Questions

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 …

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 w…

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…

287. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Health if harm in rare disease pathways has been known at ministerial, departmental, and HSE service level for years; the reason the State has still not fully activated an independent national structure capable of preventing drift, ensuring policy cohesion, and delivering timely intervention instead of prolonged exposure to avoidable deterioration, through numerous d…

288. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Health the reason binding national and international obligations under both the UNCRPD and the UNCRC has failed to translate into front-line practice, when people continue to report violations, weak accommodation, poor disability competence, and the need for civic society to repeatedly do so much of the work of Government, simply to secure basic compliance; and if sh…

289. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health to examine issues raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40674/26]

290. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1239 of 19 May 2026, to provide further details regarding the strategic partnership established with the pharmaceutical sector to develop an early access programme for rare diseases; the status of this work; the timeline she is working towards for operationalising this programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter…

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…

293. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health the reason a patient (details supplied) referred for a dental operation has been refused by a number of hospitals for a number of different reasons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40768/26]

294. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he is aware of the reasons behind the layoffs in an education centre (details supplied). [40319/26]

295. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if a schedule of contracts will be provided that his Department and bodies under his aegis have had with an organisation (details supplied) and/or its subsidiaries; the value of each; the type and-or name of each project; if any project has been abandoned, paused, put on hold and completed; if any projects…

296. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the steps being taken by his Department to broaden access to graduate entry medicine programmes across the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40470/26]

297. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the financial supports available to prospective students of graduate entry medicine programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40471/26]

298. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of places offered to but subsequently not accepted by prospective students of graduate entry medicine programmes in the period of 2022-2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40472/26]

299. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the further and higher education courses, programmes and access pathways currently available for persons with intellectual disabilities across universities, technological universities, colleges of further education and other State funded education providers; the number of places available in each instituti…

300. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science whether his Department has assessed the geographical gaps in further and higher education opportunities for persons with intellectual disabilities, particularly in areas where no dedicated inclusive programmes currently exist; the steps being taken to improve regional access for students and families; and …