I welcome that we are having statements on this this evening. Although I, for one, would much rather we were talking about all the many other issues in the health service, such as the huge inequalities we see, particularly in the primary care system, we are back again talking about CHI this evening. When we look at the revelations at the weekend on top of the report last week, we are seeing anxiety levels among parents go through the roof in terms of their questions about trust and confidence in the individual hosp…

I thank Deputy O'Flynn and his group for this important motion, which raises a whole raft of really important issues with regard to care in the community and at home, and indeed for any person with care needs. While most of the conversation today is about older people, it is about care right across the ages. It is five years since the Government committed to a statutory right to home care support. I must tell him that I am now probably more pessimistic than ever that it is going to be delivered by the Government an…

Ireland has one of the highest numbers of drug-induced deaths in Europe. We desperately need more services to save lives. Yesterday, the Health Research Board published numbers showing 128 people died while homeless in 2021. The overwhelming majority, almost 86%, had a history of substance misuse. There were 128 lives cut short way too early and, for the most part, that could have been prevented. The State, to its credit, spent almost €36 million building a 100-bed treatment and recovery unit in Usher Island in Dub…

Well, there are 100 beds.

Taoiseach-----

The vast majority of the statements here today reflect the anger we all feel about the shambles in the assessment of needs. I refer to the shambles of the 529.77 whole-time equivalent unfilled posts in the CDNTs, the failure to retain staff in both primary care and the CDNTs, the reliance on private assessments because the State cannot get its act together and the devastation for parents as they watch their children regress because they cannot access the services they need. I wish to reflect on what comes after a c…

This matter relates to the basic income for those involved in the arts. This is a ground-breaking scheme that threw a lifeline to 2,000 artists in 2022. I wish to get assurances from the Minister of State as to what will happen in August when the three-year lifetime of the scheme expires. Many artists are anxious about what is likely to happen. A review is under way, which is absolutely acceptable and understandable. We must make sure that there is good use of public money. However, there is not much clarity as to …

I thank the Minister of State for that comprehensive response. Notwithstanding all of the detail provided, the question still remains as to whether artists can have any assurance that the payments they receive will end in August or in December, given that the scheme is fully funded to the end of the year. When the review is complete and a decision is made, it will take time to revise some of the criteria relating to the scheme. In particular, I am extremely mindful of artists with a disability. Those who are in rec…

I put it to the Minister that 1 June is 19 days away. The majority of pharmacists I have spoken to - and I have spoken to many - tell me they are not signing up to the free HRT scheme. I understand that no communication has been made to the pharmacists about the software. It is my understanding that the providers of the software have not been given any information by the Department about adding free HRT to the system. Most pharmacists are opposed and no IT system is in place. What actions has the Minister undertake…

I thank the Minister for the reply. At the heart of this mess are women on HRT and the women who could be on it. For non-GMS patients, the cost is €35 to €70 per month. This is a serious amount of money for many women. I am hugely passionate about this scheme but this crack of announcing first and working out the details later is simply unacceptable. There are four key issues here, the first of which is the lack of HRT. We want to give out free HRT and yet we know there are enormous stock shortages in the system. P…

The first thing was to have written to every pharmacist in the country-----

I wrote to pharmacies across-----

----- my constituency. The first they heard of it was on "Liveline". The key thing is that the Department-----

----- has form on this. With regard to the Covid vaccination, the first pharmacists heard of it was through the airwaves. The prescription extension scheme was introduced last September, and no homework was done on it. GPs are writing "do not repeat" scripts. There was no fee agreed with the pharmacists. The scheme is not operating as intended. On the fee itself, there is a sense out there that the diktat of €5-----

----- is the straw that is breaking the camel's back. We are all clear that pharmacists are not on the breadline.

It is extremely foolish to assume that the pharmacy sector is like what it was 20 years ago. This is about recognition and respect for what pharmacists are delivering. A figure of €6.50 was agreed for the contraception scheme. I get that a negotiation has to take place - I come from a trade union background - but to my mind, no negotiation took place here. With regard to the IT system, I have looked at the software.

An additional line has to be put in. I have spoken to a number of pharmacists - not just one - and they have told me that there has been no communication with them about what will be added to the software to link them to the PCRS by 1 June.

I thank Deputy Cummins and the Social Democrats for bringing forward this important motion. They have a long track record in this area. From a Labour Party perspective, I wholeheartedly welcome this motion. It addresses an issue that was close to the heart of our former education spokesperson, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, who very much championed it in a cold place when his was a lone voice calling for greater divestment of school patronage in this country. Before I talk to the frustrations, and the motion presents the frust…

I am calling for an urgent and speedy review of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015. Many of us recognise and applaud the intent and ambition of the Act in supposedly giving greater power and autonomy to vulnerable individuals and to significantly increasing the numbers registering enduring power of attorney, EPA. The reality has proved very different, however. I want to relay to the Minister of State the enormous frustration among many people with the operation of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacit…

I thank the Minister of State for that. It is important to understand and listen to the experience of those who have the working knowledge of how this Act has operated. Five years is simply too long a period for a review of this legislation to take place. I want to relay to the Minister of State some of the views of the Huntington's Disease Association of Ireland, which talks about how the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act upholds a person's right to refuse services, but that robust checks are required to ens…