588. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of claims submitted under the General Medical Services Scheme, Drugs Payment Scheme and Long-Term Illness Scheme for salbutamol nebules or equivalent short-acting bronchodilator nebule products in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025; the number and value of such claims paid; the number and value rejected or unpaid; and whether she will provide the corresponding figur…
Topics / Medicinal Products
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsMedicinal Products
1,233 questions from 132 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 22 October 2026.
1,233
questions
1,229 written, 4 oral
132
TDs have asked
11
parties and groups
Independents counted together
4
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 | 17 |
| February 2025 | 66 |
| March 2025 | 28 |
| April 2025 | 35 |
| May 2025 | 43 |
| June 2025 | 58 |
| July 2025 | 56 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 36 |
| October 2025 | 38 |
| November 2025 | 58 |
| December 2025 | 27 |
| January 2026 | 18 |
| February 2026 | 70 |
| March 2026 | 142 |
| April 2026 | 87 |
| May 2026 | 156 |
| June 2026 | 127 |
| July 2026 | 82 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 62 |
| 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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196
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75
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43
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42
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39
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26
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26
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26
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
589. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Department or the Health Service Executive maintains centralised data on the number of patients whose access to reimbursable salbutamol nebules or equivalent substitute products was impacted during registered shortage periods in 2024 and 2025; if so, the number recorded; and if not, whether she intends to introduce a monitoring mechanism to quantify pa…
590. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any formal risk assessment, clinical safety review, or value-for-money analysis was conducted in relation to the ongoing shortages of salbutamol nebules during 2024 and 2025; whether contingency procurement arrangements were activated; and what governance structures are in place to ensure uninterrupted reimbursement access for essential respiratory medicin…
591. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the total expenditure incurred in 2024 and 2025 on salbutamol nebules and equivalent substitute products under the Community Drug Schemes; the additional expenditure, if any, arising from the use of Exempt Medicinal Products during shortage periods; and the budgetary provisions in place to manage future supply disruptions. [13632/26]
604. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether there is a formal departmental policy providing for automatic reimbursement of clinically equivalent substitute medicines once the Health Products Regulatory Authority has listed a reimbursable product as being in shortage; if not, whether she will outline the policy rationale for the absence of such an automatic trigger mechanism; and whether consideratio…
605. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health to set out the statutory, regulatory, or administrative basis under which Exempt Medicinal Products are supported under Discretionary Hardship Arrangements during medicine shortages; whether these arrangements are governed by published criteria; and whether her Department intends to place such arrangements on a formalised national footing. [13654/26]
607. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether national clinical governance guidance has been issued by her Department or by the HSE in respect of reimbursement decision-making during shortages of time-sensitive respiratory medicines, including salbutamol nebules; whether such guidance addresses continuity of care, risk mitigation, and equity of access; and if she will make a statement on the matter. […
608. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the number of occasions in the past three years on which medicines listed on the Community Drug Schemes Reimbursement List were formally declared in shortage by the Health Products Regulatory Authority; in how many such cases substitute reimbursement required discretionary approval; and whether her Department maintains a central register of such occurrences. [1365…
611. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has engaged with representative bodies for community pharmacists, respiratory clinicians, or patient advocacy groups in relation to reimbursement continuity during medicine shortages; whether any formal consultation process has been undertaken since 2020; and if she will provide details of the outcome of any such engagement. [13660/26]
612. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she will commit to publishing a formal contingency reimbursement protocol setting out clear, automatic procedures for substitute medicine reimbursement where a reimbursable product is listed in shortage by the Health Products Regulatory Authority; and if she will indicate a timeframe for the development and publication of such a protocol. [13661/26]
636. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health the current number of medicines listed as being in short supply on the national medicines shortage list maintained by the Health Products Regulatory Authority; the number of these classified as critical or without a clinically equivalent alternative; the average duration of shortages recorded in each of the past three years; and the steps being taken at Department…
637. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department maintains a formal medicines supply resilience strategy addressing strategic stockholding, diversification of supply chains, early warning mechanisms and substitution protocols; if so, when it was last reviewed; and if she will outline the key policy measures currently in force [13763/26]
638. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department receives routine structured reports from the Health Products Regulatory Authority and the HSE regarding medicines shortages affecting chronic disease management, including respiratory conditions; the frequency and format of such reports; and how this information informs policy and budgetary planning [13764/26]
639. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether automatic reimbursement mechanisms are in place under community drug schemes to ensure that where a reimbursable medicine is unavailable due to shortage, clinically appropriate substitute medicines are reimbursed without additional administrative burden on patients or prescribers; and if not, whether she will introduce such a mechanism [13765/26]
640. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has undertaken any assessment of the patient safety, treatment interruption or cost implications arising from medicines shortages in the past three years; if so, the findings of that assessment; and if not, whether such an assessment will now be commissioned [13766/26]
641. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has issued formal policy guidance to the Health Service Executive or to the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics regarding the appropriate time horizon to be applied in health technology assessments where medicines are intended to reduce the long-term incidence of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease; and if s…
672. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the number of people on a waiting list for pre-exposure prophylaxis, by clinic; and the wait time to be offered a new appointment in each clinic, in tabular form. [13935/26]
673. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health to list all public pre-exposure prophylaxis clinics; and to identify the sites in which waiting lists are closed to new self-referrals, in tabular form. [13936/26]
674. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the funding allocated to public pre-exposure prophylaxis services to expand capacity, reduce waiting lists and ensure that the waiting lists in all public clinics are open to new self-referrals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13937/26]
675. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if a new model of pre-exposure prophylaxis will be considered, given the strain on existing clinics (details supplied); if she will review this model; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13938/26]
280. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the reason that preservative-free cosopt eye drops have not been made available on the drugs payment scheme given that it is being prescribed to patients in Ireland; the reason that the licence for preservative-free cosopt drops was withdrawn by the Health Products Regulatory Authority; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13130/26]
287. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health her plans to add Acarizax to the reimbursement list; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13176/26]
1078. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health the steps her Department is taking to ensure that the price of mounjaro is consistent across all outlets, does not vary widely depending on the outlet which the patient seeks it from, and that the cost of this medicine is not a barrier to those patients for whom it is a necessity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11772/26]
575. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health her views on matters raised in correspondence (details supplied); if the bexcero vaccine has been examined and will be made available through such clinics; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11338/26]
608. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Health if the medicine skyclaris/ omaveloxalone will be reimbursed by the HSE as it is the only drug approved to treat Freidreicsh’s ataxia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11491/26]