Healthcare Policy

629. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total annual expenditure incurred by the Health Service Executive in respect of gender identity services for minors in each year since 2020, including domestic services, overseas referrals, and ancillary supports; whether expenditure is subject to specific budget ceilings or value-for-money review; and if she will make a statement on the ma…

269. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Health if, under the planned healthcare abroad scheme, initial consultations with treating consultants abroad via video or phone call are specifically prohibited under the scheme; if the prohibition is outlined in legislation grounding the scheme; the reasons this prohibition exists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15420/26]

847. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 2413 of 13 January 2026, if she will review correspondence (details supplied); if she will address the concerns raised therein; if she will respond to the specific questions outlined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14000/26]

374. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Education and Youth the statutory basis permits non-registered healthcare staff in schools to undertake clinical interventions ordinarily carried out by regulated professionals; whether responsibility for clinical risk in such cases rests with the Department, the HSE, or the individual board of management; and if she will make a statement on the matt…

375. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she is aware of reported needle-stick injuries sustained by school staff in a school (details supplied) arising from invasive diabetic care procedures and the schools repeated requests for nursing support; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13933/26]

376. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Education and Youth the amount of funding provided to a school (details supplied) that is separate from and not tied to the standard capitation grant and is specifically ring-fenced for essential and mandatory emergency administration of medication; the details of any such funding available to special schools to cover required training in areas inclu…

600. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health what national clinical governance arrangements currently apply to specialist gender healthcare services for children and adolescents while the National Gender Service Model of Care (2018) is under review; and whether any interim clinical guidance has been issued since publication of the Cass Review. [13648/26]

601. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any future recruitment specifications for consultant posts in child and adolescent gender-related services will be required to align strictly with the revised National Gender Service Model of Care; and the national clinical governance structure that will approve such specifications. [13649/26]

602. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the oversight role exercised by her Department in approving or reviewing national clinical models of care which inform consultant recruitment specifications; and whether the Minister retains ultimate policy responsibility for ensuring that such models align with international evidence and best practice. [13650/26]

616. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has approved any national governance, safeguarding, and clinical governance framework for gender identity services for children and young people, including required standards, audit arrangements, and lines of accountability; and if so, to provide the title, date of approval, and the name of the unit responsible for monito…

617. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has conducted or commissioned, since 2019, any risk assessment, safeguarding assurance review, or governance assessment of gender identity services for children and young people, including assessment of diagnostic governance, consent safeguards, data completeness, and clinical oversight; and if so, to provide the date, th…

618. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has completed any formal assessment since 2018 of the WPATH Standards of Care for the purposes of alignment with Irish health governance frameworks, including appraisal methodology, conflicts-of-interest screening, and evidence grading; and if so, to provide the date and the governance route by which the assessment was ap…

619. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has issued any written instruction to the HSE to establish a national dataset for gender identity services for minors, including referral volumes, diagnostic profiles, treatment pathways, and outcomes; and if so, to specify the minimum dataset fields required, the legal basis relied upon, and the target date for national …

624. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department requires maternity services to record and report, as a national patient safety governance measure, any instance where signs of life are observed following a termination of pregnancy, including whether any national data return is required from maternity hospitals to the Department or to a national programme; and if not, to…

625. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has commissioned or overseen since 2019 any national clinical audit, serious incident learning review, or patient safety governance review in relation to reporting and governance arrangements for cases where signs of life are observed following a termination of pregnancy; and if so, to provide the number of reviews, the d…

661. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the steps that have been taken to progress the lymphoedema and lipoedema model of care further to successful outcomes from Proof-of-Concept services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13894/26]

668. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if she will commit to the publication of a comprehensive framework outlining a programme for the diagnosis and treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder, encompassing a multidisciplinary contribution from general practitioners, psychiatric and gynaecological specialists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13928/26]

669. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the research her Department is consulting or conducting with respect to the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for the treatment for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13929/26]

670. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the research her Department is consulting or conducting with respect to diagnostic pathways for people with premenstrual dysphoric disorder; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13930/26]

671. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health to provide details on any public awareness programmes or campaigns that her Department or the HSE has carried out to inform people of the symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13931/26]

272. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health if patients who go abroad for treatment and still need care when they return must pay out of pocket to receive aftercare; and whether there is a hardship fund to assist in availing of treatment (details supplied). [13107/26]

285. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health if she will consider a recent report commissioned by an organisation (details supplied); if she will consider adding Crohn's, colitis and irritable bowel disease to the list of illnesses which qualify an individual for a long-term illness card; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13169/26]

288. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health if she is concerned that the proposal to ban flavoured nicotine inhalation devices could have a knock-on increase in the number of cigarette smokers; the actions she will take to address these concerns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13181/26]

289. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Health to outline any research carried out by her Department into the potential risks of banning flavoured nicotine inhalation devices; whether the potential knock-on increase in people reverting to cigarette smoking was considered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13182/26]

296. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Health the steps her Department is taking to tackle the issue of over-prescribing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13236/26]