Does the Minister have any plans to provide State funding to the Irish Lung Fibrosis Association to help it carry out its ongoing work?

I thank the Deputy for the question, and the Irish Lung Fibrosis Association for the work it does in supporting and advocating for patients. Lung fibrosis, as he will be aware, refers to a group of diseases in which scar tissue develops in the lungs. I have been advised by the HSE that the national clinical director for integrated care has requested that a scoping exercise be undertaken to review the evidence and assess the needs of people living with pulmonary fibrosis and to determine how and where their pulmonary rehabilitation should take place.

Once the needs of this cohort have been determined, the next step will be to identify the resources required to put this programme of work together. We want to identify the resources needed to implement a proper pathway of care for this patient cohort. There is an opportunity to do more for these patients than has been done. I encourage the Irish Lung Fibrosis Association to engage with the HSE during this process, and I have no doubt it will do so, to make sure the members and patients it represents have their voices heard loud and clear. The model of care should be built around them and around what they are looking for.

I have asked my officials to contact the Irish Lung Fibrosis Association directly and to support it in identifying various avenues for accessing existing funding. We had a good conversation about this and one of the points made to me by the Department was that of course the Government can look at this issue but the Department believes there are already pots of funding available from which the association may be able to benefit. For example, reference was made to the HSE lottery-run scheme. I have asked my officials to contact the association directly to support it and walk it through any applications that might go in.

That is encouraging. The support to access existing funding pots while the scoping exercise is under way is welcome. The ILFA appeared at the health committee in April and has made a request to meet the Minister. Its asks include: additional financial supports for patients; consideration of tax rebates and grants - I welcome the Minister mentioning the latter; State funding for ILFA programmes, which I am sure will be included in the scoping exercise; and the streamlining of the oxygen provision system. If the ILFA engages with the HSE, it can look at achieving efficiencies in the oxygen provision system and getting it to patients. It is also seeking the establishment of a dedicated interstitial lung disease clinical care programme to improve diagnosis and access to healthcare supports. This is a very good organisation and I acknowledge Matt Cullen, a friend of mine, who is one of its patient advocates and has advocated very strongly on their behalf. I welcome the Minister's response and hope the ILFA will see progress in those areas.