1. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health her current policy on the colocation of the Rotunda Hospital; the amount spent to date on colocation planning, including any preliminary stages; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17627/26]
Sentiment score: 0.01
My first question is on the Rotunda Hospital. Since the question was tabled, however, a memo was brought to Cabinet and the Minister has decided to abandon the plans to colocate the Rotunda Hospital with Connolly. If I am right that this is her position, she might outline that. Now the key thing has to be what happens with the critical care unit. I welcome that, as part of an enhanced planning application and the critical care unit, the sexual assault unit will also be enhanced. The Minister might take the opportunity to update the House on those two very important projects.
Sentiment score: 0.07
The colocation plan unfortunately was an anchor around the hospital for far too long so I welcome the fact that anchor has now been removed. It is policy since 2015 but very little money has been spent on it and there was no real timeframe. An Coimisiún Pleanála's decision did mention colocation not as the main reason but certainly as one of the factors it took into account, so removing that obviously helps. It is possible and necessary that we protect the built environment that is Parnell Street. Nobody, including the master of the hospital, disputes that the architectural heritage of that building is important. However, it is possible to have a planning application that can address some of those concerns but also provide world-class, first-class buildings and capacity for the staff who, as the Minister said, do a wonderful job in the Rotunda Hospital. I am satisfied that this can be achieved. It will require funding and support at every step of the way from Government.
Sentiment score: 0.32
The decision for the Rotunda in relation to colocation has raised issues around other colocation proposals as well. The Minister mentioned Holles Street, which is moving to Elm Park and which is much more advanced. There is a plan for Limerick and for the Coombe. Now questions are being asked about where they stand, particularly the Coombe, which is to move to the site adjacent to the new children's hospital, which is yet to open. Are there timeframes for that? What is the policy of the Government? Is there any fresh thinking on the Coombe given the decision that was made for the Rotunda Hospital? It is really important that certainty is given to all of those hospitals. I refer to one of the lessons we have to learn if the certainty is not there, if the pathway is not there and if there are no timeframes for colocation while these hospitals are trying to expand and provide the services they need to provide in the here and now as well as for five, ten or 20 years' down the road. Being tied to colocation can be problematic when there are no real timeframes or movement. The Minister might be able to give her insight into the Coombe and Limerick as well.
Sentiment score: 0.14
It would be a good issue for the Oireachtas health committee to examine in the next number of months, namely the whole colocation strategy.
Sentiment score: 0.49
3. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health her plans to bring forward legislation to enhance the powers of the Dental Council; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17628/26]
Sentiment score: 0.01
The Dental Council of Ireland does not have sufficient powers to protect the public from unregistered dentists. It has been unable to act in 80% of cases of credible concern of unregistered dentists in the past three years. I have met council representatives on a number of occasions. I assume the Minister has as well. It has been raising this matter for some considerable time. I also know compulsory continuing professional development, CPD, is important and the Minister is working on it and has supported it. Regulation and powers for the Dental Council of Ireland are what is at play. Will she set out her intentions are in this regard?
Sentiment score: 0.20
I welcome the wider work but the Dentists Act, an issue I have been over several times, does not provide the Dental Council of Ireland with sufficient powers to deal with unregistered dentists. In fact, it has been saying recently that it has not been able to take action against a total of 37 unregistered dentists over the past eight years, including one who was practising unregistered with a sexual assault conviction. I met a locum dentists recently who spoke to me about some horror stories of him being placed in unregistered dental practices. Some of the stuff would make the hairs stand on the back of your head. He was very concerned. There needs to be a review of that Act. I agree with Minister about the wider issues, a new oral health policy and stronger regulation and so on but if it is a case of right here, right now, the Dental Council of Ireland tells us it does not have sufficient powers. It may have some powers and there are other powers but these dentists are going undetected, are not properly sanctioned and I am hearing of these horror stories. I think this was reported in The Irish Times last week as well. They are serious issues that need urgent intervention.
Sentiment score: -0.09
I welcome that as well. It will add real value. The Minister spoke about oral health generally. The are issues with screening in schools. Enough simply is not being done. There is a need for more publicly hired dentists. I have made the same argument in relation to GPs. I would like to see a public GP contract but for dentists we need to look at that space. Dentists are not engaging with the dental treatment services scheme. There are rights and wrongs on both sides. I have said to dentists and the representative body that there is an obligation on dentists to ensure the most vulnerable patients have access to services. We need to beef up the public system particularly in terms of screening and orthodontists because of the waiting times. This is particularly the case in the south east where I live, where children are waiting four, five, six or in some cases even eight years. They are listed as urgent cases and the most urgent cases are when children are in pain. There is a lot of work to be done in this area. I acknowledge what the Minister has said but there are so many issues to be addressed.
Sentiment score: 0.03
4. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health her plans for a new cancer strategy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17629/26]
Sentiment score: -0.22
This question is on cancer services and the national cancer strategy. We have had two strategies, the one coming to an end and the previous one, and they have added real value and are among the best success stories in the Irish health service. I am blown away by the work people do in this area, with research, development, new technology, new drugs and new treatments. It is mind blowing and it is of benefit to patients. There has been slippage in some of the key performance indicators, KPIs, and some of the access times and wait times. I will go through them later. We should accept any slippage and we cannot afford any slippage. We really need to keep the focus on what has been a real success story for the health service.
Sentiment score: 0.18
We would all accept that early intervention in healthcare is very important, especially for cancer patients, from the first GP referral to a consultant, diagnostics, treatment and surgery. I acknowledge that in some of the areas we are still doing very well but there are areas where there is slippage. Data from 2025 shows that 15% of chemotherapy patients and 21% of radiotherapy patients did not start their treatment on time. It also shows major delays in surgical care, which is concerning A total of 61% of prostate cancer surgeries were not carried out in the recommended time frame, which is the gold standard we all want and we all accept. A total of 45% of breast cancer surgeries and 39% of lung cancer surgeries did not happen in the recommended time frame in 2024 and 2025. There are also issues in relation to diagnostic equipment and radiotherapy equipment. Much of it is out of date, particularly radiotherapy equipment. I see this and hear about it from local representatives and from hospitals. The key issues are staffing and equipment. If we put these in we can improve the areas where we are not doing as well as we should.
Sentiment score: -0.03
One of the benefits of having health regions is that we can have this type of focus, we can drill into the data and we can have real accountability. There are regional imbalances, county imbalances and very localised imbalances. The cancer strategy is a national strategy. We have specialist centres. I want this to be maintained, of course. It is really important. Where the areas of chemotherapy and radiotherapy are a problem, and where we are slipping, we have to fix the problem. From what I can see, part of this is due to equipment being out of date and not having staff to operate some equipment. I have tabled parliamentary questions on this and gone through it in detail. In some places the problem is that we do not have the staff to operate equipment, and somewhere else equipment is not being used because it is out of date, breaking down and needs to be replaced. We have these issues. Surgery is where I think the Minister's own attention is very important. We are seeing slippage in prostate cancer surgeries and breast cancer surgeries. Again, there may well be regional variations but the focus needs to be on where it is slipping and where we are not doing as well. The health regions can add real value from this perspective.
Sentiment score: -0.05