Ken O'Flynn

808. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the policy basis upon which ongoing referrals and funding approvals are authorised under the treatment abroad scheme, including whether such approvals are governed by national clinical policy, EU regulation alone, or Departmental guidance. [28127/26]

809. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to identify the specific division within her Department responsible for oversight of treatment abroad scheme expenditure; the grade and title of the official designated as budget holder for the Scheme; and whether that individual has formal responsibility for approving or rejecting expenditure variances. [28128/26]

810. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether a defined annual budget ceiling is set for the treatment abroad scheme; if so, the ceiling in each year from 2020 to 2026; and the process by which expenditure exceeding projections is approved or sanctioned. [28129/26]

811. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to set out the full approval chain for individual high-cost treatments funded under the treatment abroad scheme, including whether financial approval is distinct from clinical approval and the level at which final sign-off occurs. [28130/26]

812. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to provide details of all audits carried out on the treatment abroad scheme since 2020, including dates, scope, findings, and any recommendations made in respect of expenditure control, governance, or value for money. [28131/26]

813. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE or her Department has any mechanism to assess, benchmark, or challenge the cost of treatments invoiced by other EU/EEA healthcare systems under the treatment abroad scheme; and if so, the methodology used. [28132/26]

814. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether a formal value-for-money assessment framework applies to treatment abroad scheme expenditure; and whether this has been reviewed or updated since 2020. [28133/26]

815. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any additional governance, oversight, or approval criteria apply to gender-related treatments funded under the treatment abroad scheme; and if not, the rationale for the absence of such criteria. [28134/26]

816. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the suicide crisis assessment nurse service has been operational since the publication of the Model of Care in 2022; and if so, the reason no national data on referrals or activity was collected prior to 2025. [28145/26]

817. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she accepts that the absence of SCAN data prior to 2025 represents a gap in oversight during the initial rollout phase; and the steps being taken to address this. [28146/26]

818. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of referrals made specifically by general practitioners to SCAN services in 2025; and if this cannot be disaggregated, the reason such referral pathways are not recorded. [28147/26]

819. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the current SCAN database captures the source of referral, including GP, CAMHS, CMHT or emergency department; and if not, whether this will be introduced. [28148/26]

820. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the geographic distribution of SCAN services, by county and CHO area; and the timeline for full national coverage. [28149/26]

821. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of dedicated under-18 SCAN services currently in operation; and whether additional youth-specific services are planned. [28150/26]

822. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the key performance indicators used to measure SCAN service effectiveness; and when these will be published. [28151/26]

823. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any independent evaluation or audit of the SCAN service has been conducted since its integration into the National Clinical Programme; and if not, whether one will be commissioned. [28152/26]

824. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total number of referrals made by general practitioners to suicide crisis assessment nurse services, including those not accepted for assessment, in each of the years 2023, 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026. [28157/26]

825. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of referrals to suicide crisis assessment nurse services that were not accepted for assessment and the reasons for non-acceptance, in each of the years 2023, 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026. [28158/26]

826. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether a national data system is in place to track referral pathways to suicide crisis assessment nurse services, including whether referrals originate from general practitioners, CAMHS, or Community Mental Health Teams, and if not, the timeline for its implementation. [28159/26]

827. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the key performance indicators currently used to evaluate the suicide crisis assessment nurse service; and when the full national report referenced will be published. [28160/26]

828. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the estimated unmet demand for suicide crisis assessment nurse services, including the number of patients diverted to emergency departments or community mental health teams due to lack of SCAN capacity. [28161/26]

829. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the National Ambulance Service records the number of emergency calls where response times exceed 30, 45, 60 and 90 minutes; and if so, the annual totals for each category in each of the years 2023, 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026. [28162/26]

830. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether delays exceeding 60 minutes in response to life-threatening emergency calls are ever retrospectively reviewed where no patient safety incident has been formally recorded; and if so, the criteria applied. [28163/26]

831. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE has conducted any internal analysis of the relationship between extended ambulance response times and patient outcomes, including morbidity or mortality; and if so, to provide details. [28164/26]

832. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the absence of time-based review thresholds in the National Ambulance Service has been subject to audit, risk assessment, or governance review since 2020. [28166/26]