Ken O'Flynn

1379. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether transport expenditure associated with the movement of international protection applicants within the International Protection Accommodation Service system is reported separately in departmental accounts or programme expenditure reports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20387/26]

1380. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether transport expenditure within the International Protection Accommodation Service accommodation system has been subject to internal audit, value-for-money review, or examination by the Comptroller and Auditor General within the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20388/26]

1611. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she will introduce mandatory autism and neurodiversity training requirements for Tusla social workers involved in child protection, family support and care proceedings. [20353/26]

1612. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the Department has conducted any review of the adequacy of training provided to Tusla staff in relation to autism, neurodiversity and disability awareness. [20354/26]

1613. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla records the number or proportion of social workers who have completed autism or neurodiversity training programmes. [20355/26]

1614. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether guidance exists to support Tusla staff when assessing families where a child or parent has autism or another neurodevelopmental condition. [20356/26]

1615. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department intends to introduce national standards for neurodiversity awareness training across Tusla services. [20357/26]

1671. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE consultant in emergency medicine and emergency medicine registrars based at Mercy University Hospital as of 1 March 2026; and the number as of 1 March 2023, in tabular form. [18328/26]

1672. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of vehicles that were clamped within public car parks of the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital in each of the years of 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026, in tabular form. [18329/26]

1673. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE suicide crisis assessment nurse posts filled within Cork as of 1 March 2026; and the number as of 1 March 2023, in tabular form. [18330/26]

1674. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE consultant ENT surgeons within Cork University Hospital that are currently only dealing and treating public only patients. [18331/26]

1749. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to introduce a baby loss certificate scheme for pregnancy losses before 23 weeks, which would be retrospective and voluntary in design, and would assist families in navigating the trauma and grief associated with the loss; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18739/26]

1808. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of babies born alive after abortion procedures from 2019 to 2025, broken down by which section of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 was applicable (section 9, section 10 or section 11); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19029/26]

1966. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if she is aware that a child in Cork who is classified as Priority 1 has been waiting since January 2025 for an AAC assessment and device trial through the Health Service Executive; the immediate steps she will take to expedite the assessment and provide the necessary support; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19749/26]

1967. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the current waiting times for AAC assessments and device trials for children nationally; the number of children waiting longer than six, 12, and 24 months; and the measures being taken to reduce these delays. [19750/26]

1968. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of speech and language therapy posts sanctioned, filled, and vacant within the HSE disability services; the number of posts assigned specifically to AAC and complex communication pathways; and the action being taken to address shortages impacting timely access to AAC assessments. [19751/26]

1969. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she will review the policy that only publicly employed SLTs can apply for AAC device funding; whether alternative pathways for families facing extreme delays are under consideration; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19752/26]

1988. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department requires the Health Service Executive to maintain a centralised register of residential properties owned by the HSE which are vacant; if not, whether she will introduce a policy requirement for the HSE to maintain such a register including the associated annual costs of security, insurance and maintenance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19868/26]

1989. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has conducted any review or assessment of the number of residential properties owned by the Health Service Executive which are vacant at present; the potential use of such properties for housing or accommodation purposes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19869/26]

1993. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department or the Health Service Executive has undertaken any national or regional analysis examining the relationship between funded staff vacancy levels and agency staffing expenditure in the public health service; if such analysis has been undertaken, to provide the dates, methodology and key findings of that analysis; and if no such analysis has been undertaken, the reason the Department has not conducted such analysis given the scale of agency staffing expenditure within the publicly funded health system. [19885/26]

1994. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total number of agency staff engaged within the public health service expressed as whole-time equivalents in each regional health area for the years 2024 and 2025; the total associated expenditure on those staff in each region; and the proportion of agency expenditure represented by clinical, nursing, health and social care professionals and other staffing categories. [19886/26]

1995. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the measures introduced since 2024 to reduce reliance on agency staffing within the public health service; the targets set by her Department or the Health Service Executive for reducing agency expenditure; the progress made against those targets to date; and the number of agency workers who have transitioned to direct employment contracts with the Health Service Executive under agency conversion initiatives. [19887/26]

2011. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department receives aggregated national reporting from the Health Service Executive on the number of medical cards granted on a discretionary basis under the general medical services scheme; the total number of discretionary medical card applications received, approved and refused in each of the years from 2020 to 2025 across all age cohorts; and if she will provide those figures. [19961/26]

2012. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the national policy guidance or governance framework that applies to the exercise of discretion in medical card eligibility decisions following a means assessment under the general medical services scheme; and whether her Department reviews or audits the operation of discretionary decision-making to ensure national consistency. [19962/26]

2013. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department or the Health Service Executive analyses regional or geographic variation in the granting or refusal of discretionary medical cards under the general medical services scheme; and whether any reports or internal reviews have been conducted on trends in discretionary decision-making from 2020 to 2025. [19963/26]