If it would not impact on him, I would hope that it would not actually make too much difference to him regardless of when we pass the legislation. In any event the news is good. We nearly have the legislation drafted and we are working away on it. It will definitely be passed this year. We are going to work hard to make sure it is passed by the summer.

I am not 100% sure. A moment ago he was not going to be affected by it and now he needs a circular-----

Okay. Right. In any event we will not be able to deal with this via a circular. We need to change the legislation in relation to it, whether it be for the Deputy's constituent or for all of the people who are affected by it. There has been widespread welcome for what we are trying to do here, which is recognising that people can work for longer. They are fitter, healthier and they are able to perform roles that many years ago we would not have thought possible. They can do it now and we will try to get this change …

It is a parliamentary democracy.

I thank Deputy McDonald for raising what the Government accepts to be a very important issue. The Deputy in her question made reference to Maggie and other families who have approached Deputy McDonald. They have also approached Deputies on all sides of the House. Through our constituency work, of course, we are all deeply familiar with the challenges that are there for families and carers looking after young children, teenagers and young adults who are experiencing mental health difficulties and, at times, many oth…

------a further mental health Bill with 35 different sections, all of which will be focused on the regulation of mental health services. We believe the Bill, which will be brought forward shortly, will provide a different and more effective way of responding to the regulation needs that we acknowledge are there.

The Deputy is not getting away with that. In my answer, I responded with two points. First, I acknowledged that we as a Government felt every bit as much as the Deputy the needs that existed.

However, we correspond that with a commitment to make a difference. I will not allow Deputy McDonald to paint a familiar trope, which she seeks to paint regularly, of all the compassion in the House sitting over there. We are as aware as anyone else in this House-----

-----of the difference that needs to be made. Second, I outlined something with which Deputy McDonald is clearly uncomfortable. I outlined the detail of what the Government was doing. I outlined the resources, jobs and reform measures that are in place to help Maggie and others. We acknowledge that our efforts are not reaching Maggie in the way we want them to.

They are reaching others, and what we are determined to do through the measures I have outlined is help even more. There is nothing rhetorical about the fact that, since August 2023, the waiting list for CAMHS has fallen. It has not fallen by as much as we would want, but it has fallen. There is nothing rhetorical in the fact that approximately 94% of all urgent cases raised with CAMHS are responded to within 72 hours. We know that more needs to be done, but-----

-----we are supplying resources and roles and we are corresponding that with the reform measures to make a difference and help even more.

I thank the Deputy and acknowledge the support she and the Social Democrats are offering in respect of the referendums and changes to our Constitution. She acknowledges and we are making the case that they will represent an important improvement on the current wording in our Constitution and will take an important step towards having a Constitution that is in line with the values and reality of modern Ireland. On the specific question the Deputy put to me about the signing of the additional and optional protocol, t…

I make clear the commitment the Government has made to do it inside its current mandate. We are making that clear.

What I will not do, in response to a sensitive and important question, is outline a date which the Government, in the process of dealing with a sensitive matter finds out it cannot deliver. We are committed to doing it. The Taoiseach, the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and I are emphasising our aim to do that. However, as the Deputy stated, it is not just in a referendum or by changing our Constitution or even just by ratification of this protocol that we can show the values and commitment we have to making a differenc…

Given the Deputy's great interest in Fine Gael representation, I am pleased to tell him that come the next election, I have every confidence that Senator John Cummins will get elected to the Dáil. The Deputy seems to be focused on the past. We are focused on the needs of today and are confident about the story we will be putting forward. We will be confident about the ability of someone like Senator Cummins to make our case in this regard, while other Government representatives will be doing the same. When the Depu…

It is out to tender.

I responded to all the different points the Deputy made. Every point he put to me regarding investment in different parts of the south east I responded to. I outlined what the Government is doing.

I responded to his question. I laid out what we are doing. I remind the Deputy that it does not stop him from turning up to all the different announcements made by Government. He is there.

He is eager enough to get into the photo and to take the credit for all the progress the Government is making-----

-----while of course we know, we need to do more. In 2019, the budget for University Hospital Waterford stood at €201 million. It increased to €268 million, an increase of one third in four years, meaning that 2,758 people are now working in University Hospital Waterford, an increase of 809 since December 2019. I have little doubt that when all of these measures were being announced the Deputy was there standing beside a Government representative looking to take credit for it as well.