Ken O'Flynn

752. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any expenditure thresholds, alerts, or variance triggers exist within the Primary Care Reimbursement Service to identify significant increases in spend on specific medicines, including salbutamol nebules; and if she will outline the governance arrangements in place when such increases occur. [28039/26]

753. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total expenditure by the Primary Care Reimbursement Service on respiratory medicines under the general medical services scheme in each month from January 2024 to date in 2026; and the proportion of this expenditure attributable to salbutamol nebules. [28040/26]

754. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether benchmarking has been carried out comparing expenditure and utilisation of salbutamol nebules in Ireland with other EU member states; and if so, to provide the findings of such benchmarking. [28041/26]

755. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Primary Care Reimbursement Service or the Health Service Executive has identified any risks relating to over-prescribing, inappropriate prescribing, or dependency in respect of salbutamol nebules; and if she will outline any mitigation measures in place. [28042/26]

756. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any changes to prescribing guidance, reimbursement criteria, or clinical pathways for respiratory care were introduced between January 2024 and February 2026 which may have influenced the level of prescribing of salbutamol nebules; and if she will detail same. [28043/26]

757. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the average cost per individual procedure funded under the treatment abroad scheme in respect of gender affirmation surgeries in each year from 2020 to 2025; the methodology used to calculate or monitor such costs; and the financial control or value-for-money mechanisms in place to assess these expenditures. [28044/26]

758. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any internal or external audits have been conducted on the funding of gender affirmation surgeries under the treatment abroad scheme since 2020; if so, to provide details of the findings, dates, and recommendations; and if not, the reason no such audit has been undertaken. [28045/26]

759. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the clinical outcome measures, follow-up requirements, or post-operative monitoring arrangements are in place for patients who undergo gender affirmation surgery funded under the treatment abroad scheme; and how such outcomes are recorded and evaluated at a national level. [28046/26]

760. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the reason the treatment abroad scheme does not record or maintain data on the type of procedures funded under gender affirmation surgery referrals; whether there are plans to introduce such data collection; and the timeframe for implementation. [28047/26]

761. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the specific clinical and administrative criteria applied when approving applications under the treatment abroad scheme for gender affirmation surgery; whether any refusal thresholds or review mechanisms exist; and the role of multidisciplinary teams in this process. [28048/26]

765. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Primary Care Reimbursement Service maintains product-specific data on rejected or unpaid pharmacy claims under the general medical services and drugs payment schemes; and if not, whether there are plans to introduce such data tracking mechanisms [28064/26]

766. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any proportion of rejected or unpaid claims for salbutamol nebules in 2024 and 2025 can be disaggregated from general rejection categories; and if so, to provide the number and percentage of such claims. [28065/26]

767. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to provide a detailed breakdown of the reasons for rejected or unpaid pharmacy claims under the general medical services scheme in 2024 and 2025, including the number of claims in each category and whether such categories are linked to specific medicines. [28066/26]

768. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the oversight mechanisms that are in place to monitor rejection rates for commonly prescribed medicines under the general medical services scheme, including respiratory medications; and whether any review of rejection patterns has been conducted in the past three years. [28067/26]

769. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any audit or validation exercise has been conducted on the accuracy and consistency of claim rejections by the Primary Care Reimbursement Service in 2024 or 2025; and if so, to provide details of the findings and any actions taken. [28068/26]

770. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Health Service Executive assesses the patient impact of rejected or unpaid pharmacy claims under the general medical services scheme; and if so, to outline the methodology used and any findings in relation to essential medicines. [28069/26]

771. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any medicines were removed from, or had their reimbursement status altered within, the Primary Care Reimbursement Service systems in 2024 and 2025 which resulted in rejected claims; and to provide details of such medicines and the dates of change [28070/26]

772. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the proportion of rejected or unpaid pharmacy claims under the general medical services scheme in 2024 and 2025 attributable to administrative or submission errors; and the measures in place to reduce such errors. [28071/26]

773. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE maintains any national database or registry recording clinical outcomes for patients who undergo procedures abroad under the treatment abroad scheme; if not, the reason no such system exists; and if she will outline any plans to establish one. [28074/26]

774. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the mechanisms that are in place to ensure long-term follow-up care for patients undergoing procedures abroad under the treatment abroad scheme, and whether compliance with follow-up protocols is monitored or audited. [28076/26]

775. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any audits have been conducted since 2020 on clinical outcomes or patient safety in respect of procedures funded under the treatment abroad scheme; if so, to provide details; if not, the reason none have been undertaken. [28077/26]

778. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the proportion of cases of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease that are attributable to obesity in Ireland; the annual treatment cost to the HSE for these obesity-related conditions; the estimated share of total healthcare expenditure linked to obesity-related disease; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28095/26]

779. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the estimated annual cost to the HSE of treating obesity and obesity-related conditions between 2020 to date; the breakdown of this cost, across hospital care, primary care, pharmaceuticals and community services, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28096/26]

780. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department or the HSE has projected the cost to the health service over the next ten years if obesity prevalence continues to rise; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28097/26]

781. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the Department’s projections for future obesity prevalence in Ireland; the projected healthcare expenditure associated with obesity to 2030 and 2040; the expected impact on health service capacity, workforce demand and public expenditure; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28098/26]