Questions

646. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the external oversight mechanisms in place for private providers delivering State-funded health or social care services, and the number of providers subject to sanctions or enhanced monitoring in the past five years. [64923/25]

647. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of internal warnings, escalation notices or risk flags issued by the HSE to funded agencies since 2020, and the number that remain unresolved. [64924/25]

648. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the process by which her Department verifies financial transparency and accountability in non-statutory bodies receiving public health funding, and if she will outline recent compliance issues identified. [64925/25]

448. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health given the ongoing dispute regarding governance and financial systems in voluntary hospitals, the current timeline for full implementation of the HSE integrated financial management system across all funded hospitals; the sanctions for non-compliance; the monthly metrics being collected on compliance and patient outcomes; the expected savings from eliminating dupli…

1852. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 845 of 30 September 2025, whether the HSE recognises gender dysphoria as a medical or scientific condition; and the diagnostic criteria or international guidelines on which this recognition is based. [58818/25]

1854. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 845 of 30 September 2025, the protocols which are in place for individuals who later regret or reverse their decision to undergo gender affirmation surgery, including whether the HSE provides medical or psychological support in such cases and if reversal or reconstructive procedures are funded. [58820/25]

1859. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 845 of 30 September 2025, if there is a standardised clinical review or multidisciplinary panel within the HSE that determines refusals for gender affirmation surgery funding; and the professional backgrounds of those involved in such decisions. [58824/25]

1861. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 845 of 30 September 2025, if individuals who are refused HSE funding for gender affirmation surgery abroad are offered alternative supports within Ireland, such as counselling, hormone therapy, or local surgical referral pathways. [58826/25]

2006. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if she will provide a breakdown of the unspent HSE pay allocation, by hospital group and community health organisation, specifying the value of salary funding returned or deferred as a result of staff vacancies. [59640/25]

2008. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has carried out an audit of unfilled HSE posts that have remained vacant for more than six months; and if she will publish the findings of that audit, including financial implications for the Exchequer. [59642/25]

2032. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health what review, if any, the Health Service Executive has undertaken in relation to the findings and recommendations of the Cass Review on gender identity services for children and young people in the United Kingdom; if that review identified any implications for the provision of similar services in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59889/25]

367. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of food-business notifications, by county, which have been lodged with HSE environmental health for school meal providers since 2023; the number of on-site and off-site providers; and the number of inspections and enforcement actions taken in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025. [49513/25]

369. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to publish HSE guidance issued to schools on mandatory written allergen information for non-prepacked foods, including the 2025 update to FSAI guidance note 28; and to detail audit findings on compliance in schools. [49515/25]

373. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to publish HSE advice on minimum seated eating time needed for children to consume a hot meal safely; the communication of this to schools; and to provide any risk assessments regarding rushed eating and choking risk in infants classes. [49519/25]

2322. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the rationale for HSE funding and promoting pronoun awareness training modules which state that “biological sex can change over time, in light of the established scientific consensus that biological sex is determined by chromosomes and does not change during a person’s lifetime. [45611/25]

2323. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the cost to date of HSE-funded pronoun and gender identity training programmes, including those provided by FDYS youth service under the social Inclusion budget; if she will provide a breakdown of costs by year; and the justification for allocating public health funding to these initiatives. [45612/25]

2324. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she is satisfied that HSE training content which discourages the use of terms such as mother and father, parent, or guardian is compatible with maintaining clear communication in clinical and family health contexts, particularly in paediatrics, maternity services, and elder care. [45613/25]

2325. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she considers it appropriate that HSE training instructs staff that persistent refusal to use new or neo-pronouns requires re-education, and if she will clarify whether disciplinary processes are envisaged for staff who, on conscientious or scientific grounds, believe there are two biological sexes. [45614/25]

2326. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the way the HSE reconciles its training materials that describe biological sex as a spectrum with standard medical science which recognises male and female biological categories, alongside a small number of intersex conditions; and if she will provide the scientific or clinical sources underpinning the HSE’s position. [45615/25]

2327. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE has consulted with medical, psychiatric, and endocrinological experts in the preparation of its pronoun and gender identity training materials; if so, if she will publish those expert reports; and if not, if she will provide a reason such consultation was not undertaken. [45616/25]

2328. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether HSE staff are mandated to display pronoun badges, alter their email signatures, or otherwise publicise their pronouns; and if she will clarify whether participation in pronoun disclosure practices is voluntary or compulsory for HSE employees. [45617/25]

2329. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she has considered the risk of patient confusion or diminished trust in clinical settings arising from HSE staff introducing themselves with pronouns, and whether an impact assessment has been conducted to evaluate effects on patient care. [45618/25]

2330. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether it is the role of the HSE to promote contested ideological views on sex and gender, as opposed to focusing on the delivery of medical care and the promotion of evidence-based health education. [45619/25]

2331. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if she will examine HSE training modules on gender and pronouns to ensure that they accurately reflect biological science and do not compromise the clarity of communication essential in healthcare settings. [45620/25]

810. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of applications for HSE home support (older people) in CHO 4 in 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32113/25]