Questions

2858. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health whether there are plans to improve the lack of reimbursed biologic treatments for systemic lupus erythematosus, SLE, in Ireland given that unlike most other EU countries, patients here have no reimbursed biologic treatment for SLE and that lupus disproportionately affects women; when access will be aligned with EU comparators so eligible patients can receive timel…

939. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the plans for a renewed declaration within our upcoming Presidency of the EU to combat the rise in HIV transmission in EU member States to ensure that there is eradication of HIV in the EU by 2030; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17033/26]

940. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the progress of eradicating HIV transmission as a public health threat in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17034/26]

387. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 846 of 14 October 2025, the action her Department and the HSE are taking in view of the statement of the Chief Operation Officer of St James’s Hospital (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60524/25]

388. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 846 of 14 October 2025, the action her Department and the HSE are taking in view of the statement of the Chief Operation Officer of St James’s Hospital (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60525/25]

389. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the action being taken by her Department and the HSE to deal with the alarming increase in paediatric TB cases occurring since 2017, with the age-specific incidence rate for children having risen from 0.8 in 2023 to 1.3 in 2024, in particular taking in to account that the number of TB cases in children under one year of age in 2024 equalled the total cases from the…

390. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the action her Department and the HSE are taking to deal with the challenges which the Irish Mycobacterial Reference Laboratory at St James’s Hospital is facing, which supports TB diagnosis nationally, is now at full capacity and unable to meet the growing demand for rapid diagnostics, especially for drug-resistant TB; and if she will make a statement on the matter…

391. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the action the Department and the HSE are taking in view of the fact that Ireland is not on track to meet WHO End TB Strategy targets, and current resourcing falls short of national guidelines requiring immediate assessment of suspected TB cases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60528/25]

392. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the action her Department and the HSE are taking to deal with the rising incidence of TB which increased by over 30% in 2024, with a fourfold rise in MDR-TB cases and a significant increase in paediatric TB; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60529/25]

393. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the action her Department and the HSE are taking to deal with the capacity issues in dealing with TB cases, in view of the fact that emergency reviews have doubled from 2023 to 2024, which said reviews are used to prevent hospital admissions and to start treatment urgently thus preventing onward transmission; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60530/2…

846. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to provide an update in relation to the implementation of the National TB Strategy at the National TB Centre in St. James’s Hospital, in view of the fact that TB incidences have increased by 30% in 2024, with a concerning rise in multidrug resistant (MDR) TB cases, posing a serious public health risk; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54902/25]

847. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the progress to date regarding the implementation of the actions outlined in the publication in 2024 by Irish respiratory and public health clinicians ‘A Collaborative Tuberculosis Strategy for Ireland: 2024-2030’; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54903/25]

593. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health her views on whether there is a need for a cross-departmental approach in respect of rare disease policy in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49732/25]

765. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the number of patients that have had cardiovascular disease screening carried out on them as part of the opportunistic case finding and chronic disease prevention programme in each of the years 2020 to 2024 and to the 30 June 2025, in tabular form; if any general statistics from this data will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37158/25]

198. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if she will support the establishment of a national clinical programme for pulmonary arterial hypertension, along with rare heart diseases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34702/25]

199. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if she will support the development of a national patient registry for pulmonary arterial hypertension in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34703/25]

200. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if she will consider linking with pulmonary arterial hypertension specialists in Northern Ireland for an all-Ireland strategy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34704/25]

181. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if she will give due consideration to funding the lymphoedema and lipoedema model of care considering that international studies show that the cost to treat patients could be reduced by 87%, if comprehensive lymphedema services were introduced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9949/25]