I thank the Senator. She is being very rational in the context of her proposals. If we do not do that early intervention piece, it has a knock-on effect whereby it is more costly in the long run to our health system. I urge the Department of Health and those with whom it is having consultations, be it the HSE or GP practices, to talk about the same cohort of people who need that care. Now is a timely opportunity, especially when all the other talks are taking place in the context of how we can support families. Now…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am pleased to have this opportunity to address the House on this Bill, which will facilitate the transfer of specialist community-based disability services from the Minister for Health to the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. Broader disability equality policy is already the responsibility of the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth following the transfer from the Minister for Justice in late 2020. A…

I thank everybody who has contributed this evening. I will split my time in two. I will deal with the legislative side of the Bill, in addition to some of the issues that were brought up, in answer to some of the questions. Deputy Smith asked a number of very important questions regarding how it will all work and whether everyone in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth have to go back to the Department of Health with the begging cap to ask it for approval and so on. "No" is the an…

I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Health pursuant to Standing Orders 95(3)( a ) and 181(1).

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I know it is an issue she is continuously working on and trying to progress so it is great to have the opportunity to provide the House with an update. The transport working group was established in 2020 to support work action No. 104 of the national disability inclusion strategy, NDIS, the whole-of-government strategy which is tasked with tackling a wide variety of issues across society. Action No. 104 of the NDIS commits us to lead a review of transport supports encomp…

The wonderful thing about this working group is it will be an opportunity, as I said, to consider what worked well in the past and what resources were removed from people with disabilities which gave them independent access to participation. We all know from people coming to our offices how limited the primary medical certification is, and I think the courts have told us as well. I must compliment and thank the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, for his willingness to participate and to send his officials to the…

I thank Senator Kyne for raising that question. As a former financier, the basic thing anybody wants to know about his or her pension is what his or her entitlement is and how to make provisions into the future. That is the essence of pensions. I have a script that I will read. It has been forwarded by the HSE in the west, from Saolta, but I do not accept the answer. It is not good enough, but I will give it to the Senator because people have come to him as they have to me. The answer is not acceptable. Using the p…

I will raise this particular issue with the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, to ensure the Department gets involved at this stage. Workers have a right to access this. The Department knows that the ICT systems in the HSE are back up and running, not just across the Saolta group but in all the various groups. I will also ask that this matter be included on the agenda for the next board meeting in the Department in order that Mr. Robert Watt can ensure there is a clear line for people who are retiring to…

I have no doubt.

I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to bring the House up to date. The report, The Cost of Disability in Ireland, was commissioned by the Minister for Social Protection and prepared by Indecon International Research Economists. It was published in December 2021 and provides importance evidence as to the additional costs that people with disability face in their day-to-day lives. The programme for Government contains a commitment to use research into the cost of disability to properly inform the directi…

If the Deputy were to ask me what is happening right now, I would say that all of the Departments are looking at the cost of disability. She has quite rightly identified that the extra costs faced by people with a disability vary depending on the disability. However, there is a standard-of-living cost as well. A person who has a prosthetic may face extra costs of €20,000, depending on whether their medical card will cover these costs. It might, but it might not cover the cost of the prosthetic they require. It migh…

With regard to the Housing for All strategy, there will, of course, be a stakeholder group involved. Persons with a disability will be at the total and utter centre of that. It is they who will be telling us about universal design, that is, design that ensures that the social housing stock we develop will meet the changing needs of those who will come in and out of those properties. Particularly with regard to disabilities, these needs are always changing. We need to future-proof the housing stock. I am working wit…

-----primary medical certificates, I convened a group on that issue for the first time since 2017. This included officials from the Department of Finance, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Department of Health and the HSE. I got everybody around the table because, as we all know, eligibility for the certificate is far too narrow. That work is progressing.

As the Senator will be aware, the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act was signed into law on 20 December 2018 and commenced on 1 January 2019. A review clause was included in the Act to facilitate monitoring of the impact, operation and effectiveness of the legislation in practice, as well as the delivery of services in this area. The review of the operation of the Act has commenced and will comprise two phases. During the first phase, information and evidence on the effectiveness and operation of t…

I thank the Senator again. All indications are that these services are both operating and available, and they are delivered in hospitals and community settings. The Minister is determined that the review will be undertaken in a fair and transparent manner. As I outlined in my opening remarks, a three-part approach will be taken to reviewing the operation of the Act with strands focusing on service users, service providers and a public consultation. Independent research is being undertaken to inform the services use…

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue and giving me the opportunity to provide an update on the matter. As the Senator knows, this Government is committed to empowering people with a disability to live independent lives and giving them the ability to choose the supports that most meet their needs where possible. This ensures that people with a disability can make a real, tangible difference in their lives. Reflecting the strength of this Government's commitment in this area, significant additional fu…

We all share the same common desire to have the best possible policies and services for people with disability. That is what Covid taught us, when we saw how the Department of Health could work with the local HSE areas that could work with the various providers. However, during all that working arrangement, families had no access to respite. That is why families are coming through that phase at this moment exhausted, tired and needing to know the pathway. They realise that they, perhaps, cannot be able to do this d…

I wish to thank the Social Democrats and all the Deputies who have contributed to this debate on the financial challenges facing those diagnosed with cancer. I am not unique or different from Deputy Connolly or anyone else in this House. We all understand the traumatic events that ensue when a family member is ill. Therefore, I am not unique in this experience. The sad case referred to by Deputy Danny Healy-Rae, where two members of one family were struck by cancer within a short time, must also be recognised. I ac…

I concur with Deputy Nolan in commending the Irish Cancer Society and the nurse line for all the wonderful work it does. It is greatly appreciated. We all have cancer care groups in our communities. I could talk about Gort and Ballinasloe and all the Deputies have them in their constituencies as well. That relief valve is important in our communities, especially for those of us who live in rural areas. We depend on those groups because they are a means of supporting people in the community and act as the access poi…

I am grateful to have the time to talk about the easing of Covid-19 restrictions and I thank all speakers for their contributions. Without a doubt, Ireland has come through some dark and challenging days, and I hope and expect that we are now entering a brighter time. It is timely for the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, to be in the House because he was here at the start, while we are representing the current Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, this even…