That is okay. I apologise to Deputy Lawless as I referred to him as the Minister and thought he was the Minister, but perhaps it is just a sign of the future that he will be the Minister.

Sincere apologies.

I welcome the Minister to the House, particularly as he has an extremely busy schedule at the moment. We appreciate him giving of his time to come here to discuss this important and evolving issue that will affect this country for generations to come. As the Cathaoirleach of the Seanad Special Select Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU said earlier, we had a very useful engagement with the European Commission Vice-President Šefčovič on Monday and it was interesting just to engage with him.…

I thank the Cathaoirleach for accepting this very important Commencement matter. As the Minister is no doubt aware, last Sunday, 14 November was World Diabetes Day. It is a day when people who suffer from diabetes campaign, advocate and reflect on what needs to be done to improve the quality of their lives. Sadly, an increasing number of people in our country are being diagnosed with diabetes. It is a significant and serious health challenge, particularly if it is not treated properly and if the services, supports …

I thank the Minister of State for updating the House. The DAFNE programme is a critical part of the management of diabetes. Professionals not being in place means that it cannot be provided, and if it is not provided sooner rather than later, the Government will have to consider an alternative approach, that is, making professionals in other diabetic clinics available to Limerick. There is an inequity. People in Ennis and Limerick who are suffering type 1 diabetes having to go to Galway, Cork or elsewhere is not fa…

I, too, raise the issue of the booster vaccine. Vulnerable people under the age of 50 were not prioritised quickly enough for the vaccine. I welcome that this is being addressed now. I call on the Leader to arrange for the Minister for Health to come to the House next week or the week after that to provide an update on the operational arrangements for the booster vaccine. There is much concern about it, especially when people hear it reported in the media that the Minister for Defence has offered the support of the…

Hear, hear.

As people might be aware, next Sunday, 14 November, is International Diabetes Day. We have come a long way in this country in terms of supporting and providing treatment and so on for people with diabetes. Unfortunately, that is not the case in the mid-west. The diabetes unit in the mid-west hospital is grossly inadequate to support the needs of people with diabetes in Limerick. There are people who require expert support and advice in terms of use of insulin pumps but they cannot get it at the hospital in Limerick…

It is appropriate that Senator Boylan is chairing this debate, given her commitment in life to science and the education of young people in that respect. I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I heard some of what the Minister, Deputy Harris, said. I am glad that science is a key commitment of their Department, given that it is extremely important. Recently, we have witnessed how science has saved many lives; it created the Covid-19 vaccines. It is incredible that, less than 12 months into a pandemic, scienc…

I, too, would like to be associated with the tributes to Austin Currie. He is a huge loss to his wife, Annita, to our friend and colleague, Senator Emer Currie, and to her siblings. Austin Currie is also a huge loss to the island of Ireland. We saw and know what he did when he was a Minister of State and representative of Dublin West. He worked tirelessly for the people south of the Border but what he did in the North was inspirational. In the darkest days of violence and when his own family were violently attacked…

The Minister is always welcome to the House. It is good to see him back here. We spent many days in this House between 2011 and 2016. It was productive and we all learned a lot. The SHD process is much maligned and, to a large extent, rightly so, but it was brought in with good intentions. At the time, the advice given to the Minister was that the structure with local authorities and An Bord Pleanála was not working, which is why the SHD process was introduced. Let us go back to that time and that reason. Of course…

I, too, welcome the Minister. I also acknowledge his constant availability and engagement with us. It is only fair that I commend Sinn Féin colleagues on tabling the Bill. They have put this issue on our agenda. All of us are shocked at the carry-on around hospitals. Let us remember that 68% of the population voted to repeal the eighth amendment three years ago. Termination of pregnancy services are now available in hospitals in this country but they are not available to the level they should be because medical peo…

That is a totally unacceptable comment. It is disgraceful.

They are praying in women’s faces.

There is a big difference, in fairness-----

You need to be interrupted.

Correct.

The-----

Hear, hear.

Tomorrow at 10.30 a.m.