Questions

202. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health the number of minor and major treatment bays within the accident and emergency department of Cork University Hospital. [34731/25]

203. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Health if akynzeo will be made available under the medical card scheme (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34755/25]

204. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the action her Department proposes taking in order to increase the number of dentists and dental practices who are prepared to provide for medical card patients in view of the fact that the number of dentists providing such care has dropped from 1,452 in 2012 to 810 in 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34758/25]

205. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if her Department has engaged with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science with a view to increasing the number of training places in each of the dental schools both at University College Cork and at Trinity College Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34759/25]

206. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the current number of dentists in each HSE area who are providing care for medical card patients, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34760/25]

207. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if there are plans to introduce an action plan to help increase the number of dental practitioners in Ireland who are prepared to provide care to those who are medical card holders; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34762/25]

208. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the total number of people who have travelled abroad under the treatment abroad scheme to receive dental treatment for each of the years ending 31 December 2021, 31 December 2022, 31 December 2023, and 31 December 2024, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34763/25]

209. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Health for a projected date for the opening of the new surgical hub in Merlin Park; the services that will be provided therein; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34774/25]

210. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Health the efforts within her Department to develop a new national drugs strategy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34777/25]

211. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Health the steps her Department has taken to develop a plan to make free period products accessible in more locations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34780/25]

212. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Health if recent evidence from UK studies indicating that the shingrix (recombinant zoster) vaccine may reduce the risk of dementia and provide cognitive benefits has been considered in her Department’s assessment of the vaccine for inclusion in the national immunisation schedule; if these potential wider health benefits will be factored into future evaluations of th…

213. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Health for an update on the implementation of the alcohol labelling provisions under the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34793/25]

214. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Health if consideration is being given to delaying the implementation of the alcohol labelling provisions under the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 which is due to come into effect in May 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34794/25]

215. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health the strategies that are in place to ensure the continuous supply of prescription drugs to pharmacies throughout the country which have been negatively impacted by Brexit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34805/25]

216. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health if funding will be provided to upgrade University Hospital Kerry to Model 4 Hospital status, thus enabling staff to administer radiotherapy treatment to patients who currently have to make the long daily round trips to Cork city hospitals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34806/25]

217. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health if she will consider providing medical cards in Budget 2026 to all those qualifying for an old age pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34807/25]

218. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health if an initiative will be considered whereby a subsidisation of fees for medical students in return for a set period practising in rural Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34828/25]

219. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if she will provide a list of all approved mental health centres currently registered with the Mental Health Commission; to indicate for each whether it is designated as an acute facility; the number of in-patient psychiatric beds available at each centre; and the number of instances in which a child was admitted to an adult psychiatric unit at each locati…

220. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health the current procedures in place to facilitate emergency marriages in hospital settings, particularly for patients who are terminally ill; if she will consider introducing a more compassionate and streamlined process, similar to best practices in other jurisdictions, to ensure that such marriages can take place quickly and with minimal administrative burden; and…

221. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health the supports currently in place for healthcare workers suffering from long Covid, particularly those who contracted the virus in high-risk front-line settings; and if she will consider introducing a long-term, pensionable support scheme following the conclusion of the special leave with pay scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34854/25]

222. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if she will clarify the Government’s position on formally recognising long Covid as an occupational illness, particularly in light of recent recommendations from the European Union; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34855/25]

223. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if she will review the current HSE criteria for access to approved treatments for spinal muscular atrophy, particularly in relation to the exclusion of approximately 20 adult patients who were over 18 at the time of initial approval; if she will engage with stakeholders, including two organisations (details supplied), to explore a fairer, needs-based approach; …

224. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if, in light of the major increase in the workload of an organisation (details supplied) arising from the Assisted Decision Making ( Capacity ) Act 2015 and the Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) ( Amendment) Act 2022, she will provide additional funding to this organisation to enable it to provide staff contracts of greater than one year; and if she will mak…

225. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health to provide details on the services currently provided for paediatric patients with epilepsy at a hospital (details supplied); the number and grade of staff that are currently attached to this service at this site; the number of current staff vacancies within this service; the number of epilepsy patients currently registered with this service; the number of pati…

226. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health to identify the legislation or statutory instrument that will provide the Health Information and Quality Authority with the power to investigate specific individual complaints; if the necessary provision has been commenced; the timeline for implementation of these powers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34874/25]