Infectious Diseases

1031. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to provide the findings and conclusions of each public-health risk assessment completed since 1 January 2020 concerning communicable-disease risks among persons arriving into the State, including tuberculosis, measles, polio and hepatitis; and to state the public-health actions or interventions that followed each assessment. [69960/25]

1032. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to provide copies of all public-health guidance, internal advisories or instructions issued by her Department, or the HSE since 1 January 2020 that arose from public-health risk assessments concerning communicable-disease risks among persons arriving into the State; and to list the date and issuing authority for each document. [69961/25]

1033. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department or the HSE maintains a central record or database of public-health risk assessments related to communicable-disease risks among persons arriving into the State; and if so, to outline the structure of this record, the information fields captured, and the frequency with which it is updated. [69962/25]

1034. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if any public-health risk assessments since 1 January 2020 identified elevated risks associated with specific cohorts of persons arriving into the State, including returning residents, travellers, tourists, students or persons seeking international protection; and to provide a summary of those findings. [69963/25]

1035. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of occasions since 1 January 2020 on which a public-health risk assessment at an air or maritime point of entry resulted in the issuing of public-health advice, the initiation of contact-tracing measures or any other public-health intervention; and to provide the year-by-year breakdown. [69964/25]

1037. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the current criteria used by her Department and by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre when determining whether to recommend the introduction or re-introduction of health-screening protocols for persons entering the State, including the thresholds used in national and international epidemiological surveillance and the role of WHO and ECD…

1038. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to list all occasions since January 2020 on which the Chief Medical Officer or the Health Protection Surveillance Centre recommended the introduction, expansion, suspension, or withdrawal of screening protocols for infectious diseases affecting persons entering or residing in the State, and to outline the actions taken by the Department in res…

1039. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the governance framework applying to the development of infectious-disease screening advice by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, including the approval process, escalation procedures, inter-departmental coordination, and documentation of decision-making. [69968/25]

1040. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if a formal capacity assessment has been carried out by the HSE to determine the resources required to provide infectious-disease screening for all persons entering the State in circumstances where public health advice recommends such screening, and to publish the findings. [69969/25]

1041. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the current staffing complement at the Health Protection Surveillance Centre and the National Health Protection Office with responsibility for surveillance, risk assessment, and screening protocol development, disaggregated by grade, specialty, and whole-time equivalent. [69970/25]

1042. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the gaps identified by her Department in the HSE’s surge capacity to conduct infectious-disease screening during periods of elevated risk; and the steps being taken to address staffing, laboratory throughput, IT systems, and public-health infrastructure. [69971/25]

1043. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether a costed contingency plan exists within the Department or HSE for the rapid expansion of border-related infectious-disease screening in the event of future WHO or ECDC alerts, and to provide the projected financial and staffing requirements underpinning such planning. [69972/25]

1046. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if she intends to establish statutory or regulatory guidelines to clarify minimum standards for infectious-disease screening for persons entering the State, including data reporting requirements, consent protocols, laboratory turnaround times, and inter-agency information-sharing. [69975/25]

557. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Health if her Department has provided any resourcing or staffing to HSE to support expanded infectious disease screening at ports of entry. [67531/25]

623. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the public health advice her Department has issued to the Department of Justice since 2020 regarding infectious disease screening of persons entering or residing in the State, and if she will publish this advice. [64900/25]

624. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has completed any public health risk assessments since 2020 relating to tuberculosis, measles, polio, hepatitis or other communicable diseases among persons arriving into the State, and if she will provide copies of these assessments. [64901/25]

625. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of infectious disease cases recorded by the HSE in each of the past five years that were epidemiologically linked to recent arrivals into the State, broken down by disease type. [64902/25]

628. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has provided any resourcing, staffing or operational plans to the HSE to support expanded infectious disease screening at ports of entry or reception centres, and if she will outline these proposals. [64905/25]

629. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of internal memos, circulars or directives issued by the Department since 2020 concerning infectious disease risks associated with inward migration, and if she will publish the dates and recipients of those communications. [64906/25]

630. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if the HSE currently has the capacity to conduct infectious disease screening for all persons entering the State in circumstances where public health advice recommends such screening, and the number of staff available for this work. [64907/25]

631. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of reintroducing mandatory or enhanced infectious disease screening for persons entering or residing in the State, including staffing, clinical resources and laboratory capacity. [64908/25]

632. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if her Department has raised any concerns with the Department of Justice regarding infectious disease risks associated with international protection applicants or other new arrivals in the past five years. [64909/25]

997. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health if she will address concerns that the incidence rate of tuberculosis is increasing among the general population; if she will provide data on the number of reported cases in each of the years 2021 to date in 2025; her views on the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Tuberculosis Surveillance and Monitoring that the incidence level…

935. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if persons seeking to enter or reside in the State are currently required to undergo medical screening or testing for infectious diseases or viruses; if not, the reason for this change from previous practice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61028/25]

936. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if consideration has been given to reintroducing or expanding medical screening for infectious diseases and viruses among persons entering or residing in the State; if any risk assessments or public health reviews have been undertaken in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61029/25]