Questions

467. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the forthcoming Integrated Model of Care for Acute and Chronic Pain Services will require each HSE Health Region to maintain dedicated cost centres for chronic pain medicine outpatient services and interventional pain procedures [33471/26]

468. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department or the HSE intends to introduce a national reporting framework for chronic pain services covering expenditure, staffing, outpatient activity, interventional procedure activity, waiting times and cancellations by HSE Health Region; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33472/26]

469. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any baseline assessment of existing chronic pain services, including funding, staffing, capacity, waiting lists and regional variation, has been completed to inform the forthcoming Integrated Model of Care for Acute and Chronic Pain Services; and if so, whether she will publish it. [33473/26]

470. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the absence of specific cost centres for pain medicine and interventional pain procedures has been identified as a barrier to planning, funding or evaluating chronic pain services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33474/26]

471. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE has estimated the annual cost of providing chronic pain services across acute hospitals and community settings; and if no such estimate exists, whether she will request that such an estimate be prepared. [33475/26]

472. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the forthcoming Integrated Model of Care for Acute and Chronic Pain Services will include minimum staffing standards for each Health Region, including consultant pain medicine, nursing, psychology, physiotherapy and occupational therapy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33476/26]

473. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the forthcoming Integrated Model of Care for Acute and Chronic Pain Services will include implementation timelines, regional funding requirements and measurable performance indicators; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33477/26]

474. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has assessed the risk that patients with chronic pain are subject to unequal access to services depending on their Health Region, given the absence of nationally available funding data for regional chronic pain services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33478/26]

475. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she will require the HSE to publish an updated national map of publicly funded chronic pain services, given that the most recent national survey cited by the HSE dates from 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33479/26]

476. Deputy Gillian Toole asked the Minister for Health if information (details supplied) in relation to a series of matters regarding the policy, clinical and financial rationale for restricting access to long-acting injectable buprenorphine will be provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33481/26]

477. Deputy Catherine Callaghan 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 Carlow in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33503/26]

478. Deputy Catherine Callaghan 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 Kilkenny in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33504/26]

479. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Health if she or her Department have given consideration to targeted financial supports for parents who must rely on feeding formula for babies due medical or other reasons that prevent the safe administration of breastfeeding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33527/26]

480. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Health if she will review early intervention services, such as tongue tie treatment and other early services for those who might have difficulty in breastfeeding as a means to prevent avoidable barriers to breastfeeding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33529/26]

481. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Health the measures she and her Department have taken to advocate at an EU level for flexibility in the regulation of breastfeeding and the use and sale of baby formula, which can impact vulnerable families that cannot otherwise safely breastfeed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33530/26]

482. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health whether she is satisfied that zero referrals to the National Independent Review Panel (NIRP) in 2025 accurately reflects the number of serious incidents occurring in community health and social care services; and if so, the basis for this assessment. [33532/26]

483. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the criteria and thresholds that are applied by the HSE when determining whether a serious incident should be referred to the NIRP; and whether these criteria have changed since 2023. [33533/26]

484. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of serious incidents for each of the past five years that were assessed by the HSE but ultimately not referred to the NIRP; and the reasons for non-referral in each case, in aggregate. [33534/26]

485. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the average length of time taken to complete an NIRP review over the past five years; and whether any reviews are currently delayed due to panel capacity or recruitment issues. [33535/26]

486. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health whether the two referrals received by the NIRP in 2026 have commenced review; and the expected timelines for completion. [33536/26]

487. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of independent panel members recruited in the Q4 2025 campaign; and whether this meets the intended operational capacity of the NIRP. [33537/26]

488. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health when Garda vetting for newly appointed NIRP panel members is expected to conclude; and when the panel will be fully operational. [33538/26]

489. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health whether the governance and administrative relationship between the NIRP and the Office of the Chief Social Worker has been independently reviewed since the panel's establishment; and if so, to outline the findings. [33539/26]

490. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the way in which compliance with NIRP recommendations is monitored; and whether data is available on implementation rates across HSE and HSE funded services [33540/26]

491. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the mechanisms that are in place to ensure systemic learning from NIRP reports is disseminated across community health and social care services. [33541/26]