Questions

1180. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the specific evidence of Hantavirus risk in Ireland that prompted its addition as a notifiable disease under the Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Regulations 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38986/26]

1181. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost to the HSE and public health system of adding Hantavirus to the list of notifiable diseases, including training, laboratory testing, contact tracing and potential isolation measures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38987/26]

1182. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health if the inclusion of updated references to Covid-19 variants and influenza in the 2026 Regulations indicates any planned reintroduction of enhanced surveillance, testing or public health restrictions for respiratory viruses; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38988/26]

1183. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the circumstances in which a person diagnosed with Hantavirus could be subject to detention or isolation under the amended regulations; the safeguards in place to protect the rights of the individual and the appeal mechanisms available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38989/26]

1184. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the consultation process undertaken with medical professionals, general practitioners and relevant stakeholders prior to signing the Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Regulations 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38990/26]

1185. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health if the Government has assessed the potential impact of the Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Regulations 2026 on farmers, rural communities and people working with rodents given that Hantavirus is primarily rodent-borne; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38991/26]

1186. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the number of additional notifications the HSE expects annually as a result of the Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Regulations 2026; the staffing and resource implications for public health departments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38992/26]

1187. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the reason Hantavirus has been prioritised for mandatory notification and potential isolation powers at this time; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38993/26]

1188. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health if she will confirm that the expanded powers in the Infectious Diseases Regulations will not be used to impose restrictions similar to those experienced during the Covid-19 period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38994/26]

1189. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health to provide a full breakdown of all diseases added to or removed from the notifiable list in the past ten years; the rationale for each change; the criteria used to determine which diseases warrant mandatory notification and isolation powers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38995/26]

1190. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health if she will consider introducing a single clinically-led prioritisation system for ophthalmology referrals based solely on clinical need irrespective of referral pathway; the reasons such a system does not already exist; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38998/26]

1191. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Health when specific medical cards will be issued to those who have applied under the Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Act 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39031/26]

1192. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Health when an applicant (details supplied) will receive their specific medical card under the Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Act 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39032/26]

1193. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of patients removed from orthopaedic outpatient waiting lists through administrative validation in 2025, broken down by hospital, waiting-time band and reason for removal. [39036/26]

1194. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of patients removed from orthopaedic inpatient or day-case waiting lists through administrative validation in 2025, broken down by hospital, waiting-time band and reason for removal. [39037/26]

1195. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if an audit will be carried out to establish how many orthopaedic patients removed through administrative validation in 2025 were later re-presented or were re-referred for the same condition. [39038/26]

1196. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if the HSE or NTPF records the full waiting time from GP referral to completed orthopaedic procedure; and if not, if the absence of full-pathway waiting-time data has been assessed as a governance risk. [39039/26]

1197. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if the HSE records the number of patients awaiting orthopaedic outpatient assessment for knee replacement, who are not yet counted on an inpatient or day-case surgical waiting list. [39040/26]

1198. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if any national clinical prioritisation framework exists for patients awaiting knee replacement who are experiencing severe pain, loss of mobility, inability to work or loss of independent living capacity. [39041/26]

1199. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if the Waiting Time Action Plan 2026 includes specific targets for reducing orthopaedic outpatient waiting times; and if so, to provide those targets by HSE region. [39042/26]

1200. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if the Waiting Time Action Plan 2026 includes specifically funded capacity for knee replacement pathways, including outpatient assessment, diagnostics, theatre capacity and post-operative rehabilitation. [39043/26]

1201. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if patients awaiting orthopaedic care receive written confirmation to distinguish that they are on an outpatient assessment list or an inpatient/day-case surgical list. [39044/26]

1202. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department will examine the separate publication of outpatient and inpatient waiting lists, which understate the real waiting time experienced by patients requiring knee replacement surgery. [39045/26]

1203. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of confirmed lyme disease cases recorded annually in the State from 2020 to 2026, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39047/26]

1204. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if the HSE maintains national clinical guidance for the diagnosis and treatment of lyme disease; if so, when such guidance was last reviewed or updated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39048/26]