Parliamentary questions

262. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health the assessment her Department or the HSE has carried out of whether educational psychology training delivered largely through NEPS or school-based placements would equip graduates to work with children under five, non-verbal children, children with acquired brain injury, children with significant mental health needs, children requiring autism d…

263. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health whether her Department, the HSE, CHI, CDNTs, CAMHS, CAMHS-ID, primary care psychology services or assessment of need services have been consulted in relation to any proposal to increase the number of educational psychology doctorate trainees through NEPS-supported placements; whether any concerns have been raised by health or disability service…

264. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health whether her Department, the HSE or CHI has received any addendum, briefing note, supplementary documentation or correspondence indicating that educational psychology placements for additional doctorate trainees would be largely supported by NEPS; whether a response was issued by her Department, the HSE or CHI; and if she will make a statement o…

265. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has examined the implications for HSE, CHI, CDNT, CAMHS, CAMHS-ID, primary care psychology and assessment of need services of training a significantly increased number of psychologists through school-based placements; whether there is a risk that public funding will produce graduates whose training is too narrow to work a…

266. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health whether graduates of doctorate programmes with placements largely or exclusively in NEPS or school-based settings would be considered eligible and competent for appointment to HSE child psychology posts, including CDNTs, primary care psychology, CAMHS, CAMHS-ID, CHI and assessment of need services; the discussions that have taken place with the…

267. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health the role, if any, additional NEPS-supported educational psychology trainees or graduates are expected to play in reducing assessment of need waiting lists, supporting implementation of the autism assessment protocol, and meeting the needs of children under five or children with complex disabilities; whether the HSE considers such trainees or gr…

268. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health if she is satisfied that any proposed expansion of educational psychology training through NEPS-supported or school-based placements is consistent with the needs of HSE and CHI child health and disability services, having regard to the need for psychologists with competencies across direct therapeutic work, autism assessment, disability, acquir…

269. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the new emergency department for Beaumont Hospital; when the project will proceed to tender; when construction will begin on this vital project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49919/26]

270. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 719 and 745 of 23 of June 2026, the precise key performance indicators and data metrics which are reported; and the measurements recorded in 2025 and to date in 2026, in tabular form. [49920/26]

271. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health if information will be provided in relation to psychiatry of later life services for (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49923/26]

272. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health the number of new posts funded in 2026 for psychiatry of later life services, expressed as whole-time equivalents, broken down by HSE health region, CHO, team and discipline, including consultant psychiatrist, non-consultant hospital doctor, community mental health nurse, psychologist, occupational therapist, social worker and administrative su…

273. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the number of empty beds in the Sarsfield Court dementia unit; and the number of patients admitted in the past six months respectively. [49929/26]

274. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if additional home help hours can be put in place for a person (details supplied) as a matter of urgency. [49932/26]

275. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Health her plans to introduce a vaccine injury payment programme in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49935/26]

276. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Health if a timeline for when the vaccine injury payment programme may be introduced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49936/26]

277. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health whether travel and subsistence expenses for home care assistants have been reviewed or are under review; the last time that allowable amounts were updated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49941/26]

278. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health to outline Government policy on access to continuous glucose monitoring devices for people with type two diabetes; whether she will request a rapid health technology assessment to inform future eligibility and reimbursement; if so, the expected timeline for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49946/26]

279. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health having regard to her responsibility for national diabetes policy, the steps she is taking to ensure that the HSE publishes the outcome of the preferred sensor exercise, which was due in the first quarter of 2026; the revised publication date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49947/26]

280. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health to address a matter raised in correspondence (details supplied); if the matter raised is the case; if arrangements will be put in place to rectify this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49954/26]

281. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE has sought or received cumulative manganese exposure data from water suppliers, broken down by age group or vulnerability category; the basis on which the reported guideline value (details supplied) is considered adequate for infants, children, older persons and medically vulnerable groups; whether the absence of a vulnerable-gr…

282. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether an audit, review or evaluation mechanism exists to assess the public health advice issued by the HSE following the conclusion of a drinking water contamination incident; if such a mechanism exists, the frequency of review; the body or office responsible for conducting it; and if no such mechanism exists, to confirm this and to state the…

283. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE has assessed manganese exposure risk in drinking water by reference to Irish-specific exposure pathways, including private well usage and known geological manganese hotspots, as distinct from the general parametric values set under the European Union Drinking Water Regulations 2023; if such an assessment has taken place, to prov…

284. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Health to ensure that all mental health services implementing the TrakCare electronic health record system comply with Regulation 27 (Maintenance of Records), which requires records to be maintained so as to ensure completeness, accuracy and ease of retrieval (details supplied); to provide details of the governance, audit, training and assurance meas…

285. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Health the arrangements in place to monitor the implementation of the TrakCare electronic health record system across mental health services; how compliance with regulatory requirements, including Regulation 27 (Maintenance of Records), will be assessed during and after implementation; the key performance, quality and safety indicators that will be m…

286. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of samples of nicotine-inhaling products submitted by the National Environmental Health Service to the State Laboratory for testing of nicotine content and liquid volume in 2024, in 2025 and to date in 2026; the number of those samples that failed to meet legal limits in each year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [499…