The Government wishes to provide all the access we can to important medicines that we know make such a difference to the lives and health of those battling cancer. I am aware of the report referred to by the Deputy and I believe it is the case that the only treatments approved by the HSE have been ones eligible for credits from the high-cost claims pool within the risk equalisation scheme that underpins the community-rated market. There is a lot in this, so I will ensure that the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen…

I thank the Deputy for raising what we all know is such an important matter. In the aftermath of the loss of life and health he referred to, the Government and the Department of Health took many steps to try to improve the level of confidence patients will have in the cancer screening procedures. This is because we know that a successful cancer screening health programme is so important in the prevention of the loss of life. I am not, I am afraid, aware of the specific issue the Deputy referred to in respect of the…

I know road projects like these are extremely important and the role they can play in the prevention of congestion and in making transport on our roads safer. I am, indeed, responsible for the funding the Department of Transport has but I am not involved in decisions it makes concerning individual road projects. I am, however, familiar with the project the Deputy referred to. Government Oireachtas Members have also been raising this issue, so I will raise it with the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to se…

I am not aware of the status of that specific report. It does sound unusual that a process would have been put in place to address such an important matter in 2019 and that it would not yet have reached a conclusion. I do know, however, that record levels of funding are being provided to Galway County Council, as is the case with every local authority, to help it respond to the housing issues in the city and county the Deputy is referring to. We know the human cost of the inability to provide housing in the way we …

Progress is being made, therefore, but we know more needs to be made. I will follow up on the specific matter of the task force reporting its status.

I thank the Deputy. The Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, is working on this issue now. It has been the subject of discussion at our Cabinet subcommittee which deals with health policy. As the Deputy acknowledged, it is no longer an issue of the funding of new drugs. The Deputy will also appreciate the trade-offs and balances involved in this context. A patient and a family desperately want a new form of treatment to be made available, but at times the cost of such a treatment can be so high that any Government ac…

I know that legislation is currently being drafted. We appreciate the importance of ensuring that there is a safe and appropriate environment outside hospitals that are providing this health service. In answering a question on another aspect of this from Deputy Bacik, I reference the fact that a group has now been set up in the HSE to deal with all of the implementation and operational issues that are being raised in the report that is being discussed today.

Every effort is being made by Dublin City Council and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide social and affordable housing on what is a landmark site. I do not need to tell the Deputy the impact the proper development of the site can have on the availability of homes in the south inner city and the city overall. I will refer to the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, on the points the Deputy has made. The Government will make every effort we can to try to get the homes that will be built …

I thank Deputy O'Sullivan. In all of our constituency work, we meet a Dolores and Timmy and are reminded of the huge sacrifice and care that is delivered in looking after loved members of families who need additional support. I am sure after the Deputy has raised this matter that efforts will be made to contact Dolores and Timmy, in conjunction with the Deputy, to see if help can be given. Regarding his point on a review of the means test limit for carer's allowance, that is looked at in every budget. It is regular…

I was part of a discussion earlier in the week on the general point the Deputy raised on how we can work with our colleges of higher and further education to meet the skill needs that are health service has. As part of that, the issue of radiation therapists was included. I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. In light of equipment that is not working because staff are not available, I will raise this matter with the Ministers, Deputies Harris and Stephen Donnelly, to see if progress can be made. I kn…

There is not much capital investment that is getting cheaper at the moment, as the Deputy knows, due to inflation and the rising cost of raw materials, as well as the demand created by the economy that is performing so well. In recognition of the issue the Deputy has raised, that is why the fund was put in place in the first place. I take his point that the demand for it is probably many times bigger than the nature of the fund itself. I will work on this matter with the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, in the con…

We know how important access to one's GP is, for the reasons raised by Deputy Michael Moynihan. It is why we aim to provide a GP-only card for a further 700,000 citizens in the time ahead. The Deputy raises an important point. Prevention, as we all know, is the best possible cure. A regular check-in with one's GP is an essential part of that. We would have to engage with the GP community about such a measure, but I am sure the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, will consider it.

The Taoiseach is really aware of the importance of an evaluation or assessment of how our State performed in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, for many reasons, not least of which is the loss of life many experienced, especially in our nursing homes and the sober reality that we may have to confront another pandemic at some point in the future. We urgently need to learn from our experience of dealing with the last one. I am afraid it is not for me to speak on behalf of the Taoiseach and lay out a timeline for whe…

The Government is committed to the expansion of our emergency accommodation by a further 2,000 beds across this year. Work is under way to identify properties in which this can be done. Given that the issue of the mid-west has already been raised by the Deputy, I will see if I can get further information about her own constituency and the mid-west overall. With regard to the capital programme that was brought forward by the Minister for Health, he is in front of the Committee on Health on a regular basis, as is the…

I will leave it to the Minister of State to deal with the Jigsaw issue. I know how important the service is. We have one in Dublin Central. I can see the amazing work it does. The Minister of State will give the Deputy a more specific answer on the issues she has raised. The initiative brought forward by the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, yesterday, is much needed. Rather, it was the Minister, Deputy Foley. I will get in trouble for that now. I fear those who suffered the most during the pandemic were our younge…

I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) (Amendment) (No. 2) (Qualifying Conditions) Regulations 2023, a copy of which was laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 3rd April, 2023.

I move the following Revised Estimates: Vote 38 — Health (Further Revised Estimate) That a sum not exceeding €20,920,049,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2023, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Health and certain other services administered by that Office, including grants to the Health Service Executive and miscellaneous grants. Vote 40 — Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (F…

I wish to inform the Deputy that one member of staff of my Department is assigned to the post of Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform Attaché in the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union in Brussels. The role of the Attaché is to represent and promote Ireland’s interests in the policy areas under the remit of the Department, including Cohesion policy and funding, public procurement, e-government, transparency, and EU institutional staffing matters. In a…

Following the outcome of Judicial Review proceedings regarding the consenting of the River Bride Flood Relief Scheme, my Department sought supplementary information from the Office of Public Works in February 2022. The OPW submitted supplementary information to my Department in October 2022. A copy of this information can be found on the scheme website at floodinfo.ie. It is my intention to commence a further period of public consultation on this scheme as provided for by the European Union (Environmental Impact As…

As the Deputy will be aware, the report of Cruinniú GovTech 2019 represents the views of those who attended that Cruinniú.   Since then my colleague, the previous Minister for Public Expenditure National Development Plan Delivery and Reform established the Data Governance Board, under the Data Sharing and Governance Act 2019.  The Board leads on setting and overseeing best practice in data sharing and utilisation across government, including adherence to the Data Protection Act and GDPR. The Board is independent in…