I thank Senator Buttimer for giving me an opportunity to update the House on this matter. Sexual health is a priority for the Department of Health. This was evidenced by the publication of the National Sexual Health Strategy 2015-2020, the first major strategy to tackle this vital area. Good progress has been made with the implementation of the strategy since 2015. The Department of Health, along with the HSE sexual health and crisis pregnancy programme, SHCPP, has worked hard to built important partnerships with a…

I thank Senator Buttimer for his significant contribution to the House on this important topic. I wish to conclude by providing some detail on another important sexual health initiative which is currently in progress. The Department of Health is happy to support the HSE's home STI testing pilot project in Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare, Cork and Kerry through the Sláintecare integration fund. My colleague the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, was pleased to be able to secure funding of €3.3 million in the rec…

I thank Deputies Martin Browne and Tully for raising this important issue for discussion today. The Ombudsman issued commentary on three transport support schemes for people living with disability. Those are now closed. I refer to the motor transport grant and mobility allowance schemes and the disabled drivers and disabled passengers tax concession scheme operated by the Revenue Commissioners. I can assure the House that the Government shares the concerns expressed by the Ombudsman regarding the transport challeng…

I thank Senator Byrne for raising this very important issue. Cyberthreats are a global issue and they are not limited to healthcare. Increasing attacks on critical infrastructure are triggering widespread disruption across the globe and causing significant disruption to companies and State agencies. They impact directly on citizens, as the Senator has rightly outlined. The Conti ransomware attack on the HSE of 14 May 2021 resulted in an immediate loss of almost all ICT systems, applications and communications netwo…

It is clear that access to transport supports for people with disabilities can assist them to live independent lives of their choosing. Deputy Tully is right that they need to be able to travel to their place of work and to live independent lives of their choosing. I assure the House that continued efforts have been undertaken by the Department of Health to develop an equitable scheme which meets the need of people with disabilities who face the most significant challenges. The range of policy developments I outlin…

I thank the Senator for his contribution to the House on this important topic. Cyberthreats remain a persistent concern across a number of sectors globally. The disruption they cause to services, particularly during a pandemic, is devastating. It is galling that cyberattacks prey on our public healthcare system and our patients, and on some of the most vulnerable people in the State. I assure the Senator that my Department, and the HSE as the key target of the cyberattack in May, are working closely with the Office…

I thank the Senator for raising this issue. The Government's policy on the increased usage of EVs is primarily driven by the climate action plan, which sets out a target of having 945,000 EVs on Irish roads by 2030. To support these EVs, Ireland has a comprehensive charging network available to EV owners to charge their vehicles. Several operators are providing charging points, with the majority being rolled out by EasyGo and the ESB through its ecars programme. Each provider has a map outlining the availability of…

I thank the Senator. We are all at one here. The Senator's lobbying for County Monaghan is very effective. I thank him. He has support from the Leas-Chathaoirleach. As the Senator will be aware, the Government is fully committed to supporting the significant expansion and modernisation of the EV charging network over the coming years. The Department of Transport is working closely with several key stakeholders, including those in local government, to ensure EV infrastructure will stay ahead of demand. The Senator i…

I thank the Senator for raising this issue. Ireland has one of the best offshore renewable energy resources in the world with a sea area of 490,000 sq. km, which is approximately seven times the size of our landmass. Ireland’s location at the Atlantic edge of the EU means that we have more offshore energy potential than most countries in Europe. The Maritime Area Planning Bill 2021, which recently completed Committee Stage in the Dáil, will enable the realisation of our offshore renewable energy ambitions by establ…

I will certainly raise climate-proofing with the Minister. The Senator will be aware that the Department recognises that increased participation by people in offshore renewable energy projects will bring about significant supports for climate action as people in turn become personally invested in their delivery. The Department continues to engage in the overall package of community participation and benefits in line with Ireland’s climate ambitions to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and to deliver on the Europea…

On behalf of the Minister for Health, I welcome the opportunity to address the Seanad on this important matter. At the outset, I acknowledge that waiting times for many hospital procedures and appointments are unacceptably long. I am acutely aware of the great distress that this causes patients and their families. I remain committed to working to reduce waiting times for patients and bring them in line with Sláintecare targets. It is of particular regret that children can experience long waiting times, especially f…

I reiterate my thanks to the House for the invitation and the opportunity to discuss the issues surrounding access to paediatric orthopaedic services. The Government remains committed to improving access to all types of healthcare, both in the community and in primary care settings, as well as in the acute hospital sector. Improving paediatric orthopaedic services remains a priority within the wider reform and improvement of healthcare services. As noted during the debate, it is critical that paediatric orthopaedic…

Yes, possibly. Children's Health Ireland, CHI, continues to examine and implement new and innovative ways to provide orthopaedic care to patients. The strategic alliance between CHI and Cappagh orthopaedic hospital is considered a key to CHI being able to address the current challenges to access elective and age-specific orthopaedic care. CHI has advised the Department of Health that the HSE has agreed to the proposals to recruit additional paediatric theatre nurses and additional support. Senator Boyhan proposed a…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Coveney. I would first like to restate the Government's concern at the designation by Israel's Ministry of Defence of six Palestinian NGOs as terrorist entities on 22 October last. This includes organisations in receipt of support from Irish Aid and the EU. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, made a statement on the matter on 27 October and has raised the issue directly in his meetings in Israel this week. We are in touch with the…

As I said in my opening statement, the Government shares the concerns raised by the Deputy at the designation of these six Palestinian NGOs as terrorist entities. The Minister has conveyed our concerns directly in his meetings in Israel this week. As the Deputy knows, civil society organisations play an important role and Ireland is a vocal supporter of the civil society space. This is an issue we take seriously and we will raise the designations as soon as possible at the Security Council. A number of Deputies hav…

I thank Deputy Murnane O'Connor for raising the provision of an ambulance base in Carlow town. It is a town with which I am very familiar. The National Ambulance Service is the statutory pre-hospital emergency and intermediate care provider and it seeks to serve the needs of patients and the public as part of an integrated health system through the provision of high-quality, safe and patient-centred services. Carlow ambulance base is an integral part of the ambulance service and has four emergency ambulances on dut…

I again thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue of the provision of the ambulance base located in Carlow town. I do not have the information on what area is higher on the list but I will try to get that information from the Minister and I will ask him to forward it to the Deputy. In line with Sláintecare and Vision 2020, a significant programme of work is under way to transform the National Ambulance Service from an emergency medical service into a mobile medical service. This is a model that aims to…

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue and welcome the opportunity to update the House on the support and services provided to persons who experience gambling addiction. I am aware problem gambling affects a significant number of individuals and the Senator is correct in that research conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the Department of Justice estimates approximately 1% of the population is affected by problem gambling. I would have thought it would have been a little higher. The Department has overall …

I again thank the Senator for raising the issues of gambling addiction and problem gambling. There is, without doubt, an issue with problem gambling in Ireland. Many actions can be taken by gambling companies to minimise problem gambling, including restrictions on advertising, the ending of free bet promotions and limits on how much people can bet through online accounts. However, there are people who will still develop problem gambling habits. That is why we need a social fund on the gambling industry to provide s…

I thank Senator Casey for raising this issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The programme for Government contains a commitment to achieving 5 GW capacity in offshore wind off Ireland's eastern and southern coasts by 2030. It also commits to production of a longer-term plan setting out how the State will harness the potential of at least 30 GW of offshore floating wind power in our deeper waters in the Atlantic. This pace of development is vital to achieve a …