Parliamentary questions

1099. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the corporate information facility templates used for counselling activity reporting are subject to periodic review and approval at Department level; and if she will provide details of such reviews. [29911/26]

1100. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has issued any guidance on the minimum data standards required for counselling services to ensure national comparability and transparency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29912/26]

1101. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether counselling activity data reported by the Health Service Executive is independently verified or subject to external audit; and if she will provide details of any such processes. [29913/26]

1102. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any evaluation has been undertaken to assess whether current data reporting arrangements adequately support evidence-based policymaking in mental health counselling services; and if she will provide details of same. [29914/26]

1103. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the absence of a formal national policy governing counselling activity statistics has been identified as a governance risk within her Department or the Health Service Executive; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29915/26]

1104. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department intends to align counselling activity reporting standards with broader national health data governance frameworks; and if so, to provide a timeline for such alignment. [29916/26]

1105. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any international benchmarking has been undertaken in relation to the governance and standardisation of counselling activity data; and if she will provide details. [29917/26]

1106. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any national-level audit, verification, or quality assurance process is conducted by or on behalf of her Department or the Health Service Executive in respect of counselling activity data submitted by health regions; and if so, to provide details of the scope, frequency, and findings of such processes. [29918/26]

1107. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any independent or internal audit of counselling activity data systems has been conducted since 2020; and if so, to provide the dates, scope, and outcomes of each such audit. [29919/26]

1108. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health which unit, division, or office holds ultimate responsibility for assuring the accuracy, consistency, and completeness of national counselling activity data. [29920/26]

1109. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the systems or controls in place at national level to identify, flag, and correct discrepancies or anomalies in counselling activity data submitted by Health Regions. [29921/26]

1110. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Health Service Executive maintains any metric, estimate, or benchmark regarding the rate of error or data inconsistency in counselling activity reporting; and if so, to provide such data. [29922/26]

1111. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Comptroller and Auditor General, internal audit, or any external body has examined or reviewed the systems used to collect and verify counselling activity data; and if so, to provide details.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29923/26]

1112. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether standardised national protocols exist governing the validation and verification of counselling activity data prior to submission to the National Business Information Unit; and if so, to provide details. [29924/26]

1113. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the steps been taken to mitigate the risk of human error arising from the manual processes involved in counselling activity data collection and submission. [29925/26]

1114. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any cross-regional comparative analysis or reconciliation is conducted to ensure consistency in how counselling activity data is recorded and reported across Health Regions. [29926/26]

1115. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether counselling activity data submitted to the National Business Information Unit is used to inform national policy, funding allocations, or service planning; and if so, the assurance mechanisms that are in place to ensure the reliability of such data. [29927/26]

1116. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department collects or requires reporting on the number of unique individuals receiving counselling services under the National Counselling Service, as distinct from the total number of counselling sessions reported. [29928/26]

1117. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she is satisfied that reporting counselling activity on the basis of total sessions, rather than unique patients, provides an accurate basis for service planning and policy development. [29929/26]

1118. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has conducted any analysis comparing total counselling sessions delivered with the number of individual service users; and if so, to provide the findings. [29930/26]

1119. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the current KPI framework for counselling services includes any requirement to report average number of sessions per client; and if not, whether this will be introduced. [29931/26]

1120. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any independent audit or external validation has been carried out on National Counselling Service activity data in the past five years; and if so, to provide details. [29933/26]

1121. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the extent to which manual data handling processes are involved in the compilation of counselling service statistics; and whether her Department has assessed the associated risk of data error or inconsistency. [29934/26]

1122. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has issued any formal guidance or standards governing how counselling activity data should be recorded, validated, and reported across Health Regions. [29935/26]

1123. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether counselling activity data is used to inform budget allocations or resource decisions; and if so, whether the absence of patient-level reporting has been assessed as a limitation. [29936/26]