Parliamentary questions

711. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of persons currently awaiting orthopaedic outpatient consultations for possible knee replacement surgery for more than , six months, twelve months and, eighteen months, by hospital.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36275/26]

712. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the average period of time between an orthopaedic outpatient consultation and placement on an inpatient surgical waiting list for knee replacement surgery. [36276/26]

713. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE distinguishes publicly between persons awaiting outpatient orthopaedic assessment and persons formally placed on inpatient orthopaedic surgical waiting lists; and if she will provide details of same. [36277/26]

714. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health number of patients currently awaiting knee replacement surgery who are not yet formally recorded on an inpatient waiting list because they remain awaiting outpatient assessment. [36278/26]

715. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any national prioritisation criteria exist for orthopaedic patients experiencing severe chronic pain, mobility deterioration or loss of independence while awaiting assessment or surgery. [36279/26]

716. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the average total pathway waiting time from GP referral to completed knee replacement surgery in each HSE region. [36280/26]

717. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department or HSE has assessed the extent to which outpatient bottlenecks are contributing to delays in access to orthopaedic surgery. [36281/26]

718. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether additional orthopaedic assessment clinics or theatre capacity are planned in 2026 to address delays in knee replacement pathways. [36282/26]

719. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of orthopaedic patients removed from waiting lists in each of the past three years due to administrative review, non-response, or reclassification. [36283/26]

720. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether patients awaiting orthopaedic surgery are routinely informed whether they are on an outpatient assessment list or a formal inpatient surgical waiting list. [36284/26]

721. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Health Service Executive maintains any central register, log, database or reporting mechanism recording instances where concerns have been raised regarding inconsistent interpretation or application of national policy across health regions; and, if so, to provide details. [36285/26]

722. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any key performance indicators currently used within the Health Regions framework specifically measure consistency of decision-making, policy application, or service eligibility across regions; and if so, to provide details of those indicators. [36286/26]

723. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any regional variance analysis has been undertaken in respect of waiting times, service access criteria, funding approvals, or operational decision-making since the establishment of the Health Regions model; and if so, to provide the findings. [36287/26]

724. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE Performance and Accountability Framework contains defined escalation thresholds for intervention where material regional disparities emerge; and if so, to provide those thresholds. [36288/26]

725. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health number of formal escalations, interventions, corrective actions, or performance management measures initiated under the Performance and Accountability Framework in respect of Health Regions since their establishment. [36289/26]

726. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any independent external evaluation has been commissioned regarding governance consistency within the Health Regions model; and if not, whether such an evaluation is planned. [36290/26]

727. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Department has assessed the risk that increased regional autonomy could result in unequal access to services or inconsistent operational interpretation of national policy across different parts of the State. [36291/26]

728. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether patients or service users currently have any formal mechanism to challenge regional inconsistencies in service access, eligibility determinations, or operational decisions between Health Regions. [36292/26]

729. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether comparative regional dashboards exist showing differences in operational approvals, expenditure patterns, staffing allocation, or service delivery outcomes between the six Health Regions. [36293/26]

730. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE intends to publish periodic comparative reports assessing consistency of service delivery and operational governance across all Health Regions [36294/26]

731. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE maintains any centralised audit mechanism to assess whether local decisions regarding agency staffing comply with national policy restrictions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36306/26]

732. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any written national framework exists governing exemptions, approvals, or derogations from agency staffing restrictions within the HSE; and to provide copies of any such framework [36307/26]

733. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of occasions on which Health Regions exceeded their agency spend reduction targets since the introduction of the current controls, broken down by region and quarter. [36308/26]

734. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE has assessed the governance risks associated with the absence of a central reporting system for monitoring compliance with agency staffing controls; and if so, to provide details of that assessment. [36309/26]

735. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any internal audit, external audit, or review has been conducted regarding compliance with agency staffing restrictions since their introduction; and if so, to provide details and findings. [36310/26]