Questions

181. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the reason for recent changes to the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland’s (RCPI) Basic Specialist Training recruitment process; to respond to concerns (details supplied); if she has engaged with the RCPI regarding this change; and if there are any plans to introduce transitional arrangements. [67484/26]

545. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the status of the proposed EU Common Training Framework (CTF) for physiotherapists; if her Department or CORU has taken a formal position on its potential introduction; the measures being considered to ensure that any future regulatory framework maintains patient safety and professional standards, particularly in light of variations in physiotherapy training ac…

2120. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Health if her attention has been drawn to the difficulties being experienced by Irish students studying physiotherapy abroad in sourcing clinical placements within Irish hospitals; if her attention has been further drawn to concerns that placements are being prioritised for students attending Irish universities; the steps her Department will take to support such s…

2167. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Health if she will consider reopening a competency-based assessment pathway for experienced social care workers who missed the section 91 deadline; if CORU will be directed to explore accelerated or alternative registration routes for long-serving practitioners, given the acute workforce shortages in the sector; and if a legislative or policy review is planned that would…

2355. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health the progress made towards the statutory regulation of certified athletic therapists through CORU; the reasons for the delay in advancing regulation despite representations from the profession over a period of more than sixteen years; the timeframe within which she expects a decision on the matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43727/26]

2392. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health to respond to matters raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding CORU-registered internationally trained physiotherapist not being able to enter clinical practice; the steps she is taking to address existing barriers to employment; the engagements she has had with the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment in respect of this issue; and if she…

2393. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health to provide clarification regarding the lifting of the recruitment freeze on physician associates (PAs); the steps being taken to facilitate the recruitment of PAs into the HSE again; the timeline she is working towards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44002/26]

2394. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health her plans with respect to the proposed salary structures for physician associates to address concerns related to the proposed reductions (detail supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44003/26]

1205. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if she will provide details on the number of pharmacy graduates registered with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland in each of the past five years; if she will outline what analysis, if any, has been undertaken by her Department on the capacity of the Irish healthcare system to absorb the growing number of pharmacy graduates entering the workforce each y…

1206. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if she will provide details on the number of pharmacy technicians who have completed accredited training programmes in Ireland in each of the past three years; if her Department has assessed demand for pharmacy technician employment across community and hospital pharmacy settings in Ireland, particularly in light of the graduation of approximately 170 phar…

1207. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if she will outline the policy framework governing hospital pharmacy workforce planning in Ireland; if her Department has assessed current and projected demand for clinical pharmacists across acute hospital settings, including Cork University Hospital, which serves as a Level 3 paediatric cardiology centre for the Munster region; and if she will make a sta…

209. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health if she will advise on the CORU registration adaptation requirements for individuals who have moved to the State (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28798/26]

1754. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the reason the arrangement under which validation of entry-to-practice qualifications for clinical measurement physiologists was undertaken by a body (details supplied), which has carried out this function for approximately 20 years, was ended; the basis for this decision and the details of any review, evaluation or due diligence which informed that decision;…

1755. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the person or body currently responsible for the validation of entry-to-practice qualifications for clinical measurement physiologists in Ireland; the formal process, criteria, governance and oversight mechanisms that are now in place; whether this system applies consistently across the public, voluntary and private health sectors; and the assurances that can…

1768. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health the measures she is taking to ensure a smooth, efficient, and affordable transfer for nurses who have studied and trained abroad but wish to work as a nurse within the HSE; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18876/26]

571. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health the percentage of those studying medicine in higher education institutions in the State at present and in each of the past five years who are non-EU students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18056/26]

652. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health when she will consider and publish the review of the physician assistant or associate role in the health service; if she will sanction the grade and role; the steps she is taking to ensure robust governance; the steps she is taking to ensure that other professions which could or do perform some of the roles proposed for physician associates are supported to pr…

676. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 359 of 11 February 2026, to confirm that she has received the HSE’s report into the physician associate grade; if she will publish this report; the timeline for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13939/26]

359. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No.438 of 2 October 2025, if the HSE’s review of the physician associate grade has been completed, given that it was due by the end of 2025; the timeline being worked towards for publication; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10826/26]

950. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health whether it will be a hiring requirement for the HSE that graduate counsellors/psychotherapists have completed non-mandatory personal therapy hours, which were previously mandatory but have been changed under CORU guidelines; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7402/26]

1064. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if there is a career pathway for graduates of radiation therapy and radiography within the public system upon graduation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70213/25]

1065. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the health care professional graduates which have guaranteed jobs in the public system upon graduation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70214/25]

994. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health to intervene and pause the board’s decision to adopt the proposed standards and criteria for counsellors and psychotherapists by the counsellors and psychotherapists registration board of CORU, pending a full review to ensure that the process is lawful, proportionate, and transparent, and that it aligns with appropriate regulatory oversight; and if she will make …

1056. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if she will direct that any future regulatory measures proposed by CORU or its registration boards are subject to full proportionality assessment, public consultation, and Ministerial oversight prior to adoption, in accordance with the proportionality regulations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61779/25]

1057. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if she will ensure that the implementation of new professional standards for counsellors and psychotherapists under CORU is aligned with the national workforce planning objectives for mental health services to avoid unintended reductions in service availability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61780/25]