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 inte…
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 co…
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…
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 c…
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…
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…
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 …
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 ev…
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 fo…
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. [2…
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 maintai…
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 ap…
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 r…
2724. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to outline the audit, review, and oversight mechanisms in place in respect of approvals granted under the Treatment Abroad Scheme; to confirm whether any audits have been conducted specifically examining the appropriateness, consistency, and value for money of approvals for procedures not available within the State; and if so, to provide the dates and findings of…
2725. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the mechanisms in place to ensure consistency of decision-making across the six HSE health regions in respect of applications to the Treatment Abroad Scheme; to confirm whether any central monitoring, benchmarking, or variance analysis is carried out to identify differences in approval rates or referral patterns between regions; and if not, whether she accepts th…
2726. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to confirm whether the HSE collects and maintains a centralised dataset in respect of approvals granted under the Treatment Abroad Scheme; to specify the data fields recorded, including procedure type, cost, jurisdiction, and clinical indication; and if such data is not collected in a structured manner, to outline the steps being taken to address this gap in repo…
2727. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the national policy framework governing the operation of the Treatment Abroad Scheme; to confirm whether this framework explicitly addresses procedures which are not available within the State but which may be subject to differing clinical or ethical considerations; and to clarify how the Department satisfies itself that such activity is subject to appropriate go…
2728. 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 maintai…
2729. 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 a…
2730. 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 r…
2731. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to outline the audit, review, and oversight mechanisms in place in respect of approvals granted under the treatment abroad scheme; to confirm whether any audits have been conducted specifically examining the appropriateness, consistency, and value for money of approvals for procedures not available within the State; and if so, to provide the dates and findings of…
2732. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the mechanisms in place to ensure consistency of decision-making across the six HSE health regions in respect of applications to the treatment abroad scheme; to confirm whether any central monitoring, benchmarking, or variance analysis is carried out to identify differences in approval rates or referral patterns between regions; and if not, whether she accepts th…
2733. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to confirm whether the HSE collects and maintains a centralised dataset in respect of approvals granted under the treatment abroad scheme; to specify the data fields recorded, including procedure type, cost, jurisdiction, and clinical indication; and if such data is not collected in a structured manner, to outline the steps being taken to address this gap in repo…
2734. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the national policy framework governing the operation of the treatment abroad scheme; to confirm whether this framework explicitly addresses procedures which are not available within the State but which may be subject to differing clinical or ethical considerations; and to clarify how the Department satisfies itself that such activity is subject to appropriate go…
2791. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to provide a breakdown of agency staffing expenditure by Regional Health Authority for 2025 and for the period to date in 2026; and to specify the variance in each region against the expenditure limits set under the HSE National Service Plan 2026. [24290/26]