I welcome the opportunity to address this House on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, regarding the Senator’s request for information relating to physician-led helicopter emergency medical services, HEMS, in Ireland. I was sitting in the Dáil yesterday when Deputy Berry, who is also a medical doctor, raised this issue with the Taoiseach. It was a positive engagement. One of the requests he made was that the Taoiseach would engage with those physicians mentioned by the Senator and the Taoiseach responded by sa…

I thank the Senator. As I mentioned, the NAS will soon begin trialling the physician-advanced paramedic crewing model for HEMS. Plans are being finalised for physician deployments to commence next month. A great deal of work has been going on in the background concerning this issue for quite a while. It is very positive that the trial is going to commence. On completion of this trial, the HSE NAS will evaluate the information gathered from it to determine the clinical competencies to suit HEMS delivery in Ireland. …

I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Health Act 1970 (Section 45(3)) (Classes of Persons) Regulations 2024, copies of which have been laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 16th May, 2024, in accordance with Section 45(4) of the Health Act 1970.

I thank the Senator very much for raising this issue. It is not the first time I have heard about it. I was in Bessborough on Saturday and two councillors raised it with me. I was in Bessborough in Cork city for the opening of the first ever dementia lodge for people with early onset dementia to support them and their families. I was spoken to by two councillors and have also heard about the issue from two other people. I have been looking into it to find out what the situation is. As the Senator will know, there i…

There were challenges with the old system in that when a person rang in sick on a particular day, often a client was left without somebody. That was one of the reasons the HSE has been working over the last two years on this particular new rota, which has been working across many areas. It was rolled out in west Waterford. We had teething at issues at the start, but that has certainly improved. There are always going to be teething issues. The roster system has been in place in parts of the service for more than tw…

I thank Senator Wall for raising this issue. It is great to have a Commencement matter like this put down because I can point out what we have done and what we are trying to do to support people who fall outside the areas. It is a key priority for me and the Government to allow more people to engage with services, thereby allowing them to remain independent and able to live in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. I speak every day about the triangular supports of homecare, daycare and meals on w…

If they are able to put a business plan in place, could the Senator copy me on it? We are trying to identify areas around the country where people just fall outside coverage. I have spoken to many families. They find that some of the organisations can provide the meals but not delivery in that area, especially for loved ones whose families might have moved abroad or be living in other counties. As I said, last year was phenomenal. Some 2.7 million meals were delivered. It is so much more than a nutritious meal. Tod…

I thank the Senator very much for raising this issue. It is funny - I will not say funny - but I was wondering what the context behind it was when I was reading the response from the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, who is currently attending an Oireachtas committee hearing. He apologises for not being here. I want to thank Niamh and Lorna for raising this with the Senator. This is not lived experience. This is actually living experience. This is what they are living with every day of the week when trying to navigate thi…

I thank the Senator very much. She raised a very valid point. I was just thinking as to how we could correspond with people who are not in a position to receive material because of sight loss or sight issues. One in seven older people has a challenge with reading and writing. It is something I have been looking at at the moment. It is hard to believe, but there are quite a lot of people out there who are challenged and they might find some of the language hard to navigate. I will go back to the recently published D…

The audio piece would make a huge difference. I thank the Senator for raising this issue. It is something we will certainly have to pursue.

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. The Minister for Transport has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding in relation to the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015 and in line with the national development plan, NDP, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TII in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. TII ultimatel…

My understanding is there were issues in relation to judicial review. An Bord Pleanála was involved. The Senator can correct me if I am wrong but that is what I am seeing in front of me. When we go down that line, these things hold up everything. The most important thing is that €500,000 has been made available in 2024 to progress the drainage, pavement and safety works on the N83 within the town, which shows this work is commencing at some level. For towns and villages it sometimes takes a long time to get a relie…

I thank Senator Byrne for her question. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this important topic with Members of the House today on behalf of the Minister for Transport. I thank the Senator for articulating so well the unintended consequences of reopening the Limerick to Foynes railway line, which runs at the rear of the houses at the Glencairn and Ballycummin estates. I am delighted to hear that the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, went there with the Senator to understand the issue. This is everyday living fo…

I am given to understand that there has been some clearance of planting and vegetation along the M20 at the Glencairn and Ballycummin estates as part of the work on the restoration of the Limerick to Foynes railway line. A replanting plan is currently being developed by Irish Rail and other stakeholders. At the same time, while incorporating vegetation may provide some visual screening to the M20 motorway, as we all know it is not anticipated to mitigate the noise from the M20 motorway. While it will look well in t…

I thank the Deputy for raising this really important issue. As we know, HIQA had to cancel the registration of Lucan Lodge nursing home last Friday at 10 o'clock in the morning. A minute later, the HSE was on site. The chief inspector of HIQA has taken action to cancel the registration as a care provider because of concerns relating to the supports and care being offered to residents. We have to take this very seriously. I met with the new regional health officer for that particular area, Ms Kate Killeen White, and…

It is not being opposed.

No, it is not opposed.

I thank Deputy Doherty for raising this matter and giving me the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman. When I read the script before coming to the House, I was struck by the fact that not long ago we had a similar discussion about Raphoe counselling services. Thankfully, they have been secured, which is a positive outcome. I hope we can provide the same positive outcome for this. The Department is aware of a service in Donegal with structural issues in its building due to mica and that …

To clarify, a temporary location is currently being reviewed for suitability. I cannot be clearer than that. The Department has informed Pobal that if it becomes a feasible option for the service, relocation supports and other accommodations, such as a four-day, 41-week ECCE scheme contract will be supported. As the Deputy said, we all have to acknowledge that not only the children and parents, but also the staff who work there, are looking for certainty. It is a unique situation and each service will need to be su…

I thank Deputy Kenny for raising this issue. I remain deeply concerned to learn that HIQA had to cancel the registration of Lucan Lodge Nursing Home. The focus at this time is ensuring the welfare of the 70 residents in this private nursing home during this difficult time. Lucan Lodge Nursing Home is situated in a residential area in Lucan. The provider was registered as a designated centre under the Health Act 2007 to provide for the care of up to 74 residents over 18 years, male and female, with 24-hour nursing c…