Questions

616. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has approved any national governance, safeguarding, and clinical governance framework for gender identity services for children and young people, including required standards, audit arrangements, and lines of accountability; and if so, to provide the title, date of approval, and the name of the unit responsible for monitoring compliance. [13…

617. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has conducted or commissioned, since 2019, any risk assessment, safeguarding assurance review, or governance assessment of gender identity services for children and young people, including assessment of diagnostic governance, consent safeguards, data completeness, and clinical oversight; and if so, to provide the date, the commissioning body…

618. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has completed any formal assessment since 2018 of the WPATH Standards of Care for the purposes of alignment with Irish health governance frameworks, including appraisal methodology, conflicts-of-interest screening, and evidence grading; and if so, to provide the date and the governance route by which the assessment was approved. [13695/26]

619. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has issued any written instruction to the HSE to establish a national dataset for gender identity services for minors, including referral volumes, diagnostic profiles, treatment pathways, and outcomes; and if so, to specify the minimum dataset fields required, the legal basis relied upon, and the target date for national coverage [13696/26]

624. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department requires maternity services to record and report, as a national patient safety governance measure, any instance where signs of life are observed following a termination of pregnancy, including whether any national data return is required from maternity hospitals to the Department or to a national programme; and if not, to state the policy ba…

625. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has commissioned or overseen since 2019 any national clinical audit, serious incident learning review, or patient safety governance review in relation to reporting and governance arrangements for cases where signs of life are observed following a termination of pregnancy; and if so, to provide the number of reviews, the dates, and whether fi…

661. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the steps that have been taken to progress the lymphoedema and lipoedema model of care further to successful outcomes from Proof-of-Concept services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13894/26]

668. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if she will commit to the publication of a comprehensive framework outlining a programme for the diagnosis and treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder, encompassing a multidisciplinary contribution from general practitioners, psychiatric and gynaecological specialists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13928/26]

669. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the research her Department is consulting or conducting with respect to the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for the treatment for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13929/26]

670. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the research her Department is consulting or conducting with respect to diagnostic pathways for people with premenstrual dysphoric disorder; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13930/26]

671. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health to provide details on any public awareness programmes or campaigns that her Department or the HSE has carried out to inform people of the symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13931/26]

272. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if patients who go abroad for treatment and still need care when they return must pay out of pocket to receive aftercare; and whether there is a hardship fund to assist in availing of treatment (details supplied). [13107/26]

285. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health if she will consider a recent report commissioned by an organisation (details supplied); if she will consider adding Crohn's, colitis and irritable bowel disease to the list of illnesses which qualify an individual for a long-term illness card; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13169/26]

288. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health if she is concerned that the proposal to ban flavoured nicotine inhalation devices could have a knock-on increase in the number of cigarette smokers; the actions she will take to address these concerns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13181/26]

289. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health to outline any research carried out by her Department into the potential risks of banning flavoured nicotine inhalation devices; whether the potential knock-on increase in people reverting to cigarette smoking was considered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13182/26]

296. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Health the steps her Department is taking to tackle the issue of over-prescribing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13236/26]

1239. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health if the HIQA health technology assessment (HTA) for the shingles vaccines factored in the potential savings to the State and the HSE from the reported impact of the vaccine, from population studies in Canada, Wales, Australia and the US, on delaying the onset of dementia, slowing down its progress and cutting the risk of death among those already diagnosed; if …

1240. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health to outline who conducted the HSE's 2017 position paper on wind turbines and public health; who requested the position paper; the terms of reference that governed the paper; if any stakeholders made submissions to the review, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12868/26]

1241. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health if she is aware that the European Society of Cardiologist's has supported the European Environmental Agency's 2025 Noise Report, (details supplied); the arrangements in place between her Department and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications to ensure public health oversight of environmental noise, traffic, airport and wind turbines; and …

1242. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health given that the HSE's position on wind turbines and public health is currently under review, if she will confirm whether, and on what date, her Department and the HSE were made aware of a submission to the 2019 Draft Wind Energy Development Guidelines by a group of acousticians (details supplied); which offices were informed, including the Office of the Chi…

312. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Health the office or authority which withdrew the 2017 HSE Position Paper Wind Turbines and Public Health; if, the Office of the Chief Medical Officer and the National Director of Public Health were notified of this withdrawal; if so, the dates of same; if and when the Department of Housing; Local Government and Heritage was similarly notified; and if she will make a s…

979. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health the financial supports available for a young person (details supplied), who requires surgery which cannot be performed in Ireland, the UK, Europe or Switzerland, and therefore, must travel to US.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9249/26]

987. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Health if a person (details supplied) will be considered for funding for surgery in the USA; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9265/26]

989. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Health if consideration will be given to basing the cost of the licence to sell cigarettes, currently at €1,000 on the volume of cigarettes sold; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9274/26]

1034. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to outline the Department’s formal policy and methodology for evaluating international clinical guidance prior to its consideration or adoption within national healthcare frameworks; whether any such formal evaluation was undertaken in respect of the WPATH Standards of Care between 2018 and 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9416/26]