Ken O'Flynn

800. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children currently on waiting lists for assessment and intervention through each Children’s Disability Network Team, broken down by CHO area; the average waiting time for services; and the longest waiting time recorded. [21442/26]

844. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of children currently awaiting assessment for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) supports; the number awaiting provision of AAC devices following assessment; the average waiting time for such supports; and whether additional funding has been allocated to reduce delays. [21443/26]

872. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether national policy or guidance exists governing the suspension of healthcare professionals employed in public hospitals when they are the subject of serious criminal allegations; the procedures that must be followed by the HSE once such allegations become known; and whether these procedures are currently under review following the recent case involving a doctor at University Hospital Limerick. [21597/26]

873. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the oversight mechanisms that are in place within her Department to ensure that the HSE promptly implements protective workplace measures when healthcare staff are accused of serious criminal offences, including sexual offences; and whether her Department has requested a report from the HSE on the handling of the recent case at a hospital (details supplied). [21598/26]

874. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of cases since 2015 in which a healthcare professional employed by the HSE was the subject of a criminal investigation relating to sexual assault or rape; the number of cases in which suspension from clinical duties occurred; and the policy criteria used in determining whether suspension is applied. [21599/26]

875. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the national workplace protection protocols that are in place within the HSE to support healthcare staff who report sexual assault or violence perpetrated by colleagues; and whether her Department collects data on the number of such incidents reported annually. [21600/26]

876. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether his Department intends to undertake a review of the disciplinary and safeguarding framework governing healthcare professionals in HSE employment, including coordination with the Medical Council, in light of the failure acknowledged by the HSE in the handling of a recent case (details supplied). [21601/26]

952. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of the barriers currently faced by patients in Ireland living with lipoedema, including the absence of a published national HSE care pathway, limited access to conservative management such as compression therapy and manual lymphatic drainage, and delays or difficulties accessing treatment through the Cross Border Healthcare Directive; what steps her Department and the HSE are taking to address these issues; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22009/26]

953. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE working group established in 2023 to develop a national care pathway for lipoedema has completed its work; when the pathway is expected to be published; and whether patient advocacy organisations, including the Lipoedema Support Network Ireland, will be included in the development and implementation of this pathway [22010/26]

954. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department intends to review the operation of private health insurers in relation to coverage for medically indicated liposuction procedures for lipoedema patients, in light of concerns regarding inconsistent decision-making, the use of criteria designed for lymphoedema rather than lipoedema, and practices that may result in patients being forced to rely on the Cross Border Directive for treatment. [22011/26]

993. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health in light of reports of meningitis cases in the United Kingdom, the immediate steps being taken to monitor the situation and protect public health in Ireland; whether any cases have been identified in the State to date; whether the HSE has issued or plans to issue public health guidance or alerts; the current capacity and readiness of services to respond to any potential cases; whether there are sufficient stocks of, and access to, relevant vaccines; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22269/26]

12. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the assessment he has made of the impact of suspended or short custodial sentences on victims of child sexual abuse whose abuse material is circulated online, whether there is evidence that current sentencing levels act as a meaningful deterrent to child sexual abuse material offending and the legislative or policy tools he is prepared to deploy if judicial guidelines prove ineffective in producing consistent and proportionate sentences in such cases. [20212/26]

20. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the reason, in the context of sustained public concern about lenient sentencing in CSAM cases, including statements by the Tánaiste calling for a more serious approach, he has indicated that he does not intend to change the current sentencing rules; whether he considers this position to be reconcilable with his obligations to ensure that the criminal justice system commands public confidence; and if he will reconsider introducing mandatory minimum sentencing provisions for such offences. [20213/26]

22. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the specific reasons the Government has not introduced mandatory minimum sentencing legislation for persons convicted of possession or distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), given the frequency with which such offenders receive suspended sentences; and whether he intends to bring forward such legislation before the end of this Dáil term. [20209/26]

46. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether the Government's failure to introduce minimum sentencing for CSAM offences is connected in any way to concerns about prison overcrowding and capacity; whether he accepts the Tánaiste's statement that prison capacity must never be a factor in sentencing decisions; whether he agrees with the Tánaiste's statement that there are "too many examples of people who are given relatively short sentences" for heinous crimes; and the steps he is taking to ensure that resource constraints within the prison system do not result in lighter sentences for those convicted of serious child sexual abuse offences. [20210/26]

66. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he has examined the sentencing frameworks for CSAM offences in comparable jurisdictions, such as Britain, or other EU member states; and whether Ireland's current legislative approach falls below international best practice. [20211/26]

98. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether he is satisfied that current enforcement of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 is adequate in light of repeated reports of severe equine mistreatment, abandonment, and euthanasia following welfare failures; and the immediate steps his Department is taking to strengthen inspections, seizures, and prosecutions in respect of horse welfare. [11577/26]

195. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department maintains a central dataset or reporting mechanism on the duration of Environmental Impact Assessment and Appropriate Assessment stages for major transport infrastructure projects; if not, whether he will introduce such a reporting framework to allow for systematic monitoring of project timelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21169/26]

196. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department has undertaken any analysis since 2015 of the average time taken to complete Environmental Impact Assessment and Appropriate Assessment stages for transport infrastructure projects with an estimated value exceeding €200 million; and if he will publish any such analysis or assessments carried out by his Department. [21170/26]

197. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the baseline data, benchmarks or performance metrics his Department uses when assessing delays in the delivery of major transport infrastructure projects; and whether those benchmarks include the duration of environmental assessment and planning stages. [21171/26]

198. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the National Transport Authority are required to report to his Department on the duration of Environmental Impact Assessment and Appropriate Assessment stages for major transport infrastructure projects; if so, the frequency and format of such reporting; and if he will publish the most recent reports received by his Department. [21172/26]

243. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the number of times the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner has exercised its powers under section 10 of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 (as amended) since its establishment; and if those powers have not been exercised, the reasons for this. [20966/26]

245. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether the statutory functions of the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 (as amended) are considered to be fully discharged once a disclosure has been transmitted to a prescribed person or public body; and whether the commissioner has any ongoing role where the identified body subsequently indicates the matter does not fall within its remit. [20968/26]

246. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the procedures that exist within the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner to reconsider or review a decision identifying the appropriate person or body to receive a protected disclosure where the originally identified body indicates that the matter does not fall within its remit; and whether reporting persons are notified of or able to request such reconsideration. [20969/26]

251. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the number of public servants recruited since 2013 in fast accrual professions including the Defence Forces and Fire Services who are members of the Public Service Single Pension Scheme; the estimated income gap that arises between retirement age for these professions and the age of eligibility for the State pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21156/26]