I thank the Deputy for the question. The Government is firmly committed to developing all aspects of mental health services nationally. Both the Government and the Department of Health recognise the need for continued service improvement across the country.  The Mental Health Commission is the regulator for mental health services in Ireland and is entirely independent in its operation. As part of its work, the commission’s Inspector of Mental Health Services regularly inspects mental health facilities, including th…

I knew from the Deputy's question that he was talking about the Owenacurra approved centre in Midleton being closed. We have had many conversations about this issue and I have met the Deputy to discuss it. As he knows, the Owenacurra centre is a long-term residential centre with 19 residents but also accommodates a mental health day service. As the Deputy will be aware, in March of this year - I do not have the exact date - the Mental Health Commission contacted the fire officer in Cork County Council to say it was…

I am very conscious as we speak tonight that this is home to 19 residents. I am very conscious of that in case anybody was listening. There is no blame game here, however. One person is not pointing the finger at the other. The situation is very clear. The premises, as all concerned have admitted, is not fit for purpose at the moment. At the moment we are making sure that every single resident has been consulted. As the Deputy knows, the HSE is currently trying to secure a house in Midleton town to support five of …

I thank the Deputy for her question. She has raised this issue with me on many occasions. The Government has prioritised improved access to home support services through an additional investment of €150 million in 2021 for these services, which has been maintained under budget 2022. Estimated data indicate more than 13.2 million home support hours had been provided between January and August which is approximately 2 million more hours compared with August 2020. The number of people assessed and waiting on funding h…

The whole premise of Sláintecare is the right care, at the right time, as close to home as possible. All I ever want to do is listen to the voice and choice of older people and make sure we can support them with the correct wrap-around supports at home. As I have said, we are spending €666 million on home care every year. That is the budget. That was increased by €150 million this year. To have the budget but to be short of carers is very disappointing. We are putting in place the strategic workforce advisory group…

I thank Deputy Murnane O'Connor for the question about home support specifically for people with dementia. Yesterday, I travelled to Kerry to open the 30th memory technology room for people living with dementia. This was the first purpose-built room in Ireland. We have 29 others. It is fantastic to see the money that was so hard fought for in the budget delivering on the ground. It makes such a difference. Last year in the budget I secured €250,000 for home care services ring-fenced specifically for dementia. These…

I will take this opportunity to set out the funding allocations for mental health and older people, both of which have received substantial increases in budget 2022 and build on last year's unprecedented levels of investment. The total allocation for mental health services in 2022 is €1.149 billion. This is another record budget for mental health. It delivers an additional €47 million for next year, comprising €24 million for new developments, €13 million for existing levels of service and €10 million in once-off f…

I thank the Cathaoirleach very much for embracing the pink today. It is great to see it on him and on all our colleagues here. I also thank Senator McGreehan for giving me the opportunity to update the House on this important matter and understand its importance. This Government is fully committed to supporting our population screening programmes which are a valuable part of our health service. As the Senator will know, BreastCheck, along with other cancer screening programmes, was temporarily paused last year due …

The Senator is quite right. As I have outlined, the additional €10 million investment in cancer screening this year represents a commitment by the Government. The development and opening of new BreastCheck units, and the recruitment of more staff, will assist and enhance capacity across the service. The events around breast cancer awareness this month will, no doubt, raise awareness of the benefits of screening and support more women to be breast aware. The most important point to get across, and all my female coll…

I offer apologies from the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan. I thank the Senator for raising this matter. Enabling students with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government. The policy of the Department of Education is that students with special needs should be included, where possible and appropriate, in mainstream placements with additional supports provided. Where students require more specialised interventions, a continuum of education provision extends to include access…

I thank the Senator very much for her comments. The Department is very aware of the educational needs of all children and of the need to ensure appropriate supports are available to each school where concerns about individual students are identified. The level of investment now in place ensures these supports are available. I will bring the Senator's concerns back to the senior Minister, and the Senator may be able to talk to her in person on this issue.

I thank the Cathaoirleach for his wishes. The Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, sends her apologies, as she is not able to be here this morning. The Senator hit the nail on the head when she said Shannon Airport has come through "turbulent times". No two words could better sum up what we have come through in the past 18 months. Ireland is particularly dependent on air connectivity, both socially and economically. Aviation plays a crucial role in our economy as a driving force for tourism and business, including f…

The Government is committed to supporting our aviation sector. As the Senator will be well aware, the operation of air services is primarily a commercial decision for the air operators. In this regard, Ryanair's announcement of 18 routes to operate from Shannon this winter season is very welcome - I know the Senator has welcomed this already - as is the return to Shannon Airport of Aer Lingus operations on the London Heathrow route while Cork Airport is closed. The announced return of both American Airlines and Uni…

I thank Senator Dolan for raising this important issue. It is a key priority of the Government and of mine to enable more people to engage with services that allow them to remain independent and live in their own homes with dignity and independence for as long as possible. To advance this, the Government is committed to establishing a new statutory scheme on the financing and regulation of home support. As the Senator quite rightly said, in July I announced the selection of four sites to test a reformed model of se…

I thank the Senator. To reiterate, there is only one person waiting for funding approval in the CHO 2 area. That is what makes it so frustrating. Previously, the challenges we had were related to the number of people waiting for funding. In March of last year, 7,250 people were waiting for funding in the country. There are now only 1,400. Therefore, we have made huge strides. Efforts are ongoing to meet the demand for home support services. The HSE continues to advertise on an ongoing basis for healthcare assistant…

I thank the Senators for their questions and I will do my best to answer them with the details that have been provided to me. I thank them for the opportunity to speak on the online portal. The EU digital Covid certificate introduced in July provides the framework for the issuance, verification and acceptance of inter-operable Covid certificates. The EU digital Covid certificate is a proof that a person has either been vaccinated against Covid-19, received a negative Covid-19 test result or recovered from Covid-19.…

To reiterate, through the online portal, individuals will be asked to upload a copy of their Irish passport, upload their reliable proof of vaccination in the form of their Northern Ireland vaccination certificate, and give their consent to process the data for this specific purpose. I am open to correction on this but I would imagine that given the way it has happened here, one's certificate would either be sent by post or email and in the main they were emailed. As I said, each applicant must show proof of a vali…

I thank Deputy Ó Murchú for raising this important issue. It is a timely one, as tomorrow we celebrate the UN International Day for Older People. It is a key priority for the Government and for me to enable more people to engage in services that allow them to remain independent and live in their own homes with dignity for as long as possible. To advance this, the Government is committed to establishing a new statutory scheme on home support. In July, I announced the selection of four sites to test a reformed model …

I thank the Deputy for the constructive approach. I sat where he was sitting for four years and I raised this issue on a weekly basis. You can attest to that, a Cheann Comhairle. In May 2020, there were 7,250 people waiting for financing of a home care package and, currently, there are 1,440 waiting. That shows we have improved by 90%, which is fantastic. The challenge we face now is to try to get more home care workers into position. We are going to look at alternatives. For example, there might be parents who do …

There is no one on the waiting list.