Questions

1076. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Health when the review of the physician associate role will be published; the reasons for the repeated delays to its publication since the original due date of 31 October 2025; the current status of the HSE embargo affecting the recruitment of physician associates; the expected timeline for lifting this embargo; and the steps her Department and the HSE will take to pro…

1077. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to confirm whether a lease has been signed by the HSE for the Mayfield Ballyvollane Primary Care Centre with the developer of the facility in view of the urgent need for this facility due to the large housing developments in construction in the area and the fact that planning permission was granted for the facility in December 2025; if a lease has not yet been sig…

1078. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Health when she expects to make a determination on the future of the RSV immunisation programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34503/26]

1079. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she will establish a centralised reporting mechanism within the HSE to record all cases in which healthcare professionals are subject to criminal investigation for serious offences, including sexual offences; and if she will outline a timeline for its implementation. [34527/26]

1080. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she has sought the outstanding data from the remaining HSE regions in respect of cases involving criminal investigation of healthcare staff since 2015; and when a complete national figure will be available. [34528/26]

1081. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether formal national criteria exist governing the suspension or reassignment of healthcare professionals subject to criminal investigation for serious offences; and if she will publish those criteria. [34529/26]

1082. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health what national oversight mechanisms are in place to ensure consistent application of precautionary measures across all HSE regions where healthcare staff are under criminal investigation. [34530/26]

1083. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the estimated average cost to the State of an outpatient appointment that is classified as "did not attend"; the total estimated annual financial impact of such missed appointments in each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34531/26]

1084. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health what assessment her Department or the HSE has undertaken of the impact of outpatient "did not attend" appointments on waiting list volumes and waiting times; and if she will provide any reports, modelling or analysis in this regard. [34532/26]

1085. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the proportion of outpatient appointments classified as "did not attend" that are subsequently rebooked; the average time delay introduced to a patient's care pathway as a result; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34533/26]

1086. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether a national policy, framework or target exists in relation to reducing outpatient "did not attend" rates; if so, to outline same; and if not, whether such a policy is under consideration. [34534/26]

1087. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the measures currently in place to reduce outpatient "did not attend" rates, including SMS reminders, phone confirmation systems, digital check-in, or overbooking policies; and the evidence base or evaluation of their effectiveness. [34535/26]

1088. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health why outpatient "did not attend" data is not routinely reported on a weekly basis or at individual hospital level, as opposed to aggregated monthly regional reporting; and whether more granular reporting exists within the HSE but is not published. [34536/26]

1089. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department or the HSE has undertaken any benchmarking of outpatient "did not attend" rates against comparable EU or OECD health systems; and if so, to provide details of such comparisons. [34537/26]

1090. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health what governance, oversight or accountability structures are in place within the HSE to monitor outpatient "did not attend" rates; including whether these are reported to senior management, the Department, or the HSE Board. [34538/26]

1091. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the amount of money that has been used to fund My Options, in the categories of staff salaries, advertising, and other costs in 2025 and to date in 2026; the number of staff (full-time equivalent) employed by the HSE MyOptions service, by year and by category, as qualified nurses, qualified counsellors, and other staff; and if she will make a statement on the mat…

1092. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the amount of money that has been used to fund the supply of mifepristone and misoprostol for abortions in each year from 2019 to date in 2026, by year and by setting (GP or hospital settings); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34540/26]

1093. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health the number of schools registered with the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA); if written communication has been sent to every Board of Management; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34552/26]

1094. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health the number of childcare facilities registered with the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA); if written communication has been sent to each facility; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34553/26]

1095. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health the recruitment steps that have been taken to fill outstanding posts in the Public Health Nurse section in the CHO6 area year-on-year since 2020; the number of persons that have been interviewed, accepted offers and taken up posts; the number that remain unfilled; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34554/26]

1096. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of concerns regarding the reported withdrawal or scaling back of the RSV immunisation programme for infants; whether any decision has been taken in this regard; the basis for any such decision, including any assessment undertaken by the Health Information and Quality Authority; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34556/26]

1097. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health whether the broader clinical, public health and hospital capacity impacts of RSV infection in infants have been fully considered in any review of the RSV immunisation programme; the measures that are currently in place or planned to protect vulnerable infants from RSV; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34557/26]

1098. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health to provide the number of infants diagnosed with RSV, the number of related GP presentations, emergency department presentations, hospital admissions, intensive care admissions, the associated mortality data, reported through appropriate national or HSE data systems, in each of the years from 2020 to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if she will make a stateme…

1099. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health why dyslexic assessment of children in Ireland is solely carried out by educational psychologists, when current wait for a dyslexic assessment is reported to be around eighteen months, Dublin College University has a course to train teachers to assess dyslexia, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's 2025 'Diaspora Strategy' aimed to promote opportun…

1100. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Health the provisions that are being put in place to protect vulnerable populations for heat related health risks resulting from heatwaves and climate change; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34571/26]