A diktat.

I cannot believe this.

Sure.

The €5 is the top fee that is paid under the current structure. The €6.50 is the once-off fee for contraception. I gave pharmacists the option to charge above €6.50 - €7, €8, €9 or €10, whatever they wanted - and they refused that. It is a very interesting position for the Deputy to have adopted this evening. I am trying to give every option possible to deliver for the women of Ireland, but I am hearing IPU speaking notes back, which is an interesting position for the Labour Party to take. What is the cost of setti…

I thank the Deputy for his ongoing work on this. Safeguarding adults who may be at risk of abuse is a very important objective for me, my Department and all health and social care services. A framework of standards, policies and procedures for safeguarding adults in the health and social care sector is already in place. This includes a national safeguarding office in the HSE, specialist safeguarding and protection teams in each health region, designated safeguarding officers within services and specific regulatory …

I agree with the Deputy. I also want to reflect the work of the Law Reform Commission report in this regard. I hear what the Deputy is saying with regard to policy. Of course, the policy analysis is to bring us to the legislative path, because that has to be agreed across the different Departments with regard to that. It is also important to note, though I know the Deputy is already aware, that while legislation is important, it is everybody's business to do this correctly in the meantime. It is everybody's respons…

I agree and accept that. The health (adult safeguarding) Bill is in the current legislative programme, but the policy must be considerably settled and developed on a cross-departmental basis. This is as much a question for the committees on disability and children as for the Joint Committee on Health-----

-----because the roles of the Departments are equally important in how we take this forward and they must be clearly working together on it. This would be an important piece of work for the committee and I look forward to working with it on it.

The programme for Government commits to ensuring a transgender healthcare service that is based on clinical evidence, respect, inclusiveness and compassion. A new model of care is currently under development to strengthen and standardise care, ensuring safety and best practice. My Department provided €770,000 in budget 2025 to support this. The clinical lead has been appointed, a cross speciality clinical advisory group has been established and a review of the evidence base is under way. A community pilot project t…

I fully hear what the Deputy is saying. His feedback is important to me, as is everyone's. I did not congratulate him on his new position as Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Health. I look forward to working with him on this and many other issues. We have a similar approach to these issues. It is important to recognise that demand for transgender healthcare services has increased and I acknowledge that the current public services are not meeting people's full range of needs. For that reason, the HSE is developi…

I agree with the Deputy and the person-centred approach is what we want to get to. Everyone is entitled to healthcare. I agree completely with him on the points he raised and I hear his important perspective on the national gender service. It is important that it be articulated here this evening and I hear him clearly on it. I do not want to get distracted by the WHO definition, which is slightly more technical and does not sit against what we are speaking about in any way. It is not a clinical guideline. It is a c…

I thank the Deputy for her question. It is timely, as I will visit University Hospital Galway, UHG, on Thursday as it happens. The Deputy will be aware of proposals for further significant capital investment there. That includes additional bed capacity, a new emergency department, new paediatric and maternity facilities, a new helipad, replacement laboratories and a cancer centre at UHG. A surgical hub is under construction at Merlin Park and plans for the new elective hospital are progressing. Due to the scale and…

Deputy-----

I appreciate the Deputy's frustration. I appreciate that there needs to be a major plan. I also appreciate that this has to be done in a sequencing way so that the hospital can continue to function. The information I have for her is that it will be presented to the HSE board for approval at the end of this month. I cannot put it further than that. I am attending the hospital, as I attend many hospitals, not to take photographs but to visit and speak with management to understand better the hospitals and how they wo…

Sure.

I know.

I appreciate that the Deputy has been raising this for many years. I appreciate the reasons for that, and I have huge respect for that. This is the approach that has been taken. From my perspective as Minister, I will be keen to see this move forward as quickly as possible with what sits within my control. I am concerned about the interaction with the infrastructure guidelines and the revision process that is ongoing with the Department of public expenditure and reform to make sure the delivery of these projects is…

I thank the Deputy. The Government is committed to the ongoing development of Sligo and our other regional hospitals. As he said, I am aware that there were issues with water leaks at the hospital and that in particular on 18 April, the leak led to the temporary closure of the orthopaedic theatre for eight days to allow for cleaning and air sampling to be undertaken, and I am told that additional monitoring is ongoing. While the theatre was closed, as the Deputy will be aware, a number of orthopaedic surgeries were…

The HSE's capital plan for 2025 details the planned infrastructure investments for Sligo University Hospital. We have discussed the roof but there are also plans for a multi-service block development that will encompass a wide range of services, including a theatre department. Plans for that multi-service block are currently at detailed design stage. There has been significant investment in Sligo in recent years, including in the new 26-bed block. As I saw the day I was there, a 42-bed block is due to begin constru…

I agree with the Deputy. It is my intention to do that, along with expanding surgical capacity more broadly in the north west, which we will speak about further. I agree about the need for an innovative approach. Already, some measures have been put in place in that regard. I want to see the immediate issues resolved very quickly in order that the surgeons are not dealing with them going into the autumn this year. There should be no excuse in that regard. I agree with the Deputy about what needs to happen over the …