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 rem…
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 …
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 i…
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 announce…
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 acc…
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 plac…
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 c…
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 st…
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…
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 mak…
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]
768. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people in receipt of the telephone support allowance per year from 2020 to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40165/26]
769. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people in receipt of the fuel allowance per year from 2020 to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40167/26]
770. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people in receipt of the household benefits package per year from 2020 to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40169/26]
1099. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the timeline for a decision by the HSE drugs group regarding the reimbursement of risdiplam for adults living with spinal muscular atrophy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38709/26]
1379. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the number of approved but unfilled posts across the HSE, by grade and health region; the way in which these compare to assessed service demand in each area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39646/26]
1380. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the monitoring and reporting mechanisms that exist under the Framework for Safe Nurse Staffing and Skill Mix; when the most recent national compliance report under the framework was published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39647/26]
1381. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the number of staff who have left employment in the HSE in each of the past three years, by grade; the number recruited in the same period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39648/26]
1382. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the total expenditure on agency staff in the HSE in 2024 and 2025; the number of unfilled permanent posts during the same period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39649/26]
1383. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health whether a fully funded multiannual workforce plan exists across all health service grades; if so, when it will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39650/26]
1384. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the number of posts that were approved but remain unfilled or were not retained following the introduction of the Pay and Numbers Strategy in 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39651/26]