As I said, we all need to work together-----

-----to sort this out. We need to help those most vulnerable people in Ireland with all of us working together but-----

We are absolutely working.

I am taking this on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, who cannot be here today. I thank the Senator for highlighting a really important issue. It is good that we are talking about this and it very important that we look at the changes that can be made. I will briefly outline some of the details on melatonin. This is most often used to treat insomnia, which is characterised by poor quality of sleep. Melatonin is currently listed in what is called column A of the First Schedule of the prescription and …

As the Senator noted earlier, the HPRA is open to review any applications from a marketing authorisation holder to change the prescription status of melatonin to non-prescription status. That is the first point of call that we need to look. Additionally, the Government recognises that menopause is a key health issue for women in Ireland today. The Senator also referred to neurodivergent children and people with ADHD, which is important to highlight. Much work has been done to drive progress in this area by the wome…

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, who cannot be here today. I will outline the current position with regard to the provision of medical devices and aid appliances. In general, for the HSE, medical devices are purchased through the HSE procurement system. The HSE also provides a wide range of aids and appliances free of charge to eligible people following assessment by a health professional. These are provided through community…

This is a really important issue. The Senator can be guaranteed that I will definitely go back to the Minister. I know that in light of the request today, the HPRA will contact the manufacturer to clarify the status of this issue and assess the impact of these issues or any implications for supply. The Department of Health will further engage with the HSE to keep this matter under review. The Senator is right. We need to get the answers. We need to know if there is an issue with the batteries and we need to get tha…

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I welcome the opportunity to address the House on behalf of the Minister for Health on two important scoping exercises currently under way and to address the motion to approve four data protection regulations relating to these exercises. It is important that we put these updates in the context of the patients whose lives are at the heart of these issues. I am very conscious that we are speaking in the context of the publication of details of the case of Chloe Maher. Chloe, who died recent…

I am delighted to be here and I thank the Senator.

I want to thank all the Senators who spoke so well tonight. As they stated, the concerns and issues that arise are something that the Department and the HSE are working on. The officials from the Department are here tonight. We will definitely come back to Senator Stephenson with answers to some of the questions she posed. In the context of Senators' contributions, the two scoping exercises are so important for all of us, for the families and everyone who has been affected and for the advocacy groups. I want to bri…

I am taking this on behalf of the Minister. I thank the Senator for raising the matter, which is very serious. I am a parent myself. As the Senator knows, the school transport scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth. Bus Éireann manages the procurement and tender process and contract management arrangements to include service providers by the contractors under the scheme. The school transport fleet is made up of contractors and Bus Éireann vehicles…

I do understand. This is a really important issue. In the current school year, over 181,000 children are transported daily to primary, post-primary and special schools throughout the country. Included in those figures are over 25,000 children travelling on the school transport scheme for children with special educational needs. This includes over 7,800 tickets in County Meath. The Department recognises that the school transport scheme is vital to families in certain areas to support them in bringing their children …

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. ADHD has long been recognised as one of the most common psychiatric disorders in children and it is now known to persist into adulthood. Core symptoms include inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. It can cause many issues in areas such as personal and social relations, education and occupation, managing money and organising life in general, and there is also an increased risk of having other mental health difficulties with it such as anxiety and depression…

I thank the Senator again for highlighting this issue with my own neighbours of Laois. The Department, Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and the HSE acknowledge there are issues with wait times and access to services. The demand for adult ADHD services has been significantly higher than originally predicted, so they are seeing much more than they had thought. We are now working to embed a tiered approach to services to efficiently tackle demand and improve access to services to better meet the needs of the service …

I am.

I thank the Senator for raising this really serious issue. I am taking this matter on behalf of Minister of State, Deputy Emer Higgins, who is just returning today from St. Patrick's Day duties. This matter is really serious and the Minister of State is aware of this case and the letter referred to by the Senator. In order to protect the privacy of the individual and their family, it is not appropriate to comment on the specific details in relation to this case. However, officials within the Department of Children,…

I fully appreciate the upset that the HSE correspondence has caused the Senator. My understanding is that the HSE is engaging with the family and putting in place the appropriate supports. I will certainly go back to the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, on this and get the Senator the answer. The Senator needs to get the appropriate clarification on the services and the care. I can only go on the response I have been given today. In an effort to address the demand for disability services, budget 2026 allocated ap…

I thank all my colleagues for their contributions today. I am very pleased to be delivering the closing remarks. It is very important that we mark International Women's Day because it is an opportunity for us to revitalise our shared efforts to achieve full equality between women and men. As a country, we have made real progress in our fight for equality and this has been captured by our improved ranking on the EU gender equality index. The Minister, Deputy Foley, and her Department have taken significant steps to …

I thank the Deputy for raising this very serious issue. I too have been speaking to a lot of ambulance paramedics. It is important to clarify for the record that there is no recruitment embargo in the National Ambulance Service, and there is absolutely no failure to offer permanent employment to paramedic graduates. Every paramedic who is graduating in 2026 will be offered a full-time, permanent contract with the National Ambulance Service. In fact, following constructive engagement between the HSE and representati…

I thank Deputy Ó Murchú. These are really important points. As the Deputy said, all of us have been working with our ambulance paramedics over the years and we see the value of their work. Tonight I want to compliment them for their outstanding work in the community and the work they do for all of us. That is the main thing. There are three main points. First, full-time permanent contracts will be offered to all year 3 paramedic graduates in 2026. Agreement has now been reached on those posts and they will be assig…