Questions

389. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether chronic pain services are included within any current Consultant Workforce Plan, National Service Plan deliverable, or waiting list action plan overseen by her Department; and if so, to set out the targets, funding allocations, and timelines applicable in 2026 and 2027. [8889/26]

391. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has issued any direction, circular, or guidance to the HSE since 2023 in relation to capacity expansion, recruitment, or service configuration for chronic pain services; and if so, to provide the date, subject, and a copy of each document. [8891/26]

1110. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether a person with a disability who holds a long-term illness card, and whose prescribed medications are covered under the long-term illness scheme, is entitled as part of that scheme to have those medications dispensed in clinically required blister packs to enable safe administration in a home-care setting; if this service has been funded by the State to dat…

2074. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has issued any written guidance, directions, circulars, or instructions to the HSE since 2018 concerning the automatic approval of gender-affirming surgical procedures under the treatment abroad scheme; and if not, how ministerial oversight is exercised over approvals that carry significant and rising Exchequer cost. [74020/25]

2075. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to set out, in respect of the years 2015 to 2019 inclusive, the total annual expenditure incurred by the HSE on gender-affirming surgical procedures funded under the treatment abroad scheme; the number of patients funded in each year; the average cost per patient in each year; the highest and lowest amounts reimbursed per patient in each year; and whether her Dep…

675. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the maximum laboratory surge capacity available nationally for infectious disease testing during an elevated risk event, including PCR and genomic sequencing; the maximum weekly throughput assumed in national planning; and the turnaround times used by her Department for preparedness modelling.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73502/25]

677. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the national Outbreak Case and Incident Management System and the National Immunisation Information System are fully operational on a national basis; the dates on which each system became operational; and whether either system has undergone stress testing to assess performance under surge conditions. [73504/25]

678. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has received any reports identifying risks or limitations in HSE public health IT systems during periods of elevated demand since 2020; and to outline the actions taken in response to any such reports. [73505/25]

694. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she accepts that neither her Department nor the HSE currently has any formal performance target requiring occupational therapy waiting times in Cork to fall below 12 weeks for adult or paediatric primary care services; and if so, the reason such a target has not been set as a matter of health policy. [73545/25]

719. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department exercises any oversight role in relation to decisions by health regions to authorise elective, non medically indicated circumcision procedures in public hospitals, and if not, the rationale for the absence of such oversight. [73638/25]

720. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether public funds are used to support elective male circumcision procedures in public hospitals where no medical indication exists; and if so, under which budget headings or service categories such expenditure arises. [73639/25]

293. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of delayed transfers of care recorded in 2023, 2024, and to date in 2025 in the categories of Home Support Service and Homelessness or Housing for persons aged 65 and over; the annual targets her Department has set for reducing these delays; and the measures being implemented to meet those targets. [70417/25]

294. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has carried out any assessment of the financial impact on the health service arising from delayed transfers of care caused by housing shortages; and the estimated cost of acute and step-down bed days occupied by persons awaiting suitable housing in 2023, 2024, and 2025. [70421/25]

295. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the process used by her Department to monitor the HSE’s performance in resolving delayed transfers of care linked to housing; the frequency of internal reviews; and the mechanisms used to hold the HSE accountable for meeting its annual reduction targets. [70423/25]

852. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of applications approved under the treatment abroad scheme for gender-affirming surgery; the number of applications refused; and the total cost to the State in each year, including associated clinical and administrative costs, from 2018 to 2025, by year. [69088/25]

854. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of referring consultants in Ireland who have issued the clinical recommendation and multidisciplinary-team letters relied upon for treatment abroad scheme approvals for gender-affirming surgery; the clinical specialties of these consultants; and the number of such recommendations issued in each of the years 2018 to 2025. [69090/25]

869. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the percentage of the total cost of gender-affirming surgeries funded by the HSE under the treatment abroad scheme in each of the years 2018 to 2025; the average and median contribution paid by the State per procedure; the average and median co-payment borne by patients in the host country; the countries in which the surgeries took place; and the methodology used …

871. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total annual expenditure incurred by the HSE on gender-affirming surgeries funded under the treatment abroad scheme in each of the years 2018 to 2025; the number of patients funded each year; the average cost per patient; the highest and lowest costs reimbursed in each year; and the Department's projections for expenditure for 2026 to 2028. [69133/25]

879. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has reviewed the preparedness of each regional health area for winter pressures; setting out the actions approved, the timelines for delivery, and the performance indicators being used to measure readiness. [69154/25]

973. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the reasons for the sustained decline in the number of new clients accessing HSE-funded crisis-pregnancy counselling services between 2019 and 2025; and the Department's assessment of whether this reflects reduced service availability, lower public awareness, barriers to access, or changes in referral pathways. [69470/25]

974. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to provide a full regional and service-level breakdown, for each year from 2019 to 2025, of the number of new clients accessing crisis-pregnancy counselling and post-abortion counselling through HSE-funded providers; and to confirm the datasets and reporting standards used by the HSE to compile these figures. [69471/25]

975. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the governance, staffing model, funding allocation, and implementation timeline for the planned reconfiguration of crisis-pregnancy counselling services under the National Sexual Health Strategy 2025-2035; and to specify how the Department will ensure that unplanned-pregnancy and post-abortion counselling capacity is maintained during and after the transition. [69…

976. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the measures taken to ensure accuracy and consistency in the HSE's quarterly reporting of counselling activity, including the use of categories that combine new and existing clients, and if the Department intends to introduce standardised reporting to avoid double-counting in national statistics. [69473/25]

480. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department will introduce a national data-collection framework to track short and long-term mental health outcomes for pregnancy loss, including access to counselling, waiting times, and follow-up; and the proposed timeline for that framework. [68755/25]

481. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has evaluated the clinical and economic impact of providing standardised post-loss mental health follow-up in primary care, including the cost of early intervention versus untreated trauma and long-term work absence. [68757/25]