2174. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if maternity hospitals are required by her Department, the HSE, or the national women and infants health programme to formally notify the Department or the HSE of all cases where signs of life are observed following termination of pregnancy; and if notification is not mandatory, the legal or policy basis for this position. [74422/25]
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
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Showing questions asked by Ken O'Flynn .
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2175. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if the national women and infants health programme has issued any binding national protocols, as distinct from non-statutory guidance, governing the clinical, reporting and governance response to live births following termination of pregnancy; and if so, the date of issue and whether such protocols are subject to compliance monitoring. [74423/25]
2176. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of internal reviews, clinical audits, serious incident reviews or governance assessments commissioned or overseen by her Department or the HSE since 2019 in respect of live births following termination of pregnancy; and if the findings of any such reviews have been provided to her Department. [74424/25]
2177. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has sought legal advice since 2019 on the absence of a statutory reporting requirement for live births following termination of pregnancy; and if she will commit to examining the introduction of a formal national reporting and audit framework to ensure consistent oversight and learning across the maternity system. [74425/25]
2312. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department considered the procurement of an enhanced influenza vaccine for the 2025–2026 flu season; the advice received from the HSE and the National Immunisation Advisory Committee in this regard; the evidence base relied upon in deciding not to procure such a vaccine; and if she will publish the clinical, cost-effectiveness, and policy assessments …
2313. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the estimated additional cost, in absolute and per-patient terms, of procuring an enhanced influenza vaccine for persons aged 65 years and over for the 2025–2026 flu season; how this cost was weighed against projected hospital admissions, bed-day usage, and emergency department demand associated with influenza; and whether a formal cost-benefit or health-impact a…
2314. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department assessed the potential impact of not procuring an enhanced influenza vaccine on winter infection rates, hospital overcrowding, and emergency department capacity during the 2025 Christmas period; and if so, to outline the findings of that assessment and the mitigation measures put in place. [75077/25]
2315. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the influenza vaccination uptake rates to date for the 2025–2026 season, broken down by age cohort and risk group; how these figures compare with the same period in each of the previous three years; and what policy measures her Department has taken to address any identified decline in uptake. [75078/25]
2316. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether budgetary constraints influenced the decision not to procure an enhanced influenza vaccine for the current season; whether a specific budget line was sought or refused for that purpose; and how influenza vaccination policy is prioritised within overall winter-planning and hospital-capacity frameworks. [75079/25]
2324. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of emergency calls classified as purple and red in each of the past 12 months where the National Ambulance Service response time exceeded 60 minutes, broken down by month and by community healthcare organisation area. [75137/25]
2325. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the average and median response times for purple and red emergency calls in each of the past 12 months; and the percentage of such calls meeting the national response time targets set by the Health Service Executive. [75138/25]
2326. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the primary factors identified by her Department and the Health Service Executive as contributing to emergency ambulance response times exceeding 60 minutes, including staffing levels, vehicle availability, hospital handover delays, and rostering constraints. [75139/25]
2327. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of hours ambulances were unavailable for emergency, in each of the past 12 months due to hospital handover delays; and the measures in place to reduce ambulance turnaround times at emergency departments. [75140/25]
2328. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the additional staffing, vehicles, and funding allocated to the National Ambulance Service in 2024 and 2025 to address prolonged emergency response times; and the impact of these measures on response performance to date. [75141/25]
2329. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has conducted or commissioned any risk assessment on patient harm associated with emergency ambulance response times exceeding 60 minutes; and if so, to provide the findings. [75142/25]
2351. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of private health insurance policyholders due to renew their policies between December 2025 and February 2026; the number and proportion of those policies subject to a premium increase at renewal; and the average and median level of increase applied, based on data available to her Department and the Health Insurance Authority. [75295/25]
2352. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department or the Health Insurance Authority has carried out any assessment of the consumer impact of private health insurance premium increases being implemented during peak annual renewal periods; and if so, the findings of that assessment. [75296/25]
2353. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the current market share of each registered private health insurer; whether the Health Insurance Authority has advised her Department of any concerns regarding market concentration or reduced competition; and the steps taken or planned to protect consumers in a highly concentrated health insurance market. [75297/25]
2354. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the extent to which changes in risk equalisation credits, stamp duty, or other statutory charges over the past three years have contributed to increases in private health insurance premiums; and whether any analysis has been conducted on the cumulative impact of these measures on affordability for policyholders. [75298/25]
672. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any gaps, deficiencies, or capacity constraints were identified during the national pandemic command post exercise conducted in March 2025; to list each issue identified under the headings staffing, laboratory capacity, IT systems, public health infrastructure, and points of entry; and to outline the remedial actions approved by her Department in response.…
673. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department received a written report, lessons learned document, or formal evaluation arising from the March 2025 national pandemic command post exercise; the date it was received; which senior officials reviewed it; and whether the report is available for publication. [73500/25]
674. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the current surge staffing capacity available to the HSE for infectious disease screening during periods of elevated risk, expressed in whole time equivalent posts, by staff grade, and by region; and to state whether her Department has identified any staffing shortfalls relative to surge planning assumptions. [73501/25]
675. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the maximum laboratory surge capacity available nationally for infectious disease testing during an elevated risk event, including PCR and genomic sequencing; the maximum weekly throughput assumed in national planning; and the turnaround times used by her Department for preparedness modelling.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73502/25]
676. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has identified any constraints in laboratory throughput, reagent supply, staffing availability, or logistics that would limit surge testing capacity during a public health emergency; and to outline any actions approved to address such constraints. [73503/25]
677. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the national Outbreak Case and Incident Management System and the National Immunisation Information System are fully operational on a national basis; the dates on which each system became operational; and whether either system has undergone stress testing to assess performance under surge conditions. [73504/25]