Ken O'Flynn

2190. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if she will publish a contingency plan to address the growing backlog of hospital maintenance and refurbishment requests across the South-South west hospital group, including a hospital by hospital breakdown of deferred works. [45022/25]

2265. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the targeted surge measures that are funded for Cork University Hospital and the south/southwest region for September–December for example, additional step-down capacity, short-stay surgical hubs and weekend diagnostics (details supplied); and the weekly KPIs admissions, LOS and 12-hour breaches that will be published for CUH from September. [45422/25]

2266. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the current total projected out-turn cost of the National Children’s Hospital, including the €1.88 billion envelope for construction and equipment, the €362 million allocation for ICT and commissioning and any additional notified claims or liabilities; and if the €853 million in additional contractor claims has been accepted, contested, or set aside in Departmental risk projections. [45424/25]

2267. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the status of contractor claims relating to the National Children’s Hospital, including the €107 million paid to BAM in July 2024 under bond; the total number and value of claims submitted; proportion accepted, rejected or in legal dispute; and the Department’s current exposure to further litigation or arbitration. [45425/25]

2268. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the current target date for substantial completion of the National Children’s Hospital given the revised programme to 30 September 2025; and the earliest realistic date for patient services to commence given the nine-month commissioning period indicated by Children’s Health Ireland. [45426/25]

2269. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if Children’s Health Ireland has been granted early access to the National Children’s Hospital to begin equipment installation and systems testing; if not, the specific obstacles preventing such access; and the timeline for resolution to avoid further delay. [45427/25]

2270. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health her Department’s assessment of the risks associated with transferring patients to the new National Children’s Hospital during winter months, as advised against by Children’s Health Ireland; and the contingency measures to mitigate clinical and operational risks if the commissioning period overlaps with the November to March window. [45428/25]

2271. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the publication schedule for monthly progress reports on the National Children’s Hospital; the number and value of variation orders; the number of rooms accepted to substantial completion standard; the updated risk register; and the independent assurance reports furnished to her Department and the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee. [45429/25]

2272. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to detail the costs incurred in the naming and branding of the National Children’s Hospital, including the reported €4,500 spent on the June 2025 naming process; and if further public funds are expected to be allocated to marketing, naming, or rebranding before the hospital opens. [45430/25]

2276. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the current number of children on waiting lists for scoliosis and spina bifida surgery; the length of time each child has been waiting; and the number of surgeries cancelled or rescheduled in the past three years, disaggregated by reason for cancellation. [45441/25]

2277. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the reason the 2017 Government commitment that no child would wait longer than four months for scoliosis surgery has not been delivered; and the new binding guarantees that will now be made to ensure no child experiences such delays in the future. [45442/25]

2278. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if the parents of a child (details supplied) were at any stage informed of their child’s removal from the urgent waiting list; the clinical and administrative basis for this decision; and the measures being introduced to ensure that parents are fully informed and consulted before any such removal in the future. [45443/25]

2279. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if she will commit to the establishment of a statutory inquiry into the governance of Children’s Health Ireland in relation to paediatric spinal surgery delays and oversight of orthopaedic services; and if the scope of such an inquiry will include accountability for unmet ministerial commitments. [45444/25]

2280. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of paediatric orthopaedic surgeons employed by Children’s Health Ireland; the annual caseload capacity of each; the number of unfilled consultant and theatre nursing posts in this area; and the immediate steps being taken to recruit and retain additional clinical expertise. [45445/25]

2281. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has considered arrangements with overseas hospitals to provide treatment for Irish children currently on spinal waiting lists; if not, the reason; and if so, the details of any negotiations or agreements reached to date. [45446/25]

2282. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if she will commit to publishing monthly, publicly accessible reports on paediatric spinal surgery waiting lists, including numbers, average wait times, cancellations, and rescheduled procedures, in order to ensure transparency and accountability. [45447/25]

2283. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the psychological and bereavement supports being provided to families whose children have died while awaiting treatment; and if these supports are standardised across all Children’s Health Ireland sites. [45448/25]

2310. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the reasons a child reported as being at risk of sexual abuse in the Dublin south central area was left on a waiting list for over 14 months without allocation to a child welfare officer, despite a second referral being made within one month; and if she will outline the measures being taken to ensure that such delays are not repeated in future cases. [45546/25]

2321. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to outline her Department’s official position on the definition of biological sex and gender; whether she accepts that biological sex is immutable apart from rare intersex conditions; and if she will clarify whether the HSE’s training materials reflect official departmental policy or an ideological interpretation. [45610/25]

2322. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the rationale for HSE funding and promoting pronoun awareness training modules which state that “biological sex can change over time, in light of the established scientific consensus that biological sex is determined by chromosomes and does not change during a person’s lifetime. [45611/25]

2323. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the cost to date of HSE-funded pronoun and gender identity training programmes, including those provided by FDYS youth service under the social Inclusion budget; if she will provide a breakdown of costs by year; and the justification for allocating public health funding to these initiatives. [45612/25]

2324. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she is satisfied that HSE training content which discourages the use of terms such as mother and father, parent, or guardian is compatible with maintaining clear communication in clinical and family health contexts, particularly in paediatrics, maternity services, and elder care. [45613/25]

2325. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she considers it appropriate that HSE training instructs staff that persistent refusal to use new or neo-pronouns requires re-education, and if she will clarify whether disciplinary processes are envisaged for staff who, on conscientious or scientific grounds, believe there are two biological sexes. [45614/25]

2326. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the way the HSE reconciles its training materials that describe biological sex as a spectrum with standard medical science which recognises male and female biological categories, alongside a small number of intersex conditions; and if she will provide the scientific or clinical sources underpinning the HSE’s position. [45615/25]

2327. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE has consulted with medical, psychiatric, and endocrinological experts in the preparation of its pronoun and gender identity training materials; if so, if she will publish those expert reports; and if not, if she will provide a reason such consultation was not undertaken. [45616/25]