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agreement is mission creep. It is a workaround and people can see it. Families here in Ireland are dealing with housing shortages, hospital waiting lists, rising prices and failing infrastructure but the Government has not explained why we should be taking an open-ended financial commitment overseas when

Minister for Health the measures she will take in 2026 to reverse the trend of increasing hospital and emergency department overcrowding and hospital waiting lists; the additional acute beds, step-down beds and home-care capacity added in 2025 and planned for 2026; the steps she will take

same time, there is the need for a surgical hub in Dundalk and for full utilisation of Louth County Hospital to reduce waiting lists, improve patient flow and deliver care closer to homes. Louth's population is growing. That is expected and planned for. It is not acceptable

inpatient appointment. That number rose by more than 25% last year. By any measure, the 2025 waiting list action plan failed. Meanwhile, we are hearing advertisements from private hospitals like Kingsbridge Private Hospital in Belfast. That is no way to run a healthcare service, to see private hospitals

families, who have been assessed as needing home support and are still waiting for months on a list. There are people who want to remain in their own homes and are trying to avoid hospital admission or premature placement in residential care, yet the supports they need simply … beginning. I hope it will support the development of a stronger home support sector, encourage provider stability and ultimately lead to shorter waiting lists and better access, particularly in areas that have been historically under-served. Regulation must mean more than standards on paper; for the people waiting

surgical hubs at Tallaght and Mount Carmel in south Dublin are already open and are having a real impact on day case waiting lists. There are due to be five more surgical hubs opened in 2026 at Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford and in north Dublin. Hubs at Sligo … Long waiting times are not unique to the hospital system, however. To address the long waiting times for primary care therapy services, the Department of Health is currently engaging with the HSE on a focused approach to these waiting lists. Under this programme of work, in September last

speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists and so on. That never happened. Of course, what has happened is that people are waiting, waiting and waiting. Parents are taking the State to court. I have a concern that is what is holding back the Government on this … realise that potential because we do not have the capacity. What happens is that it is a postcode lottery, patients go on a waiting list, and they may or may not get the home care supports that they need. That is not what should be in place. That

entitled to and deserve within their home in future years if the Government is serious about moving care out of our acute hospital system and into the community. I also have a concern about what I see as the growing marketisation of the home care sector … this country, including Cork, Kerry and parts of Limerick. Some 900 people are waiting for home care support in Cork and Kerry alone. Some 4,945 people are on a waiting list, as of June of last year. That is a huge amount of unmet need. The cost

progress has been made in dental care in recent years but for instance, in the dental hospital in Cork, there are 91 chairs and that number of people are working at any one time, learning the skills required to practice as dentists. Our problem with dental services … dentists per 100,000 people. Germany and Italy have double that number per 100,000. More than 104,000 children are on waiting lists for school screening and there has been a 31% reduction in the number of dentists in the HSE. We have a major challenge because

Mental Health Commission has reported that each year an estimated 51,000 people access mental health services for the first time through a hospital emergency department. That should not be the case. There should be a dedicated fully staffed place where people experiencing mental health difficulties … have not had significant investment in years. Donegal is suffering and is facing a significant mental health crisis characterised by long waiting lists, rising demands and overstretched services, compounded by the defective concrete crisis currently going on and the mental health crisis that is causing. I have raised

waiting list for more than a year. For children, it is even worse, with more than 17% waiting more than 12 months. It is not just outpatient care either. We learned this week that several children with mental health or developmental difficulties had been left waiting … normalised, accountability disappears. Therefore, I am asking the Taoiseach to take responsibility and answer some straightforward questions. Why has a €420 million waiting list action plan failed to deliver on its minimal targets? Why is the 2026 service plan retreating on bed capacity? What changes will

with disabilities and their families. They allow individuals to live independently in their communities and their homes and help to reduce pressure on hospitals and residential care settings. Despite ongoing investment, the home support system in Ireland is facing deepening challenges that require urgent policy attention and sustained … keep our loved ones at home for as long as possible. Today, 5,500 to 6,000 people remain on home care waiting lists in Ireland. Waiting times vary significantly by region. People in rural areas wait far longer than those in urban centres. In the Cork-Kerry

closer to home and regional delivery. We want to see all three delivered in the midlands. On a basic human level, behind every waiting list number is a person living in pain, struggling to work or watching their quality of life deteriorate. If you are living … call. That is a strategically important location. As recently as July 2024, a report commissioned by the HSE exploring the options for increasing hospital capacities in the midlands identified the need. Yet, in the response this evening, there is no recognition of that. We are seeing population growth

also an investment in a more efficient health system that supports people earlier, prevents avoidable illness and ensures better use of our limited hospital capacity. Home support workers must be valued, supported and recognised for the essential front-line role they play. They deserve for fair pay, sustainable … potential candidates but not one new home support worker was in place. That is not acceptable when there is such a long waiting list. Over 1,000 people in Cork and Kerry are waiting for home supports. Some 64 candidates were identified in the period between July

dedicated mental health emergency room separate from the general emergency department. However, this is not only about our larger hospitals. Model 2 hospitals can support crisis care and that role must be examined and a network of specialist mental health crisis centres established, with ring-fenced investment … brought to an unsuitable emergency department. At the end of November 2025, over 4,300 young people were on a CAMHS waiting list, with more than 1,000 waiting longer than a year. In crisis situations, these delays are dangerous. Ultimately, this is about parity of esteem. Mental

plays in easing the pressure on our hospitals. When adequate support is available in the home, unnecessary hospital admissions can be prevented and hospital discharges can happen more smoothly. For older people in particular, remaining at home with proper assistance is often far safer and far healthier than … while I have the time in relation to what I have experienced over the past number of months in terms of the acute waiting list for home support in Cork. As of 11 November, the HSE responded to a parliamentary question by saying over 890 clients were wait

school building projects to progress. Salesian Secondary School in Celbridge still has waiting lists. Maynooth Post Primary School still has waiting lists. There are people still waiting to get into Maynooth Community College. Families are finding this particularly difficult, and we need to really address what is happening … have this strategy in place in order that we can, in turn, make sure we have the skills required to develop the roads, hospitals and other the key elements of infrastructure that we need. While the focus should rightly be on national infrastructure, as it is in this

said to the Minister last week, and he must agree with this, it is absolutely unacceptable that there is not a list of phone numbers that a public representative can ring. If you are dealing with any other State agency, there are senior people you can call … work with emails. The problem with that is it takes days to respond. Sometimes you need a response quickly and you cannot wait days. The Minister knows that as a long-standing public representative. This issue has to be sorted out. It is at the core

levy, but he is still leaving them in charge of putting the list together. The Minister cannot run with the hare and hunt with the hounds. I spoke earlier about being in the Mercy hospital on Tuesday night, a freezing cold night. It was jammed out the door … cold. I do not know whether the Minister knows where the Mercy hospital is in Cork. Within minutes' walking distance of the hospital are derelict buildings. Around the corner from the hospital are buildings that are rotting. The Minister should be bringing in this legislation now. I know

Minister for Health the measures her Department is taking to reduce hospital waiting lists in public hospitals across the IHA-4 HSE Area Midlands, in light of the most recently published national hospital waiting list figures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4957/26

Minister for Health the measures she will take in 2026 to reverse the trend of increasing hospital and emergency department overcrowding and hospital waiting lists; the additional acute beds, step-down beds and home-care capacity added in 2025 and planned for 2026; the steps she will take

Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Health if the movement of dermatology services from Monaghan Hospital has added to the waiting list times in Drogheda Hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74437/25

Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Health the number of persons on a waiting list in Naas Hospital, County Kildare from 2020 to 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6983/26

Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Health the steps being taken to reduce the number of those on a waiting list in Naas Hospital, County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6984/26

drawn to cases whereby people are unable to afford health insurance premiums but feel forced to due to the length of waiting lists in public hospitals; the actions she is taking to address these concerns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3022/26

Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Health if her attention has been drawn to the waiting lists in Galway University Hospital, which are the highest in the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4965/26

Minister for Health to provide details of appointments deemed urgent and non-urgent for children in South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital given the current waiting list for children’s non-urgent appointments in SIVUH is 16 to 18 months (details supplied); and if she will make a statement

Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Health to provide the current waiting list times in Drogheda hospital for dermatology services from 2019 to date in 2025, per year, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74436/25

Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health the details of the number of kidney patients on waiting lists to see a vascular surgeon, by hospital and the average waiting times; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74177/25

Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health the details of the number of people on waiting lists to see a nephrologist, by hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74176/25

asked the Minister for Health the number of staff and the grade employed in cardiology at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda; if there is a waiting list for this unit; and the number of staff vacancies within the department. [74755/25

Minister for Health how the role of physician associates fits within current and future healthcare workforce planning, particularly in acute hospitals experiencing staff shortages and long waiting lists. [2144/26

Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health the number of cancer patients on waiting lists for cancer treatment, including chemotherapy, by hospital, in tabular form. [3179/26

Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the procedure for closing a waiting list for an outpatient service at a hospital, including what approvals are required. [73911/25

Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Health the number of patients on the waiting list for partial knee replacement surgery at Letterkenny University Hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74908/25

Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Donegal will receive an appointment in Galway University Hospital; if the person is on the routine or urgent waiting list; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6348/26

asked the Minister for Health if management within St Columcille's Hospital, Ireland East Hospital Group, and the HSE were aware of the National Gender Service's decision to close the waiting list before the letter to him; and who among those had approved the closure before sending