Parliamentary questions

382. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Health the number of staff, and the grade employed, in radiology at Our Lady’s Hospital Navan; and the number of staff vacancies currently within the department. [8880/26]

383. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Health the number of staff, and the grade employed, in general surgery at Our Lady’s Hospital Navan; and the number of staff vacancies currently within the department. [8881/26]

384. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Health the number of people on CAMHS and Jigsaw waiting lists in County Meath, and length of wait, quarterly from 2012–2025, in tabular form. [8882/26]

385. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Health the number of older persons awaiting a home help package in Meath, by area and by length of time, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8883/26]

386. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has adopted, endorsed, or relied upon any national policy, workforce planning framework, or service specification for chronic pain services which sets out recommended consultant whole-time equivalent capacity per head of population; and if so, to provide the title, date, and issuing authority of each such document. [8886/…

387. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has conducted, commissioned, or received any population-needs assessment of chronic pain service consultant capacity since 2019, including any modelling of required consultant whole-time equivalents by Community Healthcare Organisation or Hospital Group; and if so, to provide the date, scope, and main findings. [8887/26]

388. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the governance arrangements by which her Department assures itself that consultant capacity in chronic pain services is adequate to meet population need, including the key performance indicators, reporting cadence, and the senior accountable officer within her Department; and if she will provide the most recent available reporting outputs. [888…

389. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether chronic pain services are included within any current Consultant Workforce Plan, National Service Plan deliverable, or waiting list action plan overseen by her Department; and if so, to set out the targets, funding allocations, and timelines applicable in 2026 and 2027. [8889/26]

390. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department requires the HSE to report, on a routine basis, the number of chronic pain service consultants in post, approved posts, vacancies, and waiting times by site; and if so, to state the reporting frequency and the most recent date on which such a report was received by her Department. [8890/26]

391. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has issued any direction, circular, or guidance to the HSE since 2023 in relation to capacity expansion, recruitment, or service configuration for chronic pain services; and if so, to provide the date, subject, and a copy of each document. [8891/26]

392. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department will direct the HSE and PCRS to implement a temporary national reimbursement protocol, for the duration of the current salbutamol nebule shortages, in order that clinically equivalent substitutes are reimbursed without individual case by case applications under discretionary hardship arrangements; and if so, when this pro…

393. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has received from the HSE or PCRS an estimate of the number of medical card holders who have required alternative reimbursed products due to salbutamol nebule shortages since 1 January 2025; and if so, to provide the estimate and the methodology used. [8893/26]

394. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of discretionary hardship arrangements applications received by the PCRS for inhaled nebule presentations of short-acting bronchodilators, including salbutamol substitutes, in each month since 1 January 2025; the number approved; the number refused; and the median processing time in each month. [8894/26]

395. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department will require the HSE to publish clear public guidance for patients and pharmacies during shortages of reimbursable medicines, including the exact reimbursement pathway and documentation required; and if so, when this guidance will be published and where it will be accessible. [8895/26]

396. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has assessed the risk to patient safety arising from requiring medical card holders to obtain GP reassessment or alternative prescribing solely due to a supply disruption of a reimbursable medicine; and if so, to provide the date and conclusions of that assessment. [8896/26]

397. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has asked the HSE to provide a written instruction to community pharmacies confirming that eligible medical card holders should not be asked to pay privately for clinically required alternatives, where reimbursement is available through hardship or other mechanisms; if so, the date that instruction issued; and the mechani…

398. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department will establish an automatic “shortage substitution” reimbursement mechanism within the PCRS for defined categories of essential medicines, where the HPRA has confirmed a shortage and the HSE has identified clinically equivalent substitutes; if so, the timeline for delivery; and whether primary legislation is required. [88…

399. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department maintains a central register of CHI-related reviews and reports, including publication decisions and follow-up actions; when the register was established; who is accountable for it; and whether she will publish it. [8901/26]

400. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to set out the terms of reference, membership, and reporting outputs of the CHI Improvement Steering Group, including whether minutes, action logs, or progress reports are provided to her Department; and if so, to provide the most recent progress report received by her Department. [8902/26]

401. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to her stated intention to integrate CHI into the HSE by 2027, the legislative and operational milestones scheduled for 2026, including the responsible unit within her Department; and the timeline for Government decisions required in 2026. [8906/26]

402. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if a disabled person who has a long-term illness (LTI) card that covers their medications and prescription charges, is entitled to have their medication provided in essential blister packs under the LTI card. [8908/26]

403. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Health whether a decision has been formally made regarding the future planned use of a premises (details supplied); whether the HSE has assessed potential alternative uses for the premises; the timeline for such an assessment to be completed; if consultation has taken place, or will take place, with local representatives, service users, fam…

404. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Health the plans she has to establish a sexual assault trauma unit (SATU) in Limerick, appreciating that nearest SATU is in Galway, and that the Limerick Forensic Medical Examination only opens from 7pm daily; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8934/26]

405. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Health the rationale for the proposed establishment of regional structures under the National Drugs Strategy; to clarify the governance, funding and accountability arrangements for these structures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8939/26]

406. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Health the way in which population-based planning, which will be used for new National Drugs Strategy structures, will address deprivation and local need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8940/26]