Questions

664. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health to clarify the national budgetary restrictions or expenditure controls currently limiting the HSE’s ability to fill essential frontline posts in community nursing units, including Riada House in Tullamore; the steps being taken to address these constraints; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [67215/26]

665. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Health whether Cross-Border Directive reimbursement applications continue to be processed in the order in which they are received; whether there are circumstances in which a completed application received at a later date may be processed and reimbursed before an earlier completed application; and, if so, to outline those circumstances and the way in which completed a…

666. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the actions being taken to address staff burnout, sickness levels and the sustainability of current staffing arrangements at Riada House Community Nursing Unit; the supports being provided to frontline staff working under severe pressure; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [67213/26]

667. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the immediate intervention measures that will be put in place to ensure that Riada House Community Nursing Unit has sufficient staff to provide safe and appropriate care to elderly and vulnerable residents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [67212/26]

668. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health to confirm the current staffing levels at Riada House Community Nursing Unit, including the number of funded posts, the number of vacancies, and the measures being taken by HSE Midlands management to address the impact of these pressures on resident care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [67211/26]

669. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the recruitment restrictions, budgetary controls or staffing ceilings that are currently in place within the HSE that affect the ability of Riada House Community Nursing Unit, Tullamore, County Offaly, to recruit and retain sufficient nursing and care staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [67210/26]

670. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on an appointment for a scoliosis patient (details supplied). [67222/26]

671. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Health for an update on the consideration for medications (details supplied) to be included in the drugs payment scheme, specifically in relation to their usage for weight management in patients at risk of developing type two diabetes. [67224/26]

673. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health for an update on the development and implementation of the National Diabetes Strategy; and the funding has been provided to commence implementation of priority actions under the strategy. [67243/26]

674. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health whether additional funding is being considered to expand access to continuous glucose monitoring technology for people with diabetes who are currently outside the HSE reimbursement criteria. [67242/26]

675. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health whether she will request or support a Health Technology Assessment by HIQA examining the extension of continuous glucose monitoring access to people with other forms of diabetes, including Type 2 diabetes, cystic-fibrosis-related diabetes and Type 3c diabetes, with eligibility based on clinical need. [67241/26]

676. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health whether consideration will be given to providing access to continuous glucose monitoring systems for all people with Type 1 diabetes on the basis of current clinical need and specialist recommendation, rather than the circumstances or timing of their original diagnosis. [67239/26]

677. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health whether she will review the current eligibility criteria for reimbursement of continuous glucose monitoring systems for people with clinically diagnosed Type 1 diabetes, particularly the requirement that a person must have required insulin from the outset; whether consideration will be given to ensuring that people whose diagnosis was delayed, atypical or initially…

678. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the proportion of flour used in Ireland that is imported from the United Kingdom, distinguishing between imports from Great Britain and Northern Ireland; her Department’s assessment of the impact on the Irish market of the UK Bread and Flour (Amendment) Regulations 2024, under which folic acid fortification of non-wholemeal wheat flour is required from 13 December…

679. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether Ireland made any objection, observation or reservation in response to the notification of the United Kingdom’s folic acid fortification regulations to the World Trade Organization or, insofar as Northern Ireland is concerned, to the European Commission; if so, to provide details of any such submission, or if not, to explain her Department’s assessment of t…

680. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Health whether there are concerns that the policies and the bureaucratic burden placed on clinical staff operating within the CAMHS framework may be having an impact on staff retention and having an impact on the level of service. [66790/26]

681. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the engagement her Department has had with Irish millers, bakers and food producers regarding the sourcing, labelling, traceability and compliance implications arising from folic acid-fortified flour entering the Irish market from the United Kingdom; whether her Department has identified any compliance or consumer-information risks arising from the change; and if …

682. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to provide the most recent estimate of the proportion and volume of flour used or placed on the Irish market that is imported from the United Kingdom; to set out the Department’s assessment of the impact on the Irish flour, milling, baking and food manufacturing sectors of the UK Bread and Flour (Amendment) Regulations 2024, under which the fortification of non-wh…

683. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether Ireland made any objection, observation, comment or reservation through the World Trade Organization notification process or through the European Commission in relation to the United Kingdom’s Bread and Flour (Amendment) Regulations 2024 concerning mandatory folic acid fortification; and, if no such representation was made, the reason Ireland did not make …

684. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the engagement the Department has had with Irish millers, flour importers, bakers and food manufacturers concerning the implementation, labelling, traceability and compliance implications arising from folic acid fortified flour entering the Irish market from the United Kingdom from 13 December 2026; whether any guidance has been issued or is proposed for affected …

685. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will remove the mature dependent category in SUSI and treat all those over the age of 23 as independent regardless of their living situation. [66408/26]

687. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science If he will review the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will provide an update regarding their SUSI application. [66504/26]

689. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his proposals in conjunction with the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, to support employers and workers through training, retraining and upskilling initiatives in response to the rapidly changing nature of work; the measures being considered to address skills shortages and future workforce …

690. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for a breakdown of the income and expenditure of the National Training Fund in 2025 [67020/26]

691. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science when the next review of SUSI income thresholds is due to take place. [67018/26]