Parliamentary questions

1079. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Health if she plans to restore State-subsidised blister packs for older, vulnerable patients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72275/25]

1080. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health if she will ensure the surgical hub, planned for Letterkenny University Hospital will be a standalone hub with no direct connection to the rest of the hospital, as is the case with all other surgical hubs across the State, so as to ensure that no surgical procedures are cancelled due to a lack of beds in the hospital. [72280/25]

1081. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the way in which she plans to ensure that there is a sustainable pipeline of surgeons from the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland to Model 3 hospitals across the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72281/25]

1082. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health to support an organisation (details supplied) in their ongoing campaign to ensure that spinal muscular atrophy is implemented without delay in the newborn screening programme. [72285/25]

1083. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the national datasets her Department is required to hold for governance, planning and oversight of all services funded under the Health Vote; to identify the datasets that are not currently in place; and to set out the timeline to establish full national data coverage across the system. [72291/25]

1084. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the governance framework used by her Department to obtain assurance that the HSE and all section 38 and 39 providers comply with national standards on governance, audit and risk; the date of the last full assurance review; and the actions her Department takes when risks are escalated. [72292/25]

1085. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the national KPIs approved by her Department for monitoring recruitment activity, vacancy levels, clearance timelines and delivery of development posts; and the date on which full KPI reporting will be operational across all HSE regions. [72293/25]

1086. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the controls her Department uses to oversee the €23 billion staffing and pay envelope in the absence of granular national vacancy and pay data; and the measures she intends to introduce to strengthen national visibility and performance monitoring. [72294/25]

1087. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the governance structure approved by her Department for oversight of delayed transfers of care linked to housing or home support gaps; the reporting duties placed on the HSE; and the dates and findings of the most recent Departmental reviews. [72295/25]

1088. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the reason her Department has not produced a national financial impact assessment of delayed transfers of care arising from housing shortages; and the date by which she will introduce regular cost reporting for this cohort. [72296/25]

1089. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the governance and policy framework approved by her Department for gender identity services for children and young people; the date of the most recent review; and the steps being taken to ensure full compliance with national safeguarding and clinical governance standards. [72297/25]

1090. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the national datasets her Department requires for planning and oversight of gender identity services for minors, including referral numbers and diagnostic profiles; the datasets that are not yet in place; and the timeline for establishing a national dataset that meets evidence-based standards. [72298/25]

1091. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health her Department’s policy on evaluating international clinical guidance before alignment with national frameworks; the assessments carried out on WPATH Standards between 2018 and 2023; and the timeline for completing a formal review of these standards in light of the Cass Review. [72299/25]

1092. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Health the amount spent by the HSE on acquiring the shingles vaccine in 2023, 2024 and 2025; the number of people administered the shingles vaccine by county in 2023, 2024 and 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72313/25]

1093. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has carried out any clinical or economic evaluation of post-loss mental health follow-up in primary care, including the estimated cost of introducing a standardised pathway and the projected costs to the Exchequer arising from untreated trauma or extended work absence; and if she will publish any findings or methodologies use…

1094. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the status of work to establish a national data-collection framework for pregnancy-loss outcomes, including counselling access, waiting times, and follow-up; the governance structure responsible for delivery; and the expected timeline for the first dataset. [72315/25]

1095. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the national reporting requirements for waiting times in addiction services; the reason no national dataset currently exists; and the timeline for introducing full national reporting of assessment and treatment waiting times. [72319/25]

1096. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health the reason the HSE will no longer be providing blister packs to patients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72322/25]

1097. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health when a person in long-term care will receive an appointment for dental treatment (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72324/25]

1098. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Health her plans to bring forward amendments to the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023 to explicitly include nicotine pouches within its scope; whether all relevant provisions of the Act will apply to such products; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72325/25]

1099. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Health the specific regulatory measures she is preparing in relation to nicotine pouches as part of the forthcoming Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) (Amendment) Bill 2025; including any proposed restrictions, controls, or enforcement mechanisms; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72326/25]

1100. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health the number of inspections, compliance notices, closure orders or enforcement actions issued by Food Safety Authority of Ireland and authorised officers in meat processing facilities over the past two years; the types of breaches detected; the follow-up actions taken in each category, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the …

1101. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health the current waiting list for chronic pain services at Beaumont Hospital; the number of patients waiting more than four months; the number of patients aged over 65 years within those lists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72332/25]

1102. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health the additional resources and personnel that will be provided to D-Doc Services during the upcoming Christmas-New Year period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72333/25]

1103. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health if the named consultants on University Hospital Kerry’s website are those who are actually employed in UHK currently; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72355/25]