Parliamentary questions

547. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health which committee will the CR meet with annually, as the Independent Quality & Safety Committee has been disbanded under the new HSE regional health area structures, in order to submit the Confidential Recipient annual report for review and to raise any issues, themes and challenges for service users, families, staff and the public contacti…

548. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health in consideration of the Emily, Brandon and Grace reports, if the powers of the Confidential Recipient been strengthened to reflect the prevalent concerns in relation to the care and treatment of adults with a disability and older adults from the HSE and its funded agencies. [3072/26]

549. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health if the Confidential Recipient's escalation pathway for abuse cases to the CEO has been strengthened. [3073/26]

550. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the way in which the workings of the legal delegation, and in particular, the Independence of the Office of the Confidential Recipient, are being upheld and protected by the HSE from any interference from the HSE internal operations. [3074/26]

551. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health if she will strengthen the role and function of the Confidential Recipient in consideration of the National Framework For Safeguarding published on 9 of December 2025. [3075/26]

552. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the reason there is no mention of the Office of the Confidential Recipient in the new framework document and therefore no reassurance of the strengthening of the role and function of the Confidential Recipient. [3076/26]

553. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 837 of 1 July 2025, to outline the funding arrangements for procedures for idiopathic scoliosis in a private hospital (details supplied), including the amount paid per surgery; and the total amount paid to public surgeons working in this hospital for spinal procedures over the past three years, broken down …

554. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number and type of incidents reported by CHI and logged on the National Incident Management System; how these events were ranked, and the relevant incident summaries covering the period January 2020 to July 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3088/26]

555. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Health the amount her Department, or agencies under its remit, spent on advertising on a social media platform (details supplied) in each of the years 2024 and 2025 respectively; to outline any expenditure on verification or premium accounts on the platform in those years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3105/26]

556. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health the supports in place, excluding the 5/6 weeks physio after cross-border directive surgery, for patients who are having health issues sometime after operations. [3113/26]

557. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health if the suspension of blind welfare allowance payments from the HSE until March due to errors in the HSE's set-up of a new financial system could be rectified sooner; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3114/26]

558. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of whole-time equivalent consultant, non-consultant hospital doctor, nursing and health and social care professional posts approved, filled and vacant in emergency departments in each acute public hospital at the end of each year from 2020 to 2025, in tabular form. [3154/26]

559. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the total expenditure on agency and locum staffing in emergency departments in each acute public hospital, by staff category, for each year from 2020 to 2025, in tabular form. [3155/26]

560. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the proportion of emergency department clinical hours delivered by agency or locum staff, by staff category, in each acute public hospital, for each year from 2020 to 2025, in tabular form. [3156/26]

561. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of emergency department consultant posts vacant for more than six months and more than twelve months in each acute public hospital at the end of each year from 2020 to 2025, in tabular form. [3157/26]

562. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the average and median staffing levels per emergency department shift, by staff category, in each acute public hospital; and the way in which these compare with recommended staffing levels, for each year from 2020 to 2025, in tabular form. [3158/26]

563. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the total expenditure on agency and locum staffing in intensive care units in each acute public hospital, broken down by staff category, for each year from 2020 to 2025, in tabular form. [3159/26]

564. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the proportion of ICU nursing and medical shifts covered by agency or locum staff in each acute public hospital, for each year from 2020 to 2025, in tabular form. [3160/26]

565. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of intensive care beds that could not be opened or were temporarily closed due to staffing shortages in each acute public hospital, for each year from 2020 to 2025, in tabular form. [3161/26]

566. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the staffing ratios (staff per bed and staff per attendance where applicable) for emergency departments, trauma services and intensive care units in each acute public hospital; and the national average for each service, for each year from 2020 to 2025, in tabular form. [3162/26]

567. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the spend on permanent staffing and on temporary staffing (excluding agency), and on agency staffing for each hospital, and for each emergency department or trauma service, by region, by hospital, in tabular form. [3163/26]

568. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health the number of cancer patients on waiting lists for cancer treatment, including chemotherapy, by hospital, in tabular form. [3179/26]

569. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Health the dental screening programme for primary school students; the level of uptake; to outline any regional variation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3190/26]

570. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Health the waiting times for access to an initial assessment for psychological therapy through primary care in Fingal east; the waiting times for access to psychological therapy interventions through primary care in Fingal east; the waiting times for access to secondary/tertiary services for psychological therapy in Fingal east for individuals deemed t…

571. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Health to ensure that an organisation (details supplied) has adequate funding. [3224/26]