Parliamentary questions

598. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Health the number of deaths recorded in 2024 and 2025 in which an eating disorder, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or other specified feeding or eating disorders, was listed as the primary or contributory cause of death; the source of this data; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15990/26]

599. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total number of apprentices employed by the Health Service Executive in 2025 and projected for 2026 in (a) social work, (b) social care work, and (c) dietetics; and if she will provide a breakdown by programme and year of intake. [16010/26]

600. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total gross expenditure incurred by the Health Service Executive in 2025 and the projected expenditure for 2026 in respect of apprenticeship programmes in social work, social care work, and dietetics, including salary costs, academic costs, employer PRSI, and any grant income received from the National Apprenticeship Office; and if she will…

601. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has approved any workforce planning model or projection which quantifies the projected staffing shortfall to 2030 in social work, social care work, and dietetics; if so, to provide the projected shortfall figures by year; and how current apprenticeship intake levels align with those projections. [16012/26]

602. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any formal policy decision has been taken to fund apprenticeship expansion in the health and social care professions without a dedicated subhead or ring-fenced allocation within the Vote for the Health Service Executive; and the governance rationale for funding apprenticeship costs from within existing service budgets. [16013/26]

603. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any evaluation has been undertaken by her Department to assess the value-for-money and workforce impact of the Level 9 Social Work apprenticeship programme since its commencement; if so, to provide details of the methodology and findings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16014/26]

604. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to provide a current hospital-by-hospital list of all publicly funded chronic pain management services; to specify in respect of each hospital whether a dedicated multidisciplinary chronic pain service is in operation; to detail the disciplines available within each service, including pain medicine consultants, psychology, physiotherapy, occupa…

605. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to provide, by HSE Health Region, the average waiting time and the longest waiting time for a first outpatient appointment in a publicly funded chronic pain service as of the most recent available date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16016/26]

606. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of patients, by Health Region, referred outside their region of residence in the past 24-months due to the absence of a local chronic pain service or insufficient local capacity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16017/26]

607. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total number of approved consultant posts in the specialty of Pain Medicine and Consultant Anaesthesiologist with a special interest in Pain Medicine; the number currently filled on a whole-time equivalent basis; the number vacant; the duration of each vacancy; and the recruitment measures in place to address same. [16018/26]

608. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether all publicly funded chronic pain services operate in accordance with a nationally approved clinical model mandating multidisciplinary care; if not, to identify which services do not meet such standards; and the timeframe for compliance. [16019/26]

609. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether, following publication of the final Cass Review into gender identity services for children and young people in the United Kingdom, her Department conducted any formal policy review of the continued referral of minors from Ireland to NHS gender identity services under the Treatment Abroad Scheme; if so, to provide the date, terms of refe…

610. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department sought or obtained independent clinical advice, evidence appraisal, or risk assessment regarding the appropriateness of continuing referrals of minors to NHS gender identity services following the Cass Review; and if she will outline the governance framework under which such advice was considered. [16026/26]

611. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any revised safeguarding guidance, policy circular, or written direction has been issued by her Department to the HSE concerning referral pathways for children and young people to gender identity services abroad since publication of the Cass Review; and if she will provide details of any such direction. [16027/26]

613. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of minors referred from Ireland to NHS gender identity services under the Treatment Abroad Scheme in each of the years 2023, 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026; the total expenditure incurred in each year; and the policy basis upon which such referrals continue to be authorised. [16029/26]

614. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the evaluation of the iPain Centre pilot at Beaumont Hospital has been completed; the date on which it was finalised; whether the evaluation has been submitted to her Department; whether she will publish the evaluation report in full; the total Sláintecare Integration Innovation Fund allocation provided to the project over its three-yea…

615. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has approved or endorsed any maximum acceptable waiting time threshold for access to primary care occupational therapy services; whether a waiting period of up to 39 weeks is considered clinically appropriate at national level; and if she will outline the evidence, clinical guidance, or policy framework underpinning that …

616. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she accepts that operating a service at 75% of funded ceiling constitutes a failure of workforce planning at departmental level; and the specific corrective actions that have been mandated by her Department in response. [16032/26]

617. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if the drug sky clarys (omaveloxolone) used for the treatment of Friedreichs ataxia will be made available under licence in Ireland; if she will outline the process to licence the drug; the timeline involved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16033/26]

618. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has approved a workforce planning model quantifying the additional whole-time-equivalent occupational therapy posts required in Cork South-West primary care services to achieve a maximum waiting time of 12-weeks for adults and children; and if she will provide the number of additional posts identified under that model. [1…

619. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Health Service Executive has submitted, in 2024 or 2025, a formal funding request to her Department seeking approval for additional occupational therapy whole-time-equivalent posts in Cork South-West primary care services; if so, the number of posts requested, the estimated annual cost, and the decision taken by her Department on th…

620. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has set a policy standard for maximum waiting times in adult and paediatric primary care occupational therapy services; whether 12-weeks remains the intended benchmark; and if not, the revised benchmark now accepted by her Department. [16036/26]

621. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the funded whole-time-equivalent ceiling for occupational therapy posts in Cork South-West primary care services for each of the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025; the actual whole-time-equivalent staffing level in each of those years; and the variance between funded ceiling and actual staffing. [16037/26]

622. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has conducted or commissioned any assessment of the impact of primary care occupational therapy waiting times exceeding 39-weeks on child development outcomes and adult rehabilitation; and if she will provide details of any such assessment. [16038/26]

623. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department or the Health Service Executive maintains data on medical card refusal rates disaggregated by age cohort; if so, whether she will provide the refusal rate for applicants aged 70 years and over in each of the years 2020 to 2025; and if not, the reason such data is not maintained. [16039/26]