Questions

979. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health if current national guidelines on cardiovascular risk assessment in primary care recommend measurement of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] for any cohort of patients; the rationale for current practice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61319/25]

980. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health if she has considered introducing a once-in-a-lifetime lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] test as part of routine cardiovascular risk assessment for adults, in line with emerging European recommendations on heart health and inherited risk; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61320/25]

981. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health if her Department or the HSE has undertaken any clinical or economic evaluation of the potential benefits and costs of introducing once-in-a-lifetime lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] testing for the general population; the details of any such analysis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61321/25]

982. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health the proportion of adults in the State for whom Lp(a) has been measured at least once; the estimated prevalence of elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] among those tested; the extent to which this information is used to guide more intensive LDL cholesterol lowering or other preventive measures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61322/25]

983. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health if she will report on any international examples, particularly within the EU, where once-in-a-lifetime lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] testing has been adopted or piloted as part of national cardiovascular prevention strategies; if similar pilots are being considered in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61323/25]

984. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health if she will ensure that future revision of national cardiovascular prevention guidelines for primary care explicitly considers the role of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] testing in identifying people at inherited high risk of heart disease and stroke; if she will report on the timeframe for such guideline updates; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61324/2…

985. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health the way in which her Department plans to improve early detection and management of cardiovascular risk in primary care over the next five years, including the role of lipid testing, potential once-in-a-lifetime lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] screening, and targeted follow up for high-risk patients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61325/25]

1840. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health the number and proportion of students in eligible schools immunisation cohort who received dose 1; completed the HPV vaccination course in each of the academic years 2019-2020 to 2024-2025; the figures in by sex (male/female), county, and CHO, including denominators used for coverage calculations, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter.…

1841. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health the estimated number and proportion of the eligible school cohort with no HPV vaccination recorded in each of the academic years 2019-2020 to 2024-2025; the reasons recorded for non-vaccination (no consent, absent on day, contraindication, deferred, other); the actions being taken to reduce the non-vaccinated proportion in 2025-2026; and if she will make a stat…

1842. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health the number of catch-up HPV vaccinations administered outside the school programme since 1 January 2019 by age band (15-19, 20-26, 27-45 years), sex, CHO, and provider setting (GP, pharmacy, HSE clinic); the number completing full schedules; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58796/25]

1843. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health the most recent mid-year uptake snapshot for the 2025-2026 school cohort, to include first-dose uptake and scheduled completion rate by sex and county; the communications and outreach measures funded in 2025-2026 to improve uptake, including targeted engagement with boys/young men, DEIS schools, migrant communities and medically vulnerable groups; and if she wi…

1844. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health the annual number and age-standardised incidence of HPV-attributable cancers in Ireland over the past ten years, by site (cervix, oropharynx, anus, penis, vulva, vagina) and sex, with the proportion HPV-16 positive where available; the source methodology (e.g. NCRI linkage, p16/HPV genotyping); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58798/25]

1845. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health the distribution of stage at diagnosis and median age at diagnosis for HPV-16-positive oropharyngeal and anal cancers over the most recent five years; the median time from first presentation to diagnosis; and the actions being taken to shorten diagnostic intervals in primary care, dental services, and ENT pathways; and if she will make a statement on the matter…

1846. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health the current laboratory testing policy for head-and-neck, anal and cervical cancers regarding p16 immunohistochemistry, HPV DNA genotyping, and where available E6/E7 mRNA assays; the proportion of relevant tumours tested for HPV status each year; the steps being taken to standardise national reporting to the NCRI; and if she will make a statement on the matter. …

795. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health for an update on the work being done by her Department, and agencies under its remit, to facilitate, in line with the commitment under the Programme for Government, the easier return to Ireland for emigrants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56790/25]

118. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health for an update on the strategic review of general practice; and the bringing forward of a new, modern GP contract. [52362/25]

204. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health her plans to include inflammatory bowel disease and inflammatory arthritis within the remit of the long-term illness scheme. [52361/25]

866. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health if public health authorities sample for the presence of the polio virus in wastewater; if so, if it has been detected since the start of 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51442/25]

867. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of the case of a person (details supplied); to ensure clinical and administrative policies have been followed; if an update will be provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51444/25]

332. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health if the HSE will provide, for each of the past three years, the number of hospital outpatient and day-case attendances where alopecia areata (ICD-10 L63) was recorded as a primary or secondary diagnosis, by hospital group and by hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49344/25]

333. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health the number of whole-time equivalent consultant dermatologists and dermatology clinical nurse specialists, by hospital and hospital group; the number that list hair and scalp disorders as a special interest; whether the HSE has a published clinical pathway for alopecia areata, including step therapy and access to advanced therapies; and if she will make a stateme…

2041. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health if he has received from the Minister for Health the materials required under regulation 9 of S.I. No. 413 of 2022 in respect of CORU’s July 2025 Standards and Criteria for counsellors and psychotherapists; if his Department has notified the European Commission accordingly; and, in view of the psychotherapy entry requirement being set at NFQ Level 9 and counsell…

2080. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health the number of advance healthcare directives submitted to the Decision Support Service, by month since April 2023; the number of decisions made each month in respect of such submissions, including any refusals, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44615/25]

2200. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of an issue in relation to the organ donation opt-out register (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45044/25]

2201. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the number of applications processed by the new organ donation opt-out register system, by month, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45045/25]