Parliamentary questions

1068. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the way in which the proposed orthodontic grant will interact with the existing 20% tax relief on orthodontic treatment; if her Department has estimated the total net out-of-pocket cost remaining for families after both supports; whether measures are being considered for families who cannot claim tax relief due to low income or non-taxp…

1069. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the reason 890 clients in Cork were awaiting home support at the end of October 2025, representing 3,130 hours of unmet need, including 543 awaiting a new home support service and 347 awaiting additional hours; the actions being taken by the HSE South West to address these delays; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72260/2…

1070. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the steps her Department is taking to address the recruitment and retention challenges for Health Care Assistant staff in Cork and Kerry, given the acknowledged impact on service delivery and waiting times; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72261/25]

1071. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the number of Health Care Assistants (Home Support) in Cork and Kerry in 2025; the number of candidates screened and appointed; the extent to which these campaigns will address the staffing shortages reported by the HSE Southwest; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72262/25]

1072. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the reason no autism diagnostic assessments are being conducted directly within primary care in the HSE Southwest; the reason a primary care autism team has not been established to provide this service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72263/25]

1073. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the cost of outsourcing autism diagnostic assessments in the HSE Southwest; the number of assessments delivered through private providers in each of the past three years; whether direct provision through a primary care team will reduce these costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72264/25]

1074. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the staffing levels required to provide an in-house autism diagnostic service within primary care in the Southwest; whether recruitment for these posts has begun or is planned; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72265/25]

1075. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health the reason for the delay in commencing construction of the new ten-bed rehabilitative residential unit in Midleton to replace the Owenacurra facility; the updated timeline for completion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72266/25]

1076. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if community mental health teams in the HSE Southwest are currently accepting more new cases than they are discharging; the actions which are being taken to address capacity pressures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72267/25]

1077. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health if it is HSE policy that pharmacists participating in the free HRT scheme must ascertain a patient's sex assigned at birth when they suspect this differs from their gender marker in medical records; if so, the legal and medical basis for this requirement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72271/25]

1078. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health the reason a decision was made to remove a full care package from a child (details supplied), if the full care package can be reinstated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72273/25]

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]