Questions

626. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to the reply to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 2312 to 2316 of 13 January 2026, whether her Department holds the HSE tender evaluation summary, cost-effectiveness analysis, and decision documentation underpinning the decision not to procure enhanced influenza vaccines for the 2025 to 2026 season; and if so, to state whether she will publish the non-commercia…

1201. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health to clarify if private patients who were previously in a programme can be included in the Chronic Disease Management (CDM) programme (details supplied); the plans to expand CDM eligibility to include all patients with chronic diseases, irrespective of their general medical services or doctor visit card status; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1040…

2312. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department considered the procurement of an enhanced influenza vaccine for the 2025–2026 flu season; the advice received from the HSE and the National Immunisation Advisory Committee in this regard; the evidence base relied upon in deciding not to procure such a vaccine; and if she will publish the clinical, cost-effectiveness, and policy assessments …

2313. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the estimated additional cost, in absolute and per-patient terms, of procuring an enhanced influenza vaccine for persons aged 65 years and over for the 2025–2026 flu season; how this cost was weighed against projected hospital admissions, bed-day usage, and emergency department demand associated with influenza; and whether a formal cost-benefit or health-impact a…

2314. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department assessed the potential impact of not procuring an enhanced influenza vaccine on winter infection rates, hospital overcrowding, and emergency department capacity during the 2025 Christmas period; and if so, to outline the findings of that assessment and the mitigation measures put in place. [75077/25]

2316. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether budgetary constraints influenced the decision not to procure an enhanced influenza vaccine for the current season; whether a specific budget line was sought or refused for that purpose; and how influenza vaccination policy is prioritised within overall winter-planning and hospital-capacity frameworks. [75079/25]

324. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health if she will review the current list of conditions covered under the long-term illness scheme, which has remained unchanged for over 50 years, with a view to including inflammatory bowel disease, given the significant financial burden of ongoing medication and treatment for patients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70637/25]

325. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health the estimated annual cost to the State of extending the long-term illness scheme to include IBD; the cost-benefit analysis undertaken in relation to expanding the scheme to cover additional chronic conditions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70638/25]

326. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health the supports currently available to patients with IBD who do not qualify for the long-term illness scheme, including access to the drugs payment scheme and discretionary medical cards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70639/25]

1063. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health her plans to establish and resource Huntington’s disease specialist multi-disciplinary teams (details supplied); the timeline for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70212/25]

945. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the public-health risk assessments completed since 1 January 2020 concerning communicable-disease risks among persons arriving into the State, including tuberculosis, measles, polio and hepatitis; and to provide the date of each assessment, the body or officer that carried out each assessment, the findings, the actions taken, and any guidance issued by her Departm…

626. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if any recommendation has been made by the Chief Medical Officer or the Health Protection Surveillance Centre to reintroduce or expand health screening protocols for persons entering or residing in the State. [64903/25]

627. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the screening, vaccination or health evaluation measures that were in place for new arrivals to the State before 2020, the date these measures ceased, and the reason the Department ended or amended those protocols. [64904/25]

942. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Health if her Department would outline the reason that the DESMOND diabetes training held in the Celbridge Health Centre is no longer running, given it provided invaluable information to those in the locality; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61072/25]

1042. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health to publish the total expenditure on diabetes care and diabetes-related complications in 2023 and 2024; to confirm the basis for cost calculations; and whether annual reporting on diabetes expenditure will be introduced to ensure transparency in planning and resource allocation. [61709/25]

1043. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the way the Health Information Bill 2024 will support the development of a national diabetes register; the expected implementation timeline; and how the register will support prevention, service planning, and early intervention for patients at risk of complications. [61710/25]

1044. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the measures being taken to support the adoption of digital and connected health technologies in diabetes management, including real-time data-sharing platforms; and the way in which equitable access will be ensured for rural and lower-income patients. [61711/25]

387. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 846 of 14 October 2025, the action her Department and the HSE are taking in view of the statement of the Chief Operation Officer of St James’s Hospital (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60524/25]

388. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 846 of 14 October 2025, the action her Department and the HSE are taking in view of the statement of the Chief Operation Officer of St James’s Hospital (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60525/25]

389. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the action being taken by her Department and the HSE to deal with the alarming increase in paediatric TB cases occurring since 2017, with the age-specific incidence rate for children having risen from 0.8 in 2023 to 1.3 in 2024, in particular taking in to account that the number of TB cases in children under one year of age in 2024 equalled the total cases from the…

390. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the action her Department and the HSE are taking to deal with the challenges which the Irish Mycobacterial Reference Laboratory at St James’s Hospital is facing, which supports TB diagnosis nationally, is now at full capacity and unable to meet the growing demand for rapid diagnostics, especially for drug-resistant TB; and if she will make a statement on the matter…

391. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the action the Department and the HSE are taking in view of the fact that Ireland is not on track to meet WHO End TB Strategy targets, and current resourcing falls short of national guidelines requiring immediate assessment of suspected TB cases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60528/25]

392. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the action her Department and the HSE are taking to deal with the rising incidence of TB which increased by over 30% in 2024, with a fourfold rise in MDR-TB cases and a significant increase in paediatric TB; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60529/25]

393. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the action her Department and the HSE are taking to deal with the capacity issues in dealing with TB cases, in view of the fact that emergency reviews have doubled from 2023 to 2024, which said reviews are used to prevent hospital admissions and to start treatment urgently thus preventing onward transmission; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60530/2…

436. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Health the timeline for the rollout of the national endometriosis framework; the way in which its implementation will be monitored; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60705/25]