The Minister of State and the Tánaiste are both welcome to Carlow and to Carlow-Kilkenny at any time. I welcome investment, particularly in small counties like mine. It is vital for Carlow to have this. We now have the game changer with the technological university for the south east. We have much to offer with Carlow well located close to Dublin and all the vital areas that people need to get to. I welcome that this week, 30 Irish companies are participating in a five-day visit to Toronto, Montreal, Boston and New…

I appreciate being able to raise this important issue with the Minister for Justice, Deputy Humphreys. Domestic violence continues to be a pervasive problem in our society. Nearly 15% of women between the ages of 18 and 74 have experienced physical and sexual violence in their lifetime and nearly 31% have experienced psychological violence. Could the Minister outline the enhanced supports that budget 2022 will provide to tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence?

I welcome the overall funding of more than €30 million to help tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, including an extra €1 million to improve An Garda Síochána divisional protective service units. The DPSUs are now in every Garda division and deliver a consistent and professional approach to the investigation of sexual crime, child abuse and domestic abuse. As the Minister is aware, the increased incidence of domestic violence this year is not exclusive to my constituency of Carlow, although I have rai…

I thank the Minister. I do appreciate these developments, which are most welcome. It is further great news that Safe Ireland and Airbnb have announced the launch of a domestic violence survivor fund backed by a €350,000 donation from Airbnb. The fund will provide grants to women and children who are escaping abuse. Cash and a place to stay are vital supports. When will we see such support in the private sector? The Government is partnering with the NGO sector to develop a new strategy to tackle domestic, sexual and…

Recently, the HSE made cuts to primary eye care for medical card patients. Under the medical card scheme, a patient can get an eye test every two years, or on a yearly basis if there is a medical need. This was written into the contract opticians have with the HSE. Opticians in Tullow, Carlow and Bagenalstown have contacted me to tell me how they have used the scheme to examine patients with eye issues that can be monitored locally rather than requiring a hospital appointment the wait for which, as the Minister kno…

I thank the Minister of State for sharing time. Every October, we receive a wealth of information about breast cancer, with people dressed in pink engaged in fundraising and celebrities speaking about their breast cancer experience, but we still see women arriving at clinics not knowing much at all about the disease. One in seven women in Ireland will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Due to Covid-19 measures, the screening programme is nearly a year behind. This is a devastating situation and we must do something a…

We do not offer antigen testing, which is unfair to those who cannot get a vaccine. The simple application of an antigen test would solve this. Is this being considered at all? Antigen testing is being considered for close contacts. How will this work? Will people have to apply? Who do they apply to? Why can we not give antigen tests freely, maybe to test centres, in order that people who need them can acquire them? Another area of confusion concerns the booster programme. While I welcome the programme, I have had …

In April, the chair of the assembly, Catherine Day, said: The recommendations the citizens agreed don’t just call for incremental change. They call for big changes that can make Ireland a better and more gender equal place to live for all of us. They call for change in our Constitution, for new laws and policies and for stronger enforcement. It is long past time for big changes. In the 100 years since women won the right to vote, millions of stories of strong women have forged the way ahead, fighting for equality o…

The next speaker is Deputy Alan Kelly.

My apologies; Deputy Kelly was next on the list.

How many people are awaiting an assessment of need under the Disability Act 2005 in each local health office area in CHO 5 and what are the corresponding figures for each area at the end of June 2020?

I welcome the funding of €7.8 million, which is crucial. The reduction of 92% in the waiting list nationally is impressive and I know this is something to which the Minister of State has been committed. I welcomed her to Carlow where she had given that commitment. I welcome the reduction, especially in my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny. The challenge is to build on that and ensure those who have been assessed for a need get the service they need as quickly as possible. We all know there have been significant waiti…

I welcome the Minister of State's comment that the letters sent out by the HSE are very unfair on parents and that is unacceptable. That is something she said she would also address and I welcome that. I also welcome all the 190 new therapist posts the she has secured. That reflects pure dedication and commitment and I know how committed she is. Will she set targets for assessment and treatment? If someone was to contact his or her occupational therapist or whatever, will be there be a timeframe? I acknowledge how …

I am taking the question on behalf of Deputy Lawless. Home care enhances the experience for many older people in the later stages of their lives. However, there seems to be many obstacles to providing it. I know from speaking to families throughout County Carlow that they are being put through great hardship in applying for and being granted home care packages. How many older persons are on the waiting lists for the home care support in the local health office area? My area is CHO 5 and Deputy Lawless's is CHO 7. I…

I thank the Minister of State. Again, I compliment the Minister of State on fighting hard in the budget to get €150 million for the home care packages. We are all living for longer now. Please God, we are all for living longer. Going forward, many families will want to keep their mother or father in their home. It is important they have that choice. We can see that the issue is recruitment. That is the biggest issue. We have the funding, yet we do not seem to have the staff. What does that mean in that case? Are we…

I thank the Minister of State. Recruitment will be crucial. I also wish to ask, because I know she has been working on this, what extra supports there are in home care packages for those with dementia. I have spoken to the Minister of State several times about dementia. Will we see more funding for that? What supports will be there for that? It is very important. As the Minister of State said, the budget has been and gone and I know how hard she fought. However, I can only say that it is so hard on the people who h…

I would like to ask the Minister about the full integration of Carlow College, St. Patrick's into the higher education system in the south east. As the Minister knows, I have met him several times about this issue and it is close to my heart. We are lucky in Carlow that we have two excellent third level colleges, Institute of Technology Carlow and Carlow College, St. Patrick's, and we are delighted that in 2022 the south east will have a technological university. That is important but the issue is with Carlow Colle…

I thank the Minister and we will be delighted to have him in Carlow in November. A technological university will be so important for the south east, particularly for my area of Carlow. As I said, we have two excellent third level institutions and the integration of Carlow College, St. Patrick's into the technological university is so important. As the Minister knows, I have met the Taoiseach on this and I had another meeting with him this morning, so the Minister knows how hard I am working on this and I deliver a …

I welcome the funding for workers in the childcare sector. It is an issue that was constantly brought to my attention. We need to look at the overall model of childcare. This is a start and I welcome it. I also welcome the extension of the national childcare scheme to children aged up to 15 years from the end of next year. It is another very important move for families. It is the road we need to take. The additional teachers for schools will lower classroom sizes and it is very welcome. I also welcome the 1,600 spe…

Can the Minister of State arrange that for the Deputy, please?