Questions

927. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the cost of agency, overtime and cross cover arrangements used to cover vacant posts in the ophthalmology department at South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital in 2025 and to date in 2026; and the number of patients waiting for an ophthalmology outpatient appointment and procedure at the hospital, by time band, at the latest date available, in tabular form. […

928. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 68752/26, the expected appointment date for each vacant post in the ophthalmology department at South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital for which no start date has been confirmed; the stage each recruitment campaign has reached; and if any of these posts are subject to approval under the HSE pay and numbers strategy, in t…

933. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 68769/26 and 68810/26, to which the HSE reply provided none of the information sought, the staffing complement and current vacancies in Unit 1 at St Stephen's Hospital, Glanmire; the number of admissions to the unit since July 2025; the number of referrals received and declined in that period; the reason the unit's registere…

958. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total agency expenditure in the HSE's mental health division in 2026 to date, by health region, local health office and staff category; the projected outturn for 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73877/26]

969. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the average annual cost to the HSE in 2025 of an agency consultant psychiatrist and an agency psychiatric nurse in mental health services, compared with the cost of a directly employed equivalent; whether any value-for-money review of agency spending in mental health services, which totalled €120.99 million in 2025, has been carried out; and if she will make a sta…

970. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 846 and 874, the number of allegations of sexual abuse or sexual harassment made against HSE employees, agency staff or contractors in each of the years 2021 to 2025 and to date in 2026, for each of the six HSE health regions, including allegations made by patients and service users; the number referred to An Garda Síochána;…

971. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 63798/26, the reasons agency costs in mental health services in local health office, LHO, North Lee rose from €0.71 million in 2021 to €3.97 million in 2025, and in LHO north Cork from €2.35 million in 2024 to €4.82 million in 2025 (details supplied); the number of agency whole-time equivalents engaged in each area in each of …

972. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 870, which HSE health regions, hospitals and services were included in the scope of the HSE's internal audit of international, non-EU, consultant and non-consultant hospital doctor recruitment; the number of doctors in each region whose files were found to lack Garda vetting or overseas police clearance; the number for whom th…

973. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 63798/26, which provided agency costs for the HSE's mental health division, by local health office only, whether the HSE holds agency and locum expenditure for each approved centre, each child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, team and each community mental health team in any finance, payroll or invoice system; if …

978. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 70297/26, the agency whole-time equivalents converted to direct employment in each health region, by staff category, from the commencement of the July 2025 framework to 31 December 2025; the headcount converted to date; the grades converted within the management and administration category; the estimated annual saving from con…

1084. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the respective responsibilities of CORU and of employers under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (as amended), and related legislation, for ensuring that registered professionals are competent to practise, including any statutory duty on employers to verify competence or to notify CORU of concerns. [74042/26]

855. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of whole-time equivalent speech and language therapist posts approved, filled and vacant in primary care in HSE south-west as of the latest date for which figures are available, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72298/26]

635. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 39785/26, if she will provide the number of agency staff converted to permanent employment under the July 2025 framework, by staff grade, for the HSE South West, Mid West, West and North West, and Dublin and Midlands regions; the total number converted nationally; and the proportion of conversions in administrative and clerica…

691. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of doctors currently employed in HSE South West whose recruitment records show incomplete pre-employment checks, including garda vetting and overseas police clearance; the action being taken in each case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70591/26]

692. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if restrictions on the filling of vacant clinical posts are currently in place in HSE South West; the date such restrictions were introduced; the grades affected; whether maternity services are exempt; when the restrictions will be lifted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70590/26]

693. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of public health nurse and health and social care professional posts, by whole time equivalent, that could be filled in HSE South West by approving outstanding requests from existing work sharing staff to increase their hours, compared with the cost and time of recruiting to those posts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70589/26]

694. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of approved but unfilled nursing and midwifery posts at Cork University Maternity Hospital as of 30 September 2026, by grade; the number of those posts for which approval to fill has been sought but not granted since January 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70587/26]

700. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 68927/26, the sanctions or disciplinary measures, that apply to HSE staff or managers where a doctor is permitted to commence employment before mandatory pre-employment checks are completed; the number of such sanctions applied in each of the years 2023 to 2025 and to date in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matte…

701. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 68927/26, the dates of each periodic review of recruitment records carried out to monitor compliance with pre-employment screening requirements in each HSE health region since January 2023; the body or unit that carried out each review; the findings of each review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70584/26]

702. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 68927/26, the number of doctors who commenced employment in each HSE health region before garda vetting, overseas police clearance, occupational health clearance or English-language competency checks were completed, in each of the years 2023 to 2025 and to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the …

703. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 66152/26, whether the HSE or the health regions record requests from public health nurses and health and social care professionals in work sharing arrangements to increase their hours or return to full time; the number of such requests received and refused in each health region in 2025 and to date in 2026; and if …

704. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether an increase in hours for a staff member in a work sharing arrangement counts against a health region's approved whole time equivalent ceiling under the pay and numbers strategy; whether health regions have been instructed to refuse or defer such increases to remain within that ceiling; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70583/26]

709. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 68927/26, the name and grade of the officer in each HSE health region with responsibility for ensuring that pre-employment checks, including Garda vetting, overseas police clearance, occupational health clearance and English-language competency, are completed before a doctor commences employment, in tabular form; and if a stat…

710. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the date on which Cork University Hospital sought approval to fill the vacant clinical nurse specialist post supporting skin cancer surveillance; the reason national approval has not issued in the seven months since the post became vacant; when a decision will be made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70656/26]

716. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of Clinical Nurse Specialist and Advanced Nurse Practitioner posts in the HSE South West region identified as priority vacancies and currently awaiting national HSE approval to recruit, by hospital and specialty; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70657/26]