Ken O'Flynn

2697. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to confirm whether any audit, review, or evaluation has been conducted since 2020 into gender-related assessment, referral, or treatment pathways for minors; and if so, to provide the dates, scope, and key findings of such reviews. [23875/26]

2698. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to specify the clinical guidelines, protocols, or international standards currently relied upon by the HSE or clinicians in the absence of a finalised national model of care for gender-related services for minors. [23876/26]

2700. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to confirm whether, as of today, there is any single national database recording referrals, assessments, treatments, outcomes and costs for minors accessing gender-related healthcare pathways; and if not, when such a system will be operational. [23878/26]

2701. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to specify the mandatory clinical assessment criteria currently required before any referral or treatment of a minor presenting with gender-related distress, including whether psychiatric assessment, developmental history, autism screening and differential diagnosis are required. [23879/26]

2702. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to outline the governance and audit structures currently in place to monitor clinical decision-making, patient outcomes and safeguarding compliance in respect of minors referred for gender-related healthcare. [23880/26]

2703. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health what interim safeguards are in place pending the completion of the proposed national model of care in 2026. [23881/26]

2704. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she accepts that the absence of a national policy, standardised definitions, and centralised data collection in respect of elective procedures without clear medical indication represents a failure of governance and oversight within the public health system. [23884/26]

2705. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the specific steps she will take to introduce a national policy framework governing the authorisation, funding, and clinical governance of such procedures. [23885/26]

2706. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to confirm whether her Department requires the HSE to collect, report, and publish data on the allocation of theatre capacity to procedures which cannot currently be categorised as medically necessary. [23886/26]

2707. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to detail the mechanisms in place, if any, to ensure consistency of decision-making across the six health regions in the absence of national policy. [23887/26]

2708. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to outline how she satisfies herself that public resources are being allocated appropriately where the State cannot currently define, measure, or audit such activity. [23888/26]

2710. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department maintains a national policy or framework governing the inspection, reporting, and oversight of environmental, hygiene, ventilation, and patient-safety conditions in oncology treatment facilities within the public health system; if so, the statutory or administrative basis for such a framework, the bodies responsible for carrying out inspections, the frequency of inspections, and the reporting arrangements to her Department; if not, whether she accepts that the absence of a standardised national inspection and reporting framework in respect of such facilities represents a gap in governance and oversight; to confirm whether her Department receives, reviews, or retains records of inspection findings, compliance reports, or risk assessments relating to oncology treatment environments; and to outline the steps she will take to introduce a formalised national oversight framework, including inspection protocols, reporting requirements, and audit mechanisms, where such arrangements are not currently in place. [23893/26]

2711. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to specify the categories of data, reports, or metrics her Department requires from the HSE or other bodies in relation to environmental conditions, infection prevention, ventilation adequacy, and patient safety in oncology treatment settings; to confirm whether such data is collected on a standardised national basis and reported to her Department at defined intervals; if so, to detail the reporting frequency, format, and governance structures through which such information is reviewed; if not, whether she accepts that the absence of centralised and standardised data collection limits her ability to exercise effective oversight of patient safety and environmental conditions in oncology services; and to outline any plans to introduce national reporting requirements in this area. [23894/26]

2712. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the governance structures through which her Department satisfies itself that consistent environmental, hygiene, and patient-safety standards are applied across all public oncology treatment facilities; to detail the roles and responsibilities of her Department, the HSE, and any other relevant bodies in establishing, monitoring, and enforcing such standards; to confirm whether a single national authority, framework, or set of standards applies across all health regions in this regard; if not, whether she accepts that variation in local governance arrangements risks inconsistency in patient safety standards; and to outline the steps she will take to ensure uniform national standards and accountability mechanisms are applied. [23895/26]

2713. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to detail the audit, inspection, or compliance mechanisms currently in place to assess adherence to environmental, hygiene, ventilation, and patient-safety standards in oncology treatment facilities; to specify whether such audits are conducted on a routine, risk-based, or ad hoc basis; to confirm whether the findings of such audits are reported to her Department and whether any central record of compliance, non-compliance, or remedial actions is maintained; if not, whether she accepts that the absence of a centralised audit and compliance record represents a weakness in governance and oversight; and to outline the enforcement mechanisms available where deficiencies are identified, including escalation procedures and timelines for corrective action. [23896/26]

2714. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has conducted any review or assessment of the adequacy of current governance, inspection, and reporting arrangements in respect of environmental and patient-safety conditions in oncology treatment facilities; if so, to provide details of such reviews, including findings, recommendations, and implementation status; if not, whether she will commit to undertaking a national review to assess the adequacy of current oversight arrangements; and to set out a timeline for the introduction of any new or enhanced national policy framework to address identified gaps in governance, inspection, and reporting. [23897/26]

2715. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the financial control framework governing expenditure under the treatment abroad scheme, including any cost ceilings, per-patient expenditure thresholds, or approval limits that apply to high-cost treatments funded outside the State; to specify the administrative or managerial grade within the HSE or Department required to approve such expenditure; and to confirm whether any formal escalation or secondary approval process applies in cases where projected costs exceed defined thresholds. [23899/26]

2716. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to detail the audit and review mechanisms in place to assess expenditure under the treatment abroad scheme, including the frequency of internal audit, any involvement of the Comptroller and Auditor General, and whether any programme-level evaluations have been conducted since 2020; and to outline how value for money is assessed in circumstances where treatment is procured from external public healthcare systems. [23900/26]

2717. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to confirm whether her Department or the HSE maintains a consolidated dataset on expenditure under the treatment abroad scheme, including total annual spend, number of patients funded, and average cost per case; to specify whether such data is routinely reported to her Department; and to state whether there are plans to publish this information in a standardised and transparent format. [23901/26]

2718. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the policy position in respect of the collection and classification of expenditure under the treatment abroad scheme by treatment category; to confirm whether the absence of category-level data reflects a policy decision or a systems limitation; and to outline any steps being taken to introduce structured data collection to support oversight, audit, and policy evaluation. [23902/26]

2719. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to clarify the governance framework that applies to expenditure under the treatment abroad scheme, including whether the Public Spending Code formally applies to individual funding decisions and programme-level oversight; and to set out how her Department satisfies itself that expenditure under the Scheme meets the standards of regularity, propriety, and value for money required of public funds. [23903/26]

2720. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the mechanisms in place to assess, challenge, or verify the costs charged by healthcare providers in other jurisdictions under the treatment abroad scheme; to confirm whether the State has any capacity to benchmark or negotiate such costs; and to set out how she mitigates the financial exposure arising from reliance on externally determined pricing structures. [23904/26]

2721. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any formal, written eligibility criteria exist governing the approval of funding under the treatment abroad scheme for procedures not available within the State, including gender-related surgical procedures; if such criteria exist, to provide the date of their introduction, the authority under which they were approved, and the body responsible for maintaining and updating them; and if no such criteria exist, whether she considers the absence of defined eligibility standards to be consistent with principles of public financial oversight and clinical governance. [23907/26]

2722. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the definition of “clinical necessity” applied in the context of approvals under the treatment abroad scheme to specify whether this definition is standardised at national level or determined on a case-by-case basis by referring clinicians; and to confirm whether any national guidance, protocol, or decision-support framework exists to ensure consistency in the application of this standard. [23908/26]

2723. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to detail the decision-making and approval process for applications under the treatment abroad scheme; to specify the roles of referring consultants, multidisciplinary teams, the HSE, and any central approval authority in determining whether funding is granted; and to confirm whether final approval decisions are subject to independent clinical or administrative review prior to authorisation of expenditure. [23909/26]