Parliamentary questions

1139. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of asthma patients affected by the non-reimbursement of salbutamol nebules or equivalent substitute products under the medical card in each of the past two years; and the steps being taken to ensure uninterrupted access to essential asthma medication. [6500/26]

1140. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE and Primary Care Reimbursement Service have contingency arrangements in place to automatically reimburse clinically equivalent substitute medicines where supply chain disruption affects a reimbursable product; and if not, whether she will introduce such arrangements as a matter of urgency. [6501/26]

1141. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the reason medical card holders are being asked to pay out-of-pocket for essential asthma medication due to supplier issues; whether this is consistent with HSE policy on chronic disease management; and the actions she is taking to prevent a recurrence. [6502/26]

1142. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she will commit to issuing immediate guidance to community pharmacies to ensure that no medical card holder is charged privately for salbutamol nebules or clinically required alternatives while supply issues persist. [6503/26]

1143. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health to provide blood glucose monitors to type 2 diabetes patients, with particular emergency cases (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6521/26]

1144. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if her Department will provide pharmacists with direction regarding eligibility for the free HRT scheme (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6526/26]

1145. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the current HSE policy regarding the provision of continence products under the free nappy scheme; if pull-up style nappies are provided for a three-year-old child with severe and complex needs (details supplied); if there has been any recent change to this policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6527/26]

1146. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the total amount spent under the treatment purchase scheme since 2021 to date in 2026, by year; the amount of this expenditure paid to each individual Bons Secours hospital over the same period, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6534/26]

1147. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the current capacity of the blood transfusion and infusion unit at University Hospital Kerry; the number of days per week the unit is currently operational; whether there are plans to expand the service to operate additional days per week in order to address waiting times and patient safety concerns; and if she will make a statement on the matter.…

1148. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the number of patients who have received blood transfusions via the emergency department or accident and emergency overflow areas at University Hospital Kerry due to capacity constraints in the transfusion or infusion unit in each of the past three years; the measures in place to protect immunocompromised patients in such circumstances; and if she…

1149. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the current waiting times for patients requiring scheduled blood transfusions at University Hospital Kerry; the number of patients currently awaiting transfusions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6551/26]

1150. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of governance reviews, internal investigations, external audits, and independent reports commissioned by her Department or the HSE into Children’s Health Ireland since 2019; the status of each review; whether each report has been completed, published, or withheld; the reasons for any non-publication; and if she will make a statement…

1151. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health when her Department was first made aware of systemic governance or clinical oversight failures at Children’s Health Ireland; the manner in which this information was conveyed; the formal actions which were taken by her Department following that awareness; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6560/26]

1152. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department accepts that significant questions raised by Members of the Oireachtas and by Oireachtas Committees in relation to Children’s Health Ireland remain unanswered; the steps which have been taken to ensure full and timely disclosure to Dáil Éireann; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6561/26]

1153. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the assessment which has been carried out by her Department regarding the effectiveness, performance, and accountability of the board and senior executive management of Children’s Health Ireland; whether any findings of underperformance or governance failure were identified; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6562/26]

1154. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department considers that the repeated governance and oversight failures at Children’s Health Ireland constitute a systemic risk to patient safety; the risk mitigation measures which have been implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6563/26]

1155. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the instructions or guidance which have been issued by her Department to Children’s Health Ireland regarding transparency, cooperation with parliamentary scrutiny, and disclosure of information to Oireachtas Members; the way compliance with these obligations is monitored; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6564/26]

1156. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she retains confidence in the current governance structures of Children’s Health Ireland; the objective criteria that confidence is based; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6565/26]

1157. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Health for an update on the provision of psychiatric services at Wexford General Hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6578/26]

1158. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health to provide the current waiting list for the Home Support Service in Donegal. [6609/26]

1159. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health when the HSE will allow the Home Support Service in Donegal to resume recruitment for health care assistants, which has been curtailed; and if the outsourcing of these services to private providers in Donegal has been curtailed. [6610/26]

1160. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if a temporary reimbursement code will be issued for unlicenced salbutamol nebules under the GMS/DPS scheme given the severe stock shortage of the medicine available for reimbursement under the GMS/DPS scheme at present, in view of the fact this is an essential medicine for asthma patients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6623/…

1. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the measures she will take in 2026 to reverse the trend of increasing hospital and emergency department overcrowding and hospital waiting lists; the additional acute beds, step-down beds and home-care capacity added in 2025 and planned for 2026; the steps she will take to expedite elective centres; and if she will make a statement on the matt…

2. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health the number of approved psychology posts, per population, in psychiatry of later life services across each health region; to indicate the integrated health areas that currently do not have approved psychology posts, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5414/26]

3. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health if she will remove charges for blister packs for those with a clinician-determined need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5083/26]