177. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the safeguards in place to ensure that child benefit payments are made only where eligibility conditions, including habitual residence, are satisfied; the number of child benefit claims identified as incorrectly paid to non-resident recipients in each of the past three years; and whether additional verification requirements are being considered. [22756/…
178. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of internal audits or compliance reviews conducted by the Department relating to payments issued to persons outside the State since 2022;the findings of these audits; and whether any systemic control failures were identified and addressed. [22757/26]
179. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether any legislative or regulatory gaps have been identified which allow welfare payments to continue after a recipient has left the State; and if he will outline any proposed legislative amendments to strengthen eligibility enforcement and prevent recurrence. [22758/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
24 Mar 2026 · to Public Expenditure
415. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether the reversal of the burden of proof provided for under the protected disclosures legislation applies only during formal adjudicative proceedings before bodies such as the Workplace Relations Commission and the courts, or whether it also applies during the administrative handling and inve…
Ken O'Flynn
Written
24 Mar 2026 · to Public Expenditure
416. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether any guidance has been issued to public bodies advising that the evidential presumption relating to retaliation under the protected disclosures legislation should be applied when assessing disclosures internally; and if no such guidance has issued, whether the Government has considered wh…
Ken O'Flynn
Written
24 Mar 2026 · to Public Expenditure
417. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether the Government has assessed whether administrative decisions taken without applying the evidential presumption provided for in the protected disclosures legislation may expose the State to avoidable litigation risk where those decisions are later challenged in proceedings before the Work…
Ken O'Flynn
Written
24 Mar 2026 · to Public Expenditure
418. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if the Government has considered the interaction between the evidential presumption in whistleblower legislation and the Government’s State Litigation Principles, particularly the requirement that State bodies seek to avoid unnecessary litigation and protect public funds. [22390/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
24 Mar 2026 · to Public Expenditure
419. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether the Government has reviewed whether the current interpretation of the burden-of-proof provisions in Irish whistleblower legislation fully reflects the objectives of Directive (EU) 2019/1937, particularly in ensuring effective protection against retaliation. [22391/26]
Ken O'Flynn
Written
24 Mar 2026 · to Public Expenditure
420. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether any written guidance, circulars, or instructions have been issued to Departments, agencies, or prescribed persons regarding the application of the evidential presumption provided for under the protected disclosures legislation when assessing alleged retaliation during the administrative …
Ken O'Flynn
Written
24 Mar 2026 · to Public Expenditure
421. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the current statutory and administrative procedures governing the dismissal of a civil servant at assistant secretary general level, including any requirements under legislation and civil service circulars for the notification of the civil servant with respect to a show cause letter; and to deta…
789. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current average caseload per clinician within Children’s Disability Network Teams; the recommended caseload level for such clinicians; and whether the Minister accepts that current staffing levels are preventing children with complex needs from receiving timely intervention. [21444/26]
798. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the statutory and organisational purpose of Horizons as a Children’s Disability Network Team; whether Horizons currently has the staffing and funding necessary to fully meet the needs of children referred to the service; the number of children awaiting assessment and intervention, broken down by type of support (details supplied); the av…
799. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of sanctioned posts within children’s disability network teams nationally and broken down by CHO area; the number of those posts currently filled; the number currently vacant; the grades affected, including speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, physiotherapists and therapy assistants; and the …
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 doct…
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). [2159…
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 he…
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…
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 pot…
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 …