Ken O'Flynn

2006. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if she will provide a breakdown of the unspent HSE pay allocation, by hospital group and community health organisation, specifying the value of salary funding returned or deferred as a result of staff vacancies. [59640/25]

2007. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any portion of the funding allocated for unfilled HSE posts in 2024 was re-purposed for non-pay expenditure; and if so, to provide details of those transfers, and the justification for each. [59641/25]

2008. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has carried out an audit of unfilled HSE posts that have remained vacant for more than six months; and if she will publish the findings of that audit, including financial implications for the Exchequer. [59642/25]

2009. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the estimated financial cost of reliance on agency or locum staff to cover long-term HSE vacancies, compared with the cost of filling those positions on a permanent basis. [59643/25]

2010. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has set any performance targets for the HSE regarding recruitment timelines, vacancy reduction or utilisation of approved pay funding; and how progress toward those targets is being monitored. [59644/25]

2025. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the average waiting time for an individual to be seen by an occupational therapist in Cork following a referral from a general practitioner; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59776/25]

2026. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if staffing levels are adequate at a facility (details supplied); the average waiting time for a service user to be assessed; the average waiting time for a service user to be assigned an addiction counsellor; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59777/25]

2027. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of patients treated at Mallow General Hospital medical assessment unit from January 2024 to date in 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59810/25]

2028. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the LGBTQI+ strategy includes provisions for individuals who have de-transitioned; if so, the specific supports and services being offered to this group; and if not, the steps being taken to ensure that the needs of de-transitioners are considered and addressed in future policy developments. [59876/25]

2029. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has undertaken any review or assessment of current practices in Ireland regarding the care, support, and guidance provided to children experiencing gender dysphoria, in light of the findings of the Cass Review in England, which recommended an abundance of caution; and the steps being taken to ensure that Irish practice in both HSE services and schools is evidence-based, prioritises child safeguarding, considers long-term outcomes including detransition cases, and provides balanced information to children and families. [59885/25]

2030. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the LGBTQI+ strategy includes provisions for individuals who have de-transitioned; if so, the specific supports and services are being offered to this group; and if not, the steps being taken to ensure that the needs of de-transitioners are considered and addressed in future policy developments. [59887/25]

2031. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the steps her Department is taking to ensure that Irish healthcare prioritises evidence-based, safeguarded, and transparent approaches for children's wellbeing given the Cass Review (England) (details supplied). [59888/25]

2032. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health what review, if any, the Health Service Executive has undertaken in relation to the findings and recommendations of the Cass Review on gender identity services for children and young people in the United Kingdom; if that review identified any implications for the provision of similar services in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59889/25]

2033. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health what review the HSE has undertaken of the Cass Review's conclusions on gender identity services for children and young people; the actions that have been taken or are planned to align Irish practices with the evidence-based recommendations arising from that review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59890/25]

2034. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if she has reviewed the findings of the Cass Review in England, which concluded that an abundance of caution is required in the treatment and support of children experiencing gender distress; and the steps being taken in Ireland to ensure that similar caution, evidence-based practice, and appropriate clinical oversight are applied in services provided to children experiencing gender dysphoria. [59891/25]

2035. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of reports from individuals who have de-transitioned after undergoing medical interventions for gender dysphoria (details supplied); and the steps being taken to ensure that Irish children and their families are fully informed of these risks, and that Irish healthcare practices follow an abundance of caution and evidence-based safeguards in line with international findings. [59892/25]

2036. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if all persons residing in Ireland under temporary protection from Ukraine are automatically issued medical cards; if there is any means-testing applied; the way in which this entitlement compares with the eligibility criteria for Irish citizens; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59893/25]

2037. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if she considers it fair and consistent with Irish and EU law that persons residing in Ireland under temporary protection from Ukraine are automatically issued medical cards, while Irish citizens are required to meet a means test; if any legal advice has been sought on whether this differential treatment constitutes discrimination on grounds of nationality or residence status; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59894/25]

2038. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if she will review the policy under which temporary protection recipients automatically receive medical cards, with a view to ensuring that taxpayers who have contributed to the health system are given equitable access to medical cards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59895/25]

2039. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total annual cost to the Exchequer of issuing medical cards to persons under temporary protection from Ukraine; the expected duration of this policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59896/25]

2040. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has reviewed current practices regarding the care, support and guidance provided to children experiencing gender dysphoria, in light of the Cass Review in England (details supplied); and the steps being taken to ensure that parents are fully informed of toolkit contents, that balanced, evidence-based information is provided to children and that child safeguarding and parental rights are fully upheld in healthcare. [59897/25]

2041. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of research and evidence, including the book "Trans" by Helen Joyce, which outlines the theoretical underpinnings of gender identity theory and reports harm experienced by thousands internationally; and the steps being taken to ensure that healthcare services provide evidence-based, balanced information, that children and families are fully informed of potential risks and that child safeguarding and parental rights are prioritised. [59898/25]

2042. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has reviewed current practices regarding the care, support, and guidance provided to children experiencing gender dysphoria, in light of the Cass Review in England (details supplied); the steps being taken to ensure that parents are fully informed of toolkit contents, that balanced, evidence-based information is provided to children, and that child safeguarding and parental rights are fully upheld; and how potential conflicts of interest are managed where Ministers or TDs may have personal or financial connections, including a spouse with financial interests in pharmaceutical companies producing puberty blockers or a child who is gender-affirmed, to ensure that policy decisions are transparent, evidence-based, and free from undue influence. [59899/25]

2043. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the steps her Departments is taking in light of the findings of the Cass Review in England (details supplied). [59900/25]

2116. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science following the announcement of Ireland's associate membership of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, CERN, the estimated level of additional funding and resource commitment Ireland will make over the next five years; the mechanisms by which regions outside Dublin for example, Munster-Cork will participate or bid for collaborative research funding; and the way in which he intends to translate high-end research membership into tangible local employment, innovation clusters and retention of talent in regions such as Cork. [58422/25]