I thank all the Deputies who contributed. I have taken note of the points they raised and, as is my practice when wrapping up, I will address the concerns raised by Deputies who are still in the Chamber as best I can. Deputy Michael Collins has spoken twice this evening, which is unusual, but, needless to say, I welcome his contributions. On education, he raised the same issue with me twice, namely, that students and other constituents of his wish to know whether the students may travel home. The answer is "Yes". O…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I congratulate him and his wife on the birth of their second child, a daughter. Having been through maternity three times, I fully endorse what he has said. It is not just for the arrival of the baby. From a female perspective, of course the mothers want their partner, husband or wife with them at that time. They need that support because they do not know what news they might be facing after any scan. That is why it is important, and I take on board what the Deputy said. …

Perhaps we can discuss this issue with the Minister for Health. The introduction of pods and bubbles this week was very welcome. Maybe we can discuss with the hospitals if they are open to the idea of having bubbles or pods. It is important, however, that my message is clear tonight and I do not want to confuse it. These decisions are not taken lightly and hospital front-line staff and management are acutely aware that it is very important that mothers are supported by their partners at the time of the birth. It is…

I thank the Deputies for raising this important matter as the conversation is very welcome. Earlier this week, the Government took the decision to move the country to level 5 of the framework for living with Covid-19, as outlined in the resilience and recovery plan. This decision took account of a variety of factors, including the views of the National Public Health Emergency Team on the current epidemiology of Covid-19 and the need to take decisive action. The Government remains united in its resolve to tackle the…

I thank the Deputies again for raising this important issue. The Government appreciates that people have been severely affected by the restrictions imposed this year. We have provided a range of supports to individuals, businesses and other sectors of society to limit the impact on livelihoods and businesses. The Government remains united in its resolve to tackle the spread of Covid-19. As I said, there have been more than 54,000 confirmed cases in Ireland. More immediately, there have been extremely concerning inc…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue and for giving me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister, to provide as much clarity as possible on the availability and reimbursement of Duodopa for patients with advanced Parkinson's disease. As the Deputy may know, the HSE was given statutory responsibility for medicine pricing and reimbursement decisions under the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013. The Act specifies certain criteria for decisions on whether the State will reimburse medi…

I will take on board what Deputy Harkin has said and will talk to the Minister about it. I compliment the wonderful work of the Parkinson's groups. The Deputy has mentioned those is Mayo and the north west. It would be remiss of me not to mention the Parkinson's group in Galway as well. In his note to me, the Minister stated that he hopes that the final decision on this reimbursement application concludes shortly for all concerned. This comes from his note. I will follow up with him on foot of what we have discusse…

I thank Senator Dolan for placing this matter today. Before I go to the script it gives me great pleasure to discuss Portiuncula Hospital given that my youngest child was born there. It is 24 miles down the road from me so I know it intimately. Many of my constituents work in Portiuncula Hospital and it is embedded in the fabric not just of Ballinasloe but in the wider spread of the area. It provides a great service. I will read the script and then I will focus on the two main questions the Senator has asked. Porti…

I thank Senator Dolan. I did not answer the question on the CT scanner. The HSE advised that the replacement of the CT scanner in Portiuncula is scheduled for 2021 or 2022, through the HSE equipment replacement programme. Priority for replacement is based on risk categorisation covering age dependability and service history, with capacity for replacement depending on availability of funding. If there is an issue in anything I have said that could support the management of the hospital in terms of risk categorisatio…

I thank Senator Boyhan for putting down this question. It gives me the opportunity to bring the Senator through my engagement since becoming Minister of State with responsibility for disability matters. Before I continue, I wish to say this is not a blame game. I could not agree more with Senator Boyhan on that. This is about the service users, their families, the employees and delivering services to the most vulnerable in our society who require these services. While St. John of God Community Services is in this p…

I thank the Deputy again for raising this matter. I acknowledge and recognise his concerns. It is the first time I have been given the opportunity to put on the record my engagement with St. John of God and my plea to it on that day to not serve notice on us, to work with me, as a Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities, and to give me the opportunity to understand their concerns and to work with the HSE and the Department. It was its prerogative on that day to take the decision it took. I regret it …

I thank Senator O'Loughlin for giving me the opportunity to address this specific matter. I want to go back to the question she submitted, which was on redeployment to address assessments of need. We are speaking about speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physical therapists. This is the question the Senator laid before me to address today. My answer does not comprehensively address this but I would like to address it and bring the Senator up to speed on it. The reason €7.8 million was provid…

I thank Senator O'Loughlin. As I said, the €7.8 million was to address the backlog. I am on top of the redeployment piece. There was a successful budget last week, out of which money was circled for the recruitment of additional staff, including another 100 therapist posts. Some 100 therapists were secured under the most recent programme for Government. It is sad to think that the last of those staff members to come on board, in early March, went straight into contact tracing. They did not get to hit the ground run…

I thank the Deputy for putting down the question and giving us an opportunity to clarify it on the floor of the House. Communication is key on this. It is key for the principals, the parents and most importantly for the continuity of children attending schools. I am going to read out the script as it was prepared for me because the clarification points are very important. Before I begin, however, it is important to say all officials in both Departments are working tirelessly together to ensure anything that needs t…

I thank the Deputy. I will only take a minute to respond so we will keep on track with time. I could not agree more with everything the Deputy has said. Language is also important. The Deputy has covered everything, but how we communicate to people at present and how we use our language so as not to be too alarming is also important. There is a lot of anxiety and stress. There is stress and pressure on the principals, teaching staff, parents and young people. Most importantly, we need to be calm and measured in our…

This year, 2020, has been a particularly challenging time for people with disabilities and their families. Many people have had their usual daily regimes changed, causing much distress. It is important to acknowledge the remarkable strength families have shown in recent months. With access to services limited people were under pressure to adjust. The resolve shown cannot be underestimated and I want to thank everyone for their resilience and managing the challenge of living with Covid-19. Disability service provide…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following: “acknowledges that: — the Covid-19 pandemic has had significant impact on the delivery of all health funded services, and services for people with disabilities have been particularly affected; — since the onset of Covid-19 the focus of service providers has been to mitigate its immediate impact on the disability community and the World Health Organization (WHO) anticipates that Covid-19 will be with us for a further 12-18…

I thank Members who have contributed to the debate on the Private Members' Dying with Dignity Bill 2020. I am grateful to Deputy Gino Kenny and his colleagues for highlighting the need to address assisted dying and for contributing to the debate. I do not doubt the Bill has been tabled with the best of humanitarian objectives in a sincere effort to ensure every Irish person who is dying, no matter from what, has the right to die with dignity. The Bill raises significant legal, ethical and policy issues and issues o…

I thank Senator Bacik for raising this issue. Before I begin reading my script, the Deputy is right. There is a wider conversation to be had which goes further than the one case she has brought to my attention. As she will hear throughout my speech, there is a need for really good collaboration between the two Departments to ensure all children have the right of access and are supported. I thank Senator Bacik for raising this issue. I begin by noting that the Senator's question relates in part to a particular child…

The current programme for Government document, Our Shared Future, recognises the need to improve services for children with disability through better implementation by the working group across Government. I wish to reassure Senator Bacik and anyone who has a child with complex needs that myself and the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, will be working closely together on this. We recognise that there are gaps. It is our responsibility to close the gaps and ensure that no child falls through the gaps. Deputy Bacik …