Questions

190. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the extent to which Budget 2027 provides for the full cost of maintaining existing levels of services and accounts for demographic and inflationary pressures; the funding available for genuinely additional services and capacity; the measures she will take to prevent further recruitment and service restrictions arising from budgetary overruns; and if she will m…

736. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE has recommenced the issuing of plastic health scheme cards following the suspension of services earlier in 2026; if the security vulnerability which led to this has been identified and resolved; and whether the service has a backlog of cards to issue, in tabular form. [71544/26]

157. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the status of the chronic disease management programme and implementation across all areas; the number of GPs providing services in each area; the number of other workers associated with the programme in whole time equivalent in each area; the number of unfilled posts associated with the programme by area; the spend on the scheme in each year since inception …

201. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the expenditure by the HSE and public hospitals on privately provided MRI, CT, ultrasound, endoscopy and colonoscopy services in each year 2022 to 2025 and to date in 2026, broken down by provider, modality and referring hospital; the number of tests purchased and average unit cost; and the corresponding public-sector capacity and activity by modality and regi…

533. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of a 10% uplift in spending on private optometry and audiology services. [48690/26]

536. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of a 10% uplift in medical intern, GP, basic specialist, and higher specialist training places; and the number of places this would create, in tabular form. [48693/26]

537. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of a 10% uplift in each professional trainee placement type, including but not limited to trainee psychologists; and the number of places this would create, in tabular form. [48694/26]

667. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health whether HIQA was notified, in accordance with Regulation 31 of the Health Act 2007 (Care and Welfare of Residents in Designated Centres for Older People) Regulations 2013, following the safeguarding incident known publicly as the "Emily" case; if so, the date and category of such notification; and whether HIQA considered or exercised its powers under Section 9…

327. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the status of community neurorehabilitation teams; the number and location of teams; the desired, approved, and actual staffing levels, by grade; the details of areas without teams; the reasons for this, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44711/26]

2448. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health whether the exclusion of children categorised as “suspended”, “planned procedure” and “pre-admit” from detailed published waiting time band reporting within CHI spinal surgery reports may result in an incomplete representation of the true scale and duration of paediatric spinal surgery waiting lists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44142/26]

2449. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health further to CHI reporting in April 2026, 126 children on the active paediatric spinal surgery waiting list, how many of these children have completed all required pre-operative work-up, including (details supplied) and are awaiting only a surgical date; the number that remain awaiting further investigations or specialist sign-off; her views on compliance with …

2450. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health whether children categorised as “suspended”, “planned procedure” or “pre-admit” within the CHI spinal surgery pathway are included within National Treatment Purchase Fund waiting time performance monitoring and targets; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44144/26]

2451. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the person or body that clinically triages paediatric scoliosis referrals within CHI; whether referrals are consultant-led, nurse-led or administratively triaged; whether standardised criteria are used to determine urgency and waiting times for outpatient review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44145/26]

2452. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the reason no minutes of the Paediatric Spinal Taskforce have been publicly published since the meeting of 8 May 2025; when the taskforce last met; whether minutes and updates from subsequent meetings will be published; and her views on the governance, transparency and ongoing oversight role of the taskforce. [44146/26]

2453. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the number of children and young people currently living with implanted MAGEC rods in situ for longer than two years; the number with devices implanted for more than four and six years respectively; the number who have transitioned or aged out of CHI services while still implanted with MAGEC devices; her views on the long-term monitoring, surveillance and man…

2454. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the reason minutes and papers of CHI board of management meetings, which were previously routinely published, are no longer publicly available; when publication ceased; whether this change was formally approved by the board; her views on transparency and public accountability arrangements within CHI; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44148/26]

2455. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health whether CHI operates mandatory MRI surveillance protocols for children undergoing long-term scoliosis management, including children with implanted spinal devices, revision surgery histories or complex spinal deformity; the longest interval currently recorded between MRI imaging and major spinal surgery within CHI paediatric spinal services; whether any revie…

2456. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the status of and estimated completion timeframe for the equity in access report for Children’s Health Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44150/26]

2457. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health status of and estimated completion timeframe for the Nayagam report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44151/26]

2458. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the membership, governance structure and operational responsibilities of the CHI Spinal Surgery Management Unit; the budget allocated to the unit since establishment; the key performance indicators assigned to it; and her views on its role in reducing paediatric spinal surgery waiting lists. [44152/26]

2459. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health whether CHI’s categorisation of children with scoliosis as “complex” or “non-complex” is governed by a formally approved national clinical policy; whether this categorisation directly impacts access to surgery, waiting list progression, outsourcing pathways or specialist review; the independent governance and oversight mechanisms that exist in relation to its…

2460. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the paediatric scoliosis and spinal surgery surgical site infection rates recorded at CHI from 2020 to date in 2026, including superficial infections, deep infections and infections requiring revision surgery or implant removal; whether these outcomes are benchmarked against international standards; and if she will explain the data is not routinely published …

325. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the level of expenditure on private hospital services, by region in each year 2021 to 2025 and in 2026 to date, in tabular form. [38435/26]

3380. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the specific measures that are being taken to ensure that, as part of procuring a national electronic health record system, the selected system will fully comply with Ireland’s obligations under EU law, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the EU AI Act and emerging requirements under the European Health Data Space; and if she will make a …

3381. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health if, as part of procuring a national electronic health record system, requirements will be specified relating to data residency, legal jurisdiction, and control over access to Irish patient data, including clarity on where such data will be stored; the legal framework under which it may be accessed; the way in which the potential extra-territorial data access …