982. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any portion of the unused salary allocation arising from funded but unfilled posts within CHO4 in 2024 was reallocated, surrendered to the Exchequer, or carried forward; the value involved; and the statutory or administrative basis under which such decisions were taken. [7534/26]
Parliamentary questions
Questions
TDs ask ministers questions to get answers on the record, most of them in writing. Here is every one asked in the 34th Dáil, by the department it went to and the subject heading it was filed under. How questions work
Browse the questions
Showing questions asked by Ken O'Flynn .
3,835 questions match, newest first.
983. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she will commit to publishing, on an annual basis, a national breakdown, by CHO of funded posts, filled posts, vacancies, and associated pay allocations, in order to allow the Houses of the Oireachtas to assess workforce planning effectiveness under Sláintecare and the National Health Workforce Plan. [7535/26]
1016. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of private residential properties owned by persons in receipt of support under the nursing homes support scheme that were rented out in each year since the Fair Deal rental income reforms came into effect in early 2024; the total number of such properties currently rented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7665/26]
1017. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of properties associated with nursing homes support scheme applicants that were identified by her Department or the HSE as potentially suitable for rental prior to the 2024 Fair Deal rental income reforms; the evidence base used at that time to estimate that thousands of homes would enter the rental market; and if she will publish the underlying analys…
1018. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has conducted any post-implementation review of the 2024 Fair Deal rental income reforms; whether barriers such as legal complexity, family consent issues, tenancy duration rules, or interaction with wider rental legislation were identified as limiting take-up; and what corrective actions are now proposed. [7667/26]
1019. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health what engagement has taken place between her Department, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and the HSE to assess the impact of wider rental market reforms on the willingness of nursing homes support scheme participants to rent out their properties; and whether any cross-departmental measures are planned to increase participation. [7668/26]
1020. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department or the HSE has undertaken, commissioned, or reviewed any health economic or cost-benefit analysis on the use of GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines, including tirzepatide and semaglutide, for obesity treatment and the prevention of type 2 diabetes; if so, the details and outcomes of any such analysis; and if not, whether she intends to commiss…
1021. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the current policy position of her Department regarding the reimbursement of GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines under the Drugs Payment Scheme; whether any review is under way to consider broader eligibility criteria; and the expected timeline for any decision on changes to reimbursement policy. [7677/26]
1022. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has assessed the potential impact of GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines on reducing the future incidence of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and associated complications; whether such preventative outcomes are factored into medicines reimbursement decisions; and if she will outline how prevention-based savings are weighted in funding …
1023. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health what consideration has been given to the equity implications of high out-of-pocket costs for GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines; whether the Department has examined the risk of access being determined by ability to pay rather than clinical need; and if she will outline any measures under consideration to address this issue. [7679/26]
1110. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether a person with a disability who holds a long-term illness card, and whose prescribed medications are covered under the long-term illness scheme, is entitled as part of that scheme to have those medications dispensed in clinically required blister packs to enable safe administration in a home-care setting; if this service has been funded by the State to dat…
1179. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she has directed, or will direct, the National Ambulance Service to collect and publish monthly data on the number of emergency calls classified as clinical status 1 purple and red where the response time exceeds 60 minutes; if not, the reasons this data is not currently required as part of national performance oversight; and the date from which such repo…
1180. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the rationale for excluding response times exceeding 60 minutes for clinical status 1 purple and red emergency calls from the key performance indicators of the National Ambulance Service; when this policy decision was taken; and whether she considers the exclusion of extreme delays to be consistent with patient safety and international best practice in emergency …
1181. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health when she was first made aware that the National Ambulance Service does not collate or report data on life-threatening emergency calls where response times exceed 60 minutes; whether this issue has been raised with her Department by the HSE or the NAS; and what actions, if any, she has taken since becoming aware of this gap in oversight. [8613/26]
1182. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health what formal escalation, intervention, or corrective measures are triggered when national or regional response time targets for clinical status 1 purple and red emergency calls are not met by the National Ambulance Service; whether any such measures were triggered during 2025; and if not, how target compliance is enforced in practice. [8614/26]
1183. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether median response times for clinical status 1 purple and red emergency calls are collected by the National Ambulance Service; if so, to provide the median response times for each of the past 12 months by HSE region; and if not, the reasons median data is not used alongside averages in assessing emergency response performance. [8615/26]
1184. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the assessment her Department has undertaken of the persistent variation in emergency ambulance response performance between HSE regions for clinical status 1 purple and red calls; whether staffing levels, fleet availability, or geographic coverage have been identified as contributory factors; and the national actions which are being taken to address regional ine…
1039. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department or the Health Service Executive uses any recognised international guideline, benchmark, or population-based standard to assess the adequacy of whole-time equivalent consultant staffing levels in chronic pain services; if so, to specify the guideline or comparator used; if not, to state how the adequacy of consultant capacity in chronic pain…
1138. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the current reimbursement status of salbutamol nebules under the medical card and GP visit card schemes; whether any products previously covered are no longer reimbursed due to supplier disruption; and the date on which any such change took effect. [6499/26]
1139. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of asthma patients affected by the non-reimbursement of salbutamol nebules or equivalent substitute products under the medical card in each of the past two years; and the steps being taken to ensure uninterrupted access to essential asthma medication. [6500/26]
1140. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE and Primary Care Reimbursement Service have contingency arrangements in place to automatically reimburse clinically equivalent substitute medicines where supply chain disruption affects a reimbursable product; and if not, whether she will introduce such arrangements as a matter of urgency. [6501/26]
1141. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the reason medical card holders are being asked to pay out-of-pocket for essential asthma medication due to supplier issues; whether this is consistent with HSE policy on chronic disease management; and the actions she is taking to prevent a recurrence. [6502/26]
1142. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she will commit to issuing immediate guidance to community pharmacies to ensure that no medical card holder is charged privately for salbutamol nebules or clinically required alternatives while supply issues persist. [6503/26]
1150. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of governance reviews, internal investigations, external audits, and independent reports commissioned by her Department or the HSE into Children’s Health Ireland since 2019; the status of each review; whether each report has been completed, published, or withheld; the reasons for any non-publication; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [655…
1151. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health when her Department was first made aware of systemic governance or clinical oversight failures at Children’s Health Ireland; the manner in which this information was conveyed; the formal actions which were taken by her Department following that awareness; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6560/26]