TAPS for nursing homes was introduced last year as a temporary support to nursing homes during the most awful time. They needed all these supports, so the supports were put in place. The temporary assistance payment has been extended twice already and is due to cease at the end of June. My understanding is that the financial payments will cease at that time. However, all other supports will remain, such as the supply of PPE and of infection prevention and control measure supports in respect of the 23 Covid teams on…

On the Deputy's question with regard to the housebound, there were 3,900 referrals in total from GPs. To date, fewer than 10% are left to be concluded. There are 240 people awaiting their first dose, 2,700 have got one vaccine and another 1,400 have got both vaccines. If the Deputy knows of specific cases and he wants to contact me, I will happily look at them for him.

I thank all the Deputies for their valuable contributions. I greatly appreciate the positive words and the cross-party support for the Bill. We have heard many contributions over the past three days. I understand that the Bill is technical and complex in nature and that there will be some further work required to refine it as it passes through the Houses. I look forward to working constructively with the House to achieve the best possible outcome for families with farms and businesses. We will work through the deta…

I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Health pursuant to Standing Orders 95(3)( a ) and 181(1).

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am very pleased to have the opportunity to introduce the Bill to the House. Since I was appointed in July 2020 as Minister of State with responsibility for mental health and older people, updating the fair deal legislation to enhance protections for farmers and small business owners has been an absolute priority for me. I look forward to hearing the views of Deputies and working with all Members of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann to progress this important legisl…

I thank Senator Boyhan for giving me the opportunity to update the House on this important matter. There is probably not a house in Ireland that has not been affected by cancer. I did not realise the Senator was a former director of the National Treatment Purchase Fund so he has a very good understanding of how it actually works. I am pleased to say that our three cancer screening programmes - BreastCheck, CervicalCheck and BowelScreen - are operating. All programmes were paused for a time in 2020 due to Covid-19. …

As the Senator said, every area of the health services has been affected by Covid-19 and our national screening cancer services are no exception. The HSE and the National Screening Service are working hard to provide cancer screening in a safe environment and to get screening back to full capacity. I take the Senator's point and I agree with him wholeheartedly that we have to ensure that this matter remains a priority. It is essential that we do so. As I outlined, the data for March and April show a significant imp…

I thank Senator O'Loughlin for raising this important issue, which was also discussed in the Dáil during the Topical Issues debate on Thursday last. Sometimes Ministers can be asked to respond to questions in an area with which they are not especially familiar, but when it came to talking about the menopause, I was well qualified to answer. It is great to hear what has happened on the airwaves over the last couple of weeks. Women have been given a voice and somebody to listen to them. That was a huge part of it. It…

As outlined, menopause has been recognised by the women's health task force as a priority healthcare issue impacting women. Significant activity is planned for this year to increase awareness and access to information, which was a key ask from the women of Ireland. As the Senator has said, it is only right and fitting to acknowledge the work of the Minister for Health, who is progressing these new initiatives. While GPs can advise women who experience difficult menopausal symptoms on potential treatments and lifest…

I thank Senator Ahearn for raising this issue. He described a vibrant community supported by many community groups and also the importance of the new proposed primary care centre for Fethard, County Tipperary. I welcome the opportunity to provide an update to the House. The ongoing development of both community and primary care is the core of the Sláintecare vision. This Government is committed to ensuring people are provided with the care they need as close to home as possible and have access to the wide possible …

I again thank the Senator for raising this matter I understand the importance of the development of such facilities to local people in communities such as Slieveardagh. As I have said, the development of primary care centres is an important part of the Sláintecare vision. These facilities provide a single point of access to health services and offer a means of supporting people to live independently in their own communities for as long as possible. That is what I aspire to every day - the right care in the right pl…

I thank Deputy Smyth for providing the opportunity to speak to the activity both under way and intended in this area. I agree with the Deputy that the broadcasting in the last two weeks, although I have not heard all the programmes myself and will listen to them later, did the State some service. I was looking over the notes tonight and saw that the topic was menopause. As one of the Ministers of State at the Department of Health, I am probably well placed to speak on menopause. It is timely that we are having that…

The Government is committed to improving health experiences and outcomes for all women and girls. The women’s health task force, set up in 2019 to drive progress on this issue, identified menopause as a priority issue. It has listened to women about what they would like to see delivered in this area, and the call for information and education has been heard strongly. The three key points are: menopause will be included as a topic within the new online citizens' health guides; a repository site of trusted sources of…

I welcome this opportunity to address the House on the issues raised by Deputies Quinlivan and O'Donnell. I have heard both Deputies raise similar issues on many occasions. I acknowledge the distress that overcrowded emergency departments cause to patients, their families, and the front-line staff working in very challenging conditions in hospitals throughout the country. I also acknowledge the work of staff and their commitment to ensuring the uninterrupted provision of emergency care throughout the pandemic. The …

I have with me the response from the Minister's office. To be clear, Project Ireland 2040 includes provision for a 96-bed replacement ward block at UHL. Funding for this design work has been provided for in the 2021 HSE capital plan. Following receipt of planning permission in early March, the design team has commenced work on the detailed design and preparation of the procurement documents for the development. The Department of Health and the HSE will continue to work with local hospital management to improve the …

I am very aware that listening to families can bring great learnings to many situations. While we are still dealing with daily case numbers, we are continuing to look at options that may be available to the State whereby it can listen to the voices of those who have lost a loved one.

I am sure I will be answering that question later. As we all know, the roll-out to the housebound is extremely important. More than 3,500 referrals have been received from GPs for housebound patients to date. The GP determines and refers the person on to the National Ambulance Service. As of 2 May, a total of 2,045 dose 1 and 739 dose 2 vaccinations have been administered, so that is just under 2,800 vaccinations. Currently, fewer than 500 people are waiting for their first dose and they will be done by the end of …

The roll-out of vaccinations to the housebound is an extremely important part of the programme and 3,500 people have been referred by their GP. No politician or layperson can register somebody for a housebound vaccine. Only a GP, medical clinician or consultant can because it is very important that politics does not intervene here. As I said, 3,500 people have been referred by their GP and between 23 and 26 April the HSE contacted 800 individuals who were outstanding. Thus medics and HSE staff have worked very hard…

I will respond to the question on those who are housebound. As of 6 May, there are fewer than 500 individuals awaiting first dose vaccination and it is expected to have all first dose vaccinations completed by next week, the week commencing 10 May. To date, the National Ambulance Service has provided 2,784 vaccines. We will get to everyone by the end of next week. To be fair to the Deputy since he has raised it many times, the main message is that nobody will be left behind.

I thank Deputy Devlin for his important question. As we know, day care centres and services have been closed since March 2020. It is a key priority for me, working with the HSE and the Department, to ensure services for older people can open as soon as it is safe to do so. As Deputy Devlin has quite rightly said, the vaccination programme has been rolled out to persons over 70 years of age and as a result, further guidance has been sought from public health on the provision of day care services and how they can be …