938. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Health her views on including spinal muscular atrophy in the national newborn screening programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61040/25]
Topics / Health Screening Programmes
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsHealth Screening Programmes
184 questions from 55 TDs, between 14 October 2025 and 21 October 2026.
184
questions
184 written, 0 oral
55
TDs have asked
10
parties and groups
Independents counted together
1
departments asked
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 0 |
| March 2025 | 0 |
| April 2025 | 0 |
| May 2025 | 0 |
| June 2025 | 0 |
| July 2025 | 0 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 0 |
| October 2025 | 1 |
| November 2025 | 61 |
| December 2025 | 14 |
| January 2026 | 24 |
| February 2026 | 15 |
| March 2026 | 12 |
| April 2026 | 1 |
| May 2026 | 1 |
| June 2026 | 2 |
| July 2026 | 12 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 14 |
| October 2026 | 27 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
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Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
944. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health if her Department is considering adding a test for spinal muscular atrophy to the heel prick test for newborns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61074/25]
945. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the engagement between her Department officials and the HSE regarding implementing a timeframe for the introduction of screening for SMA and SCID; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61075/25]
970. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Health when severe combined immunodeficiency and spinal muscular atrophy will be added to the Newborn Bloodspot Screening Programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61250/25]
976. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health the number of lipid profiles ordered through primary care (GP and primary care clinics) in each of the years 2019 to date in 2025, by CHO area and by quarter, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61316/25]
977. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health the total cost to the health service from 2019 to 2025, by year for laboratory testing for standard lipid profiles ordered from primary care, including the cost per test and any trend in test volumes over that period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61317/25]
978. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health the number of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] tests carried out in public hospitals and HSE-funded laboratories from 2019 to 2025, by referral source (primary care versus hospital-based specialist services), by year, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61318/25]
979. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health if current national guidelines on cardiovascular risk assessment in primary care recommend measurement of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] for any cohort of patients; the rationale for current practice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61319/25]
980. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health if she has considered introducing a once-in-a-lifetime lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] test as part of routine cardiovascular risk assessment for adults, in line with emerging European recommendations on heart health and inherited risk; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61320/25]
981. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health if her Department or the HSE has undertaken any clinical or economic evaluation of the potential benefits and costs of introducing once-in-a-lifetime lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] testing for the general population; the details of any such analysis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61321/25]
982. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health the proportion of adults in the State for whom Lp(a) has been measured at least once; the estimated prevalence of elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] among those tested; the extent to which this information is used to guide more intensive LDL cholesterol lowering or other preventive measures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61322/25]
983. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health if she will report on any international examples, particularly within the EU, where once-in-a-lifetime lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] testing has been adopted or piloted as part of national cardiovascular prevention strategies; if similar pilots are being considered in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61323/25]
984. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health if she will ensure that future revision of national cardiovascular prevention guidelines for primary care explicitly considers the role of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] testing in identifying people at inherited high risk of heart disease and stroke; if she will report on the timeframe for such guideline updates; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61324/2…
985. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health the way in which her Department plans to improve early detection and management of cardiovascular risk in primary care over the next five years, including the role of lipid testing, potential once-in-a-lifetime lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] screening, and targeted follow up for high-risk patients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61325/25]
997. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Health her Department’s plans and timeframe for the introduction of a national lung cancer screening programme using low-dose CT scanning, in line with recommendations before the National Screening Advisory Committee and given the success of the lung health check pilot initiatives in north Dublin and the northeast, which have shown clear benefits in early detection …
1015. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Health the number of children in Galway and Roscommon that have missed critical developmental checks in the past 12 months; whether her Department has assessed the long-term impact; the plans in place to ensure timely access to these checks going forward; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61472/25]
1022. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health if she will roll out the inclusion of a test for spinal muscular atrophy by November 2025, the second anniversary of the announcement that it would be added (details supplied). [61601/25]
411. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Health the role of his Department and the HSE in the delivery of the seven-day screening process proposed under the International Protection Bill 2025; and the estimated cost of the health-related components, including medical and psychological assessments, staffing of health and social care professionals, and the provision of clinical or diagnostic facilities to support…
412. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Health the means by which the health and vulnerability assessments forming part of the seven-day screening process under the International Protection Bill 2025 will be funded; and whether this expenditure will be met from existing HSE or departmental budgets, through budget allocations in budget 2026 or via an interdepartmental funding arrangement with the Department of …
413. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Health if her Department has carried out an assessment of the projected annual operational costs associated with the medical and health screening elements of the seven-day screening process under the International Protection Bill 2025; and the means by which such costs are expected to be met on a recurring basis within the health Vote. [60571/25]
445. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Health for an update on the roll-out of spinal muscular atrophy screening as part of the heel prick test for newborns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60741/25]
1917. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health to provide a timeline for the inclusion of SMA in the national newborn screening programme and implement the heelprick test (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59195/25]
1928. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Health the progress which has been made to ensure routine testing for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is included in the national newborn screening programme heel-prick test; when it is envisaged that every newborn baby will be screened for SMA; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59289/25]
1936. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health when spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) will be included as part of the national newborn screening programme heelprick test, following the Government’s decision in November 2023 to include SMA in the programme, the reasons for the delay in implementation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59303/25]
1937. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if she will provide an updated timeline for the commencement of routine screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) under the national newborn screening programme; if dedicated staffing, laboratory capacity and logistical resources are now in place to deliver this screening; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59304/25]