Questions

749. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to clarify the options available to women who have cancer and require breast surgery as regards their access to support services including breast protheses, and, in particular, whether they can attend any facility which is approved by the HSE regardless of where they are located; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33533/25]

750. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Health if consideration would be given to reimburse cost or part cost of private medical procedures incurred by people before the cross-Border Directive scheme and Northern Ireland planned healthcare scheme were introduced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33540/25]

751. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the development of the new Obesity Policy and Action Plan, due to be published in early 2026; whether a public consultation on the new iteration of the policy and action plan will be conducted in the coming months, in advance of publication; if so, the timing for that consultation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33551/25]

752. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Health to provide the details of funding being allocated to each cancer support service (as announced by her predecessor in October 2024), by county, in 2025; to specify whether this funding is recurrent; when each service will receive this funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33570/25]

753. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health if her attention has been drawn to the report recommendations from an organisation (details supplied); the actions she will take to action these recommendations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33575/25]

754. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health the position regarding frontline workers who are suffering from long Covid; if she proposes to extend the current deadline of 30 June 2025 for support payments to those in this position; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33584/25]

755. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Health the reason a number of projects submitted by a service (details supplied) for the HSE national lottery grant scheme were unsuccessful; whether this decision can be appealed by the service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33585/25]

756. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Health if her Department or the HSE have considered implementing a standard procedure where GP practices and medical centres are in direct contact with health insurance providers so that there is no requirement for the patient to contact their health insurance provider to seek a reimbursement for the cost of their medical treatment; and if she will make a statement…

757. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health if she will extend the long-Covid scheme for healthcare workers who are unable to return to work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33604/25]

758. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the specific measures being taken to improve access to trauma-informed mental health care for individuals who are experiencing homelessness, particularly outside of major cities such as Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33624/25]

759. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Health if her Department has a designated head of procurement; if each agency or public body under her Department’s remit also has a designated head of procurement; and if so, to list those entities, along with the name or grade of the person holding that role. [33643/25]

760. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Health the number of staff within her Department and its agencies who hold a formal procurement qualification or certification (for example, CIPS, NFQ Level 6 or higher in procurement, EU public procurement training), broken down by organisation, in tabular form. [33661/25]

761. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Health if her Department and each agency or public body under its remit uses a formal contract management system or procurement tracking platform; to list the systems in use; and if they are centrally monitored or independently operated. [33679/25]

762. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health if she will consider extending reimbursement access to baricitinib under the drugs payment scheme for individuals diagnosed with severe alopecia areata, in light of the recent approval of this treatment by the US Food and Drug Administration for this specific indication, and given the growing international clinical consensus on its efficacy; if she will outline …

763. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if her attention has been brought to a media report regarding further alleged abuses of the National Treatment Purchase Fund (details supplied); the steps she has taken in response to these allegations; if she has engaged with the HSE, NTPF and the hospital in question on this matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33714/25]

764. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health if the national treatment purchase fund engaged individually or collectively with nursing homes (details supplied) during 2024; the basis on which they calculated the funds that could be paid to the homes through the HSE administered nursing home support scheme and if the NTPF, at any stage in the negotiation process, examined the books of the group or of their…

765. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health if the Health Information and Quality Authority reviewed the evidence regarding the operation of a nursing home group (details supplied) in France before deciding on registering any of their nursing homes in Ireland; and, if so, if they decided on any special oversight measures as a condition of registration or reregistration of nursing homes linked to the grou…

766. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health who she believes is responsible for the signing of contracts for care of residents in nursing homes who lack capacity to make the decision to sign. [33722/25]

767. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the clinical governance arrangements that are planned to enable HSE clinical supports be provided to private nursing homes in the context of the development of the six HSE health regions. [33724/25]

768. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health if the common assessment approach to the needs of older people known as InterRAI is fully operational across all six HSE health regions; and if the electronic version piloted with co-funding from an organisation (details supplied) almost a decade ago forms part of this process. [33725/25]

769. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the reason the opt out register is not live in advance of the Human Tissue (Transplantation, Post-Mortem, Anatomical Examination and Public Display) Act 2024 coming into force; and how do people opt out now. [33739/25]

770. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) will receive their much-needed hip operation. [33741/25]

771. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Health regarding the Transplantation, Post-Mortem, Anatomical Examination and Public Display Act (2024), to outline the guarantees in place that participants will only have their organ and tissue used for transplantation purposes, and not, for example, used as part of any commercially driven research; are there any sanctions are in place in the event that any abuse …

772. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) has been denied support from community occupational therapy services in Crumlin, on the grounds that such assessments are only conducted after a hip replacement has taken place. [33752/25]

773. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Health to examine the case of a person (details supplied) needing expedited support services. [33753/25]