Pádraig O'Sullivan

245. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the current capacity of the Regional Fertility Hub at the Lee Clinic in Cork given that referrals increased from 710 in 2023 to 1,144 in 2024 before reducing to 1,010 in 2025; whether the reduction in referrals in 2025 reflects a capacity constraint rather than a reduction in demand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40579/26]

269. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the reason for the high number of urgent day case breaches recorded at Cork University Maternity Hospital as reflected in the Sláintecare KPI data contained in the HSE South-West Cork Oireachtas briefing of 18 May 2026; the steps being taken to reduce the number of urgent breaches at that hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40629/26]

270. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the reason the number of inpatient beds at Cork University Maternity Hospital has remained static at 143 beds from 2020 to 2025 despite outpatient referrals to the hospital increasing by 53% from 12,599 in 2023 to 19,272 in 2025; her plans to increase inpatient bed capacity at CUMH to meet this growing demand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40630/26]

271. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the reason South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital recorded the lowest KPI attainment rate for inpatients of any hospital listed in the HSE South-West Cork Oireachtas Briefing of 18 May 2026 at 35.79%; the specific measures are being implemented to address the 344 breaches and 40 urgent breaches recorded at that hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40631/26]

272. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the current number of children waiting for autism assessment across Cork, given that HSE South-West data confirms a combined total of 2,174 children waiting across Cork north and east and Cork south and west integrated health areas; the steps being taken to address the fact that there are currently only three providers delivering autism assessments in the region and that capacity is considerably in deficit of demand at a monthly referral rate of approximately 130; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40632/26]

273. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health her plans to establish a primary care autism assessment team within HSE South-West given that the Cork Oireachtas briefing of 18 May 2026 confirms that no assessments are currently conducted directly within primary care HSE South-West; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40633/26]

274. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the current number of children and adolescents on the orthodontic assessment and treatment waiting list at St. Finbarr's Hospital Cork, given that HSE South-West data as of May 2026 confirms a total of 2,980 patients waiting; the reason specialist orthodontists who have left the service have not been replaced; the immediate recruitment measures being taken to restore capacity given that waiting times for routine treatment are currently running at over 2.5 years for assessment and 5.5 years for treatment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40634/26]

275. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the national orthodontic waiting list initiatives currently being applied in Cork and Kerry through the National Oral Health Office; the reason uptake from private providers in Cork remains minimal despite the severity of waiting times; the alternative measures being considered to reduce a waiting list that has grown to 2,980 patients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40635/26]

276. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE South-West region remains on target to address all community audiology clients waiting over 52 weeks by the June 2026 deadline as stated in the Cork Oireachtas Briefing of 18 May 2026; the measures put in place to sustain the reductions achieved in waiting lists for children aged 5 to 17 years, children aged 0 to 4 years, and adults; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40636/26]

277. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the reason new psychology vacancies arising in HSE South-West after March 2026 have been submitted for approval pending REMT approval due to regional whole-time equivalent ceiling limits; whether these ceiling limits are preventing the timely filling of posts that are critical to reducing primary care psychology waiting lists in Cork and Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40637/26]

278. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the current number of patients on the primary care psychology waiting list in the HSE South-West region; if she will confirm whether the ten additional primary care psychology posts recently approved following a business case submission to the South-West REMT will be sufficient to address current demand; and given that six of the seven staff grade posts remain to be filled through the 2026 exiting trainee cohort, the contingency measures are in place if those posts cannot be filled from that cohort; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40638/26]

279. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the current average waiting time for Irish cancer patients to access newly approved medicines; if she will confirm whether the average waiting time of 644 days, as documented by patient advocacy organisations, accurately reflects the current position; the interim measures being put in place to reduce this waiting time given that the new framework agreement does not commit to meeting the 180-day statutory standard under the Health Act 2013 until end of March 2029; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40639/26]

280. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the proportion of innovative oncology medicines approved at European level that are currently available and reimbursed in Ireland; the reason this proportion remains at approximately 25% given that the 180-day reimbursement timeline has been a legislative requirement under the Health Act 2013 for over a decade; the accountability measures that will be put in place to ensure the phased timeline under the new framework agreement is met at each stage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40640/26]

281. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the current status of the proposed expansion of the drugs group to include patient and public interest members as committed to under the new framework agreement on medicines published in March 2026; whether an expression of interest process has been initiated to identify suitable patient representatives; given that no such process has been publicly announced to date, the timeline for when this expansion will be completed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40641/26]

282. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if she will provide a specific update on the design and implementation of an early access scheme for medicines in Ireland, as referenced in the new framework agreement on medicines published in March 2026; whether a pilot has been announced or a design process initiated that includes patients and clinicians; the timeline within which a functioning early access scheme will be operational for Irish cancer patients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40642/26]

283. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the current timeline for the procurement and full implementation of the national One Health Record electronic health system; if she will confirm whether patients will have access to a patient portal as part of the rollout given that St. James's Hospital has almost completed its electronic health record implementation with no patient portal currently in place for patients; the steps being taken to ensure that the procurement process, expected to extend to 2027, does not further delay patient access to their own records; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40643/26]

284. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the steps being taken to address the finding that Ireland ranks last among 29 European countries for patient access to eHealth services and is the only EU member state not currently offering eHealth data to patients; the specific obligations Ireland faces under the EU European Health Data Space regulation regarding electronic access to patient records and cross-border sharing of health information; the timeline has been set for Ireland to meet those obligations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40644/26]

285. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health her response to survey data (details supplied) based on a survey of approximately 1,280 cancer patients, showing that 69% of respondents did not know they had the legal right to access their own medical records and 84% did not know how to request access; the public awareness measures being put in place to ensure patients are informed of their rights; the steps being taken to address the finding that 12.6% of patients who formally requested their records were refused; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40645/26]

286. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the specific measures being taken to reduce waiting times for cancer patients to receive scan and blood test results, given that 92% of cancer patients surveyed by an organisation (details supplied) rated receiving results as soon as available as very important, and given that patients have described waiting three to four weeks for scan results as a form of torture; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40646/26]

291. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the current state of Ireland’s preparedness for utilising the EU’s Joint Clinical Assessments, JCA, on clinical trial data in evaluations by the HSE and the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE); when she expects such JCA’s to be applied to such evaluations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40695/26]

292. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the guidance that has been issued to Irish marketing authorisation holders regarding the process, timelines, and expectations for considering the EU’s Joint Clinical Assessment (JCA) by the HSE and the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE); the way JCA reports will be factored into the reimbursement recommendations for treatments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40696/26]

651. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the steps being taken to reform or replace the current television licence system given the increasing number of households consuming public service media content online without holding a licence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39674/26]

652. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the criteria used to assess whether the multiannual funding allocation to RTÉ is delivering measurable reform and value for money for the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39675/26]

653. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the assessment that has been made of whether RTÉ's reported financial surpluses in recent years reflect genuine structural improvements to the organisation's financial position or are attributable in part to temporary or one-off cost-saving measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39676/26]

767. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people in receipt of the living alone increase per year from 2020 to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40163/26]