1235. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the mechanism by which the HSE verifies that an overseas provider is a public healthcare service, as distinct from a private provider, prior to authorisation under the treatment abroad scheme; whether that verification is conducted centrally or relies on the referring consultant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64754/26]
1236. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number and total value of invoices under the treatment abroad scheme in each of the past three years where the final invoice exceeded the pre-authorisation estimate by 25% or more; the number of those cases in which payment was queried, reduced or withheld; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64753/26]
1238. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the name, grade and unit of the official within her Department, and separately within the HSE, who holds responsibility for clinical, as distinct from financial, outcome monitoring of procedures funded under the treatment abroad scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64752/26]
1241. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE maintains any record of clinical outcomes, including complications, readmissions or mortality, for patients treated under the treatment abroad scheme; if so, to provide those data in tabular form for each of the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64751/26]
1242. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of referrals under the treatment abroad scheme in each of the past five years that have been suspended, restricted, reviewed or escalated on grounds of clinical outcome, standard of care or patient safety, as distinct from cost or eligibility; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64750/26]
1251. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 691 of 28 May and 723 of 14 July 2026, to specify the stakeholder and advocacy group representatives who fed into the work led by the HSE Quality Improvement Lead on the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services consultant post concerned; and to confirm whether any external advocacy input, as distinct from documented clini…
1267. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 3446 of 28 July or [56368/26], the total number of nursing and midwifery staff recruited internationally by HSE services outside the national frameworks in 2023, 2024 and 2025, given the reply's own caveat that framework data does not capture direct international recruitment by services. [64878/26]
1270. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 3446 of 28 July 2026, the specific measures in place to ensure that the domestic supply of nurses and midwives is expanding at a rate sufficient to replace the fall in international recruitment, including the projected domestic graduate output for each year to 2028. [64877/26]
1271. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 761 of 28 July 2026, the assessment her Department has made of the impact of this reduction on nursing and midwifery staffing levels, including any effect on vacancy rates and safe staffing frameworks. [64875/26]
1273. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 2320 of 9 June 2026, of the consultants recorded as being on POCC23 terms, the number who are new appointees; and the number who transferred from a previous contract, in each year since the introduction of the contract. [64873/26]
1274. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 2320 of 9 June 2026, the evidential basis for attributing the change in outpatient and day case activity to the public-only consultant contract; to confirm whether elective inpatient discharges fell by 8.3% between 2019 and 2025, as reported; and, if so, the reason for that reduction. [64872/26]
1278. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 43613/26 of 12 August 2026, the number of patients recorded on trolleys in each year from 2019 to 2025 and to date 2026; and if the public-only consultant contract has been assessed against trolley numbers, given that the reply did not refer to trolley numbers at any point. [64871/26]
1279. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 2320 of 9 June 2026, if any formal evaluation of the effectiveness of the public-only consultant contract has been undertaken or commissioned; the title, author, date and terms of reference of any such evaluation; and to confirm, if none exists, that no evaluation of the contract's effectiveness has been carried out. [64870/2…
1370. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to public assurances given by the HSE in December 2024, and in July 2025, that unit 1 at St. Stephen's Hospital, Sarsfield's Court, Glanmire, would remain open and continue to admit residents, the specific reasons the position has now reversed with the announced deregistration and phased closure of the unit; the date on which the decision to close was…
1371. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to confirm, for each current resident of unit 1, that a suitable dementia-specific placement will be offered within their own community in Cork city; the number of dementia-specific residential beds currently available; the current waiting list for such beds, in the Cork city area; and the additional dementia capacity the HSE states has come onstream, including a…
1372. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to publish in full the recent HIQA inspection report into unit 1 at St. Stephen's Hospital; the recent Mental Health Commission inspection findings in respect of block 8 at the same hospital; and if the deficiencies identified by HIQA in unit 1 relate to resourcing, staffing or management decisions taken by the HSE, rather than to the standard of care provided by…
1373. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the amount spent on community podiatry services in Cork city and county in each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025, including any expenditure on outsourcing or private provision; the number of patients referred to private providers in each of those years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65421/26]
1374. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the arrangements in place to provide community podiatry to persons with disabilities and reduced mobility, including wheelchair users and persons with spinal cord injuries, who are unable to access mainstream clinic settings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65419/26]
1375. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the eligibility criteria for accessing HSE community podiatry services in Cork; whether those criteria have been changed or narrowed in the past three years; the categories of patient currently prioritised for treatment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65418/26]
1376. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the current waiting list for community podiatry and chiropody services in the HSE south-west health region, covering Cork city and county; the number of persons waiting and the average and longest waiting times, broken down by care area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65415/26]
1377. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of podiatrists, expressed in whole-time equivalents, currently employed in community services in Cork city and county; the number of funded posts; the number of vacant posts as of the latest date available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65417/26]
1383. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of residents accommodated and the number of admissions in each year from 2019 to date in 2026, in respect of unit 1 at St. Stephen's Hospital, Glanmire; the nursing and healthcare assistant posts assigned to the unit in each of those years; the number left unfilled at year end; if admissions to the unit were paused at any point; and if so, on whose in…
Ken O'Flynn
Written
16 Sep 2026 · to Further and Higher Education
1496. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the safeguards in place to ensure that healthcare practices presented to students and healthcare professionals in higher education institutions are appropriately distinguished between established evidence-based practice, emerging research, and unproven practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter.…
Ken O'Flynn
Written
16 Sep 2026 · to Further and Higher Education
1497. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science whether he is satisfied that University College Cork's child safeguarding and research governance procedures have been appropriately considered in relation to educational material concerning infants and lactation presented at the TransCare 2026 conference; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6470…
Ken O'Flynn
Written
16 Sep 2026 · to Further and Higher Education
1498. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science whether his Department has any role in ensuring appropriate research, clinical evidence and safeguarding standards are applied to healthcare-related educational events hosted by publicly funded higher education institutions, in view of the TransCare 2026 conference at University College Cork; and if he will …