Ken O'Flynn

517. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department currently collects or holds construction and delivery cost data at individual housing unit level for social housing schemes funded or approved by his Department; if not, when a decision was taken not to collect such data; who authorised that approach; and whether he intends to introduce unit-level cost reporting for future social housing delivery. [73643/25]

518. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has conducted any internal analysis, review or assessment since 2023 to explain increases in the average cost per social housing unit in Cork city and Cork county; and if so, to detail the factors identified as contributing to those cost increases and the actions taken in response. [73644/25]

519. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average total development cost per dwelling for affordable purchase homes supported under the local authority affordable purchase scheme in Cork city and Cork county for each year since 2023; and to outline the methodology used by his Department to calculate or verify those costs. [73645/25]

520. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department requires local authorities to submit detailed cost breakdowns for affordable purchase housing schemes funded under national affordable housing programmes; if so, the nature of those cost breakdowns; and if not, the way in which his Department assures value for money in the delivery of affordable purchase homes. [73646/25]

521. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has prepared any projections or forecasts relating to future construction and delivery costs, per social and affordable housing unit under Housing for All or any successor programme; and if so, to outline those projections and the assumptions on which they are based. [73647/25]

522. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department benchmarks the cost of delivering social and affordable housing units in Ireland against comparable EU member states; if so, to detail the most recent benchmarking exercise carried out; and if not, the reasons such benchmarking is not undertaken. [73648/25]

672. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any gaps, deficiencies, or capacity constraints were identified during the national pandemic command post exercise conducted in March 2025; to list each issue identified under the headings staffing, laboratory capacity, IT systems, public health infrastructure, and points of entry; and to outline the remedial actions approved by her Department in response. [73499/25]

673. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department received a written report, lessons learned document, or formal evaluation arising from the March 2025 national pandemic command post exercise; the date it was received; which senior officials reviewed it; and whether the report is available for publication. [73500/25]

674. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the current surge staffing capacity available to the HSE for infectious disease screening during periods of elevated risk, expressed in whole time equivalent posts, by staff grade, and by region; and to state whether her Department has identified any staffing shortfalls relative to surge planning assumptions. [73501/25]

675. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the maximum laboratory surge capacity available nationally for infectious disease testing during an elevated risk event, including PCR and genomic sequencing; the maximum weekly throughput assumed in national planning; and the turnaround times used by her Department for preparedness modelling.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73502/25]

676. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has identified any constraints in laboratory throughput, reagent supply, staffing availability, or logistics that would limit surge testing capacity during a public health emergency; and to outline any actions approved to address such constraints. [73503/25]

677. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the national Outbreak Case and Incident Management System and the National Immunisation Information System are fully operational on a national basis; the dates on which each system became operational; and whether either system has undergone stress testing to assess performance under surge conditions. [73504/25]

678. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has received any reports identifying risks or limitations in HSE public health IT systems during periods of elevated demand since 2020; and to outline the actions taken in response to any such reports. [73505/25]

679. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has conducted any assessment since 2020 of infectious disease screening capacity at Ireland’s designated points of entry; the findings of any such assessment; and to explain why reliance is being placed on the EU Public Health Emergency Preparedness Assessment scheduled for 2026 rather than a completed national review. [73506/25]

680. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any interim actions have been approved by her Department to strengthen infectious disease screening and public health response at ports and airports prior to the 2026 EU preparedness assessment; and to detail those actions. [73507/25]

681. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department holds any internal risk registers, preparedness assessments, or assurance reports relating to infectious disease surge capacity within the HSE; and if so, to outline the main risk categories identified and the mitigation measures in place. [73508/25]

682. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has conducted any review since 2018 of the regulatory, quality assurance and clinical governance framework applying to health screening conducted outside the HSE, including screening arranged by employers, universities and occupational health providers, and if not, whether she intends to commission such a review. [73509/25]

683. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to outline which statutory bodies hold responsibility for oversight, standards setting or enforcement in respect of non HSE health screening, including any role of HIQA, the Medical Council, CORU or the HPRA, and the policy basis on which those responsibilities are assigned. [73510/25]

684. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to state, for each of the years 2022, 2023, and 2024, the number of compliance checks carried out by or on behalf of the HSE on non-statutory bodies in receipt of HSE funding; and to outline the categories of checks undertaken in each year. [73513/25]

685. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to outline, for each of the years 2022, 2023, and 2024, the number of HSE compliance reviews of non-statutory bodies that identified financial or governance non-compliance; and the actions taken in response, including enhanced monitoring, funding conditions, recovery of funds, or suspension of payments. [73514/25]

686. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to state whether her Department receives aggregated reports from the HSE on the results of compliance checks carried out on non-statutory bodies, including trends, recurring issues, and risk ratings; and when the most recent such report was received. [73515/25]

694. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she accepts that neither her Department nor the HSE currently has any formal performance target requiring occupational therapy waiting times in Cork to fall below 12 weeks for adult or paediatric primary care services; and if so, the reason such a target has not been set as a matter of health policy. [73545/25]

695. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health her views on whether a waiting time of up to 39 weeks for access to occupational therapy services in Cork are clinically acceptable and consistent with national policy on timely access to primary care; and the evidence or policy basis on which this threshold has been adopted by her Department. [73546/25]

696. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the additional whole-time-equivalent occupational therapy posts her Department has identified as necessary in Cork to achieve a maximum waiting time of 12 weeks in adult and paediatric primary care services; whether funding for these posts has been sought by the HSE; and the decision taken by her Department on the funding request. [73547/25]

717. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she considers it appropriate that elective, non medically indicated circumcision procedures may be authorised in public hospitals in the absence of any national policy, national ethical framework, or centrally issued clinical guidance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73636/25]