Parliamentary questions

2503. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the current waiting times for audiology assessment and hearing aid fitting in County Kerry; the average and longest waiting times; how these compare with national figures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2297/26]

2504. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the number of people currently waiting for hearing aid fitting in County Kerry; the number aged 65 years and over; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2298/26]

2505. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the number of vacant audiologist posts within HSE South West, including County Kerry; the length of time these posts have been vacant; the impact this has had on service delivery; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2299/26]

2506. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the steps being taken to recruit audiology staff in HSE South West; the timeframe for filling vacant posts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2300/26]

2507. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the measures, including temporary or outsourced capacity, being considered to address audiology backlogs in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2301/26]

2508. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the current waiting times for ophthalmology appointments and procedures, by county, in tabular form. [2302/26]

2509. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 448 of 13 November 2025, the status of the implementation plan for the 2019 national oral health policy, Smile agus Sláinte; if the HSE senior leadership team has completed its review; if it has been sent to her for consideration; if so, the date on which she received it; the timeline for publication; and…

2510. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the location of each of the 177 acute beds to be delivered under the 2026 HSE National Service Plan, in tabular form. [2308/26]

2511. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the location of each of the 428 community beds to be delivered under the 2026 HSE National Service Plan, in tabular form. [2309/26]

2512. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the expected timeline for delivery of each of the surgical hubs in Dublin north, Galway, Cork, Limerick and Waterford, which, according to the HSE National Service Plan 2026, are to be delivered in 2026; the current status of each hub; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2310/26]

2513. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the reason for the gap between expected activity and projected outturn in respect of GP trainees, outlined in the HSE National Service Plan 2026 (details supplied); the steps she is taking to ensure that the 2026 aim for expected activity is reached; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2311/26]

2514. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the status of the National Office for Trauma Services’ review of the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service; if a final draft was issued to the HSE’s chief clinical officer and national director for services and schemes by the end of October 2025, as had previously been indicated; to provide a timeline for publication; and if she will make a st…

2515. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if the National Office for Trauma Services’ review of Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) examined a proposal to change the HEMS crewing model to a physician inclusive service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2313/26]

2516. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if consideration will be given to establishing an expert panel on the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service model (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2314/26]

2517. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health to provide a breakdown of consultant contracts in Children Health Ireland, by type, principal site and speciality, in tabular form (details supplied). [2315/26]

2518. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1104 of 18 November 2025, if a similar “snapshot” can be provided for all patients included in the external expert review established following the independent audit of hip surgeries at CHI and Cappagh Orthopaedic Hospital (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2316/26]

2519. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if she will commence section 232 of the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024 in January 2026; if not, the expected timeline for commencement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2317/26]

2520. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health to provide a breakdown, by health region, of current eating disorder service provision, including WTE staffing by discipline and team type; and to set out the corresponding staffing levels recommended by the HSE National Clinical Programme for Eating Disorders for each area. [2324/26]

2521. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health to outline the measures being taken in 2026 to close the gap between current eating disorder service provision and recommended provision set out in the HSE National Clinical Programme for Eating Disorders. [2325/26]

2522. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health the number of specialist eating disorder teams currently in place for children and adolescents, and adults, by location; and to provide the staffing levels of each and catchment population for each team. [2326/26]

2523. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health the number of patients currently on waiting lists for eating disorder assessment and treatment for CAMHS eating disorder pathways, adult specialist eating disorder services, and inpatient eating disorder treatment; and the median and longest waiting times in each category, by health region. [2327/26]

2524. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health the number of referrals received by public eating disorder services in each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025; and the number accepted for treatment, by health region. [2328/26]

2525. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health the number of eating disorder inpatient beds available in the public system; the locations of same; average occupancy rates; and the number of patients treated as inpatients in 2023, 2024 and 2025. [2329/26]

2526. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health to outline the current availability of day-patient and intensive outpatient eating disorder programmes, including locations, capacity, referral criteria and average waiting times; and the additional capacity planned for 2026. [2330/26]

2527. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health the proportion of eating disorder patients who are treated outside their health region, including the reasons for out-of-area treatment; and the steps being taken to ensure equitable access to specialist services in all regions. [2331/26]