Health Services

2715. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the financial control framework governing expenditure under the treatment abroad scheme, including any cost ceilings, per-patient expenditure thresholds, or approval limits that apply to high-cost treatments funded outside the State; to specify the administrative or managerial grade within the HSE or Department required to approve such expendi…

2716. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to detail the audit and review mechanisms in place to assess expenditure under the treatment abroad scheme, including the frequency of internal audit, any involvement of the Comptroller and Auditor General, and whether any programme-level evaluations have been conducted since 2020; and to outline how value for money is assessed in circumstance…

2717. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to confirm whether her Department or the HSE maintains a consolidated dataset on expenditure under the treatment abroad scheme, including total annual spend, number of patients funded, and average cost per case; to specify whether such data is routinely reported to her Department; and to state whether there are plans to publish this informatio…

2718. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the policy position in respect of the collection and classification of expenditure under the treatment abroad scheme by treatment category; to confirm whether the absence of category-level data reflects a policy decision or a systems limitation; and to outline any steps being taken to introduce structured data collection to support oversight, …

2719. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to clarify the governance framework that applies to expenditure under the treatment abroad scheme, including whether the Public Spending Code formally applies to individual funding decisions and programme-level oversight; and to set out how her Department satisfies itself that expenditure under the Scheme meets the standards of regularity, pro…

2720. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the mechanisms in place to assess, challenge, or verify the costs charged by healthcare providers in other jurisdictions under the treatment abroad scheme; to confirm whether the State has any capacity to benchmark or negotiate such costs; and to set out how she mitigates the financial exposure arising from reliance on externally determined pr…

2721. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any formal, written eligibility criteria exist governing the approval of funding under the treatment abroad scheme for procedures not available within the State, including gender-related surgical procedures; if such criteria exist, to provide the date of their introduction, the authority under which they were approved, and the body res…

2722. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the definition of “clinical necessity” applied in the context of approvals under the treatment abroad scheme to specify whether this definition is standardised at national level or determined on a case-by-case basis by referring clinicians; and to confirm whether any national guidance, protocol, or decision-support framework exists to ensure c…

2723. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to detail the decision-making and approval process for applications under the treatment abroad scheme; to specify the roles of referring consultants, multidisciplinary teams, the HSE, and any central approval authority in determining whether funding is granted; and to confirm whether final approval decisions are subject to independent clinical…

2724. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to outline the audit, review, and oversight mechanisms in place in respect of approvals granted under the Treatment Abroad Scheme; to confirm whether any audits have been conducted specifically examining the appropriateness, consistency, and value for money of approvals for procedures not available within the State; and if so, to provide the d…

2725. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the mechanisms in place to ensure consistency of decision-making across the six HSE health regions in respect of applications to the Treatment Abroad Scheme; to confirm whether any central monitoring, benchmarking, or variance analysis is carried out to identify differences in approval rates or referral patterns between regions; and if not, wh…

2726. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to confirm whether the HSE collects and maintains a centralised dataset in respect of approvals granted under the Treatment Abroad Scheme; to specify the data fields recorded, including procedure type, cost, jurisdiction, and clinical indication; and if such data is not collected in a structured manner, to outline the steps being taken to addr…

2728. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any formal, written eligibility criteria exist governing the approval of funding under the treatment abroad scheme for procedures not available within the State, including gender-related surgical procedures; if such criteria exist, to provide the date of their introduction, the authority under which they were approved, and the body res…

2729. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the definition of “clinical necessity” applied in the context of approvals under the treatment abroad scheme; to specify whether this definition is standardised at national level or determined on a case-by-case basis by referring clinicians; and to confirm whether any national guidance, protocol, or decision-support framework exists to ensure …

2730. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to detail the decision-making and approval process for applications under the treatment abroad scheme; to specify the roles of referring consultants, multidisciplinary teams, the HSE, and any central approval authority in determining whether funding is granted; and to confirm whether final approval decisions are subject to independent clinical…

2731. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to outline the audit, review, and oversight mechanisms in place in respect of approvals granted under the treatment abroad scheme; to confirm whether any audits have been conducted specifically examining the appropriateness, consistency, and value for money of approvals for procedures not available within the State; and if so, to provide the d…

2732. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the mechanisms in place to ensure consistency of decision-making across the six HSE health regions in respect of applications to the treatment abroad scheme; to confirm whether any central monitoring, benchmarking, or variance analysis is carried out to identify differences in approval rates or referral patterns between regions; and if not, wh…

2733. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to confirm whether the HSE collects and maintains a centralised dataset in respect of approvals granted under the treatment abroad scheme; to specify the data fields recorded, including procedure type, cost, jurisdiction, and clinical indication; and if such data is not collected in a structured manner, to outline the steps being taken to addr…

2735. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Health the actions underway to improve access to appropriate care for those living with lipoedema, including progress on the development of a national HSE care pathway, access to conservative management options such as compression therapy and manual lymphatic drainage, and the operation of the Cross Border Directive in this area; and if she will m…

2736. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Health for an update on the work of the HSE group established in 2023 to develop a national care pathway for lipoedema; the expected timeline for publication; and the extent to which patient representative organisations, including the Lipoedema Support Network Ireland, are being engaged in this process; and if she will make a statement on the matt…

2737. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Health whether any engagement is taking place with private health insurers regarding coverage for clinically indicated treatments for lipoedema, including liposuction; whether there are any plans to review current practices to ensure clarity and consistency for patients seeking treatment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23934/26]

2747. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Health if her attention has been drawn to the barriers currently faced by patients living with lipoedema, including the absence of a published national HSE care pathway, limited access to conservative management such as compression therapy and manual lymphatic drainage, and delays or difficulties accessing treatment through the cross-Border health…

2748. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE working group established in 2023 to develop a national care pathway for lipoedema has completed its work; when the pathway is expected to be published; and whether patient advocacy organisations, including the Lipoedema Support Network Ireland, will be included in the development and implementation of this pathway. [23993/2…

2749. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Health if her Department intends to review the operation of private health insurers in relation to coverage for medically indicated liposuction procedures for lipoedema patients, in light of concerns regarding inconsistent decision-making, the use of criteria designed for lymphoedema rather than lipoedema, and practices that may result in patients…

2750. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Health if there will be an urgent review of private health insurer practices relating to lipoedema, including clinical decision-making frameworks, eligibility criteria, and consistency of coverage for medically indicated procedures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24005/26]