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 …

In relation to Swords, I am pleased to announce today €1.4 million in the HSE capital plan to take the premises the Deputy referenced to design feasibility stage, which is positive progress. In relation to a primary care centre in Donabate, we have had to look at other options for delivering it because the tender did not work; it was not value for money for the State to progress with the tender that came into us. We are trying to see what other options are possible to cater for that growing population. Today, I am …

The Deputy is right. What we did in Letterkenny and Sligo was additional, and not instead of. It was not a regional spread but it was additional. That is very important. In relation to diabetes, the Deputy is right that there is a very good hub, the Benbulbin hub in Sligo, dealing with diabetes, respiratory and cardiology. What we want to see is that replicated in other parts of the country, such as Letterkenny. That is what we are trying to do. The Deputy will be aware that Letterkenny has the very excellent virtu…

Hear, hear.

We did read it.

It did not say that.

It does not say that.

I am pleased to present the Health Information Bill to Seanad Éireann following its recent passage through the Dáil. The Bill is about something very simple but very important - making our health service safer, more joined up and more patient centred by ensuring that health information can move securely to where it is needed. Today far too much of our health information is held in totally disconnected systems. Patients repeat their stories, clinicians lack full information and vital insights for planning their care…

Not terribly long. This is the most important part. Is that okay?

All section 38 and voluntary hospitals are expected to proactively co-operate with the implementation of IFMS and other key national systems. Service arrangements entered into between the HSE and voluntary hospitals now specifically commit to the introduction and implementation of IFMS and contain various provisions that outline the level of co-operation required to ensure appropriate levels of monitoring and governance, without prejudice to their independence and autonomy. As with our engagements with private hosp…

I thank Senators and the Cathaoirleach. Last week, I secured Government approval for funding for the broad electronic health record - the completely integrated system - and to go to market. We know there are vendors interested, and I will be going back to Government once there is a sense of what the market is saying in relation to bidding for that. There are three stages to electronic health records. One is the patient app, which Senator Costello referenced. Nearly 150,000 people have downloaded that. The second st…

The Senator raised quite a number of issues. I suspect that she and I have spoken to many women who have many of the same issues. We must recognise that endometriosis is a whole-system condition, but it does in many cases start from a gynaecological position as well. We have to acknowledge both of those things. We are very much trying to move the dial in terms of how it is understood and described. That is why the framework has been advanced beyond where it started out to really try to recognise, as the Senator sai…

As this is an internationally accredited list, we would simply use the list because we can stand over it both legally and from a clinical perspective. Those clinicians mentioned by the Senator should speak to the clinical director, Dr. Cliona Murphy, about this matter. We also have tried to expand the surgical options here. I demanded a programme of an additional 100 surgeries be done in quarter 4 of 2025 using every tool that we could among our maternity hospitals. I am pleased to say that we got 142 extra surgeri…

I thank the Deputy for raising this on World Cancer Day and thank him for continuing to be an advocate for cancer patients across the island. As the Deputy has said, he and I could speak about this for a good hour and not get through all of the different issues. We are well aware that every person in this room and the people whom we represent are impacted by cancer in their families, in their broader families and in their community. While we have made huge strides in cancer care since the first national cancer stra…

I am here for the public system. I am here to invest in the public system and to champion the public system. A total of 80% of our cancer care gets delivered through the public system and that is my focus. The Deputy is correct to highlight the replacement programme in St. Luke's. I have updated the Deputy that there is a replacement equipment supply commencing in quarter 1, with a contractor in place this year. In quarter 4, we are also working on a detailed business case for the Beaumont phase 2 expansion. There …