Parliamentary questions

1908. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department receives regular reporting regarding the number and aggregate value of treatment abroad scheme approvals by specialty or treatment category. [41875/26]

1909. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any formal value-for-money review of the treatment abroad scheme has been conducted since 2020; and if so, when and by whom. [41876/26]

1910. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the treatment abroad scheme appears on any Department of Health or HSE corporate or operational risk register. [41877/26]

1911. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Health for an update on the Assisted Human Reproduction Act 2024; the timeline for when it will be fully implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41878/26]

1912. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Health the efforts being made to expand the eligibility criteria for publicly funded AHR treatment to provide more equitable access; if the inclusion of DAHR is currently under review; if so, the current status of the matter with her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41879/26]

1913. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the treatment abroad scheme maintains a unique case identifier linking each approved application to associated invoices, reimbursement records, payment dates, and treatment completion records; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41882/26]

1914. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether all expenditure under the treatment abroad scheme is capable of being reconciled on a patient-by-patient basis through a single integrated dataset; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41883/26]

1915. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the treatment abroad scheme operates through a fully integrated digital financial management and verification system or through manual and partially manual reconciliation processes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41884/26]

1916. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether payments made under the treatment abroad scheme are subject to post-treatment verification procedures prior to final reimbursement; and if she will provide details of the verification process applied. [41885/26]

1917. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any overpayments, duplicate payments, unverified invoices, disputed charges, or retrospective expenditure adjustments have been identified within the treatment abroad scheme since 2020; and if she will provide annual figures in tabular form. [41886/26]

1918. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the date on which the most recent internal audit review of the treatment abroad scheme was completed; whether any recommendations were issued arising from that review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41887/26]

1919. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Comptroller and Auditor General has conducted any audits, examinations, management letter observations, or recommendations relating to the treatment abroad scheme since 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41888/26]

1920. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Department of Health receives patient-level expenditure and activity reports relating to the treatment abroad scheme or solely aggregate expenditure and activity summaries; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41889/26]

1921. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any formal risk assessment has been conducted regarding financial accountability, expenditure verification, invoice reconciliation, or audit assurance arrangements within the treatment abroad scheme since 2020; and if she will provide details. [41890/26]

1922. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE has conducted any review, assessment, or procurement exercise regarding the development of a comprehensive patient-linked financial accountability system for the treatment abroad scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41891/26]

1923. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether there exists any statutory, administrative, or policy requirement setting minimum audit frequency standards for the treatment abroad scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41892/26]

1924. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether quarterly oversight meetings between the HSE and the Department of Health concerning the treatment abroad scheme include review of patient-level expenditure verification, invoice reconciliation, or audit exception reporting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41893/26]

1925. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Health the number of WTE clinical nurse managers 1 and 2 posts filled within accident and emergency department of University Hospital Limerick as of 26 May 2026; if she will provide the same figures as of 1 June 2023, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41902/26]

1926. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the treatment abroad scheme maintains a formal panel of independent clinical reviewers to assess applications prior to approval of expenditure; if so, the composition and governance arrangements of that panel; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41905/26]

1927. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any categories of the treatment abroad scheme applications automatically require secondary independent clinical validation prior to approval, including applications above specified expenditure thresholds, high-risk procedures, experimental treatments, or treatments involving minors; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4190…

1928. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of treatment abroad scheme applications in respect of which independent clinical advice was sought in each year from 2020 to 2026, broken down by specialty area and outcome; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41907/26]

1929. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the treatment abroad scheme has published internal criteria or guidance governing when independent clinical advice must or should be sought before approval decisions are made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41908/26]

1930. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether clinicians providing independent clinical advice to the treatment abroad scheme are required to complete declarations regarding conflicts of interest, prior professional relationships, or institutional affiliations relating to overseas treatment providers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41909/26]

1931. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of appeals lodged against treatment abroad scheme decisions in each year from 2020 to 2026; the number upheld, partially upheld, and rejected; the average processing time for appeals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41910/26]

1932. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the governance structure of the National Appeals Office in respect of treatment abroad scheme appeals; whether independent external clinical expertise forms part of the appeals process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41911/26]