I thank the Minister of State for her response. The staff work very hard but staff morale is at an all-time low. It is a question of safety for the staff and the patients. Once most patients get into the system, they have an excellent experience, but it is about getting into the system. It is not acceptable. As Senator Conway said, there has been a lot of funding and new beds, but there is a problem and it needs an independent investigation to see what that problem is. It needs a fresh pair of eyes looking at the s…

I thank the Minister of State for taking this important matter. I thank the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister of State for their work and commitment in this area. So much has been done on gender-based violence, especially towards women. I am grateful for all the work they have done and I am grateful that it is a priority. It has been spoken about a great deal in both Houses in recent times. Senators will be aware that many victims of gender-based crime find it difficult to report it when someth…

I thank the Minister of State for that detailed response. Translit in Limerick provides a training course for many interpreters in the context of the sensitive nature of this issue, and it is my understanding that it is the only company that does training in this regard. The Minister of State indicated that the Department is keeping this matter under review and is looking at different ideas. There are organisations like Women's Aid, the Mid-West Rape Crisis Centre and many others to which women can turn for help. H…

I am delighted that the Minister is here for this all-important conversation. I am also delighted that I can contribute to the debate on and recognise International Women's Day, which took place yesterday. It is a day for acknowledging not only our struggles but also our successes. While there is a lot that divides us, there is more that unites us. While we have differences, we should not allow them to divide us when striving for greater equality. The Minister is committed to this area. We should utilise our differ…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for coming to the House to discuss this all-important topic. Having served on the all-party group previously with her, I am fully aware of her dedication to the area. I also thank Senator O'Loughlin for organising the briefing yesterday on behalf of the all-party group. It really was a very enlightening briefing, particularly with regard to brain health and preventative measures in the context of dementia. The importance of feeding the brain and making sure that it and …

I wish everybody a very happy International Women's Day. The reason I wish to speak about it is I have been working with many female carers, many of whom are agency workers. With the war going on and the increasing cost of fuel, they find the cost involved in driving from A to B is not making it very effective for them to work. The costs involved in driving from A to B is making working untenable for them and by the time they pay tax and so on, they are saying they would be far better off on social welfare. However…

Today is World Book Day. It is also the 25th anniversary of World Book Day. The theme of this year's World Book Day is, You Are a Reader. It is about encouraging children to dress up in the clothes of their favourite character and to read a book. It is really important because of the whole educational aspect around it. Many bookshops have offers on today and reductions in the price of books, in particular children's books. It is important to get that message out. March is endometriosis awareness month worldwide. En…

I rise first to pay tribute to Ms Olivia Chan in Limerick. We have learned much from the Fridays for the Future movement and the suggestions that young people can bring forward. She suggested that following her learning experience through Covid-19, there should be a suggestion box for young people to put forward ideas on how to develop a better Limerick. It is something that should be looked at right across Ireland because we have so much to learn from our young people and their experiences and thoughts. The main r…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to discuss this very important topic. Credit unions are very much at the heart of their communities. Within half a mile of my house there are two credit unions. I took a look at their websites and what they have on offer. One of them was started by the Redemptorists. It is now an independent entity. It gives everything but it does not give mortgages. The other credit union I looked at has amalgamated with others to become a bigger entity than it was originally w…

I join colleagues in expressing condolences for our colleague, Senator Paul Daly, and also for my colleague, Senator Jerry Buttimer, on the death of his father-in-law. I wish to have those recorded. Today is national self-harm awareness day. It is important to put it out there in regard to the stigma about self-harm and the fact there are organisations such as Pieta House and the Samaritans out there. It is also national eating disorder week. It started on 28 February and runs until 6 March. They both have a common…

I stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, as has everybody else who has spoken. The war has started overnight and I think about what the people are going through at the moment. This week, the Tánaiste announced the terms of reference for the Shannon Estuary economic group. It is seeking expressions of interest in Limerick, Clare and north Tipperary regarding what can be carried out on the estuary in terms of docklands and ports. Limerick has the second largest port in Ireland in terms of depth. There is hug…

I welcome the Minister of State to discuss this very important issue. I have been working with a number of mental health organisations based in Limerick that do fantastic work, including the Limerick Mental Health Association. I thank the Minister of State for all she has done since taking over the role. I know her commitments and dedication to resolving the issues. When we look back at what happened in Cork and Kerry it is frightening. A total of 46 children came out damaged. That is 46 children too many. We are s…

I welcome the MEPs, Mr. Kelly, Ms O'Sullivan and Mr. Kelleher, all of whom collectively and individually certainly fly the Irish flag while out in Europe. As I served on the European Committee of the Regions for a number of years, I know the importance of that collaboration and of working with your colleagues right across the different countries. Quite often there is much commonality, to which many of them referred in their briefing today. Many of the same issues arise but sometimes it is necessary to fly the Irish…

I welcome the Minister of State to discuss this all-important issue. I acknowledge the passion. I was listening to Senator Ruane earlier and I know how committed she is to her community and to bringing forward ideas to frame things in a positive way and to work with people who need help. I commend her. We have proposals before us for citizens' assemblies on biodiversity and a directly elected mayor and unified authority for Dublin. I was involved in the process when we passed the plebiscite in Limerick. It was put …

I thank the Minister of State for appearing before the House to discuss this important topic. I seek an update on the progress of the roll-out of the programme on women's health announced in budget 2022. Budget 2022 included a number of announcements relating to women's health, one of which involved the provision of free contraceptives for 18 to 25-year-olds. It is my understanding this is due to happen from August. A survey carried out by Plan International Ireland has found that many females have decided they are…

I thank the Minister of State for that positive response. It is great to know that the programme is on course to deliver within the timeframe. Regarding my first question, I am still unsure as to whether the free contraception programme will start in August. I assume from the Minister of State's answer that it will. The fact that it is to be reviewed for an older cohort once it is up and running is very welcome. I am delighted that University Maternity Hospital Limerick has also been included in the clinics. This i…

I rise today to welcome last Friday’s news that the Tánaiste, the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, and the Minister of State, Deputy English, launched the recent development plan in Nenagh, with €18 million in investments for businesses to expand, as well as to avail of services such as Innovate Limerick and to work with different projects. As Local Enterprise Week is coming up, and will take place from 7 March onwards, it is good to get the message out to businesses that there are supporting services out there and …

I welcome the announcement in the Dáil from the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, that there will be an independent review at University Hospital Limerick carried out by HIQA. This is very welcome news because it is something I have been looking for for quite some time. I would like the support of the Leader for the publication of the report when it is produced. It is important that HIQA makes unannounced visits to hospitals because once people know it is coming things happen. It is important that it sees the hospi…

I support the call for a debate on retrofitting and I welcome the funding. It is wonderful to think that we will spend so much money and that people will be able to have warmer homes. However, some people may not be in a position to pay for it all in one go. There is talk of low-interest loans but I believe they will not be in place until some time around the summer. We need a debate in the House in order that we can put forward proposals that could be looked at. I welcome the commitment by the Minister for Justice…

I want to express my sympathies to Senator Buttimer on the passing of his father. I have not had the opportunity to do so since his dad died and I just want to say that we are thinking of him at this difficult time. I rise today to draw the attention of the House to a study carried out by the University of Limerick. The study, which was actually carried out across 21 countries in Europe, looked at young carers aged between 11 and 18 and found that they are more likely to suffer from depression because they are care…