I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. I convey the apologies of the Minister for Justice, Deputy Helen McEntee, who regrets she cannot be here for this matter due to another commitment. As the Deputy will be aware, by law, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of Garda members and resources between the various Garda stations and divisions. The Commissioner is also responsible for operational policing decisions, including setting the opening hours of Garda stations. The Minister has no role…

I thank the Deputy for raising this. I will feed back to the Minister's office what the Deputy raised about transfers. She makes a very good point. Gardaí come to us and say similar. The Minister has outlined that recruitment to An Garda Síochána is gathering momentum. The Deputy is right that Garda visibility is crucial to ensuring people are safe and feel safe in their local communities; so too are concerted efforts to tackle crimes like burglary. The Deputy spoke of a spate of burglaries in her area. Burglaries …

I thank the Deputy for raising the Summerhill primary care centre and GP Care For All. GP Care For All is a registered charity based in the Summerhill primary care centre that provides GP services to the local area. Its aim is to deliver care to patients living in areas of social deprivation, providing access to GP services where it would otherwise be limited. I assure the Deputy that GP Care For All and the care it provides to the community and its more vulnerable members is highly valued by the HSE and the Depart…

The administration of taxation is a matter for the Department of Finance and the Office of the Revenue Commissions. While the local HSE maintains a very positive relationship with GP Care For All, I have been advised that Department and HSE officials have had two meetings with GP Care For All management regarding the current challenges as well as numerous phone calls and written communications on the matter. These discussions have focused on identifying solutions to the challenges faced by the organisation that are…

I understand the Deputy's passion on this because at the end of the day, vulnerable people are receiving this care and they need to continue to receive the care. I believe that everyone is in agreement of the value of the services provided by GP Care For All to persons living in areas with social deprivation and all recognise that the organisation is essential to delivery of GP services. The Department of Health is fully aware of current challenges faced by the organisation and is currently engaged with GP Care For…

I thank Deputy Fitzmaurice for his question. I acknowledge the important role psychiatric nurses play in our health sector every day of the week. It is important to note that the Department of Health and the HSE have committed to offer 2024 graduate psychiatric nurses positions within the HSE. All services must work within recruitment ceilings. Not all graduates can be offered a position in their preferred location, but there are plenty of jobs that will be allocated. We are going to recruit the 2024 graduate psych…

I thank the Deputy for his question and the issues he raised. There was a Private Members’ motion tabled by Sinn Féin last night in respect of this situation in the mid-west and the challenges in UHL and the surrounding hospitals. A debate was held here where the Ministers, Deputies Donnelly and Burke, and I were present. Many issues are trying to be dealt with in UHL at the moment. One of the issues is that elective surgeries were cancelled in the hospital during August. I will raise what the Deputy has said with …

Since I took office, my priority has been to roll out the clinical programmes across all areas. There are five clinical programmes and also five models of care. When I came into this job, there were three eating disorder teams, but we now have 12. We had no ADHD teams for adults but we now have seven funded, with five in place. We have four mental health teams for people with intellectual disabilities, as the Deputy said. I have come from a meeting this morning with the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery…

He covered some ground, in fairness.

This is what we are talking about.

Third time lucky.

I thank the Members of this House for their contributions to the debate and I look forward to their support as this Bill is further considered on Committee Stage. Throughout the development of the new digital health framework and the Health Information Bill, we have listened carefully to the voices of patients, professionals and other stakeholders across our health services. It is clear that patients want online access to their health records. By and large, the public is ready to embrace digital in health and the l…

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

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. His question goes to the heart of Sláintecare, the right care at the right time as close to home as possible. As the Senator is aware, GPs are self-employed practitioners, most of whom hold a GMS contract for the provision of services without charge to medical card and GP visit card holders. While the HSE provides significant practices grants to GPs under the GMS scheme, GPs themselves as private practitioners choose where they establish their practices. Where a…

The Government is working to ensure general practice is sustainable in all areas in the future. The Senator mentioned that we are 4.5 years into the term of the Government, which we are, but the number of doctors entering GP training has increased by 80% in the past five years, which has to be acknowledged. This year, 347 new entrants commenced GP training, a 21% increase on last year’s intake, so we have certainly turned a corner. As a result of this significant increase in GP training places, the Department of He…

Let us be fair: the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, stopped that from happening.

At the outset, I wish to offer my heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the family, friends and community of Aoife Johnston on the death of a beautiful young girl. I cannot even begin to imagine their loss. The Government recognises the challenges in health services in the mid-west region and the distress these have caused to patients, their families and staff. From the start, this Government has recognised the need for investment in healthcare in the mid-west region. The increase in hospital budgets, the signifi…

Correct.

I am sorry. I thought the Minister had clarified that we are not opposing the motion.

I thank the Deputy for his question. When I first saw the matter he was raising, I was wondering whether "orthoptist" was a spelling mistake. Apparently, it is not. An orthoptist is a health and social care professional who specialises in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of squints or eye turns, eye movement disorders and childhood visual problems such as what we know as lazy eye. The Deputy's question is very good and an orthoptics service is a very important measure, for young children especially. I thank …