There were 1,792 waiting longer than 52 weeks.

I agree with the Deputy. We increased the number of psychology doctoral training places to 111 at the end of 2025. This was up from 49 places in 2021. It is not just about the doctoral level. We want to create psychology assistant posts too, where we can make sure that people with a master's degree can work to support doctoral-level psychologists to increase workforce expansion. Not everybody has to have a doctorate. People can have a master's degree and still do important psychology work under the supervision of a…

I cannot answer that for the Deputy this morning but it is an important question. We might put this series of questions to Andy Phillips in respect of that region. I am sorry I cannot answer that question for the Deputy.

On a point of order, I have to call a quorum because this is of such significance. The Government has set aside time for statements on a whole range of different things. I call a quorum.

I think it is disrespectful to the Minister of State.

I welcome the opportunity to address the House on a number of important inquiry processes that have been established or are in the process of being established by the State in the health sector, and to update Members on progress to date. I also want to put these updates in the context of the human experiences that underpin them. We must always remember that long before any inquiry is agreed, before any terms of reference are drafted and before any report is delivered, there are lived experiences at the centre of th…

I nearly never do that because I often deviate from it.

As an initial step, the Government agreed that a facilitator will be appointed to consult stakeholders on scoping the content of potential terms of reference for an inquiry. This scoping exercise is designed to ensure that when a public inquiry is established, it has structures and parameters that reflect the needs of children and families of patients, are grounded in evidence and avoid duplication with existing statutory or clinical processes. In this regard, I have engaged with the Attorney General, considering t…

I have not.

Yes.

No, they start now.

I am sorry if the Deputy cannot follow it, but they start now.

I will address a number of issues and questions that Deputies raised. We take the same approach to both inquiries, with the appointment of a facilitator specifically to engage with the different groups. That request has been socialised and agreed with the different groups, which includes Dignity4Patients on the Michael Shine side and eight groups on the scoliosis side. There are different views among the groups and it is important to acknowledge and reflect on that, as there have been different views among scoliosi…

I thank Senator Ní Chuilinn for raising this important matter. Supporting those living with rare diseases is a priority for me as Minister and for the Oireachtas. It is important to remember that 300,000 people, as the Senator said, are living with a rare disease. While the disease may be rare, the fact of living with a rare disease is not. On foot of that, the national rare disease strategy was launched in August 2025. The Department of Health will now ensure its implementation and its vision to ensure that all pe…

The Department would always be happy to speak with any other parties in the pharmaceutical sector. It is important to point out that the 180-day period is for the decision from the application through the HTA process to reimbursement. I know there is a bit of a disconnect here. Because something has been EMA-approved, there is an assumption that that consideration is happening in the HSE. That only happens if the drug company makes an application in Ireland and that is not always the case for a lot of different rea…

These amendments relate to the power of the HSE under the Bill to request health information for important public interest purposes beyond care and treatment. On Second Stage, I spoke about how we are seeking to transform the culture of information sharing in the health service. Part 4 of the Bill sets out a number of specified public interest purposes, including service planning and performance management, in respect of which the HSE can request and receive health information from entities across the health sector…

I thank the Senator for his comments. I am enormously sympathetic to the case he raised that informs his comments, as well as the advocacy that Andrew McGinley has channelled on behalf of his family and the way in which he has used that so constructively. There is a place for an analysis of how that data is appropriately shared and how that might be considered. I will speak to the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, in that regard. This is quite technical legislation, however, with important safeguards that are linke…

Our health system needs a robust and proven identifier so that health information can effectively and reliably be associated with the right individual. That is essential for care and treatment, as well as for patient safety. The Bill aims to enhance patient safety through a stronger identification process, including best practice use of PPSNs and eircodes to uniquely identify patients. Amendments tabled on Committee Stage in the Dáil provided for the insertion of a new section 12, mandating a health services provid…

Section 21 mandates the HSE, following consultation, to prepare guidelines for the purposes of the Bill, including on the digital format and standards required in respect of Part 2, on the statutory duty to share. I thank the Senators for their interest in and engagement on the quality of information shared in respect of patients. While I have reported important progress to Senators today, I acknowledge their ongoing interest in this. I will continue to report to the Seanad on the progress on the sharing of health …

I was very pleased to meet with Eric, Emily, Niamh, David and Oisín. I thank the Deputy for bringing them in. I have already followed up on the different physiotherapy and other supports that should be due to them and to get an assessment of what they should be getting and what they are getting. With regard to the drug, we have a series of different drugs that are coming on stream. The Taoiseach and I have discussed the increasing the drugs budget. We are very aware of how much we are already spending on that, how …