Ken O'Flynn

881. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department maintains disaggregated records relating specifically to inspections, seizures and enforcement actions involving exotic pets, distinct from other animal welfare cases; and if not, the reason such records are not maintained. [9497/26]

882. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to set out clearly which public body holds lead statutory responsibility for the routine inspection and enforcement of animal welfare standards in respect of exotic animals kept as pets in private ownership; and how responsibility is apportioned between his Department, local authorities, and any other State bodies. [9498/26]

883. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department has conducted or commissioned any formal risk assessments since 2015 relating to zoonotic disease, public health risk, or biosecurity threats arising from the private ownership of exotic pets; if so, to provide the dates, scope and issuing bodies of such assessments; and if not, the reason no such assessments have been undertaken. [9499/26]

884. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of veterinary inspectors employed by or available to his Department who have formal training or recognised expertise in the treatment and welfare of exotic species; and whether his Department has identified any gaps in national capacity to deal with the seizure, treatment or rehoming of exotic animals. [9500/26]

885. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of investigations carried out by his Department since 2020 into the sale or supply of exotic pets through online platforms; the number of breaches identified under the Animal Health and Welfare (Sale or Supply of Pet Animals) Regulations 2019; and the enforcement actions taken in each year. [9501/26]

886. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether he will initiate a specific, time-bound review of the regulation of exotic pets in Ireland, separate from the general Animal Welfare Strategy, including consideration of positive or prohibited species lists; and if so, the proposed commencement date and reporting timeline. [9502/26]

920. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of cases, in each of the past five years where Tusla initiated emergency child removal proceedings and where one or more material allegations were subsequently withdrawn, admitted being unfounded, or corrected; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9372/26]

921. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the safeguards in place to ensure that emergency child protection applications made by Tusla are based solely on verified and contemporaneous evidence; whether her Department has assessed the impact of later-withdrawn or incorrect allegations on District Court decisions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9373/26]

922. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of cases, in each of the past five years, in which Tusla child protection proceedings involved a parent with a diagnosed autism spectrum condition or intellectual disability; whether additional safeguards or assessment protocols apply in such cases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9374/26]

923. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline the mandatory training requirements for Tusla social workers in respect of autism, neurodiversity, and disability awareness; the frequency with which such training is refreshed; and whether compliance with these requirements is monitored by her Department. [9375/26]

924. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the disciplinary procedures that apply where a Tusla social worker provides inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading information to a court; the number of disciplinary actions taken in such circumstances in the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9376/26]

925. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the statutory and policy thresholds applied by Tusla when seeking emergency removal orders under the Child Care Act 1991; whether her Department has reviewed the proportionality and consistency of their use; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9377/26]

926. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the governance arrangements governing the reliance by Tusla on hospital-based child protection reports when initiating emergency proceedings; whether there is a requirement for independent verification prior to court applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9378/26]

927. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has undertaken any review of cases where emergency child removals were later found to be based on incorrect or withdrawn allegations; the redress mechanisms available to affected families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9379/26]

928. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department collects and publishes aggregate data on withdrawn allegations, failed emergency applications, or post-hoc corrections in Tusla child protection cases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9381/26]

929. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the average and median duration, in each of the past five years, that children under one year of age remain in State care following emergency removal; the proportion of such children returned to their parent or parents within three months, six months, and twelve months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9389/26]

930. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide the outcomes, in each of the past five years, of emergency child removal cases involving children under one year of age, including the number resulting in reunification with a parent or parents, long-term care orders, adoption, or guardianship arrangements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9390/26]

931. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department or Tusla conducts any independent review, audit, or quality-assurance process of emergency child removal decisions involving children under one year of age; whether such processes examine evidential accuracy, proportionality, and decision-making thresholds; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9391/26]

974. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the criteria and process by which community based mental health and counselling services can be formally recognised by the HSE for referral purposes; and the steps being taken to ensure that primary care teams in Cork have access to and are actively referring to accredited local services to address waiting lists. [9198/26]

992. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of progress reports her Department committed to publishing under the review’s governance framework; the number that were actually published; to provide copies of same; to explain any failure to comply with the reporting commitments given to Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9295/26]

993. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health when the interRAI Single Assessment Tool will be fully operational nationwide for residents in long-term residential care; to provide the original implementation timeline; the current timeline; the reasons for repeated delays.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9296/26]

994. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the reason interRAI assessments are not currently used to determine NHSS funding levels, despite Government acceptance of needs-based funding; whether she accepts that nursing homes continue to be funded on flat-rate pricing regardless of resident dependency.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9297/26]

995. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of nursing home residents nationally have been assessed using interRAI to date; what percentage this represents of the total NHSS population; whether she accepts that the current dataset is insufficient to justify further delay in reform.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9298/26]

996. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any legislative amendments required to link NHSS funding to interRAI-determined care needs have been drafted; the reason; and when such legislation will be brought before the Oireachtas. [9299/26]

997. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the reason no resource utilisation group or case-mix pricing model has been introduced for long-term residential care, despite explicit recommendations and international precedent; and whether her Department has set a definitive implementation deadline. [9300/26]