Can I respond, please?

I visited Arden House and I met the team. There is a very good and comprehensive team working in Arden House. When someone looks to be supported by a CAMHS team, it is not the politicians or the parents who will determine whether they meet the criteria or not but it is the consultant psychiatrist in the multidisciplinary team. There has been a lot of comment today about children's rights. I did not receive a copy of the Children's Rights Alliance scorecard until this morning so I did not have a chance to respond pr…

I thank all colleagues here for the attention they have given to this really important matter. I also acknowledge all upstairs looking down on us. They have been here all day. They have travelled far and wide to be here to tell their stories. As the Minister said earlier, he had to leave early. He is attending a meeting with the chief executive of the HSE, Bernard Gloster, and the HSE board at 7.30 p.m. or 8 o'clock - I am not sure which. That is why he has left. He has assured me that he will raise this as a prior…

As I rise to my feet today to answer the Deputy, I am aware that 56,000 people the length and breadth of the country are receiving home care supports. I thank the Government for providing me with a budget of €726 million this year so that people can age in place. It is important for people to receive home care, day care and meals on wheels so that they can live for as long as possible in their own homes. There are some challenges. The Deputy is quite right. The issue is not funding. The issue is in relation to havi…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. The Government is actively working to increase the number of GPs working in the State and to increase GP access throughout the country. GPs are self-employed and the HSE steps in when there is a situation where a GP may retire. There are currently 23 vacancies around the country, down from 34 last year. We are making considerable inroads as we try to secure someone to take on the role in question. While this matter is ongoing, the general medical card scheme has …

I thank the Deputy for his question. There are 12,500 whole-time equivalents working in mental health the length and breadth of the country. There has been a significant increase in the past three and a half years. In relation to the clinical programmes, for example, an additional €5.6 million has been allocated nationally and we saw recruitment of 120 staff in the past three and a half years. We do have challenges in relation to populating some of our 75 CAMHS teams. I was delighted in the past three weeks to secu…

-----specifically to increase the workforce. We will continue to do that. Last year we recruited heavily in mental health - with over 390 people recruited - and we will continue to do that. There are gaps and I am trying to address them at the moment.

I thank the Senator for the opportunity to address the House on this important matter. I commend him on his constant advocacy for services and supports, especially for older people, in his area. Demand for ophthalmic services has grown in the region over recent years. This is due to both the development of new treatments and the ageing population profile. It is, however, important to say - I say it every opportunity I get - that we have the highest life expectancy in Europe, as deemed by the World Health Organizati…

I also welcome the teachers and the students from Sacred Heart, Tallaght. It is great to have a school from one's own area come in. I hope they enjoy their visit. I remember a long time ago coming as a child to visit Leinster House, the Dáil and the Seanad. I do not think any of us would ever have envisaged at that age that we would be here working in this capacity. I hope the teachers and students have a great day. To respond to Senator Lombard, the HSE has advised that the ophthalmology service reconfiguration wi…

The budget provided this year for home care is €726 million. As I stand here today, approximately 56,000 people throughout the country are receiving home care. I know there are challenges at times. If the Deputy sends me the details of the specific case, I will have it investigated and will engage with him.

I thank Senator Lombard for raising this important issue. It is a matter that comes up regularly. I thank the Senator for the opportunity to address the issue of dental and orthodontic services on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. I will be providing some figures regarding orthodontic services, in particular, but due to the ongoing Fórsa industrial action, the latest data we have is for the end of June 2023. I received confirmation this morning, as we all did, that the Fórsa industrial act…

I welcome the students from Gaelscoil Eoin. They are very welcome into the Seanad. It is lovely to see them. They are very well behaved - their teachers must be delighted. I am sure there will be no homework as a result of that. The Senator raised some valid concerns and I think he hit the nail on the head. A couple of years ago when I was representing Ireland in Brussels on St. Patrick’s Day, I met the minister for health there. It was interesting; we were in the middle of Covid but his main concern at the time wa…

We are.

You got your headline there Mattie.

There are 75 CAMHS teams and 800 people working for the service, with 225,000 appointments allocated last year to children under its care. It is fair to acknowledge that a huge amount of really good work happens in CAMHS. As the Deputy knows, the new mental health Bill will provide for the regulation of all community residences and services, including CAMHS, which will be introduced on a phased basis following the commencement of the legislation. Priority drafting has been granted to the Bill for the current legisl…

I thank the Deputy for raising this really important issue. I am lucky to be in the position that the Government has provided me with €726 million for home care provision in 2024. Today, 56,000 people the length and breadth of the country are receiving home care. It is a fact that they are predominantly older people. If the Deputy passes on the details of the case he raised to me, I certainly will look into it. We do not want a situation where anyone is living at home in pain.

I thank the Senator for raising this serious issue. I wish his daughter the best of health. It cannot have been easy for her over the past 24 years. I had my own brush with cancer last year with skin cancer. It is not easy when one is going through it. I am taking this debate on behalf of the Minister for Health. I thank the Senator for opportunity to address the issue of funding for head and neck cancer services. This Government's commitment to implementation of the national cancer strategy is evidenced by signifi…

I again thank Senator Craughwell. I assure the House that the Government is committed to the implementation of the national cancer strategy, as evidenced by significant investment in recent years. Cancer survival rates continue to improve, with around 215,000 patients living after an invasive cancer diagnosis, which is equivalent to one in 23 people in Ireland. We really welcome that. There is also the fact that we have the highest life expectancy in the EU, as deemed by the World Health Organization. It does not h…

Hear, hear.

If the Acting Chair might indulge me at the start, I wish to say the following. I know Senators will all join me as today, we think of former Taoiseach John Bruton's wife Finola, his family, colleagues, friends and those in the Fine Gael Party. Like anyone who was Taoiseach in our Parliament over the past 100 years, it is important to send that message out to his family today.