Questions

1185. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Health the contingency plans in place in the event that nursing home operators (details supplied) withdraw from, or cease operations at, their Irish nursing home facilities; the statutory framework exists for the transfer of residents in such circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34971/26]

1186. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health further to her announcement on 5 February 2026 of Government approval of a national electronic health record (EHR) system, whether her Department has undertaken a formal review of comparable large-scale programmes in other jurisdictions, including Northern Ireland, Denmark, Switzerland and Norway where significant cost increases and timeline extensions have been…

1187. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health further to her announcement on 5 February 2026 of Government approval of a national electronic health record system, the safeguards that are being built into procurement contracts to protect the Exchequer from unforeseen implementation costs, change-control inflation, vendor dependency or prolonged transition periods; and if she will make a statement on the matt…

1188. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Health if she will provide a list of all capital projects, including hospital, primary care centre and other health infrastructure works delivered by her Department or the HSE, which have been completed on time and within budget in Kildare in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35019/26]

1189. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the reason a child (details supplied) is waiting on an MRI; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35033/26]

1190. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health the HSE's plans for the former dispensary building in Ballynoe, County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35036/26]

1191. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Health the position in relation to the approval of the drug ryeqo which is used in other jurisdictions in the treatment of endometriosis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35037/26]

1192. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health the reason (details supplied) is waiting on speech and language therapy in Cavan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35038/26]

1193. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Health her views on whether it is acceptable that a patient with a history of osteoporosis is faced with a wait of over a year for a publicly funded DEXA scan while being offered immediate access on payment of €100; whether this practice undermines the principle of care being provided on the basis of medical need rather than ability to pay; and the action she will take…

1194. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if she will expedite an appointment for a person (details supplied) through the National Treatment Purchase Fund. [35043/26]

1195. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if she will clarify the level of funding which is currently in place for the National Treatment Purchase Fund in comparison with each of the years 2024 and 2025; the number of surgeries which have been funded through the NTPF year to date; and to confirm if funding is currently available through the NTPF for knee replacement surgery. [35044/26]

1196. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health if she will provide a State-issued medical exemption for a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35045/26]

1197. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Health the basis on which the current levy arising from public expenditure overruns is being calculated and applied to her Department’s Vote; whether any categories of expenditure, including pay, pensions or staffing-related costs, are exempt from the levy within her Department; and if she will provide a breakdown of the areas against which the levy is being applied [3…

1198. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Health the total amount paid to agencies for the supply of healthcare assistants to all hospitals in the State in each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35131/26]

1199. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Health the total amount paid to agencies for the supply of nurses to all hospitals in the State in each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35132/26]

1200. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Health if she will include the Varicella-Zoster (shingles) inoculation jab on the drug payments scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35145/26]

1201. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Health if she is considering an expert psychiatric service to be available on 24-hour basis to individuals who may require it, rather than a service only provided through accident and emergency departments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35156/26]

1202. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Health the steps her Department is taking to support engagement between service providers and service users and their families to enhance the delivery of targeted supports to service users and provide a more impactful service overall; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35157/26]

1203. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Health the steps her Department is taking to consider the provision of mental health service access for people aged 65 years and older, acknowledging that needs extend beyond just dementia care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35158/26]

1204. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Health the supports currently available from her Department and the HSE to organisations that raise public awareness of serious illnesses, including meningitis, and that provide information and support including aftercare services to individuals and families affected by such illnesses; whether any recurring or sustainable funding pathways are available to such organis…

1205. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if she will provide details on the number of pharmacy graduates registered with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland in each of the past five years; if she will outline what analysis, if any, has been undertaken by her Department on the capacity of the Irish healthcare system to absorb the growing number of pharmacy graduates entering the workforce each y…

1206. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if she will provide details on the number of pharmacy technicians who have completed accredited training programmes in Ireland in each of the past three years; if her Department has assessed demand for pharmacy technician employment across community and hospital pharmacy settings in Ireland, particularly in light of the graduation of approximately 170 phar…

1207. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if she will outline the policy framework governing hospital pharmacy workforce planning in Ireland; if her Department has assessed current and projected demand for clinical pharmacists across acute hospital settings, including Cork University Hospital, which serves as a Level 3 paediatric cardiology centre for the Munster region; and if she will make a sta…

1208. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if she will provide a breakdown by county of the number of pharmacies currently participating in the Common Conditions Service; if she will specifically outline the uptake rate in County Cork; the steps that are being taken to maximise participation among pharmacies that have not yet joined the service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3517…

1209. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if her Department has reviewed the findings of previous annual medicine shortages surveys conducted by the Irish Pharmacy Union in collaboration with University College Cork; the specific measures have been taken to address medicine shortages that have been identified as placing additional workload on community pharmacists; if she will outline whether a na…