Parliamentary questions

1883. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE has conducted any value-for-money analysis comparing long-term agency staffing expenditure against the cost of direct permanent recruitment for equivalent posts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41850/26]

1884. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE maintains data on agency staffing expenditure by hospital or facility level within each Health Region; and if she will provide the highest-spending sites in 2025 and 2026 to date. [41851/26]

1885. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any internal audits, reviews, or reports have been completed since 2024 regarding agency staffing expenditure, procurement controls, or compliance with national workforce policies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41852/26]

1886. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the total number of staff currently employed within the National Ambulance Service (approximately 2,500); and to provide a full breakdown by role, including but not limited to: paramedics, advanced paramedics, EMTs, NEOC (National Emergency Operations Centre) staff, intermediate care operatives, administrative staff, and managerial grades. […

1887. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of paramedics and advanced paramedics that are assigned to full time frontline operational duties in an emergency ambulance or designated rapid response vehicle (RRV) not including tactical officers, training officers, ORM's or higher grade officers. [41854/26]

1888. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of paramedics and EMT's are working in the intermediate care service as intermediate care operatives; and the extent to which these staff are involved in or diverted to emergency frontline call-outs given that their primary role is patient transfer. [41855/26]

1889. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of areas in the past three months that had 100% cover on a daily basis in EA and RRV response, and of those days with 100% cover, divide each region to the counties in that region and had each county 100% on the day the region had 100% cover, for example region, mid-west, counties of Clare, Limerick and north Tipperary. [41856/26]

1890. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of vacant posts within the National Ambulance Service, by grade; and the measures being taken to recruit and retain frontline personnel. [41857/26]

1891. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of the staff hired in the past year for frontline duties replaced the staff that moved to officer roles, pathfinder, community paramedic/specialist paramedic roles (non-frontline). [41858/26]

1892. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of EA's and RRV's that should be on the road on a daily and nightly basis across the country; and the number in reality. [41859/26]

1893. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the current average ambulance response times nationally and by region; and the way in which staffing levels are impacting these response times. [41860/26]

1894. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Health the reason day care facilities in Donegal town Community Hospital are only available two days per week; if she aware that a large number of people are waiting for day services in Donegal town Community Hospital; the plans in place to increase the day care services to a seven day-a-week service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. …

1895. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of staff currently working within the National Emergency Operations Centre, broken down by role; and whether staffing levels there are sufficient to meet demand. [41862/26]

1896. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE maintains a central register of all non-statutory bodies receiving direct or indirect HSE funding; whether the register identifies intermediary funding arrangements; and if she will provide details. [41863/26]

1897. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any risk assessment has been undertaken regarding indirect funding flows to non-statutory bodies since 2020; and if she will provide details of the findings. [41864/26]

1898. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE Board or Audit and Risk Committee has discussed the absence of a system-wide audit of funding flows to non-statutory bodies since 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41865/26]

1899. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any national framework exists to measure consistency of service eligibility decisions across Health Regions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41866/26]

1900. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any patient-impact analysis has been conducted regarding regional variation in decision-making within the Health Regions structure; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41867/26]

1901. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether compliance with agency staffing restrictions forms part of any current HSE risk register, assurance framework, or governance monitoring process; and if she will provide details. [41868/26]

1902. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any analysis has been conducted into the operational or patient safety impact of agency staffing restrictions introduced in July 2025; and if she will provide details. [41869/26]

1903. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to identify the specific unit, division or named office within her Department responsible for governance oversight of the treatment abroad scheme. [41870/26]

1904. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the treatment abroad scheme is subject to a documented risk-management framework; and if so, whether she will provide the title and date of the current framework. [41871/26]

1905. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the dates on which the treatment abroad scheme was audited by HSE Internal Audit since 2020; and whether any recommendations were issued following those audits. [41872/26]

1906. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the dates on which the Comptroller and Auditor General conducted any audit, review or examination relating to the treatment abroad scheme since 2020. [41873/26]

1907. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any expenditure-control thresholds, referral-value triggers or enhanced approval mechanisms apply within the treatment abroad scheme for high-cost treatments. [41874/26]