Questions

1026. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health when HIQA registration was sought for the new high-dependency unit at Heather House; whether any conditions or compliance issues were raised; and the expected date of regulatory approval [14688/26]

1028. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE’s activity-based funding, diagnosis related group (DRG) systems, or other service-line costing methodologies allow for the estimation of aggregate expenditure on pain-medicine outpatient services and interventional pain procedures at national or regional level; whether such aggregate estimates have been compiled in the past five years; and if she …

1029. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has assessed whether the absence of programme-level expenditure analysis for high-prevalence chronic conditions, including chronic pain, is consistent with public financial management standards and performance-based budgeting principles; whether any review of this matter has been undertaken since 2020; and if she will make a statement on th…

1030. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has conducted any formal review, risk assessment, or governance oversight exercise since 1 January 2024 specifically concerning systemic governance, patient-safety risk indicators, or organisational controls at Children’s Health Ireland; if so, to state the date of each such review, the division of her Department responsible, and whether a …

1031. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has not conducted any formal review of governance or patient-safety risk indicators at Children’s Health Ireland since 1 January 2024, to state the reason no such review has been undertaken at Departmental level. [14726/26]

1032. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department maintains a centralised internal register, inventory, or tracking mechanism recording reviews, audits, investigations, or independent reports concerning Children’s Health Ireland; if so, to state when it was last updated; and if not, to confirm that no such centralised register exists within her Department. [14727/26]

1033. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department relies exclusively on HSE-established structures, including the CHI Improvement Steering Group, for oversight of governance and patient-safety risks at Children’s Health Ireland; and to outline the formal reporting arrangements between that Group and her Department. [14728/26]

1051. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total number of referrals made to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in 2023 to 2025 and to-date in 2025, nationally and by CHO area; the number and percentage of those referrals that were not accepted for service, nationally and by CHO area; whether suicidal ideation and/or self-harm risk are recorded as coded data fields within CAMHS referral syste…

1052. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of children currently awaiting CAMHS assessment; the number waiting over three months, six months, and 12 months; whether the HSE records adverse incidents, emergency department presentations, or suicide attempts involving children while awaiting CAMHS; whether children on waiting lists are subject to periodic clinical review; and the safeguarding prot…

1053. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the State funded or HSE-funded training programmes which are currently available to general practitioners in the assessment and management of suicidal ideation and self-harm in children and adolescents; whether her Department or the HSE maintains data on GP participation in such training; the number of general practitioners who have completed suicide prevention t…

1054. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of CAMHS referrals involving children with autism spectrum disorder in 2023 to 2025 and to-date in 2026; the acceptance and rejection rates of such referrals; the policy governing the allocation of mental health versus disability services for children with dual diagnoses; and whether a shared care protocol exists between CAMHS and disability services […

1055. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of approved CAMHS posts versus filled posts by discipline; the vacancy rates; the number of teams operating below recommended staffing levels; the number of complaints received by the HSE regarding CAMHS in the past three years; whether an independent audit of referral rejection practices has been conducted; and if she will make a statement on the matt…

560. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Primary Care Reimbursement Service holds reimbursement claims data for salbutamol nebules dispensed under the general medical services scheme from 1 January 2025 to date; and if so, to provide the total number of claims and the monthly breakdown [13447/26]

561. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Primary Care Reimbursement Service holds reimbursement claims data for alternative nebulised bronchodilator products dispensed under the general medical services scheme from 1 January 2025 to date; and if so, to provide the total number of claims and the monthly breakdown, including identification of the relevant product categories [13448/26]

562. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department or the HSE conducted any national analysis of prescribing substitution patterns arising from reported shortages of salbutamol nebules since 1 January 2025; and if so, to provide details of the methodology used and any conclusions reached [13449/26]

563. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the national monitoring framework which is in place within her Department or the HSE to assess the patient impact of essential medicine shortages under the general medical services scheme; and whether this framework includes tracking of clinical substitution, cost impact, or regional variation [13450/26]

564. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any additional expenditure has arisen under the general medical services scheme as a result of prescribing alternative products due to salbutamol nebule shortages since 1 January 2025; and if so, to provide the estimated amount and the basis of calculation [13451/26]

582. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to provide, the full list of all non-statutory bodies in receipt of direct funding from her Department in each of the past five years; the annual amount allocated to each body; the policy unit responsible for oversight of each body; whether a formal governance framework is applied by the Department to each body; and the statutory or administrative basis under whic…

583. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department requires non-statutory bodies in receipt of direct funding to maintain a Department-approved safeguarding policy, a designated safeguarding officer, mandatory reporting procedures to the Department in the event of safeguarding concerns, compliance with Children First Act 2015 obligations, where applicable, and periodic certification of safeg…

584. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department maintains a central risk register in respect of non-statutory bodies receiving direct Departmental funding, conducts formal risk assessments prior to the allocation of funding, applies a risk-rating classification to such bodies, requires annual risk statements from funded bodies; and has defined escalation procedures where governance or saf…

585. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether funding agreements with non-statutory bodies include defined service-quality standards, measurable performance indicators, reporting obligations beyond financial statements, periodic compliance reviews conducted by Department officials and documented evaluation of service delivery outcomes. [13609/26]

586. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to outline the frequency with which policy units formally review governance documentation submitted by funded non-statutory bodies, whether site visits or structured compliance engagements are undertaken by Department officials; whether written governance assessment reports are generated by the Department; and the number of instances in the past five years in whic…

587. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to specify the oversight mechanisms operated directly by her Department in respect of non-statutory bodies receiving direct funding, separate from annual financial audit, expenditure controls and post-hoc review by the Comptroller and Auditor General; and to identify the policy framework governing such mechanisms. [13611/26]

588. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of claims submitted under the General Medical Services Scheme, Drugs Payment Scheme and Long-Term Illness Scheme for salbutamol nebules or equivalent short-acting bronchodilator nebule products in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025; the number and value of such claims paid; the number and value rejected or unpaid; and whether she will provide the corresponding figur…

589. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Department or the Health Service Executive maintains centralised data on the number of patients whose access to reimbursable salbutamol nebules or equivalent substitute products was impacted during registered shortage periods in 2024 and 2025; if so, the number recorded; and if not, whether she intends to introduce a monitoring mechanism to quantify pa…