Parliamentary questions

1284. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Department has examined the establishment of an independent oversight or inspection mechanism for the treatment abroad scheme, comparable to governance arrangements applying in other areas of publicly funded healthcare expenditure. [39186/26]

1285. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any assessment has been undertaken regarding the appropriateness of relying primarily on referring consultants for overseas treatment selection and governance assurance under the treatment abroad scheme. [39187/26]

1286. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total annual expenditure under the treatment abroad scheme for each year from 2020 to 2026, inclusive, and the proportion of that expenditure subject to formal audit review. [39188/26]

1287. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE conducts any comparative benchmarking of treatment costs between different EU or EEA jurisdictions under the treatment abroad scheme; and if she will provide details of the methodology used. [39189/26]

1288. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE has conducted any assessment of the long-term financial impact of increasing reliance on the treatment abroad scheme for procedures not currently available in Ireland. [39190/26]

1289. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any central register exists recording the total annual cost per treatment category funded under the treatment abroad scheme. [39191/26]

1290. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE records clinical outcomes, complication rates or patient satisfaction data in respect of procedures funded under the treatment abroad scheme. [39192/26]

1291. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Department of Health has carried out any review assessing whether certain procedures regularly funded abroad under the treatment abroad scheme could be developed domestically within the public health system. [39193/26]

1292. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any maximum financial approval thresholds apply under the treatment abroad scheme before additional senior management or Departmental approval is required. [39194/26]

1293. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Comptroller and Auditor General has conducted any audit specifically examining value-for-money, expenditure controls or financial governance under the treatment abroad scheme since 2020. [39195/26]

1294. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE maintains data comparing the cost of treatments funded abroad under the treatment abroad scheme against estimated equivalent domestic treatment costs. [39196/26]

1295. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the treatment abroad scheme is currently subject to any formal risk assessment relating to expenditure growth, cost escalation, or dependency on overseas treatment provision. [39197/26]

1296. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any external consultancy, economic review, or health technology assessment has been commissioned in relation to expenditure under the treatment abroad scheme since 2020. [39198/26]

1297. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE maintains any central register of adverse clinical outcomes, complications, revision procedures, hospital readmissions or patient safety incidents arising from treatments funded under the treatment abroad scheme.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39199/26]

1298. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE receives any routine post-treatment clinical outcome reports from overseas providers in respect of procedures funded under the treatment abroad scheme. [39200/26]

1299. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any structured patient follow-up programme exists for persons returning to Ireland following procedures funded under the treatment abroad scheme. [39201/26]

1300. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Department or HSE has carried out any review of long-term patient outcomes associated with procedures funded under the treatment abroad scheme since 2020. [39202/26]

1301. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any value-for-money framework exists comparing the clinical outcomes and costs associated with overseas procedures funded under the treatment abroad scheme against equivalent treatment pathways domestically. [39203/26]

1302. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE maintains any provider-level performance monitoring system in respect of overseas hospitals or clinics receiving treatment abroad scheme referrals. [39204/26]

1303. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any formal patient safety governance framework exists specifically governing procedures funded under the treatment abroad scheme. [39205/26]

1304. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of complaints, adverse incident reports, legal claims or clinical governance concerns associated with procedures funded under the treatment abroad scheme since 2020. [39206/26]

1305. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Department has sought legal advice regarding governance and duty-of-care obligations arising from State-funded overseas medical procedures where no structured outcomes monitoring system exists. [39207/26]

1306. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the absence of structured clinical outcome monitoring under the treatment abroad scheme has been identified on any Departmental or HSE risk register. [39208/26]

1307. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE maintains a category-specific expenditure breakdown for procedures funded under the treatment abroad scheme; and if so, whether gender affirmation surgeries are separately identifiable within those records. [39210/26]

1308. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any value-for-money assessment has been conducted regarding overseas gender affirmation surgeries funded under the treatment abroad scheme since 2020. [39211/26]