Laboratory Facilities

766. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 1085, 1086, 1089, 1092 and 1094 of 19 May 2026, which confirmed there is no separate governance structure overseeing laboratory utilisation nationally, whether her Department will now establish an interim national oversight mechanism pending full rollout of MedLIS and the Regional Laboratory Networks; and…

767. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1089 of 19 May 2026, which confirmed MedLIS duplicate detection is currently deployed only in Beaumont Hospital and Cavan General Hospital, the projected timeline and sequencing for national rollout of MedLIS to all other hospital sites; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52936/26]

768. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question Nos 1089 and 1092 of 19 May 2026, which referenced a Minimal Retesting Interval Guidance Document currently in development by the Laboratory Services Reform Programme, the expected publication date of this document; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52937/26]

769. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1092 of 19 May 2026, which referenced a laboratory utilisation survey undertaken by a professional body with an offer to share findings, the name of the professional body in question; the findings shared to date; whether her Department will publish the outcome of any resulting collaboration; and if she will…

770. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question Nos.1085 and 1086 of 19 May 2026, which confirmed no national modelling of laboratory testing costs has been undertaken and no assessment of the financial impact of duplicate or unnecessary testing has been carried out, whether her Department will now commission such an assessment given the acknowledged absence…

1085. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the estimated total annual cost to the State of primary care laboratory testing in each year from 2020 to 2026, including any regional or modelled estimates used in the absence of a centralised national dataset; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36990/26]

1089. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any laboratories currently operate duplicate test detection systems at the point of ordering; if so, to provide details by region or hospital group; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36994/26]

1094. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health what governance structures currently oversee laboratory demand management, utilisation monitoring and value-for-money assessment in primary care laboratory services pending full implementation of the Regional Laboratory Networks and MedLIS programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36999/26]

1261. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Health the number of pulmonary function laboratories nationwide; the number of laboratories with vacancies for respiratory physiologists, per laboratory, in tabular form. [30785/26]

1114. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health if as of 1 January 2026, the HSE has identified any binding constraints on laboratory surge testing capacity in the event of a declared public health emergency; and if so, to specify each constraint by category (staffing, reagents, equipment, logistics). [12077/26]

1115. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the maximum daily PCR and sequencing surge capacity currently available within the public health laboratory system; the peak surge capacity achieved during Covid-19; and the variance between the two. [12078/26]

1116. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any tabletop exercises, stress tests, or simulations of laboratory surge capacity have been conducted since 2022; to provide the dates; and to summarise the findings. [12079/26]

77. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health for an update on the current and capital spend on the MedLIS project to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3354/26]

676. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has identified any constraints in laboratory throughput, reagent supply, staffing availability, or logistics that would limit surge testing capacity during a public health emergency; and to outline any actions approved to address such constraints. [73503/25]

1075. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 354 of 15 October 2025, when further information will issue from the HSE; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70231/25]

492. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health the current status of plans to establish a multidisciplinary HSE central laboratory, as outlined in the HSE's strategy for laboratory services 2025-2029; the key milestones achieved to date; the expected timeline for delivery; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62606/25]

494. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health if a location has been selected for the proposed HSE's central laboratory, as outlined in the HSE's strategy for laboratory services 2025-2029; the criteria used in site selection; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62608/25]

495. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health the projected staffing and skills requirements for the establishment and operation of the proposed HSE's central laboratory, under the HSE's strategy for laboratory services 2025-2029; the recruitment timeline; the action being taken to ensure the necessary workforce is in place given current shortages in laboratory science and related discipli…

501. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE Central Laboratory will operate under ISO 15189 accreditation standards; the accreditation pathway being pursued; whether this accreditation will be in place prior to commencing clinical operations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62710/25]

502. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health the expected benefits of the Central Laboratory, as outlined in the HSE Strategy for Laboratory Services 2026 to 2036, in terms of turnaround times, resilience and sustainability; whether a value-for-money assessment has been carried out; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62711/25]

503. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health the capital equipment requirements identified for the establishment of the proposed HSE Central Laboratory under the HSE Strategy for Laboratory Services 2026–2036; the estimated cost of procuring and commissioning this equipment; the funding allocated to date; the expected phasing of investment over the lifetime of the strategy; and if she wil…

354. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on the new laboratory IT system (details supplied) ; the length of time this system has been in development, the timeline for rollout, the cost of this project to date, and the expected total cost; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56012/25]

710. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health if her plans to build national capacity for clinical genetic testing includes the establishment of a public sector-run national genomics laboratory; if so, the anticipated timeline for this development; the level of funding required; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53930/25]

712. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health the Irish public hospital laboratories that are accredited to ISO 15189:2022 standard to deliver for clinical genetic tests; if she will specify the clinical genetic tests for which they hold this accreditation; and if she will outline the average turnaround times for these laboratories in delivering results back to the requesting clinician and…

713. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health if she will address the current fragmented approach to ordering clinical genetic tests in Ireland; her plans to build national capacity to avoid the unnecessary practice of patient blood samples being sent abroad; the timeline for this capacity to be built; if it will be public sector centred; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53…