I thank Deputy Cullinane and Sinn Féin for introducing this timely motion on cancer services, which the Labour Party supports. I was going to give out that the Government is opposing this motion. It is disappointing that it has decided to nitpick at what is a very good motion. Surely to God, we should all join together to identify the very clear issues that exist at the moment. While it used to be the case that Ireland was a global leader with regard to cancer care, we are now a long way off that because of a lack …

I welcome that we are marking International Women’s Day, albeit belatedly. I pay tribute to the women who work in our communities, workplaces, trade unions and right across this country to try to make it a better place. It is almost 120 years since the strike by textile workers in New York that lit the fuse, effectively, to start marking International Women’s Day. I also extend my condolences to Deputy O’Reilly and her family on the loss of her mother last September. The Labour Party marked International Women’s Da…

My question is regarding the endometriosis surgery abroad interim scheme. We all want women to be treated in Ireland, and I know there is progress being made towards that. However, we can all agree we are some distance away from being able to see that in Ireland, both in terms of diagnosis and care. My question concerns the number of people who have applied under the new scheme and the number who have been treated, which is probably a small number. Since the new scheme was published I have had quite a number of peo…

The meeting last September was hugely important, and very welcome, but there was a large degree of alarm weeks later when the scheme was published that the names repeatedly mentioned at that meeting of the surgeons operating on women in Romania and Greece were not on the list. I have a very real concern that there is a lot of confusion about the most appropriate persons to treat complex endometriosis and that there is a large degree of deterrence, and women are not going to apply to the scheme or maybe they have en…

I appreciate that. Hopefully, we will agree that there has been an issue in this country in that the clinicians operating here have not fully understood endometriosis, so there have been barriers to referring on. There is a challenge in this regard. NWIHP has to have the confidence to be able to put centres on a list. The reality, though, is that women have had to find centres using their own wit over the past number of years to get the appropriate care. If any lesson is to be learned from this experience, it is th…

I did not-----

This Sunday is International Women's Day. Five years ago, the Labour Party introduced legislation to afford workplace leave to women experiencing early miscarriage or those going through fertility treatment. It passed on all Stages in the Seanad and on Second Stage here in the Dáil, and I was struck by the enormous and heartfelt cross-party support. The then Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, commissioned research and very clear recommendations were made that early miscarriage is a workplace issue. Does the Tánaiste believ…

We welcome the announcement of the inquiry into Michael Shine. My party colleague Deputy Nash will speak more about that and about the update on the sodium valproate scandal that has taken place in this country. I will confine my remarks to the scandal that has taken place with regard to children, those suffering from scoliosis or spina bifida and those with orthopaedic and urology conditions. I have been my party's health spokesperson for only 12 months and we have been in this Chamber a number of times making sta…

We are calling for a debate on the termination of pregnancy legislation. I want to pay tribute to Deputy Whitmore's niece, who spoke so powerfully this morning about her own experience of fatal foetal anomalies. It is eight years since that legislation was passed. The Government dragged its heels on the review. There has been no action on Marie O'Shea's recommendations, which are now three years old. For women and their families across this country, it is absolutely unacceptable and we should have a debate in this …

Can and will the Taoiseach and the Government provide a clear statement on the future location of the Rotunda Hospital? We are now two and a half weeks on from the decision of An Coimisiún Pleanála. The rejection of the critical care wing proposal boiled down to two main reasons, which were conservation and the 11-year-old policy of colocation with Connolly Hospital. We all know that nothing has been done to make that colocation happen. Nothing is being planned at the moment. Yet we see replies to parliamentary que…

Two weeks ago, "RTÉ Investigates" aired two programmes on the appalling treatment of some of the most vulnerable and seriously mentally ill persons in this country. It made for harrowing viewing. It is unconscionable that the State effectively condemns mentally ill persons who come into contact with the law to indefinite remand, without access to the appropriate medication or treatment, and all because of the lack of appropriate care in the community. In the wake of these revelations about the state of our adult ps…

Everything the Tánaiste has said is nothing new in that it is already contained within the service plan for the HSE for this year or last year. The reality is that there has been no response to the appalling revelations. I am shocked, as I hope other people are as well, but we are not hearing that urgency from Government. The reality is that not every bed within the Central Mental Hospital will be open by the end of this year and there is no plan to open every single bed. That is absolutely wrong. The reality is th…

I move amendment No. 1: To insert the following after "and investment in analytical capacity": "; further recognises that: — the inverse care law and unequal access to GPs is giving rise to stark inequalities, delayed diagnosis, poorer health outcomes, and increasing upward pressure on the hospital system; — recent extensive research by the Labour Party on GP-to-patient ratios has highlighted significant inequalities, and found that there is one GP per 1,390 of population in Clontarf in Dublin 3, yet in Cabra in Du…

I read the report of the north Kerry CAMHS review last night. It paints a picture akin to a Wild West, with no oversight, accountability or support and incredible god-like decisions. There are very serious questions that need urgent answers. How can it be the case, that with such harm done there is not a single full-time psychiatrist in north Kerry at this point in time? How can anyone with confidence go the HSE now and say they want their case reviewed? When there are a number of psychiatrists contributing hours, …

I am proud that the Labour Party is bringing forward this Bill and I thank my colleague Deputy Lawlor for all his work on this. The Minister's rejection of our Bill speaks volumes of what the Government is about. Having listened to the answer provided by the Minister of State and the Minister, we know clearly what the outcome of the review will be at the end of this year: nothing to see here, all is fine, move on. The Government, five years ago, had a bit of backbone in reluctantly recognising that advancing worker…

Listening to Mary, the parent of a child included in the north Kerry CAMHS review, made for harrowing listening on "Morning Ireland" and would have sent a chill down the spine of any parent whose child has moderate to severe mental health difficulties. We await the publication of the report today. We also need to hear what the Government is doing about the wider CAMHS service. As of November, 1,800 children were waiting six months or longer for CAMHS therapy. These are children with moderate to severe difficulties …

I now call on Deputy Gannon.

The points are taken. Deputy O'Hara indicated that he wishes to speak

I call the Minister.

Great. I will put the question-----