Cuirimid fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. The Minister of State is most welcome to Seanad Éireann. Before I call on the first Senator, I welcome guests of Deputy Barry Ward from Probus Dún Laoghaire Marine, including Frank O'Conor, the organiser. They are most welcome. I thank Deputy Ward for bringing them to Seanad Éireann. I call Senator Keogan.

The Minister of State is very welcome. I welcome the opportunity to raise this Commencement matter, which relates to something that has emerged in recent days. It is deeply troubling and goes to the heart of transparency, housing policy and public trust. The issue today is simple: how many properties has the Department of justice acquired for international protection since 2020? Where are they? How many are in use? How many are sitting vacant and under refurbishment? The way this matter came to light should concern everyone in this House. Stamullen, County Meath, is a residential village that is already under intense housing pressure. Local residents there have discovered that a private house in a normal housing estate was purchased by the Department of justice for international protection accommodation in 2022. That discovery did not come through any formal notification, public engagement or planning process. It came about only because the residents decided to investigate the property after noting how long it had been vacant and suddenly seeing furniture delivery vans. They grew curious about who their new neighbours would be.

I went into the local authority offices to confirm the facts. The housing officials were unaware of the ownership until they checked the land registry. That alone tells us that something is very wrong. It is deeply troubling on several levels. First, there was no consultation with the local community. There was no advance engagement with residents. There were no transparent communications with the local authority. Decisions of this scale were taken quietly and implemented without any regard for the basic principle that communities deserve to know what is happening in their own estates. Second, this appears to have been done with no consideration of local housing pressure. In Stamullen and the surrounding areas, families are waiting years for homes. Housing lists are long. Young people cannot stay in their own communities. The State is purchasing residential houses in housing estates, and sometimes leaving them vacant for years while local needs go unmet. That is not some kind of hypothetical concern. It is happening now. People are reasonable. Communities understand humanitarian obligations, but people must be consulted. Leaving communities in the dark and then surprising them with developments like this is precisely how trust is destroyed, and backlash is created. Transparency is not optional; it is essential if public policy is to function at all.

What is particularly alarming is that this does not appear to be an isolated case. The Department has now acknowledged that it manages dozens of in-community properties nationwide. There appears to be no publicly accessible register, no clear planning framework and no mechanism for local authorities or elected representatives to understand where these properties are located and how decisions are made. This Commencement matter is not about blindly opposing international protection; it is about accountability, fairness and ensuring decisions are made transparently, lawfully and with regard to local realities. We need to begin a serious discussion about what mechanisms we can create going forward to ensure transparency and fairness. I hope the Minister of State's response can be a token of good faith to that end.

I ask the Minister of State to set out the facts clearly for this House and the public. Without transparency, suspicions grow. Without consultation, trust collapses. Without proper governance, even well-intentioned policy becomes unsustainable.

I thank the Cathaoirleach for the opportunity to talk about the work that I and the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, are doing in managing international protection processing and accommodation. At all times, Ireland has endeavoured to provide accommodation and other basic supports to people seeking international protection, as is required under EU and Irish law. The International Protection Accommodation Services, normally known as IPAS, is currently accommodating over 33,000 residents in 305 international protection accommodation centres around the country. Currently, over 80% of accommodation capacity is provided through commercial providers.

As Senators will be aware, the State has had to respond to a very significant increase in demand for accommodation since 2022, both to support high numbers of applicants for international protection while at the same time responding to the arrival of over 100,000 Ukrainians. In contracting accommodation over recent years, despite significant pressure on accommodation supply, the Department has worked to avoid competing significantly with the residential property sector. The great majority of IPAS emergency accommodation centres are located in group settings in larger properties, such as former hotels and guest houses as well as commercial and institutional buildings. A small proportion for more vulnerable applicants who have special reception needs may be accommodated in smaller scale properties.

In line with the programme for Government and the comprehensive accommodation strategy for international protection applicants that was approved in 2024, the State is working to develop more State-owned international protection accommodation. The purchase of the Citywest Hotel and Convention Centre in 2025 was a significant milestone in implementing this strategy. Over recent years, this has also included developing some in-community style accommodation for very specific groups of very vulnerable applicants. It is for a very limited scale group of residents for whom standard or group IPAS accommodation would therefore not be suitable.

To date, 37 in-community properties have been purchased for the accommodation of international protection applicants. A total of 34 of these properties are being deployed to meet the needs of vulnerable cohorts of applicants. Three of these properties are currently under review for alternative use outside of international protection. Since 2024, IPAS has not published details of specific locations, resident profile and occupancy of our individual accommodation centres. This is to preserve the privacy, safety and well-being of residents and staff, which I am sure the Senator would agree with.

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. I have to say that it is not really as detailed as I would have liked. In relation to the 37 in-community properties the Department has purchased, nobody knows where they are. Are they currently occupied? Are they unoccupied, like the one in Stamullen at this moment in time that has been left vacant for the past four years? On the three properties that are currently under review for use outside IP accommodation, what is that for? Is that something to do with the Department of justice? Is it for prisoners who are leaving prison? The Minister of State has given me a very vague answer today.

Does the Minister of State think it is right that the first I hear of a house in my community is through the media? Does the Minister of State think that is right? We are the people on the ground every day of the week. Does the Minister of State think we should be reading that in a newspaper? This is something he should be doing. If the Government wants community engagement, it needs to be telling elected representatives what is happening. At this moment in time, the Government has not been doing that. This is why we have problems around the country. I am not really happy with the Minister of State's response.

I thank the Senator. I will refer again to the closing remarks I made in my initial reply to her. Since 2024, IPAS has not published the details of specific locations, the resident profile and the occupancy of individual accommodation centres. It is for a very good reason. It is to preserve the privacy, safety and well-being of residents and staff. That is accepted good practice. I am sure the Senator can see there is a need to protect and preserve that privacy and well-being for residents and staff. That is very important.

The work that the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and I have done has always been focused on wanting to provide what we believe is the best possible service. That means the best service in terms of providing international protection to applicants and ensuring we are working with communities through our engagement groups in making sure we have dialogue and an ongoing process of dealing with communities. In particular, we have been very successful in seeing an overall reduction in the number of international applicants coming into our country and seeing that number fall by over 30%. Therefore, by not having to open new IPAS centres and by consolidating the IPAS centres we currently have, we have saved the State millions of quid in terms of actually doing that work. We have ensured that we are now providing a very good, very focused international protection service, which delivers for the people of Ireland in terms of value for money, delivers for communities and delivers in providing services to people seeking international protection.

There is a vote in the Dáil so the Minister of State might want to scoot over there. I do not know whether the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, who is taking the next Commencement matter has a pair. Will the Senator check whether he can come in because we will have to suspend otherwise? He is coming in.

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, for coming today. I will address a few matters relating to licensed firearms. Ireland has approximately 150,000 licensed firearms holders, accounting for more than 210,000 licensed firearms, the vast majority of which are shotguns and rifles used by farmers and game hunters every day in rural Ireland. Firearm ownership is tightly regulated. Ireland's firearms regime is widely regarded as one of the most stringent in the world.

Garda superintendents play a central role in granting and refusing licences. I welcome that the vast majority of firearms licences are issued in a timely and proper manner. However, no system is perfect and problems are being reported relating primarily to local inconsistencies in the interpretation and implementation of licensing systems. These include administrative failures such as loss or misplacement of applications requiring applicants to restart the process from the beginning. In some cases, applications are not processed within the expected timeframe, thereby creating legal uncertainties for applicants whose licences lapse during the delay. Some applicants have been told they own too many firearms, despite previously meeting all legal requirements, while others have faced additional or arbitrary conditions not mentioned in the Commissioner's guidelines, such as excessive documentation requirements. More serious concerns relate to decisions influenced by personal views of certain types of firearms or judgments based on applicants' age rather than statute criteria. There are reports of failures to provide formal refusal letters outlining reasons for the refusal of some applications. These inconsistencies should not be happening. They are unfair, undermine confidence in the system and create uncertainty for compliant, law-abiding licenceholders.

A number of weeks ago, I hosted a well-attended briefing in the audiovisual room, at which speakers from the National Association of Regional Game Councils, NARGC, and firearms users' representative groups outlined the problems facing too many licensed firearms users in Ireland. While the litany of inconsistency outlined by both organisations that I have summarised today offers some reason for worry, what is more worrying is that the national organisations have been denied a forum to discuss these issues with the Department. At the briefing last week, we heard about a meeting in Kilmainham which the Minister established, but we heard there are still no terms of reference and that the national organisations have been excluded from membership.

Where individuals from the national organisations were invited, it was made clear to them that they were attending in an individual capacity. Most worrying, however, is that we have heard that the concern attendees tried to raise regarding inconsistencies in the Garda implementation of licences was ruled out of order by the chair on the basis that it was not within the remit of the meeting.

I thank Senator Brady for raising this important issue. The reform of the firearms licensing system has been under consideration for a number of years and extensive consultation has been undertaken. An Garda Síochána is the competent authority for licensing and possession of firearms within the State. The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration is the competent authority for maintenance of the register of firearms dealers and the import and export within the European Union of firearms and ammunition.

The Department of justice holds meetings with individual firearms organisations on request and engages with various firearms stakeholders, including representative firearms organisations, in various ways. An Garda Síochána also meets with firearms stakeholder organisations in respect of relevant matters and officials from the Department also liaise regularly with the firearms policy unit of An Garda Síochána on firearms-related matters.

In 2025, the Department organised a series of engagements with firearms stakeholders in Wicklow, Limerick, Carrick-on-Shannon and Mullingar. I and officials from my Department have also met with representative organisations, including the Target Shooting Ireland Olympic shooters and the National Association of Regional Game Councils, NARGC. In these and other engagements, I have confirmed my support for more regular and structured engagement between policymakers and firearms users, which has taken place since the previous meeting of the firearms consultative panel in 2019.

I can advise that ongoing engagement has continued with firearms stakeholders. The most recent engagement took place on 28 April 2026, when more than 20 representatives of the firearms community and firearms stakeholder organisations attended the meeting with my officials. This was the fourth in a series of meetings that have taken place since 18 September 2025. During this series of meetings, a multitude of items across the firearms sector has been discussed. This series of meetings is due to continue throughout the year. Many stakeholders who attended have expressed positive feedback to Department officials on the conduct and outcome of the meetings. Certain members have expressed their gratitude in regard to the productivity of the meetings. They were encouraged by the Department's efforts to maintain momentum in the process.

A consultation phase is due to take place in the coming months with firearms representative organisations with regard to the findings of the recent engagements. The objective of these meetings is to provide a mechanism for ongoing engagement with firearms stakeholders from a broad range of areas within the firearms community, ensuring their valuable insights in specific areas of firearms can be considered in any future policy and legislative changes that may arise.

The stakeholders attending these meetings include several of the representative organisations, experts in technical areas of firearms and members of An Garda Síochána's firearms policy unit. Several of the stakeholders were also members of the previous firearms consultative panel.

I thank the Minister of State for his response to the briefing we had in the audiovisual room at which the NARGC and others told us that there is no forum to which recognised national organisations are invited as organisations. There is no forum to discuss the serious issues I have outlined. If that is the case, it is not right.

I ask the Minister of State to ask the Minister to review how the Department is facilitating engagement with stakeholder groups representing the real day-to-day concerns of licensed firearms users across rural Ireland. I hope that, going forward, those groups will be part of forums like that held in Kilmainham and will be allowed to engage in a constructive manner regarding the licensing of firearms. I hope the next report from the NARGC and the organisation will be more positive.

I thank the Senator for raising these issues. I agree with what he has said about inconsistencies in different Garda divisions. One of our aims, and the reason we set up the stakeholder forum, is to try to iron out these issues.

I reiterate that An Garda Síochána is the competent authority for licensing and possession of firearms within the State. Therefore, our Department does not have access to the current firearms licensing digital database. However, the Department is continuing positive communication and consultation on reform of the firearms licensing system with An Garda Síochána. The Department intends to continue stakeholder engagement meetings and the proactive and open engagement that has taken place. Stakeholder organisations are encouraged to make submissions to the meetings, engage with other stakeholders and contribute at the meetings. Any stakeholder organisation that would like to contribute to these engagements is welcome to engage with our Department on the matter.

Various stakeholders expressed their appreciation and satisfaction as to how the series of meetings has progressed does far. They thanked the Department for its willingness to initiate a programme for change and look forward to working with it to achieve a positive outcome.

I thank the Minister of State. Next is up Senator Nelson Murray. We are just swapping Ministers of State. The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, obviously has a fondness for the Seanad. He is here nearly as much as I am.

I hope I am here less than the Acting Chair.

I sincerely thank the Minister of State for coming in to discuss the Navan rail project, a project that has become almost mythical for the people of County Meath. When I mention the Navan rail line to people in my home town of Navan, they sigh. They do not believe it is happening. For 25 years, the people of Navan and Meath have heard promises, announcements, timelines and commitments. Generation after generation has listened to politicians say the railway is coming. Now I hear things like, "I'll be retired before it happens", "I'll be dead before it happens" or "Sure we've heard all that before". That is the level of frustration and disbelief that exists, yet today feels different. For the first time in a long time, we are not talking about vague ambition; we are talking about funding to move to planning permission, a public consultation on the preferred route within weeks and a real pathway towards delivery.

What the Minister of State says today matters enormously because the people of Meath need clarity and certainty. They need to hear clearly and unequivocally that this railway is happening and Navan will finally be connected to Dublin by rail. County Meath now has a population of over 230,000 people. We are one of the fastest growing counties in Ireland yet, every single morning, thousands of people are trapped in endless traffic on the M3. We are also the county with the highest number of commuters.

This is not just about inconvenience any more; it is affecting people's quality of life. Long commutes are linked to higher stress, anxiety, burnout, mental fatigue, work-family conflict, increased blood pressure and poor health conditions. Families are losing hours every day sitting in traffic instead of spending time with their children. This rail line is not a luxury project or a vanity project; it is essential national infrastructure. It is the single biggest transport investment we can deliver for County Meath, one that would remove thousands of cars from our roads every day, reduce congestion, support climate targets, improve quality of life and unlock economic growth for Meath and the wider region. Now is the moment. Let the people of Meath finally see the preferred route. Let them have their say through public consultation and let us move decisively towards planning permission and delivery.

After 25 years of waiting, the people of Meath deserve more than promises. They deserve progress. I hope that the Minister of State can confirm today that we remain on track for the next key milestone of planning permission, namely, a railway order in 2028.

I thank the Senator for her advocacy. I can hear the frustration in her remarks about the mythical Navan rail line. I know many of her predecessors have been raising the matter in this House as well. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport. I am pleased to say that I have definitive answers to give the Senator about this matter.

The national transport strategy for the greater Dublin area sets out a framework for transport investment across the region for 20 years from 2020 to 2042. The issue of a rail connection between Dublin and Navan has been examined as part of the development strategy and that examination supports the development of a rail line from Dublin to Navan. The strategy includes delivery of the Navan rail line between 2031 and 2036 subject to planning and funding approvals. Delivery of this project is currently proceeding on target and to this timeline. The NDP sectoral investment plan published by the Department of Transport last November has allocated funding to advance the Navan rail line to submission of a planning application or a railway order.

In 2024, the National Transport Authority allocated funding to Iarnród Éireann for the establishment of a design team to commence work on the Navan rail line. This work involves the route option selection, planning and design phase of the project. Iarnród Éireann has commenced the procurement process for the pre-construction phase of the project and issued a tender to pre-qualified consultants at the end of May 2024. In November 2024, multidisciplinary consultants RPS were appointed for the duration of the project to work with the rail company's in-house project team. This work has now reached the next milestone.

I am pleased to confirm to the Senator and the House that the emerging preferred route for the Navan rail line will be announced with the launch of the first non-statutory public consultation next week, on Wednesday 20 May. This announcement will be welcome news not only for Navan but for commuters further afield who currently have no choice but to use the M3 motorway, whether by car or by coach. I hope this will end the mythical comment about the rail line. The public consultation process will ultimately result in a defined role for the line and it will support the development of a preliminary business case, which will need to be approved in line with requirements of the infrastructure guidelines before any planning application is made. Subject to approval of the primary business case, it is anticipated that a railway order will be lodged with An Coimisiún Pleanála in 2028.

On behalf of the Minister for Transport, I hope this response helps clarify the matter. I thank the Senator for her advocacy and for raising the matter and I hope that we will see the work commence in the lifetime of this Seanad and Government and that there will be tracks on the line.

I thank the Minister of State for coming in and giving this answer to my Commencement matter. I ask him to pass on my gratitude to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, because the Minister of State has just given me the answer. I had a feeling in my waters that it was going to come in the next week or two, so I am delighted to be able to tell people in Navan that we will have the opening of the public consultation on Wednesday 20 May. I am sure the Minister will be delighted to tell the people of Navan that as well.

I am also really happy to see that we are still on track - pardon the pun - and that a railway order will be lodged with An Coimisiún Pleanála in 2028, which is only two years away. I believe this is the furthest we have gone on the Navan rail project. This is all on record today from the Minister and the Minister of State. I am very happy this is happening in the way it is.

I thank the Senator for raising the matter on an ongoing basis and for her advocacy. The greater Dublin area transport strategy framework has a window for investment. The rail connection between Dublin and Navan was examined as part of the development of the strategy and, based on that examination, it is included in the final plan.

The strategy aims to see the delivery of the project between 2021 and 2026, and under the national development plan funding is allocated to advance the Navan rail line project to the submission of a detailed planning application for a railway order.

The Senator is right that the next milestone will be next week, on 20 May, with the announcement of the emerging preferred route for the line and the launch of the first non-statutory public consultation. That public consultation process, which will ultimately result in a defined route for the line, gives an opportunity for all involved and all interested to study the proposals, submit their views and have their voices heard.

It is anticipated that a railway order will be lodged with An Coimisiún Pleanála in 2028.

Before we move on to our next Commencement matter, I welcome New York Congressman Tim Kennedy's son, Connor, who is in the Gallery along with some of his friends: Lucy Doherty, Jacob Cappuccilli and Esameldeen Hammouda. They are all very welcome. They are guests of Deputy Cormac Devlin.

Could I make a comment? Congressman Kennedy is a good friend of mine. His election to Congress was an extraordinary day for Irish-America. To his son, céad míle fáilte. Every year, Congressman Kennedy sends me a birthday greeting. He is a true friend of Ireland. As a Minister of State, I have worked with him on transport and connectivity around his beloved state of New York. We are very fortunate to have a man of his calibre working with us in the US Congress. I thank the Acting Chairperson for his indulgence.

The Minister of State is very welcome. I thank him for his remarks.

I also welcome Caitlín Ní Chaoindealbháin and Aoife Butler, who are guests of Deputy Maurice Quinlivan. They are very welcome, too. I have no doubt that they have all been well looked after. I hope and expect they will be brought to the dining room later.

The Minister of State is very welcome. Senator Gallagher was waiting in anticipation.

I never doubted the Minister of State, she will be glad to hear.

Indeed. He was backing the Minister of State.

Cuirim fáilte mór roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach. She is very welcome back to the Chamber this afternoon. I thank her for taking the time out to be here.

They say a stitch in time saves nine and the evidence that the shingles vaccination not only protects people from what can be a very painful illness and its possible complications, but also helps prevent cardiovascular disease, stroke and dementia is surely a case in point.

Shingles is an infection that causes a painful rash caused by the chickenpox virus and can lead to many complications. It is estimated that every one in ten adults could develop shingles every year. Keeping older people healthy and active for as long as possible in their lives is a vitally important goal, not just for their quality of life, but also with regard to the costs and pressures on the health system. Consultant geriatrician and stroke physician at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Professor Rónán Collins, has said vaccination is the greatest single medical advance in modern history. There are many calls for the shingles vaccine to be made available for free to those over 65 years of age, similar to what our nearest neighbour in the UK has done.

However, the vaccine is only available privately at a cost of around €480 for the two doses. The vaccine is very effective, and several countries provide for it, including the UK, Australia, Luxembourg and Canada. Clearly, they see the extra benefit in the evidence of the drug's effectiveness in protecting not just against shingles, but also against Alzheimer's disease and heart disease.

Professor Luke O'Neill, whom I am sure the Minister of State is aware of, has said that assuming a 70% uptake on the vaccine and overall instance of around 10,000 cases a year, the vaccine could result in a saving to the State of up to €8 million per annum. Active Retirement Ireland has recommended the vaccine for all adults aged 65 and over, as well as for certain immunocompromised groups.

I call on the Government to actively examine ways to enable the vaccine to be publicly funded or for State-supported access, including engagement with the makers on the actual pricing of it. Right now, access depends on ability to pay only and that is not equitable. Shingles is not simply an acute condition. It can have everlasting and significant consequences, and there should be recognition that the vaccination for older people is an issue of prevention, equity and healthy aeging. I look forward to the Minister of State's response.

I thank the Senator for highlighting this very important matter, which I am taking this on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill.

Varicella is a common highly infectious disease caused by varicella-zoster virus. The virus is associated with chickenpox and shingles. This virus becomes latent in a body's nervous system and may reactivate after a period, resulting in shingles. Approximately one third of people who have had varicella infection will develop shingles infection at some point, but two thirds occur in those aged 50 years and older.

Morbidity associated with shingles increases with age, and the most common complication is postherpetic neuralgia, which is a persistent pain in the area of the rash. This has potential to significantly affect quality of life, activity, mood and sleep. Currently, a vaccine called Shingrix is available in Ireland and is administered as a two-dose vaccine. Shingrix is more effective than the previously available Zostavax, and can be safely administered to immunocompromised patients. Internationally, it has become the preferred vaccine against shingles.

The national immunisation advisory committee, NIAC, guidelines state that the vaccine may be considered in those aged 65 and older due to the greater burden and severity of the disease on the postherpetic neuralgia in this age group, and in those aged 18 and older at increased risk of shingles. It should be noted that in advance of any change in policy, the Minister can request that HIQA carries out an evaluation of the impacts of a potential policy change. These evaluations take the form of the health technology assessment, HTAs.

A HTA is a multidisciplinary research process that collects and summarises information about the health technology in a systematic, unbiased and transparent manner.

The Minister for Health can advise that following a request from the Department, HIQA carried out a HTA on the vaccine, which examined safety and clinical effectiveness. The cost-effectiveness and budget impact were also reviewed, in addition to the ethical, social and organisational implications of including the vaccine in the adult immunisation schedule. The HTA was published on 19 July 2024. It found that including the shingles vaccine in the routine immunisation schedule at the vaccine price at that time, for all adults aged 65 years and over, would not be cost-effective and would have a substantial budget impact. However, it found that it could be cost-effective for vaccination of those aged 75 years and 80 years if the cost of the vaccine were reduced by 80%.

In 2025, the Department of Health requested the HSE, which retains full responsibility for the vaccine procurement process, to enter a non-binding negotiation with the manufacturer of Shingrix to determine if the HSE could procure the vaccine at a cost-effective price. The HSE advised that the price quoted by the manufacturer was greatly in excess of the price noted by HIQA as a good use of healthcare resources in their 2024 HTA. The Minister for Health and the Chief Medical Officer are committed to exploring whether it is possible to offer the shingles vaccine to a cohort of immunocompromised individuals in the first instance, in line with NIAC advice. Earlier this year, the CMO again asked the HSE to conduct a new follow-on assessment of the cost of delivering a vaccine programme. If the HSE can negotiate a more affordable price, it will submit costings to the Department of Health. Furthermore, HIQA has also been asked by the Department of Health to conduct a scoping exercise to establish whether there is any relevant additional scientific information available subsequent to the 2024 HTA. When all this information is available, the Minister for Health will make a decision in relation to the introduction of a targeted shingles vaccination programme. This will require seeking additional funding via the annual budget and Estimates process for 2027.

I welcome students from Coláiste Dún Iascaigh in Cahir, County Tipperary. They are guests of Deputy Mattie McGrath, whose daughter is here somewhere hiding in the back. They are all very welcome. As is tradition, they do not have homework for the rest of the week when they visit the Seanad. That is according to Deputy McGrath.

I thank the Minister of State for that comprehensive response. I know she is taking this on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. I welcome the fact that the HSE is in negotiations with the provider of the vaccine. It is a welcome development and hopefully positive news might flow from that. We all agree that shingles is a very debilitating disease. Unfortunately, when someone gets it at a certain age, it is very hard for them to get rid of it and it has negative consequences on the quality of their life going forward. It is worthwhile. Professor Luke O'Neill reckons we could save €8 million per annum by having this. I very much welcome the news that it is being looked at and look forward to it progressing in the not-too-distant future.

I thank the Senator for raising this. We are all aware that vaccination is recognised as one of the most cost-effective and successful public health interventions that exists saving many lives each year. As discussed here today, shingles can impact anyone who has been infected with chickenpox during their life, leaving a significant proportion of the population vulnerable. Up to one in three people who have had chickenpox will go on to have shingles. This is why the Department requested that HIQA carry out a health technology assessment to review the evidence for adding shingles vaccination to the adult immunisation schedule in Ireland.

As I advised, the Minister for Health and Chief Medical Officer are committed to exploring whether it is possible to offer the shingles vaccine to a cohort of immunocompromised individuals in the first instance, in line with NIAC's advice. The Senator will be aware that the HSE has responsibility for implementation of the national immunisation programme in Ireland, which is based on the advice of NIAC. The committee's recommendations are based on the prevalence of the relevant disease in Ireland and international best practice in relation to immunisation. To protect the public from serious outcomes of disease, vaccines which are included in the national immunisation programme are administered free of charge to those who are eligible and at risk.

More generally, I urge all those eligible for any vaccine under the national immunisation programme at all stages of life to avail of the opportunity to be vaccinated. In addition, I encourage all parents to bring their infants into line with the primary childhood immunisation schedule through their GPs for their important childhood immunisations. These measures will help us protect public health by preventing the spread of disease in our community.

I was thinking Senator Gallagher should have declared a self-interest in that debate given he is closing in on 65, the magic age, like the rest of us. I thank the Minister of State.