Questions

301. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if access to cognitive or psychological assessment remains available where there is evidence of significant intra-individual discrepancy, asynchronous development, or unexplained underachievement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22844/26]

302. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether consideration has been given to the potential for increased reliance on private assessments arising from any restriction in public access to cognitive assessment, and the implications this may have for equity of access; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22846/26]

303. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the training or guidance that is being provided to assessment officers and multidisciplinary teams to ensure that complex presentations, including masking and twice-exceptionality, are recognised under the revised assessment of needs model; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22848/26]

304. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department intends to review the implementation of the revised assessment of need framework to ensure that no cohort of children is excluded from identification due to the streamlining of assessment processes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22850/26]

305. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on the new admissions to special school policy outlined on 9 December 2025; whether this will be in place for the 2026-2027 school year; and who will be the decision maker on admission to special school and category of school suitable for a child who has not received an AON. [22859/26]

306. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the position regarding the number of employees in her Department at the end of December 2025, broken down by grade, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22867/26]

307. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of employees in each of the agencies under her Department's remit at the end of December 2025, broken down by grade, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22889/26]

308. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is considering any measures to address the lack of childcare places available in towns and villages such as Portumna, County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22914/26]

309. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when the review of childminding regulations will take place. [22967/26]

310. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the actions she will take to ensure a child (details supplied) has a place in afterschool services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23055/26]

311. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to reopen the building blocks extension scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23062/26]

312. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the options available to support a person (details supplied) who has significant communication needs and unique academic abilities; if funding for a bespoke education or learning support package can be accessed through the fund for students with disabilities or any other scheme; the process by which such supports may be applied for; an…

313. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the main policy achievements of her Department since 22 January 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23070/26]

314. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Health the number of persons on the waiting list to see a consultant psychiatrist at CAMHS, Marino, Dublin 3; and the average waiting time for same. [22771/26]

315. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of the cohort of women who are unable to take HRT due to a history of breast cancer, but for whom the drug veoza provides essential relief from vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause; if she will consider the inclusion of veoza in the drug payment scheme (DPS) as some women are being forced to abandon its usage given the prohibitive …

316. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Health if she will address the ongoing concerns regarding the availability, accessibility, and adequacy of endometriosis services for women in County Louth; the actions her Department is taking to improve diagnosis, specialist access and treatment capacity for women in Louth who are disproportionately affected by delays in women’s healthcare; and if she will make a st…

317. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health if she will review correspondence (details supplied); if she will address the concerns raised in relation to access to appropriate mental health supports and services; if she will provide an update on the referral made to mental health services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22525/26]

318. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Health when a response to a query of 9 March 2026 will be issued concerning a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22527/26]

319. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Health the help available for people who are recovering from drug addiction and receive methadone and need complex and critical dental treatment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22535/26]

320. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Health if the HSE are aware of the risks to dental health from the use of methadone; the steps she is taking to address the issue; and the steps she is taking to ensure patients are well informed when choosing a treatment plan. [22536/26]

321. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Health the specific steps are being taken to ensure the HSE recognises the “time-critical” nature of Friedreich’s ataxia during the current price negotiations for skyclarys; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22549/26]

322. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Health the way in which the commitments in the National Rare Disease Strategy 2025–2030 and the 2026 IPHA Framework Agreement particularly the 180-day decision timeline is being applied to the case to prevent further delay in addressing the need of people with Friedreich’s ataxia. [22550/26]

323. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of the barriers currently faced by patients in Ireland living with lipoedema, including the absence of a published national HSE care pathway, limited access to conservative management such as compression therapy and manual lymphatic drainage, and delays or difficulties accessing treatment through the Cross-Border Healthcare Directive; the…

324. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE working group established in 2023 to develop a national care pathway for lipoedema has completed its work; when the pathway is expected to be published; and whether patient advocacy organisations (details supplied) will be included in the development and implementation of this pathway. [22558/26]

325. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Health if her Department intends to review the operation of private health insurers in relation to coverage for medically indicated liposuction procedures for lipoedema patients, in light of concerns regarding inconsistent decision-making, the use of criteria designed for lymphoedema rather than lipoedema, and practices that may result in patients being forced …