289. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department requires independent external audit or evaluation of service delivery outcomes for non-statutory bodies it funds; if not, how the Department assures itself that reported outcomes are accurate and reliable; and if she will outline any plans to introduce independent validation mechanisms. [27826/26]
290. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the date on which the current oversight agreement with the Institute of Public Health was formally signed; and the governance and oversight arrangements in place prior to that agreement, including any differences in reporting, compliance, or monitoring structures. [27827/26]
291. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department operates a formal escalation and enforcement framework where governance or performance concerns arise in respect of funded non-statutory bodies; if so, the steps involved; and if not, how accountability is ensured where deficiencies are identified. [27828/26]
292. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the formal process used by Department officials to review quarterly reports submitted by non-statutory bodies; whether this process includes documented evaluation criteria, scoring, or decision frameworks; and if she will provide details of how compliance is assessed beyond financial reporting. [27829/26]
293. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether continued funding of non-statutory bodies is explicitly linked to demonstrated performance against agreed objectives; and if so, the mechanisms used to assess performance and determine funding continuation or adjustment. [27830/26]
314. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any independent or externally commissioned value-for-money review has been conducted on the use of private providers for residential childcare placements funded by Tusla since 2020; if so, to provide the dates, authors, scope and key findings of each review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27504/26]
315. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the average annual cost per child associated with private residential placements, private foster care placements, and special emergency arrangements, for each year from 2022 to 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27505/26]
316. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the outcome measures used at Departmental level to assess the effectiveness of privately delivered residential childcare placements funded by Tusla; whether such outcome measures are formally linked to funding allocations or contract renewals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27506/26]
317. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department requires Tusla to assess the underlying cost structures, including profit margins, of private providers of residential childcare placements as part of value-for-money considerations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27507/26]
318. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any internal audit, external audit, or examination by the Comptroller and Auditor General has been carried out on the cost-effectiveness or value-for-money of private childcare placements funded by Tusla since 2020; if so, to provide details and findings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27508/26]
319. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of private providers contracted to deliver residential childcare placements funded by Tusla; the proportion of total placements accounted for by the five largest providers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27509/26]
320. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the policy basis on which pricing for private residential childcare placements is set by Tusla, including whether pricing is benchmarked against international comparators or independently validated cost models; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27510/26]
321. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total additional Exchequer funding approved to support increases in rates paid to private providers of residential childcare and foster care placements in each of the years 2023 to 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27511/26]
322. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has considered publishing summary value-for-money assessments or aggregated cost data relating to private childcare placements funded by Tusla, in the interest of transparency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27512/26]
323. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether there is a defined national policy framework governing the reliance on private providers for residential childcare placements, including any targets, limits, or strategic objectives in relation to public versus private provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27513/26]
360. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has established a formal, national definition of “clinically critical medicines”; and if so, the criteria used to determine such classification; and if she will provide the current list of medicines designated under this definition. [27514/26]
361. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether a formal risk-assessment or stratification model is in place to categorise medicines by clinical criticality and patient safety risk; and the methodology used within such a model; and if she will outline how it is applied in practice across the health service. [27515/26]
362. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether respiratory emergency medicines, including salbutamol nebules, are classified as clinically critical within any national prioritisation system; and if she will detail the specific safeguards applied to ensure continuity of supply for such medicines. [27516/26]
363. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the governance structure underpinning the Medicines Criticality Assessment Group; the decision-making authority within that structure; and the level at which final determinations are made in relation to supply risk mitigation actions. [27517/26]
364. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether formal escalation thresholds exist within the medicines shortages framework based on clinical risk levels; and if so, the criteria for escalation; and the actions triggered at each level. [27518/26]
365. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether minimum stockholding requirements or buffer stock policies are in place for medicines deemed clinically critical; and the basis on which such levels are determined; and the mechanisms used to monitor compliance. [27519/26]
366. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether national early warning or predictive monitoring systems are in place to identify potential shortages of clinically critical medicines in advance; and if she will outline the data sources and indicators used within such systems. [27520/26]
367. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of recorded patient safety incidents, adverse clinical outcomes, or treatment disruptions linked to medicine shortages in each of the past five years; and whether such data is centrally collected and analysed. [27521/26]
368. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health which body holds ultimate accountability for ensuring continuity of supply of clinically critical medicines at national level; and the oversight mechanisms in place to monitor performance against this responsibility. [27522/26]
369. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the preparatory steps that have been taken to align national policy with the forthcoming European Union list of critical medicines; and whether an interim national list is in operation pending the introduction of EU measures. [27523/26]