There are a couple of different things. Staffing vacancies have decreased considerably, from 30% in 2024 to 14% in Dublin, 15% in Galway and, I acknowledge, 22% in Cork. CORU has changed some of the registration requirements, which has brought Ireland closer to international standards, providing access to work in Ireland for more radiation therapists generally. We have funding allocated in 2025 for the development of advanced practice roles in radiotherapy, which, again, is an effort to help people to work at the a…

I have jobs.

I thank the Deputy for his ongoing concern, driven first by patient safety in Portiuncula hospital, which I greatly appreciate. It is an important focus. As the Deputy is aware, the Walker report came from a review commissioned by the then Saolta Group in 2014 following a number of serious maternity cases at Portiuncula maternity services from 2004 to 2014. It covered 18 cases and was published in 2018, making 154 recommendations. The HSE has advised my Department that all 154 recommendations were independently ver…

I do not know how else to say it to the Deputy but HIQA has verified that all of the recommendations were implemented. Perhaps we should arrange an opportunity for the Deputy to engage with HIQA about its assessment. It is the independent regulator and HIQA advised that they were implemented. One recommendation of 154 did not work and it was moved backwards. The issues that arose in Portiuncula hospital should not have arisen. They should not have happened, because the recommendations of the Walker report were impl…

The Deputy is aware that an external management team, EMT, was put in place in January precisely to try to supervise, assess and make some of the improvements that are needed. There have been some infrastructural works and changes, some of which should have been done before the external management team arrived, which have now been completed, for example a four-bay maternity day assessment unit, MDAU, and a dedicated early pregnancy unit. All of that was in train and should have happened before the external manageme…

I thank the Deputy. There is an audit going on into equity of access on waiting list management. I expect to have that audit at the end of November. I will have to wait until then to confirm any figures. At the end of August this year, there were 135 patients on the CHI spinal active waiting list, compared with 150 in August 2024. That is a reduction of 10%. Outpatient lists are also down, with a 45% reduction in the number of new spinal outpatients waiting on an appointment. While I recognise this progress, there …

No.

I do not believe so. There is a separate portion of money to do that, so I do not believe that. I will check, but it is certainly not my understanding. I remain concerned about the number of children referred, or not referred, for international surgery. As I said earlier it is a source of deep frustration to me that those services are not being utilised. Part of the audit is an analysis of equity of access on the waiting lists, which is something we have not done previously. This qualitative assessment involves tal…

I updated the House earlier. They should be fully in sympathy. I also recognise that whoever is leading the inquiry will need to clarify the terms and make a final decision on what they need to be. I anticipate a comprehensive and transparent inquiry where the terms of reference are developed in partnership. The Government is one piece. The advocates are another piece, as is the person leading from both a legal and a clinical perspective on how that is best done. I updated the House on some of my thinking about thi…

I thank the Deputy for allowing me to update the House on the new primary care centre in Graiguenamanagh, County Kilkenny. The need for that primary care centre was identified as part of the HSE’s overall primary care centre development programme. It is to be delivered via the HSE operational lease mechanism. As the Deputy is aware, the HSE has advertised for and identified a preferred developer for this new centre. I am pleased to advise that an application for planning permission was lodged by the preferred devel…

Absolutely. When it is operational, it is expected that it will have GP, dental, community nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, dietetics and psychology services, as well as diabetic breathanyl screening and outreach for chronic disease help, all of which are so very important. The Deputy is right when he says that recruitment is a challenge. We have vacancies in the system, notwithstanding having the funding for it. I hope the primary care centre model will be a welcome additi…

I thank the Deputy. Clearly, we are trying to have a network serving counties Kilkenny and Carlow, and we need the staff. The vacancies are there. We are desperately trying to recruit and make sure the complete suite of services is there for the people of the county.

As the Deputy is aware, the Sláintecare target is 12 weeks for an inpatient procedure. That is how we measure performance across the entire health sector. Some 39% of the children on the active spinal waiting list in CHI were within Sláintecare targets at the end of August 2025, which is an improvement on 28% at the end of August 2024. Additionally, only 7% were waiting over 12 months, which is compared to 24% at the same time last year. There is, therefore, some progress being made in reducing waiting times, espec…

Yes, that is my intention. It is a partnership approach. At the end of the day, some terms of reference are going to have to be settled and it is absolutely our intention to do that in a partnership approach. The person leading it, of course, must have some knowledge of how it is going to be done and some hand in how best it can be delivered as well. That is an important perspective. It should not be coming from me to impose it upon them. We are genuinely trying to deliver a partnership approach. We are some weeks …

I did not make any comment on that. I said there was an audit-----

-----so please do not put words with me because I did not say anything in relation to that.

Yes, I would also like to do that, but we have to recognise that there are some children for whom it is suitable and who have had good outcomes. I answered the Deputy's question in relation to medical devices. I said I was referring a concern that I had to HIQA. In relation to the clinical lead, I said that I have commissioned an audit, which is a really important process. I do not wish to step across that. I am very happy to discuss the outcome of the audit with the House once I have it, but I cannot step ahead of…

I thank the Deputy. I know he has been a very strong advocate for the Gorey primary care centre, the need for which has been well identified. A tender process has been undertaken. As he is aware, a preferred provider had been selected, with a letter of intent issued in 2019. Unfortunately, that selected preferred provider encountered difficulties regarding economic viability resulting in the collapse of the process in 2024. To facilitate the readvertisement of this primary care centre, a full review was taken with …

My immediate priority following the publication of the Thomas audit on 23 May 2025 was to ensure there was clinical follow-up and care for patients who had undergone pelvic osteotomy surgery. This is a once-off review to assess any complications that may exist and to determine the current clinical state. After this, patients then enter the recommended normal follow-up process. These multidisciplinary team, MDT, clinics have been under way since 6 June for clinical reviews of patients who had osteotomy surgery in CH…

We are imminently close to appointing a lead. I would have preferred to be in a position to do that today, but I am not. It is imminent, essentially. I appreciate what the Deputy said about January. It is for this group of experts to determine their process and not for me to step across that. I expect and hope it would be done within six months but, again, if independent clinical experts tell me differently, then I will take their clinical perspective on it, as I am sure the Deputy would. I remain committed to upda…