Questions

899. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health the number of whole-time equivalent consultants in emergency medicine and emergency medicine registrars based at Beaumont Hospital in 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38923/25]

900. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if there are plans to refurbish Howth health centre; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38924/25]

901. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health the number of physiotherapists, by grade based at Vernon Avenue health centre in 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38925/25]

902. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health the number of whole-time equivalent occupational therapists, by grade based at Killester health centre in 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38926/25]

881. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health the lessons that have been learned to date from the Laura Brennan HPV vaccination catch-up programme to inform its future development; whether there are any specific areas of improvement that have been identified to increase uptake rates; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37822/25]

882. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if, given that the HPV vaccine is currently available, free of charge, to gbMSM and people living with HIV attending public STI clinics, PrEP and HIV services, there is an intention under the new National Sexual Health Strategy 2025-2035 to make the HPV vaccine available to gbMSM through primary care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37823/25]

238. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if she will provide an update on the progress of the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022, including the establishment of the Assisted Human Reproduction Regulatory Authority, and the regulation of domestic and international surrogacy arrangements; if she will outline the expected timeline for the remaining legislative stages and implementation of the…

857. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health her response to the request by an organisation (details supplied) for a €9 million investment in dementia-specific supports in budget 2026, including community daycare, home support, and dementia advisory services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36182/25]

858. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if she will provide updated figures on the number of people currently waiting for dementia-specific daycare or home care services in each CHO area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36183/25]

859. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if she will outline plans to expand counselling supports for people living with dementia and family carers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36184/25]

860. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if funding has been allocated in budget 2026 to support the implementation of the national dementia registry and the continued roll-out of the memory assessment support services model of care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36185/25]

861. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if she will consider increasing investment in dementia research, given that it currently accounts for less than 1.5% of total health research output; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36186/25]

118. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if she will review the enforcement of legislation banning the use of sunbeds by persons under the age of 18, in view of reports that some sunbed operators are failing to request proof of age or are accepting false identification; if her Department plans to conduct inspections or public awareness campaigns to address this issue; and if she will make a statement …

220. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health the current procedures in place to facilitate emergency marriages in hospital settings, particularly for patients who are terminally ill; if she will consider introducing a more compassionate and streamlined process, similar to best practices in other jurisdictions, to ensure that such marriages can take place quickly and with minimal administrative burden; and…

221. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health the supports currently in place for healthcare workers suffering from long Covid, particularly those who contracted the virus in high-risk front-line settings; and if she will consider introducing a long-term, pensionable support scheme following the conclusion of the special leave with pay scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34854/25]

222. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if she will clarify the Government’s position on formally recognising long Covid as an occupational illness, particularly in light of recent recommendations from the European Union; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34855/25]

223. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if she will review the current HSE criteria for access to approved treatments for spinal muscular atrophy, particularly in relation to the exclusion of approximately 20 adult patients who were over 18 at the time of initial approval; if she will engage with stakeholders, including two organisations (details supplied), to explore a fairer, needs-based approach; …

224. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if, in light of the major increase in the workload of an organisation (details supplied) arising from the Assisted Decision Making ( Capacity ) Act 2015 and the Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) ( Amendment) Act 2022, she will provide additional funding to this organisation to enable it to provide staff contracts of greater than one year; and if she will mak…

225. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health to provide details on the services currently provided for paediatric patients with epilepsy at a hospital (details supplied); the number and grade of staff that are currently attached to this service at this site; the number of current staff vacancies within this service; the number of epilepsy patients currently registered with this service; the number of pati…

423. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health the steps she is taking to ensure that a drug (details supplied) will be assessed and made available as quickly as possible following its recent EU approval, given how important early access is for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33451/25]

782. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if she will consider introducing additional measures to reduce the out-of-pocket cost of essential medications for infants, including for common conditions such as reflux, particularly in cases where newborns may not yet have a PPS number and are not fully covered under the drugs payment scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31984/25]

783. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 673 of 27 May 2025, if she will confirm whether the HSE intends to continue the expansion of social prescribing services, including into areas of Dublin that do not currently have access to such services, particularly in the Killester, Clontarf-Raheny area, given the importance and impact of the initiative; and if she will …

797. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if she will review the national guidance that prohibits home care workers from assisting vulnerable patients with the administration of blister-packed oral medication, including in low risk cases where patients are unable to self-administer due to severe physical conditions; if she will consider allowing greater flexibility in such cases under clinical oversigh…

842. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health the clinics that are held at a location Darndale health centre, Dublin 17; and the frequency in which each of these clinics are held, in tabular form. [32339/25]

843. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health the locations within CHO9 area where HSE substance misuse teams are based; the number of WTE staff, by job title working in each of these teams, by location, in tabular form. [32340/25]