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29293/26]

525. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she has issued any policy direction or guidance to the Health Service Executive regarding the retention, disposal, or repurposing of residential properties; whether consideration has been given to the use of such properties in addressing housing or accommodation pressures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29294/26]

527. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any formal analysis has been conducted comparing decision-making outcomes across the six Health Regions; if so, to provide the metrics used, the findings, and any identified regional disparities. [29321/26]

528. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health what formal mechanisms exist to intervene where a Health Region's decisions materially diverge from national policy or from other regions; and whether any such interventions have occurred since the establishment of the Health Regions. [29322/26]

529. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any independent audit or internal review has been conducted on consistency of decision-making across Health Regions since 2022; and to provide the dates and findings of such audits. [29323/26]

530. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether patients have a formal right to review or appeal decisions where similar cases are treated differently across Health Regions; and if so, the structure of such a mechanism. [29324/26]

531. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health how "consistency" is defined within the Health Regions model; whether measurable benchmarks exist; and how compliance with such benchmarks is monitored. [29325/26]

169. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total area of State-owned forestry under the control or management of Coillte; the proportion of this area planted with native species and non-native species respectively; and if he will provide a breakdown by species type for the past ten years. [28979/26]

170. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether any policy targets are in place to increase the proportion of native woodland on State-owned forestry lands; the current percentage of native woodland within the State forestry estate; and any planned timelines or targets for expansion. [28980/26]

171. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department has conducted or commissioned any assessments of the biodiversity impact of monoculture forestry plantations, including Sitka spruce; and if he will provide details of any such assessments and their findings. [28981/26]

172. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which current forestry policy takes account of long-term carbon sequestration outcomes associated with different forestry models; and whether comparisons have been made between native woodland systems and commercial plantation forestry in this regard. [28982/26]

173. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether a review of the mandate, governance structure, or operational model of Coillte is under consideration; and if he will outline any proposals to rebalance its commercial and environmental objectives. [28983/26]

174. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine what oversight mechanisms exist in relation to forestry-related educational materials distributed in schools; whether such materials are subject to departmental approval or review; and if any guidelines are in place to ensure balance between commercial forestry and environmental perspectives. [28984/26]

175. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine how forestry policy is being aligned with national biodiversity and climate strategies; and what measurable indicators are used to assess the environmental performance of State forestry. [28985/26]

239. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether an application has been received for the reimbursement of the drug skyclarys for the treatment of Friedreich’s ataxia; if so, the current status of that application; the date on which it was submitted to the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics; and the expected timeline for a final reimbursement decision. [29078/26]

240. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the average and median time taken for reimbursement decisions for orphan or rare disease medicines over the past five years; the specific timelines applicable in the case of treatments for Friedreich’s ataxia; and whether any delays have arisen in the assessment process for this category of medicines. [29079/26]

241. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any interim access schemes, compassionate use programmes, or early access pathways are currently available in the State for patients with Friedreich’s ataxia; and whether consideration is being given to enabling access to skyclarys pending a full reimbursement decision. [29080/26]

242. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether standard cost-effectiveness thresholds applied by the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics are adjusted in the case of rare diseases; if not, whether the Minister will consider reforming these thresholds to reflect the unique clinical and ethical context of low-prevalence conditions. [29081/26]

243. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the estimated number of patients diagnosed with Friedreich’s ataxia in the State; the number currently under active neurological care; and whether a national clinical pathway or specialised service model exists for this condition. [29082/26]

244. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether skyclarys has been approved or reimbursed in other EU Member States or comparable jurisdictions; and whether such decisions are considered in Ireland’s reimbursement process. [29083/26]

245. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the current national rare disease strategy provides for expedited access pathways to disease-modifying therapies; and whether any review of this policy framework is underway. [29084/26]

276. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether he accepts that the deemed disposal regime, by imposing a unique and internationally anomalous tax burden on EU-regulated Exchange Traded Fund products, does not prevent tax avoidance by retail investors but instead redirects Irish household savings away from EU-regulated diversified products and into less transparent, less regulated, or less diversified alternatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17639/26]

328. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether he will commit to abolishing or fundamentally reforming the deemed disposal regime as it applies to Exchange Traded Funds held by individual retail investors; if not, to set out clearly the specific policy rationale for retaining a taxation mechanism that has no equivalent in any comparable EU jurisdiction, that taxes unrealised gains, that prohibits loss relief, that applies a rate exceeding the standard capital gains tax rate, and that demonstrably redirects Irish household savings away from diversified EU-regulated products; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17660/26]