Ken O'Flynn

961. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total amount of funds held in patient private property accounts in each of the past ten years; the amount identified as belonging to deceased service users in each year; and the amount repaid to estates in each of those years. [14218/26]

962. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the statutory or regulatory basis under which the HSE holds and administers patient private property accounts; the legislative provisions governing unclaimed funds in such accounts; and whether any time limit applies before such funds are transferred or extinguished. [14219/26]

963. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the policy framework governing the identification and tracing of next-of-kin or legal representatives where funds remain in patient private property accounts following the death of a service user; whether a national tracing protocol exists; and if she will outline same. [14220/26]

964. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the oversight arrangements in place within her Department in respect of the governance of patient private property accounts; whether these accounts are subject to regular internal audit and Comptroller and Auditor General review; and the date of the most recent audit. [14221/26]

965. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether interest accrues on funds held in patient private property accounts; if so, the amount of interest that is treated; and whether interest forms part of the estate upon repayment. [14222/26]

966. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE publishes an annual statement detailing the value of funds held in patient private property accounts; and whether she will consider introducing a publicly accessible register of unclaimed funds to assist families in identifying entitlements. [14223/26]

976. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of incidents of seclusion, physical restraint and other restrictive interventions recorded in each child and adolescent mental health services inpatient unit in each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025; whether trauma-informed training is mandatory for all clinical and support staff in these units; if not, the reason it is not mandatory; the total funding allocated to trauma-informed education nationally over the same period; and whether she is satisfied that the current level of training and resourcing is sufficient to reduce coercive practices in CAMHS inpatient settings. [14439/26]

977. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether trauma-informed educational interventions such as those evaluated in a child and adolescent inpatient mental health unit are being rolled out nationally across CAMHS units; and if not, the plans that are in place to do so. [14440/26]

978. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of beds at the Central Mental Hospital in Portrane and other National Forensic Mental Health Service (NFMHS) facilities that remain unavailable due to staffing or operational delays, and the reasons why they are not yet operational; the average waiting time for transfer and the number of individuals who have waited over 12 months in inappropriate prison settings; the impact of the January 2026 suspension of “therapeutic bail” on the waiting list and on the timely access to hospital care for minor offenders; whether she is satisfied that current staffing, resourcing, and operational arrangements are sufficient to protect the safety and wellbeing of prisoners with acute mental health needs; and the concrete timeline for opening all remaining beds and fully addressing the backlog of transfers. [14441/26]

992. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether Trauma Informed Practice (TIP) training is currently mandatory for all staff in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) inpatient and outpatient units; the total number of CAMHS staff who have received TIP training nationally to date; the way TIP is embedded in HSE operational guidelines, care planning, and Mental Health Commission inspection frameworks; the number of senior TIP leads appointed in each Community Healthcare Organisation (CHO) to oversee implementation and monitor outcomes; the evidence which exists that TIP has reduced the use of coercive interventions, such as restraint and seclusion; the national plan in place to ensure consistent implementation across all CAMHS services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14490/26]

1007. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if the current tender process for season 2026/2027 will not be delayed by her or cancelled; the reason she would not consider the creation of a “Pathfinder” programme, as developed for the temporary usage of monoclonal antibody in RSV for the past two seasons (details supplied). [14554/26]

1016. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she has sought or received any audit, validation, or data quality assurance reports concerning the accuracy of Patient Experience Time data used to record emergency department waiting times; the date of the most recent such review; whether error rates or data reliability concerns have been formally quantified; and if she will outline the governance framework in place to ensure the accuracy, validation, and publication standards of emergency department waiting time data at national and hospital level. [14671/26]

1017. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has considered directing the Health Service Executive to publish disaggregated emergency department waiting time bands beyond 24 hours on a hospital-by-hospital basis; whether any policy decision has been taken not to publish such granular data; and the basis on which she satisfies herself that current reporting arrangements provide sufficient transparency regarding extended emergency department waits. [14672/26]

1018. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has issued any central written policy, circular, internal guidance note, or governance framework applicable across all line units concerning the oversight, compliance, and safeguarding obligations of non-statutory bodies funded directly by her Department, excluding bodies funded through or overseen by the HSE; and if so, to provide the title, date of issue, and confirmation as to whether such guidance remains in force. [14674/26]

1019. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health what formal mechanisms exist at Secretary General or Management Board level to ensure consistency of governance, reporting, and compliance standards across different departmental line units when administering direct funding to non-statutory bodies; whether such oversight arrangements are documented; and whether any consolidated compliance report is prepared at departmental level. [14675/26]

1020. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the statutory, contractual, or policy basis her Department requires non-statutory bodies that are not aegis bodies of the Department to operate in line with the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies; whether any internal legal advice was obtained regarding the applicability of that Code to such bodies; and whether any formal determination was made as to its legal status in this context. [14676/26]

1021. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department conducts documented risk assessments prior to awarding direct funding to non-statutory bodies; whether a standardised risk assessment template is used; and whether such assessments are subject to review by the Department’s Internal Audit Unit. [14677/26]

1022. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health in the absence of an internal audit or evaluation since 2020 of the adequacy of governance and oversight arrangements for non-statutory bodies funded directly by her Department, if any review is now planned; and, if so, to state the anticipated timeframe and scope. [14678/26]

1023. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the capital cost of the extension at Heather House, Cork University Hospital; the date construction was completed; the date on which the additional 19 high-dependency beds were certified as physically ready for use; and the planned date for operational opening [14685/26]

1024. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total number of funded beds at Heather House; the number currently operational; the number temporarily or permanently closed; and the reasons for any non-operational capacity [14686/26]

1025. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether recruitment approval has been granted for staffing of the 19-bed high-dependency unit at Heather House; the number of WTE posts required; the number filled; and the timeline for full staffing [14687/26]

1026. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health when HIQA registration was sought for the new high-dependency unit at Heather House; whether any conditions or compliance issues were raised; and the expected date of regulatory approval [14688/26]

1028. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE’s activity-based funding, diagnosis related group (DRG) systems, or other service-line costing methodologies allow for the estimation of aggregate expenditure on pain-medicine outpatient services and interventional pain procedures at national or regional level; whether such aggregate estimates have been compiled in the past five years; and if she will publish any such analyses. [14709/26]

1029. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has assessed whether the absence of programme-level expenditure analysis for high-prevalence chronic conditions, including chronic pain, is consistent with public financial management standards and performance-based budgeting principles; whether any review of this matter has been undertaken since 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14710/26]

1030. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has conducted any formal review, risk assessment, or governance oversight exercise since 1 January 2024 specifically concerning systemic governance, patient-safety risk indicators, or organisational controls at Children’s Health Ireland; if so, to state the date of each such review, the division of her Department responsible, and whether a written record was produced. [14725/26]