I understand the Senator's frustration. It must be acknowledged that 149,000 children travelled to school on a school bus last year. Many of them had additional needs and were accompanied on the bus. It is an enormous logistical operation. As the country is at full employment, there are issues with getting home care and the same applies with getting bus drivers. We often hear reference in the Dáil to the fact that once bus drivers reach the age of 70, they can no longer drive unless they drive for a private company…

I thank the Senator for the opportunity to address the House on this important matter. I listened to what he had to say, and I read the response I am about to read yesterday evening. I suppose both of us could write the response at this stage. We have been invested in this with many of our colleagues for a long time. I commend the campaign groups, especially those with lived experience who have been through the process and understand how important it is. I acknowledge the significant developments in cardiac service…

It is important to reiterate those 24. For the second cath lab or any lab to open, you have to staff it. Twenty-four staff were funded. They are in place, 22 permanent and two agency, which is fantastic. We are seeing the fruits of that. Both cath labs are open five days per week and the additional hours this provides means the waiting list for elective procedures in the cath labs is one of the lowest in the country, at under three months. I have been informed that previously where an inpatient might have had to wa…

I am pleased to have this opportunity to address the House on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, on Second Stage of the Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2023. The Bill was published on 16 November and concluded its passage through the Dáil on 29 November. This is an annual, technical Bill, comprising seven sections, all of which are focused on specific areas of health insurance. I will start with an overview of the market and the risk equalisation scheme. Currently, just under 47% of the p…

I thank all the Senators for coming in and, as they do every year, supporting this Bill. It is a technical but important Bill, and it has to be done. A high proportion of the population holds health insurance, 47%, while the Government continues to maintain the community-rated private health insurance market. I highlight the fact that 1.6 million people have access to a medical card or a doctors-only card. Some 185,000 people have access to discretionary medical cards. In many cases, those people have illnesses but…

On behalf of the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, I cannot accept this amendment. It is not necessary to include a requirement for an annual report on organ donation and transplantation activity in primary legislation. The HSE’s Organ Donation and Transplant Ireland already publishes an annual report on organ donation and transplantation activity. I have asked my officials to engage with the ODTI on expanding this report to include more information on donation patterns and why retrieval and-or transplantation was…

I am pleased to have the opportunity to address the Seanad on behalf of the Minister, Deputy McEntee. She has asked me to thank Senators O'Loughlin and Clifford Lee for introducing this important Private Members' Bill, which is on Second Stage today. I also acknowledge the eloquent contributions made by all speakers. I am also pleased to have the opportunity to be here in my own right to listen to this very important piece of legislation. I acknowledge Jason Poole here this evening. It cannot be easy. I commend Jas…

I thank all of the Senators for their valuable contributions to the debate on this important Bill. Data from the Global Burden of Disease study shows that the smoking of combustible products remains the biggest single cause of disability and death in Ireland. We have made important progress with this Bill to further reduce those harms with the introduction of a licensing system and the banning of the sale of these products from vending machines, pop-up shops and at events for children. With this Bill, we are bannin…

I thank the Deputy for his question. It is good to see you back in good health again.

The HSE is actively working with Traveller organisations, providing a variety of supports. I recently met the National Traveller Mental Health Network. I was outside to meet those who were outside. I also met Patrick's parents. I have to commend the bravery of Patrick's parents, Michelle and Pat McDonagh, who allowed the cameras into their home and showed the distress and anxiety that they are going through. We are spending quite a lot of money on Traveller mental health supports. This year alone, €1.3 million is g…

The party of political opportunism strikes again. Those in Sinn Féin were not so opportunistic back in 2020 when they had the chance to go into government. They chose instead to avoid the responsibility and leave the job of leading the country through a pandemic to someone else, thankfully. Sinn Féin decided they would take the course that benefited them most. They chose to sit on the sidelines in opposition and seek to make political capital of every issue which faces our country, and here we go again. Even the ho…

I thank Deputy Kenny for his important question. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Donnelly. I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. As we are all aware, the public health nursing service plays an incredibly valuable role in the provision of an extensive range of front-line community services encompassing health promotion, disease prevention, screening and the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based, preventative care services tailored to the needs of the individual. In addition, the public heal…

Notwithstanding the fact that, over the past three years, there are more than 20,000 new whole-time equivalents working in the HSE, there are recruitment challenges across several sectors. It is posing a particular challenge for the public health nurse service. There is a considerable nursing vacancy rate across west Dublin. When the recruitment freeze was announced, any posts that had already been offered and any posts for which the offer had been made and Garda vetting was under way will still go ahead, just to l…

I thank the Deputy for his contribution and for his proposed amendment. I must, however, reject the amendment. I will outline the reasons for this rejection. Section 7F of the Health Insurance Act 1994 provides that if a beneficiary of the risk equalisation scheme makes more than a reasonable profit, the excess will be returned to the risk equalisation fund. This legislation was introduced to fulfil the requirements of the European Union state aid rules under the services for general economic interest framework. In…

Currently, 46.8% of the population holds private health insurance. This amounts to 2.48 million people and represents a total annual premium income of approximately €3.18 billion. Health insurance is provided according to four principles: open enrolment, lifetime cover, minimum benefit and community rating. The risk equalisation scheme is the mechanism designed to support the objective of a community-rated health insurance market. Under the scheme, funds are distributed in the form of credits to commensurate insure…

Deputy Murnane O'Connor said it all. The campaign is ongoing for the next 16 days and I encourage everyone to get behind it and light a candle. I am delighted to hear that progress has been made in respect of the women's refuge in Carlow. Deputy Murnane O'Connor has raised it many times.

This year €1.4 billion will be provided by the Government to support 22,500 people to age well in a nursing home. The purpose of the fair deal scheme is that the more you have, the more you pay; the less you have, the less you pay. No one ever envisaged the fair deal scheme would be used by European conglomerates for profit. The Deputy asked a clear question. I met with Dr. Cowley last week in Leinster House and gave him a commitment to travel. All the details need to be on the table. Unfortunately, due to HIQA com…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I share his concerns regarding child and adolescent mental health services. Two days ago, I met the new national clinical lead for CAMHS and the new national director of the youth mental health office, Mr. Donan Kelly, who took up post on 1 September. I am very hopeful that we will see an improvement in the supports that are being provided to young people. The Deputy spoke about an approved centre. We have four inpatient approved centres in the country, two in Dublin, one…

I thank the Deputies for raising this issue. I know it has caused a lot of concern for families and residents. If it becomes necessary for an older person to move to a nursing home their safety and well-being is of paramount concern. We have to ensure the highest standards of care are provided to all residents in a safe and secure environment. Cherry Orchard is a designated centre for the care of older people located in the hospital campus in Ballyfermot, Dublin 10. The centre comprises five units, namely, Beech, A…

My primary focus is the health and well-being of the residents and I have to listen to what HIQA says. HIQA will deregister the building if these works are not carried out. I have to put that information on the floor of the Dáil. Several older units at Cherry Orchard that are used for storage were reviewed. They could not be considered because they were not habitable, they were deregistered and they would require substantial work and time to bring them to a point where they were habitable and registrable. HIQA has …