Again, I will bring the comments of the Deputy back to the Minister. I would like to reiterate that the Government is committed to the continued support of the health and personal social services needs of Irish thalidomide survivors. There is empathy. It is very difficult. There are a number of cases concerning thalidomide before the High Court. It is not possible to comment on matters that are sub judice . Maybe that is a contributing factor in the context of why a meeting has not taken place. As the Deputy said, …

On behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, I thank the Senator for raising this matter. It is important to clarify that current planning guidance seeks to ensure that the diverse needs of our society are catered for by facilitating a greater mix of housing typologies. This includes a choice of accommodation types for older people. It is a key objective of Government to encourage a shift in the pattern and format of future development towards more compact urban growth to support proper pla…

I will bring to the Minister the Senator's concerns that a density of 35 dwellings per hectare is not conducive to the provision of housing for older persons. We need to provide a greater choice of housing types for older people in their communities. This includes new typologies that tie in with compact growth objectives to address the efficient use of urban land where services and supports are available. The Senator rightly said that the current density guidelines allow for more flexibility in many circumstances. …

I thank Senator Boylan for raising this very important issue. I listened with interest to the points she raised. The Government will continue to monitor the issue of greenwashing to allow businesses and consumers to make informed choices. The CRU plays a very important role in ensuring that electricity companies are transparent on the source of their electricity through the publication of their annual fuel mix information paper and through the requirement that electricity suppliers publish their own fuel mix on all…

The Senator spoke about transparency and the need for legislation, and mentioned countries like Austria. I will bring that back to the Minister. The CRU does play an important role in ensuring electricity companies are transparent. I have noticed it on my own bill and I would not be technically minded. It it is interesting to see where your electricity is coming from. There have been several developments in ensuring information being presented in the energy market is accurate and transparent. They place obligations…

I welcome the opportunity to address the House on the issues raised by the Deputy, on behalf of the Minister of Health. At the outset, I wish to acknowledge the distress that overcrowding in emergency departments causes to patients, their families and to front-line staff working in very challenging conditions in hospitals throughout the country. I also acknowledge the work and commitment of staff to ensuring the uninterrupted provision of emergency care throughout the pandemic. The HSE reports that emergency depart…

I have heard the Deputy and I will bring her issues to the Minister. It is acknowledged, as the Deputy rightly said, that the current emergency department at University Hospital Galway is unable to meet demand, which is contributing to significant waiting times and high numbers of patients waiting on trolleys for admission to the hospital. The development of a new ED at University Hospital Galway is the key to addressing these accommodation and associated risk issues. The proposed new ED will, hopefully, be reconfi…

I welcome the opportunity to address the House, on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, on ambulance resources and services, particularly those in the Laois and Offaly region. I join my colleagues in giving my gratitude to the healthcare workers in these very difficult times. The National Ambulance Service, NAS, does not operate a station-based deployment system but instead uses "dynamic deployment" on a national basis. Dynamic deployment allows staff in the HSE's national emergency operations centre to…

I thank the Deputies once again for raising this issue, notwithstanding, as we said, the challenges of the Covid pandemic and the demands it places on our services. The National Ambulance Service is committing to reducing response times in the Laois and Offaly regions and across the country. Deputy Stanley noted that the distances are being looked at, which is to be welcomed. I hope we can have better consultation on such issues. Deputy Cowen said that the dynamic deployment mechanism is not working for Laois-Offal…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. There is legislation in place in Ireland to ensure that all tobacco products manufactured for sale in the State are in standardised packaging. There is also legislation in place requiring the display of health warnings, comprising a pictorial warning and text warnings in both Irish and English. Under the Public Health (Standardised Packaging of Tobacco) Act 2015, all tobacco products manufactured for sale in Ireland since 30 September 2017 must be in standardised…

Some interesting areas have been looked at. I will ask the Minister to investigate the fact that in Finland people are allowed to bring in no more than 200 cigarettes while in this country 800 cigarettes is the maximum. We will consider that. There is also the fact that the manufacturers dictate the retail selling price in the context of the number of cigarettes that can be in a packet. The Deputy is right that €130 million is a substantial sum. We need to consider that. As the Deputy is aware, the introduction of …

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. The Minister of State with responsibility for mental health and older people, Deputy Butler, has been regularly liaising with the HSE on this very important matter, since it was announced. The HSE has affirmed that in the context of the closure of the centre, the needs and preferences of each resident are of paramount importance. On 28 June, the HSE notified the Department of Health that the HSE's Cork-Kerry community healthcare organisation had taken the difficu…

I thank the Deputy again for raising these very important issues. Improving all aspects of mental health service delivery is a priority for the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, the Government as a whole and the HSE, in line with the national service plan for 2021. This includes continued collaboration between the relevant agencies to ensure that quality and standards in our mental health facilities are further improved in line with the best practices and recommendations. With regard to Owenacurra, the most importa…

I thank Deputy Kenny for raising this important issue and for the way in which he has articulated it. At the outset, I acknowledge the stress that overcrowded emergency departments cause patients, their families, and the front-line staff working in very challenging conditions in hospitals throughout the country. I acknowledge the work and commitment of staff in ensuring the uninterrupted provision of emergency care throughout the pandemic. I am aware of these issues, in particular, those in Sligo University Hospita…

We expect 14 additional nursing staff to start in the emergency department in the next two months. We will work together to ensure that it is progressed as quickly as possible. The health service capacity review 2018 was clear on the need for a major investment in additional capacity in both acute hospitals and the community, combined with a wide-scale reform of the manner and the location of where health services are provided. Approximately 800 beds have been provided on a permanent basis over the number available…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I recognise that it is a very complex issue. I know from personal experience that trying to get carers is a difficulty. It is a key priority of the Government to enable more people to engage in services that allow them to remain independent and to live in their own homes with dignity and independence for as long as possible. In order to advance this, the Government is committed to establishing a new statutory scheme for the financing and regulation of home support. In Jul…

I take on board what the Deputy says and I will bring back her exact views to the Minister. The Government did improve access to home support services as a priority. Last year we did provide €150 million for these services. The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of supporting the most vulnerable in society to be cared for in their own homes for as long as possible. It is of the utmost importance that all individuals accessing home support are provided with a high quality level of care which is safe an…

The Government has been very clear in its determination to ensure that when services reopen, they stay open. In line with Recovery and Resilience: The Path Ahead, we have been able, as planned, to facilitate the reopening of many lower risk activities, including increasing the numbers permitted at outdoor gatherings and removing the limit on the number of people who can visit each other once they are fully protected by vaccination or immunity. Significant and sustained progress in our reopening of society and our e…

The national drug strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery, recognises the role of families affected by drug use in contributing to the planning, design and delivery of effective addiction services. In budget 2021, I secured €280,000 in additional funding to support family services. This funding will be used to develop and broaden the range of peer-led, mutual aid and family support programmes in accordance with best practice, in line with action 16 of the national drugs strategy. The development of family supp…

I feel strongly that the families of drug users need to have appropriate, accessible and timely services available to them. I know the Family Addiction Support Network in Dundalk and across the country is aiding people who are often unaware that there is any help available at all. I intend to continue to work with all the relevant stakeholders across the statutory and community and voluntary sectors to achieve better outcomes for problem drug and alcohol abusers. I am aware that FASN, and all organisations providin…