I fully understand. If I may say, I have been involved in a number of projects that had different parties involved. In one case I had six different parties and every time I got on to one I was given the answer it was someone else's fault. Sometimes it gets frustrating, but I will follow it up for the Deputy.

I thank the Green Party Senators for bringing forward this motion. I thank all Senators for their constructive contributions. I believe 12 Senators contributed to the debate and I appreciate all of their contributions. The Minister for Health is not opposing the motion. Therefore, it is important that in dealing with something like this we work together and are constructive. The motion, as set out, is constructive. Each Senator who spoke put a lot of thought into their contribution. The concerns highlighted by the …

The Deputy has given a very good and detailed explanation of the challenges Anna and her family face. I fully understand the situation because I have also come across constituents facing similar challenges. I am here on behalf of the Minister for Health. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter of children on waiting lists for scoliosis surgery. The Minister acknowledges that waiting lists for scoliosis services are unacceptably long. He is acutely conscious of the burden this places on patients and their families…

The Deputy has made a very strong case in respect of his constituent. It is important that I take on board what he has said and that we continue to try to improve the services. The Minister for Health is assuring children and their families that the Government will continue to invest significant funding to help clinicians to reduce the time for which children must wait for important hospital appointments and procedures. Significant additional investment has been committed to tackle the waiting lists for spinal serv…

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I thank Deputy Gould for raising this issue and for his consistent engagement in respect of the SouthDoc treatment centre. I am dealing with this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly. The Minister fully understands that the Deputy is acting out of a genuine concern, his own and that of his constituents, regarding the ongoing provision of out-of-hours GP services in the north side of Cork city. The Minister for Health has regularly engaged through the HSE wi…

It is important to remind the Deputy that we also have the minor injuries unit on the north side.

No. The minor injuries unit covers people from both the north side and the south side. I just want to be clear that not everything is on the south side. Second, I have checked for myself and SouthDoc saw more than 220,000 people last year.

Deputy Gould raised the issue of SouthDoc not doing its job. SouthDoc saw 220,000 patients last year. It has 19 vehicles available to call out to people as well, so there is a whole rota of people available to call out to patients. If a patient is deemed to be so unwell that he or she cannot travel to a centre then SouthDoc will arrange a visit. Patients are seen, on average, within four hours from the time a call is made. That is the service SouthDoc provides. One in eight of the people who go to SouthDoc is refer…

-----response. I fully understand where Deputy Gould is coming from. The concerns he outlined have been raised with me as well. We need to make sure that the service continues, as I am sure it will.

I thank the Acting Chairperson and Senator Kyne for their kind remarks. I thank the Senator for raising this matter as it gives me the opportunity to provide an update to the House on the current position of the schools building programme and the imminent payment of minor works and ICT grants. Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested in the region of €4.5 billion in schools throughout the country. The school building programme is adding capacity and developing and upgrading school facilities for the alm…

It is important to outline that Galway received €19.1 million in minor works funding in the period 2018 to 2024 and €1.8 million in 2024. Therefore, the total funding for schools in Galway is €20.9 million in the period from 2018 up to present. It is substantial funding. I understand from a further note I received that the funding the Senator is talking about will be announced today or will be made available from today, but that is an unofficial note. Today is 24 April and I think the funding will be announced toda…

I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. Diabetes is a complex condition that can have a profound impact on the quality of life of people living with the condition. If not well managed, it can lead to debilitating complications. Management is required across the entire spectrum of healthcare delivery, including self-management support as well as care delivered through general practice, community specialist care and hospital inpatient specialist care. In recent years, there has been increasing demand o…

I apologise to the Acting Chair, as I did not say at the start that I was taking the Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Health. Likewise, the previous Commencement matter was taken on behalf of the Minister for Education. To conclude, the Minister for Health is aware of the needs of the diabetes community and the challenges faced by those living with the condition. Type 1 diabetes in childhood is a complex condition and if not well managed, can lead to further complications for these patients. In rec…

I thank the Acting Chair. I thank the Cathaoirleach and Senator Lombard for their kind comments. I want to reassure people that this is not just for people from Cork. When I heard the Cathaoirleach earlier, I thought it was purely for people from Cork. I hope Senator Clonan did not feel excluded from the conversation.

I thank Senator Lombard for raising this matter. I am here on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, and Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, to respond and provide an update. The sports capital and equipment programme, SCEP, is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. Grants are available to: voluntary, not-for-profit sports clubs and community groups; national governing …

I note the Senator's comments. I will certainly pass them back. As I said, I am here on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, and the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne. I will certainly pass those comments back to them. I take on board the Senator's concerns about the non-availability of facilities. The Government recently agreed revised capital allocations under the national development plan, NDP, totalling €2.25 billion out to 2026. The additional allocations of capital funding for the Department …

I am taking it.

I do.

I thank Senator Clonan for raising this important matter today, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte. The personal assistant service was developed to provide a service for adults with physical disabilities that enables them to live their lives as independently as possible and take decision-making control. Persons with a disability determine the support they need and the activities with which they need support. Typically, personal assistant services are delivered through some section…

I thank the Senator. I, too, have come across very similar cases to those he mentioned, so I very much understand the challenges there. Finally, I thank the Senator for raising this important issue for discussion today. It is acknowledged that there are differences in the delivery of personal assistant services around the country. The Action Plan for Disability Services 2024-2026 commits to a policy review of personal assistant services in light of the UNCRPD with a working group involving key stakeholders and disa…