I thank the Senator for raising this issue with regard to environmental organisations working in the community, including Green Sod Ireland. She explained in detail the work it does and where it is located throughout the country. With the publication of Climate Action Plan 2021, the Government recognises that there is an opportunity to create a cleaner, greener economy and society that can cut emissions, create jobs and protect both the planet and people. In keeping with Green Sod Ireland’s purpose to protect and c…

To conclude, in November 2021, €15.5 million in funding was announced for 84 outdoor adventure projects. The projects chosen for investment include walking and cycling trails, cliffways, beaches, lakes, rivers, bogs, greenways, blueways and bridleways. This investment, which is a key part of Our Rural Future, will support rural economies and I know all present welcome this investment throughout the country. I take on board the point the Senator is making in respect of multi-annual funding. We have discussed at leng…

I wish everyone a happy St. Brigid's Day, Lá Fhéile Bhríde. The Cathaoirleach is a very strong advocate for St. Brigid, and I commend him on his mask; it is lovely. From next year on we will celebrate a bank holiday on Lá Fhéile Bhríde. We can all look forward to that. I thank the Senator for raising this issue and for the opportunity to speak on it on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly. I am very glad to get the opportunity to speak on this subject because I am a very strong advocate …

I welcome Senator Ahearn's support for our efforts to increase the rate of deceased organ donation. I do not want to pre-empt any Bill but I am confident that when the Bill comes before both Houses, it will get a lot of cross-party support. The Senator nailed it on the head when he said the proposal is to introduce a soft opt-out system of consent. Nobody will be forced and everyone will have the opportunity to opt out. It is important that message goes out there. The Department continues to work with the HSE's org…

As Minister of State with responsibility for mental health, I hope I have the support of everyone in this House in working to address the challenges across our mental health system and, in particular, in child and adolescent mental health services. This was evident from the debate last Wednesday in this House when we discussed youth mental health. Of course, to the very front of our minds then, and this evening, are the disturbing and devastating revelations in the report on child and adolescent mental health servi…

Focused mental health leadership in the HSE is needed at national director level reflecting the need to enhance and develop relevant mental health services in primary care, acute hospitals and specialist mental health services as envisaged in Sharing the Vision. Members proposing the motion raised a range of other issues. I acknowledge that there are serious challenges to be addressed in our mental health services. However, I would like to reiterate that mental health is a priority for me and for this Government as…

It would not even increase it by 1%.

There is no point in being disingenuous on this.

As I outlined last Wednesday, youth mental health, including child and adolescent mental health, is of critical importance. In relation to CAMHS, budget 2022 will provide for the establishment of two new CAMHS tele hubs and a dedicated €6 million is available to expand the capacity of community mental health teams nationally, with a particular emphasis on CAMHS. This includes 45 CAMHS staff, building on funding for 29 additional CAMHS staff provided in 2021 on top of a total of more than 400 new posts between 2012 …

I will be accepting it and it will be included in the legislation that is coming this year. It is an important part of it. I thank Deputy Connolly for raising that.

The Deputy is quite right; day care centres are very important. A focus I have had since September last has been on trying to get as many day care centres open as possible, and I have an update for him. It is a key priority for me to allow more people to engage in services that allow them to remain independent and live in their own homes with dignity. The HSE has operational responsibility for planning, managing and delivering health, personal and social services, including day care centres. These services are fund…

I assure the Deputy I will keep a very close eye on this. As I said, we have 73%, or 237, of day care centres open. Where the challenges arose was in any day care centre that was part of or adjacent to a community hospital, that is, in the community nursing units, and this has happened all over. I will give an example. Even though most of the restrictions were lifted last Friday, there is still quarantine in nursing homes. There are 575 nursing homes in the country and 213 of them have a current outbreak. As I stan…

Yes.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which is timely and very important. The Deputy asks about peer review for psychiatrists in the context of prescribing medicines to people using mental health services and, no doubt, like me, he is thinking of the publication yesterday of the report of the independent review of care provided in the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, in Kerry. I could go into the report but we spoke about it last night and the Deputy is acutely aware of the devastating impac…

The Deputy is correct. There are 35 recommendations in the report and six of those recommendations are already complete. If memory serves me, I said last night that 13 of them are being progressed and the rest have yet to commence. I will be keeping in close contact with the HSE to make sure these recommendations are in place. One part of the review we are doing is in regard to the 72 CAMHS teams dealing with those children who are medicated. As we know, out of 1,000 of the case files in Kerry, 500 children were me…

I thank Deputy Naughten for raising this important matter. Covid-19 is a new disease, so information on it, its features and its course are still emerging. The natural history, clinical course and consequences of Covid-19 are still not completely understood. It is recognised that most patients with Covid-19 return to baseline after acute infection, but a proportion of people report ongoing health issues. There is a lot of uncertainty in the international literature about how many people experience these prolonged s…

The number of people affected by longer term effects after acute Covid-19 remains unknown and estimates vary internationally. We are still learning about this condition and the supports that are needed to care for those affected by it in Ireland. The Department of Health, through the Health Research Board, HRB, continues to fund research into the clinical impacts of Covid-19 so that we can learn more. To aid recognition and management of those affected the WHO, through a global consensus process, has proposed a wor…

I thank Deputy Murnane O'Connor for raising this topic which I am dealing with on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan. I would like to clarify that while the Department of Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport, it is not involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services, including matters related to public transport facilities in train stations. I understand that the Deputy's question is specifically in relation to toilet faci…

The Deputy raised a valid point. The decision to move to a self-service station in Muine Bheag in 2019 was part of a wider decision by Iarnród Éireann to rebalance its operations. The Minister suggests that as it is an operational matter for Iarnród Éireann, it would be very well placed for the Deputy to contact it on this issue. The experience of Iarnród Éireann has been that toilet facilities in unmanned stations attract higher levels of antisocial behaviour as well as more incidence of vandalism. However, we all…

I totally agree with you, a Cheann Comhairle.