Questions

1024. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health her views on matters raised in correspondence (details supplied), in particular the concerns regarding the regulation and registration of healthcare assistants and the regulatory inspection regime. [74465/26]

682. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if private recruitment firms have been contracted by Cork University Hospital or the south west region to hire nurses for the adaptation programme; the spend by firm in 2025 and to date in 2026; if a procurement fee is paid to the firm for each new hire; and to state the procurement fee paid. [71418/26]

474. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if staff from existing HSE sites are to be redeployed to commission the HSE South West Surgical Hub; if so, the number of staff, broken down by grade and location (details supplied). [67754/26]

475. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the number of posts required for the HSE South West Surgical Hub, by grade; the number of posts funded; the number of posts approved; and the number of staff in post. [67752/26]

585. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if her Department has commenced research into the development of a safe medical staffing framework; the work carried out to date; and the timeline she is working towards. [66621/26]

393. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health to clarify if all new graduate nurses will be offered permanent posts in named clinical areas across all HSE regions, following the withdrawal of previously made offers in Cork University Hospital; if offers have been withdrawn in any other hospitals or regions; and if graduate nurses in other regions are being offered contracts through the HSE staff bank, rather…

394. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health her views on the withdrawal of previously made job offers to graduate nurses in Cork University Hospital; to outline in detail, the reason these offers were withdrawn; if a direction came from HSE South West or HSE Centre to withdraw these offers; and if a similar direction has been issued to other regions. [66158/26]

407. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 3889 of 28th July 2026, to provide a copy of the job specification for a role (details supplied); and the date at which this job specification was published. [66198/26]

409. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the number of new roles approved by the HSE between January and August 2026, by month and grade. [66204/26]

430. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health of the 74 posts identified for agency conversion in the 2026 HSE National Service Plan, the number that have been converted to HSE posts to date. [66161/26]

393. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if her attention has been drawn to the discrepancy between a job specification and the actual role and renumeration (details supplied); the reason the core specifications previously published have been disregarded; her views on whether this was misleading and may have led to potential candidates not applying; if those recruited have signed permanent contracts yet…

433. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if she has investigated if public-only consultants in laboratories in other public hospitals are engaged in private work on site (details supplied); if other public laboratories have service level agreements in place with private facilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54258/26]

903. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on a breach of public pay scales identified at a hospital (details supplied); the steps taken to date to ensure that the hospital complies with public pay policy; if this matter has been resolved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53603/26]

479. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if her attention has been drawn to any other breaches of the public only consultant contract within other specialities other than obstetrics in the Rotunda Maternity Hospital; if so, to identify the specialities and the nature of the breaches; the engagement she has had with the Rotunda Maternity Hospital about such breaches; the enforcement action taken; and if …

480. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the number of gynaecologists working in the HSE, by contract type and site, in tabular form. [48580/26]

295. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health to identify the role which carries technical engineering responsibility in acute hospitals, where critical engineering systems provide life-essential support to patients (details supplied); the qualifications required of the person in that role; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48152/26]

813. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health to clarify the manner in which consultants on public-only consultant contracts, POCC, and those on the non-POCC are rostered in Cork University Maternity Hospital during the weekends; if separate rosters are in place (details supplied); if HSE south west has investigated if public-only consultants are delivering the babies of private patients and engaging in simi…

875. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the total number of consultants in each maternity hospital and unit broken down by those who switched to the public-only consultant contract (POCC) since its introduction, those who remained on a non-POCC, and those who entered the HSE since 2023 under the POCC, by site and speciality, in tabular form. [45117/26]

250. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if she will commit to implementing the Labour Court recommendation to restore the pay link between perfusionists and medical scientists; the reason this recommendation has not been implemented to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44419/26]

2402. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if she plans to introduce regulation and registration of healthcare assistants; the work carried out to date in this regard; the timeline she is working towards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44030/26]

2403. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health for an update on the Programme for Government commitment to ‘provide a career pathway for healthcare assistants’; to outline the work carried out to date to progress this commitment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44031/26]

1060. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if she has engaged with the Taoiseach following his meeting with healthcare unions and workers regarding long Covid; to confirm that the application of the Critical Illness Protocol will be reviewed, following a commitment given at that meeting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34286/26]

460. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if the appointment of a clinical nurse lead to support the implementation of the national model of care for epilepsy has been progressed; the reasons a permanent appointment has not been approved to date; if she will provide details on the allocation of time which will be given to the post; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23296/26]

858. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health to respond to concerns with respect to the recruitment and retention of clinical practice tutors in radiography (details supplied); if additional practice tutors posts will be provided to support additional clinical placements; if she will address outstanding issues related to pay, conditions and career progression; and if she will make a statement on the matter.…

490. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the number of optometrists providing services to medical card patients under the community ophthalmic services scheme in January of each year since 2020, by HSE Health Region, in tabular form. [21226/26]