Parliamentary questions

1933. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any audits, reviews, inspections, or examinations of the treatment abroad scheme have been conducted by the HSE Internal Audit function, the Comptroller and Auditor General, or any external body since 2020; if so, the dates and broad findings of each review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41912/26]

1934. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the treatment abroad scheme operates any expenditure-control thresholds, enhanced review procedures, or escalation mechanisms for high-cost approvals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41913/26]

1935. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total annual expenditure approved under the treatment abroad scheme in each year from 2020 to 2026, broken down by medical specialty, destination country, and number of approved patients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41914/26]

1936. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the treatment abroad scheme records both the estimated cost at the point of authorisation and the final invoiced cost paid following treatment in each individual case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41916/26]

1937. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the treatment abroad scheme conducts any formal variance analysis between estimated and actual expenditure incurred per patient following overseas treatment approval; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41917/26]

1938. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of treatment abroad scheme cases since 2020 in which final invoiced costs exceeded original estimated costs by (a) less than 10%, (b) 10% to 25%, (c) 25% to 50%, and (d) greater than 50%; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41918/26]

1939. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any threshold exists under the treatment abroad scheme requiring additional review, approval, or escalation where final treatment costs materially exceed original estimated expenditure; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41919/26]

1940. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the treatment abroad scheme maintains a patient-level expenditure reconciliation process following completion of treatment abroad; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41920/26]

1941. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any internal audits carried out by the HSE internal audit office or Comptroller and Auditor General since 2020 examined variance between estimated and actual expenditure under the treatment abroad scheme; and if she will provide the dates and broad findings of any such audits. [41921/26]

1942. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Health for an update on the delivery of the implementation plan in response to the report entitled the Use of Uro-gynaecological Mesh in Surgical Procedure; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41923/26]

1943. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any formal written clinical governance assessment, evidence review, or risk-benefit analysis was completed prior to the approval of the 2021 consultant child and adolescent psychiatry post associated with the National Gender Service Model of Care; and if she will provide details of the body or individuals responsible for preparing and …

1944. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Consultant Applications Advisory Committee received any written submissions, appendices, briefing papers, or supporting documentation referencing WPATH Standards of Care Version 7 during consideration of the 2019 application for the consultant child and adolescent psychiatry post associated with the National Gender Service Model of…

1945. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any external expert advice, peer review, or independent clinical assessment was sought prior to the inclusion of WPATH Standards of Care Version 7 within the consultant application submitted in December 2019; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41926/26]

1946. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE retains records identifying the specific individuals, committees, or governance structures responsible for approving references to WPATH Standards of Care Version 7 within the 2019 consultant application associated with the National Gender Service Model of Care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41927/26]

1947. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any review has been undertaken of the evidential basis, governance arrangements, or clinical assumptions underpinning the 2018 National Gender Service Model of Care in light of subsequent international reviews and evolving evidence; and if she will provide details of any such review. [41928/26]

1948. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any concerns were recorded during recruitment campaigns for the consultant child and adolescent psychiatry post associated with the National Gender Service Model of Care regarding the proposed service model, governance arrangements, clinical framework, or evidential basis underpinning the role; and if she will make a statement on the m…

1949. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the number of complaints made against healthcare staff regarding clinical practices, judgment or decisions made through the HSE ‘Your Service, Your Say’ in 2024 and 2025, in tabular form. [41930/26]

1950. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if she is aware that according to a 2024 review of cancer research investment in Ireland covering the period 2019 to 2022, 60% of €106.5 million awarded in cancer research grants by eight participating funders was concentrated in just three universities (details supplied); the steps being taken to broaden the institutional distribution …

1951. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost to the State of enforcing and prosecuting breaches of Covid-19 public health regulations, including legal and administrative costs. [41940/26]

1952. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if she is aware that according to the cancer dashboard for Ireland published by the Swedish Institute for Health Economics in January 2026, drawing on Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association data, State processing time for cancer medicine reimbursement applications submitted between 2022 and 2024 averaged 492 days, more than twice t…

1953. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if she is aware that according to the cancer dashboard for Ireland published by the Swedish Institute for Health Economics in January 2026, oncologists in Ireland report tailoring cancer treatment decisions based on patients' private health insurance status as a result of delays in public reimbursement of new cancer medicines, creating …

1954. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health her plans for upgrading Cork University Hospital/University College Cork, which is certified as a cancer centre by the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes, to the higher designation of comprehensive cancer centre accreditation, as recommended in the cancer dashboard for Ireland published by the Swedish Institute for Health Econom…

1955. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if she will report on the current status of the national radiation therapy machine replacement programme, given that according to the cancer dashboard for Ireland published by the Swedish Institute for Health Economics in January 2026 the Irish Radiation Oncology Advocacy Group reported in October 2025 that nearly 75% of linear accelera…

1956. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if she is aware that according to the cancer dashboard for Ireland published by the Swedish Institute for Health Economics in January 2026, CervicalCheck five-year participation rates in the period ending March 2023 varied from 66% in County Laois to 82% in County Carlow, with only three counties meeting the National Screening Service t…

1957. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if she will report on the implementation of the National Adult Palliative Care Policy launched by her Department in September 2024, including the allocation of the €2 million set aside for initial rollout in 2024; the steps being taken to reach the European Association for Palliative Care benchmark of two specialised palliative care ser…