Questions

2252. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the up-to-date position in respect of the application for pricing and reimbursement of skyclarys (omaveloxolone) for the treatment of Friedreich’s ataxia in adults and adolescents aged 16 years and older; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43399/26]

1464. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the supports available through the HSE QUIT smoking cessation service for people seeking to stop using nicotine products; if these supports include smoking cessation supports for users of e-cigarettes/vapes and oral nicotine products such as nicotine pouches; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39945/26]

301. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the timeline for a decision by the HSE drugs group regarding the reimbursement of risdiplam for adults living with spinal muscular atrophy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38284/26]

232. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if she is aware that a survey conducted by the Psychosis Education Network of psychiatrists' views identified an ongoing lack of a national programme of comprehensive, evidence-based psychoeducation for people with experience of psychosis and their families; given the World Health Organization recommendations in this regard, the steps her Department and the HSE wil…

233. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of concerns regarding the impact of the discontinuation of the Peer Payment Register in 2019 on the involvement of service users and family facilitators in recovery-focused programmes such as EOLAS; when her Department's review of alternative models to remunerate sessional peer facilitators will be published; and if she will make a statement on the …

1077. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to confirm whether a lease has been signed by the HSE for the Mayfield Ballyvollane Primary Care Centre with the developer of the facility in view of the urgent need for this facility due to the large housing developments in construction in the area and the fact that planning permission was granted for the facility in December 2025; if a lease has not yet been sig…

1240. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health whether she is concerned about the promotion and sale of obesity medicines to under-18s for cosmetic weight-loss purposes by black-market actors; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35309/26]

827. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the estimated economic cost of obesity-related illness due to workforce absenteeism and reduced productivity; the number of working days lost annually due to obesity-related illness; the estimated cost to the State and the economy arising from these productivity losses; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32946/26]

828. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the plans to tackle the promotion and sale of counterfeit obesity medicines online and offline which are in breach of the law, endanger public health and can contribute to organised crime. [32947/26]

831. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health whether she plans to meet the social media companies whose platforms are being used to sell counterfeit obesity medicines which endanger public health. [33441/26]

895. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to clarify the 5 January 2026 memo from the HSE Codeine Working Group instructing that low dose codeine-containing products should not be stocked routinely in clinical areas in any HSE or HSE-funded service, and that they be removed from clinical stock by 5 June 2026; if she will confirm whether this reflects official Department of Health or HSE policy; and if she …

896. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to clarify claims in the 5 January 2026 HSE memo that low-dose codeine combination products are no more effective than paracetamol or ibuprofen alone; to identify the evidence base for this; to confirm current policy on managing chronic pain; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32234/26]

897. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if she will provide details of the HPRA’s engagement with patient groups and stakeholders during its ongoing review of over-the-counter codeine medicines which commenced in November 2022, including which organisations were consulted and the nature of that engagement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32235/26]

898. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if she is satisfied that the HPRA review process on over-the-counter codeine medicines meets the required standards of transparency, proportionality and scientific rigour; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32236/26]

899. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to clarify the basis for the 5 January 2026 memo of the HSE codeine working group on low-dose codeine stating that low dose paracetamol ibuprofen are no more effective than paracetamol or ibuprofen alone for the management of pain; to instruct that low-dose codeine products should not be stocked routinely in clinical areas in any HSE or HSE-funded service, to remov…

1144. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health whether Ireland intends to use its Presidency of the Council of the European Union to advocate for the inclusion of provisions within any revised tobacco products directive that would permit member states to introduce generational tobacco sales restrictions, similar to those enacted in the United Kingdom under the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2025; whether her Department…

1145. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has submitted Ireland's health priorities for inclusion in the eighteen-month Trio Presidency programme being developed with Lithuania and Greece; if so, whether she will outline those priorities; whether the programme will address the regulation of tobacco and novel nicotine products; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32832/2…

1146. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health whether Ireland intends to seek Council conclusions on tobacco control during its Presidency; if so, the proposed scope of such conclusions; whether such conclusions would address the regulatory treatment of novel nicotine products; and whether she has consulted with other Member States on this matter. [32833/26]

1147. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health in light of the European Commission's evaluation of the Tobacco Products Directive published on 2 April 2026, which found that smoking prevalence across the EU has fallen from 28% in 2012 to 24% in 2023 but that the interim goal of Europe's Beating Cancer Plan to achieve a 30% reduction in tobacco use by 2025 has not been met; the additional measures she believes …

1173. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the steps planned to protect patients' safety in light of recent figures from the HPRA that show a major spike in the volume of illegally sourced obesity medicines detained last year. [32944/26]

1174. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the action she intends to take to protect patients from the health risks of the rapidly increasing availability of counterfeit obesity medicines which are untested, unregulated and unlicensed. [32945/26]

198. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health when she intends to publish a new Obesity Policy and Action Plan; if she will publish a report on her Department’s public consultation on the matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28779/26]

199. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the annual funding allocated to obesity prevention and weight-management programmes; the number of patients accessing HSE weight-management or obesity services each year; the estimated cost savings to the health service from prevention interventions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28780/26]

200. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the estimated economic cost of obesity-related illness due to workforce absenteeism, reduced productivity; the number of working days lost annually due to obesity-related illness; the estimated cost to the State and the economy arising from these productivity losses; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28781/26]

201. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the number of hospital admissions in public hospitals between 2020 to date, where obesity was recorded as a primary or secondary diagnosis; the average length of stay for patients with obesity-related conditions; and the estimated cost to the HSE of these admissions, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28782/26]