Parliamentary questions

667. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the treatment abroad scheme appears on any HSE or Departmental risk register, internal audit plan or audit universe; and if so, under what risk category. [41236/26]

668. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any annual governance review, assurance statement, compliance certification or similar review is completed in respect of the treatment abroad scheme. [41237/26]

669. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any designated officer is responsible for ensuring value-for-money compliance, expenditure control and public financial governance in respect of the treatment abroad scheme. [41238/26]

670. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any cumulative annual expenditure threshold under the treatment abroad scheme triggers enhanced review, senior management escalation or Departmental notification. [41239/26]

671. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any per-patient expenditure threshold applies under the treatment abroad scheme and whether high-cost cases require separate financial approval distinct from clinical approval. [41240/26]

672. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether retrospective expenditure analysis is carried out to identify outlier costs, repeated high-cost providers, abnormal billing patterns or unusual procedure-level expenditure under the treatment abroad scheme. [41241/26]

673. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any formal mechanism exists to benchmark the cost of procedures funded under the treatment abroad scheme against comparable costs in other EU or EEA jurisdictions. [41242/26]

674. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any procurement, commissioning, preferred-provider or provider-assurance framework exists where overseas providers are used repeatedly under the treatment abroad scheme. [41243/26]

675. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE maintains structured follow-up data on clinical outcomes, complications, revision procedures, readmissions or adverse events arising after treatment abroad scheme-funded procedures. [41244/26]

676. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether patient-reported outcome measures are collected in respect of procedures funded under the treatment abroad scheme. [41245/26]

677. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any mechanism exists to suspend, restrict, review or escalate referrals to an overseas provider where concerns arise regarding outcomes, standards, billing or patient safety. [41246/26]

678. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE maintains a central data set of treatment abroad scheme approvals including procedure type, jurisdiction, provider, cost, clinical indication, approval date and outcome data. [41247/26]

679. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether their Department has reviewed the adequacy of current governance, audit, expenditure-control and outcome-monitoring arrangements for the treatment abroad scheme since 2020; and if so, to provide the date and outcome of that review. [41248/26]

680. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether their Department distinguishes, for governance purposes, between treatments unavailable in the State due to capacity constraints and treatments unavailable due to policy, clinical, ethical or regulatory considerations. [41249/26]

681. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any additional governance safeguards apply where the State funds, through the treatment abroad scheme, procedures which are not routinely provided within the Irish public healthcare system. [41250/26]

682. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any external body, including HIQA, the HSE Internal Audit function, the Comptroller and Auditor General or another assurance body, has been asked since 2020 to review the governance, expenditure control or patient-safety oversight of the treatment abroad scheme. [41251/26]

683. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Department has received any advice, briefing or internal submission since 2020 on the financial, clinical or governance risks associated with the treatment abroad scheme. [41252/26]

684. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether they will commission an independent governance and value-for-money review of the treatment abroad scheme, having regard to public expenditure, patient safety, outcome monitoring and cross-border provider oversight. [41253/26]

685. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any formal evidential appraisal framework was applied before WPATH Standards of Care Version 7 was referenced within the 2019 CAAC application underpinning the National Gender Service Model of Care. [41254/26]

686. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any independent systematic evidence review was undertaken by the HSE, Department of Health, CAAC, or any external adviser before reliance was placed upon WPATH Standards of Care within the consultant child and adolescent psychiatry post application approved under the 2018 National Gender Service Model of Care. [41255/26]

687. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE conducted any written clinical safety assessment, medico-legal assessment, child safeguarding assessment, or governance review concerning the use of WPATH Standards of Care in services relating to children and adolescents prior to the approval of the consultant psychiatry post referenced in Parliamentary Question No. 304 of 10 D…

688. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the names and governance positions of the individuals, committees, or national clinical structures involved in approving the wording contained in the 2019 CAAC application referencing WPATH Standards of Care Version 7. [41257/26]

689. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE retains copies of the full CAAC application submitted in December 2019 relating to the consultant child and adolescent psychiatry post approved under the National Gender Service Model of Care; and whether the Minister will arrange for a copy to be furnished. [41258/26]

690. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any concerns, objections, reservations, or governance issues were recorded internally during the approval or recruitment process relating to the proposed consultant child and adolescent psychiatry post approved under the National Gender Service Model of Care. [41259/26]

691. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any external professional body, advocacy organisation, international clinical body, or external adviser was consulted regarding the wording or clinical framework used within the 2019 CAAC application relating to the consultant child and adolescent psychiatry post. [41260/26]