Parliamentary questions

1209. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the laboratories recognised by the HSE for lyme disease testing; the testing methodologies currently utilised; and if a review of international testing standards has been undertaken since 2020. [39053/26]

1210. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if the Department or HSE has examined international approaches to lyme disease diagnosis, testing and long-term patient management; if so, which jurisdictions were examined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39054/26]

1211. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if the HSE collects data on the number of patients presenting with long-term or chronic symptoms following lyme disease infection; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39055/26]

1212. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the estimated annual expenditure incurred by the HSE in relation to lyme disease diagnosis, treatment and management from 2020 to 2026, in tabular form. [39056/26]

1213. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if a national public awareness campaign relating to tick-borne illnesses and lyme disease has been undertaken since 2020; the associated annual expenditure; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39057/26]

1214. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has assessed regional or seasonal trends in lyme disease incidence within the State; and if she will provide details of same. [39058/26]

1215. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department or HSE has engaged with patient advocacy organisations representing persons living with lyme disease since 2020; the groups involved; the dates of engagement; and the outcomes arising from such engagement. [39059/26]

1216. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if any dedicated disability, occupational or psychosocial supports exist for persons experiencing long-term complications associated with lyme disease; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39060/26]

1217. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if the HSE maintains data on waiting times for infectious disease consultations relating to suspected lyme disease; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39061/26]

1218. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if a review has been undertaken regarding access to intravenous antibiotic treatment for severe lyme disease cases within the public health system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39062/26]

1219. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department funds or supports any Irish research projects relating to lyme disease, tick-borne illnesses, or long-term post-infectious complications; the funding allocated annually since 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39063/26]

1220. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if lyme disease is included within national communicable disease surveillance and reporting frameworks operated by the HSE and Health Protection Surveillance Centre; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39064/26]

1221. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of hospital admissions annually associated with lyme disease, neurological lyme disease, lyme carditis or lyme arthritis from 2020 to 2026, in tabular form. [39065/26]

1222. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has assessed the economic and workforce impact associated with long-term lyme disease illness, including inability to work and disability-related impacts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39066/26]

1223. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if the HSE has assessed the clinical impact of reimbursement delays for patients with progressive neurological conditions where irreversible deterioration may occur during the assessment process. [39068/26]

1224. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if the HSE maintains any target timeframe for completion of reimbursement assessments relating to treatments for progressive neurodegenerative diseases. [39069/26]

1225. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department or HSE has considered establishing an accelerated reimbursement pathway for medicines relating to rare progressive neurological disorders. [39070/26]

1226. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the average duration of the pricing and reimbursement process for orphan medicines since 2020, from initial application to final decision. [39071/26]

1227. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if a review has been undertaken into the patient impact of delays in reimbursement decisions for orphan or rare disease medicines. [39072/26]

1228. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if the HSE records cases in which a patient’s clinical condition significantly deteriorated while a reimbursement application remained under assessment. [39073/26]

1229. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if the HSE has conducted an international benchmarking on timelines for reimbursement decisions relating to orphan medicines and rare neurological conditions. [39074/26]

1230. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if there is a mechanism permitting interim or conditional reimbursement for medicines treating progressive neurological diseases pending completion of the full reimbursement process. [39075/26]

1231. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to provide, for each of the past five years, the total expenditure by the HSE and Section 38 voluntary hospitals on temporary agency and locum staffing, broken down by supplier name, staff category, Health Region, hospital, community healthcare organisation, and service site. [39097/26]

1232. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to provide, for each HSE hospital, approved mental health centre, CAMHS service, and community healthcare service, the total whole-time equivalent staffing complement, the number represented by agency or locum staff, and the percentage agency dependency, broken down by staff category, Health Region, and year. [39098/26]

1233. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE maintains a centralised national system for recording complaints, safeguarding concerns, removals from placement, “do not return” notifications, credentialing concerns, disciplinary concerns, or repeated performance issues relating to agency or locum healthcare workers across HSE-funded services. [39099/26]