I thank the Minister of State for giving me this opportunity. I was not scheduled to contribute but I was listening to the debate and I decided to do so. I thank Senator Carrigy for the work he and the Committee and Autism have done on this interim report. I thank Deputy Buckley for sponsoring the motion and giving me this opportunity. There is a lot of good work and there are a lot of positive suggestions within the report. This is a case of the Government, across Departments, wanting and willing to work together.…

I start by welcoming Valerie and the visitors to the Gallery for this evening's debate. I thank Deputies for the opportunity to discuss the very important topic of CAMHS and the recent Mental Health Commission's interim report on the service. All of us on the Government side have listened closely to the views and contributions expressed and will continue to listen, including to the views of the non-governmental organisations in the Gallery. The motion is not being opposed as the Government recognises the challenges…

Yes.

You are right.

I agree entirely.

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. She has given me the challenge of using an awful lot of words that are very complicated, but I will do my very best. On behalf of the Minister for Health, I thank the Deputy for raising this topic and appreciate that it will be of concern to many women in Ireland. Hyperemesis is a severe form of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy that affects some women and must be diagnosed and treated appropriately. The Government is keen to ensure that anyone encountering this condit…

I thank the Deputy again for raising this matter. I said to the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, before coming here that I did not know exactly what I would say in my closing statement. Having listened to the Deputy, however, and being a female who has been through three childbirths, and who was quite sick during two of them, I will be honest with her. A solution was found. Cariban was the drug, and the reimbursement was put in place. That is great and welcome and was well done. However, if you are at home lying on the c…

Yes.

I am taking this on behalf of my colleagues in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of providing safe drinking water in east Cork. Safe and secure drinking water is an issue of both national and local importance. I appreciate the Deputy's concerns for those communities in Whitegate, County Cork, and surrounding areas affected by the current boil water notice. I also acknowledge the other towns and villages to which the Deputy referred in his contribution…

I thank Deputy Buckley again. I appreciate the Deputy's interest in this issue. Before I came in, I said to the Deputy that I was taking this issue and asked if I had discussed it with him previously. In fact, on mature reflection, it was Deputy Stanton who raised it previously with me in relation to Uisce Éireann. Deputy Stanton's purpose in raising his Topical Issue matter that evening, no different from the Deputy, was that this is down to basic communication. There is a really good story here from local governm…

I thank the Cathaoirleach. It is my first time coming before the House with him in the Chair and I wish him all the best in his role. I thank Senator Seery Kearney for raising this important matter. The discussion today provides a welcome opportunity to provide an update on the progress on the programme for Government commitment to ensure that transgender, gender non-conforming and intersex people have explicit protection within equality grounds. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister, Deput…

I thank the Senator again. I will convey her views to the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman. No more than the Senator, the Minister understands legislation, its value and importance and the wording used. He is one Minister I can definitely say reads Bills ad nauseam . He will continue to do that in this case. I will bring the Senator's feedback to him. I look forward to working with her in future.

I thank Deputy Cairns for raising this important Topical Issue matter which I am taking this on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. This week marks European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week. This is significant initiative in women's health and it is the first time the world has committed to eliminating a cancer as a public health problem. It is a perfect opportunity to reaffirm the Government's commitment to eliminating cervical cancer as a public health problem for women in Ireland. The HSE …

I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to come in on that particular piece, and what she has raised is very important. When particular campaigns are being run and women have the opportunity to participate, there should be no barriers, especially when it comes to transport. We know accommodation issues such as access to primary care need to be addressed, particularly where a lady cannot access a particular service for whatever reason. I believe we have learned from Covid-19. We have inreach models and outr…

I thank the Senator for the opportunity to come before the House to give an update on this matter. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Donnelly. I have no doubt that if the Minister was here, he would be quite disappointed with the level of detail in the script I have in front of me because it really does not address everything that the Senator asked about. Perhaps we might address it in a roundabout way and we get to the endgame on it. The demand for ophthalmic services has grown in the region over …

I thank the Senator. He is right. As long as I have been a Deputy, I have heard about the crisis in ophthalmology in the Cork-Kerry area. It is testament to the Senator and other public representatives who have continued to advocate for the key capital infrastructure that was needed. Now that we have it, not just on one train but we have it at community level, we are able to deal with people who need surgery and that level of intervention. I believe once and for all, for the people listening in today from the Cork-…

The Deputy can count; one, two, three.

Absolutely.

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Donnelly. I will stick to the script I have been given but perhaps the Deputy and I can have a conversation thereafter. The Deputy may be aware that under the Health Act 1970, eligibility for a medical card is provided on a statutory basis and is based primarily on means. The Act obliges the HSE to assess whether a person is able, without undue hardship, to arrange general practitioner services, having regard to his or h…

I again thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to engage with him on my behalf and that of the Minister, Deputy Donnelly. The cases the Deputy has talked about are very emotive. We know that means could be a barrier but all we are looking for is temporary consideration for six months while the person concerned can adjust to the news of the diagnosis. We are not saying what the term or condition would be. Where a GP submits the MC1 form from the surgery in circumstances where the consultant has written to th…