Parliamentary questions

Health Promotion

Colm Burke

1340. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will give due consideration to the establishment of an infant feeding communication forum across departments that is, with responsibility for children, health, and marketing of commercial formula milks and the Health Service Executive to align government policy, funding and Health Service Executive practices for the purposes of increasing breastfeeding initiation rates and the duration of breastfeeding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14232/24]

Health Promotion

Colm Burke

1341. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will take the necessary steps to standardise breastfeeding education for healthcare professionals in maternity units and support in-service, role-specific breastfeeding education and training to enable implementation of the Baby Friendly Initiative in all 19 maternity units; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14233/24]

Health Promotion

Colm Burke

1342. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will take the necessary steps to fully implement the World Health Organization Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and its subsequent World Health Assembly Resolutions in legislation and ensure that this legislation is monitored and enforced in a transparent manner independent of industry, with particular attention paid to advertising and marketing online via baby clubs and social media influencers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14234/24]

Health Promotion

Colm Burke

1343. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to provide independent, evidence-based breastfeeding-related education and training to all healthcare professionals likely to encounter breastfeeding mothers or infants/young children in their clinical practice (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14236/24]

Health Promotion

Colm Burke

1344. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will take the necessary steps to provide for greater availability of breastfeeding preparation classes and breastfeeding support groups, and modes of delivery of same (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14237/24]

Health Promotion

Colm Burke

1345. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will develop effective strategies for increasing awareness of infant and young child feeding materials within other sectors outside of the health service, for example, workplace settings, county councils, and allocate resources as required by the Health Service Executive to implement breastfeeding campaigns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14238/24]

Healthcare Policy

Colm Burke

1346. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will develop an up-to-date infant feeding policy for those with HIV in Ireland, in line with recent British HIV Association guidance, that would facilitate shared decision-making between healthcare professionals and service users; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14239/24]

Health Promotion

Colm Burke

1347. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will develop an infant and young child feeding in emergencies preparedness plan specific to the Irish context in line with international guidance, incorporating and building on the operational guidance prepared by the Infant Feeding in Emergencies Core Group of the Emergency Nutrition Network; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14240/24]

Departmental Data

Colm Burke

1348. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will take the necessary steps to develop an electronic child health record to collect and report on breastfeeding metrics (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14241/24]

Substance Misuse

Colm Burke

1499. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will consider establishing an office for alcohol harm reduction to operate within his Department which would take the lead across Government Departments in developing the policy measures needed to address alcohol harm; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14858/24]

Substance Misuse

Colm Burke

1500. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will ring-fence dedicated funding for the provision of alcohol care teams within all major hospitals and which would be linked to community services (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14859/24]

Healthcare Policy

Colm Burke

1501. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will ring-fence dedicated funding to the relevant bodies to support the national Hidden Harm framework that recognises the adverse childhood experience of growing up with parental problem substance use; if he will take the necessary steps to ensure current funding for services for children and families who are impacted by parental drug and alcohol use is doubled for five years with a review of the services provided evaluated at the end of that time, as recommended by an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14860/24]

Mental Health Services

Colm Burke

1502. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the steps he will take to ensure that the mental health allocation of 10% of the overall health budget is reached by 2030, as committed to in the Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14861/24]

Departmental Funding

Colm Burke

1503. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will ring-fence dedicated funding of €2 million estimate to create a Commissioner for Ageing and Older Persons as part of a package of measures to counter ageism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14865/24]

Dental Services

Colm Burke

1505. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will grant an immediate allocation of €7 million to hire 76 HSE whole-time equivalent dentists to bring service levels back to 2007 levels, thereby cutting waiting lists for service and treatments in the public system that is, the children's school screening programme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14869/24]

Dental Services

Colm Burke

1506. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will set aside funding to hire 30 specialist orthodontists to address the up to three-year waiting lists for orthodontic care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14870/24]

Medical Cards

Colm Burke

1507. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will take the necessary steps to deliver a reformed medical card scheme through the provision of a voucher or credit towards dental care of between €100 to €500, respectively (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14871/24]

Dental Services

Colm Burke

1508. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to set aside funding to reintroduce a foundation training scheme to facilitate new dental graduates to gain experience in a mentored environment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14873/24]

Dental Services

Colm Burke

1509. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health what new proposals will be put in place to assist in the delivery of the new dental hospital in UCC; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14874/24]

Dental Services

Colm Burke

1510. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will set aside additional funding of €20 million for the two dental schools at UCC and TCD to increase the number of dental graduates that will practice in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14875/24]