I thank the House for the opportunity to discuss what is a most important issue to all of us.
At the outset, it is important that I clarify a technical piece in relation to protected disclosures and how they work. I am conscious that it was the subject of debate among the leaders last week, which I totally understand, but it is important that the House has clarity on it. The Protected Disclosures Act was agreed by t…
TDs / Jennifer Carroll MacNeill
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill
Minister for Health
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
0
questions asked
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them
182,871
words spoken in the chamber
179,569 as a minister, 3,302 as a TD
355
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
From the Dáil chamber only: committee meetings are not in this archive.
Members of the Government answer parliamentary questions rather than ask them, so this page lists none of theirs.
Month by month
Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Contributions to debates 710 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Contributions |
|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 19 |
| March 2025 | 40 |
| April 2025 | 20 |
| May 2025 | 52 |
| June 2025 | 52 |
| July 2025 | 44 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 7 |
| October 2025 | 59 |
| November 2025 | 56 |
| December 2025 | 11 |
| January 2026 | 57 |
| February 2026 | 9 |
| March 2026 | 51 |
| April 2026 | 45 |
| May 2026 | 11 |
| June 2026 | 14 |
| July 2026 | 60 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 12 |
| October 2026 | 91 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 567 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Dún Laoghaire 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fine Gael 29 November 2024 to now
- office Minister for Health 23 January 2025 to now
I want to try to address all the points, but there is a time limit. Let me try to address a couple of things quickly, and then some of the more detailed issues. In relation to the 2024 annual report for CHI, the annual financial statements are with the Comptroller and Auditor General. The intention is for it to be published by the end of the year.
Forgive me, but I cannot recall who mentioned infection rates. It is …
I move:
That it be an instruction to the Committee on the Health Information Bill 2024 that, pursuant to Standing Order 194(2), the Committee has power to make amendments to the Bill which are outside the scope of the existing provisions of the Bill in order to introduce a technical amendment to the Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Act 2023, in order to bring public nursing homes within the …
I move amendment No. 1:
In page 5, line 31, after “Act;” to insert “to amend the Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Act 2023;”.
I am pleased to bring forward the Health Information Bill for consideration on Report Stage. Its purpose is to bring forward a number of statutory measures around the consistent sharing and use of health information while ensuring it best serves the individual patien…
This whole Bill has to go to the Seanad yet and, once that is done and this Bill is enacted, then that other provision can essentially be commenced.
January.
I move amendment No. 2:
In page 6, line 5, after “Act” to insert “, other than section 25,”.
I move amendment No. 3:
In page 8, line 17, to delete “2004,” and substitute “2004, or”.
This is a minor technical amendment to add the word "or" between subsections (b) and (c) and the definition of "relevant person" under the Bill.
It is indeed, one of the more controversial things we will deal with today. The definition of "relevant person" primarily relates to Part 4. Part 4 concerns the secondary use of health information for specified public interest purposes, namely, a public interest purpose in the area of public and occupational health, policy and regulatory activities, including in respect of service planning and performance management,…
I thank both Deputies for their very clear political direction and statement of intent on this issue, which align with mine and with the broader public interest in the supervision of public funds.
From the perspective of the patient, I honestly believe the patient does not know whether he or she is attending a voluntary hospital or HSE hospital. If you are attending hospital due to a trauma or in a vulnerable situat…
There is no tension between me and any part of the health system. There is a report of an engagement in relation to one of the voluntary hospitals and the Chair and there is a difference of opinion that was aired in the media. My broad sense is that there is exceptionally good work being done in voluntary hospitals. Many of them, for example, have addressed their trolley situations in exceptionally good ways and are …
It certainly will be required. I am very glad. I understand that there will be a technical briefing next week or the week after in relation to that, which is a step in the ongoing engagement that is appropriate of that nature. I agree with what Deputy Cullinane said in respect of taking forward electronic health records generally, but, if I may, I will deal with the amendment before us.
It is important to say to Dep…
Digital health literacy is critical to fostering trust and safety around the use of health data. For example, the HSE is working with a number of advocacy organisations to ensure that its app can be used by people with a wide range of needs.
It is also seeking to ensure that the app uses inclusive language and takes into account additional requirements that patient groups may need by conducting user research and tes…
I move amendment No. 6:
In page 23, after line 22, to insert the following:
"PART 5
Amendment of Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Act 2023
Amendment of section 68 of Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Act 2023
25.(1) Section 68 of the Act of 2023 is amended, insofar as that section inserts section 41A(10) in the Health Act 2007, in the definition of "relevant desig…
That is not true.
Yes, there is.
It is the law.
I have literally just come from Crumlin where I met some of the new consultant radiologists who have come here from other countries in anticipation of the children's hospital. I am meeting the chief people officer after the statements on men's health in respect of some of the vacancies. On our cancer strategy, the Deputy is right to identify regional variance, which is one of the very many reasons we are shifting the…
I welcome this opportunity to speak on men's health, which is a priority in the programme for Government. In 2009, Ireland was the first country in the world to develop a national men's health policy. The men's health policy sets out a comprehensive and, I hope, ambitious framework with a series of objectives aimed at improving men's health. It was followed by two action plans. One was published in 2017, with a more …
I thank the Deputy for raising this. I have raised it with the board of the HSE and with the chief people officer of the HSE who I will meet shortly to better track where the difficulties are. It is not always a difficulty of the HSE. Sometimes it is simply difficult to get candidates and certainly on the public health nurse side we have had to increase the incentives in a number of different ways to try to recruit m…
As I said when I was in the hospital in Limerick, all three options are being considered. Naturally, our priority is the acute in-bed capacity, which is what HIQA identified as the priority. We are trying to progress that. A total of 96 beds were opened this week. While that will not take 96 people out of the emergency department, because some people will stay for three, four or five days, I see it having an impact o…
As I said in Limerick-----
Deputy Michael Murphy has raised this with me a number of times. He has been a strong advocate for this. As Deputy Healy said, the position has been advertised. Unfortunately, it was not possible to fill it on the first occasion. I very much hope that it will be filled on the second occasion. We are committed to Tipperary and I would like to compliment-----
-----the excellent general manager there, Maria Barry, who is doing extraordinary work not just in terms of the trolleys but also in terms of waiting times. In regard to the scale of investment in terms of construction, I was there recently to see the excellent work being done by the general manager and HSE Estates.
It is very strong. As the Deputy is aware, a new inpatient ward block is happening. There is an emergency department upgrade.